2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

The best way to explore Japan is on the 200 mph , 320 kph High Speed Shinkansen network on Japan Rail. The Japan Rail Pass allows 7 days of unlimited travel for $ 279 – only non-resident foreigners are eligible. Distances in Japan are great – but seem close on these trains that seem to fly along the ground.

In Kyoto, the highest pagoda in Japan.

A Shinto Shrine.

Kyoto has delicious cuisine. Here is some venison sashimi.

Locusts.

And Bee Larvae

Japan does not normally conjure images of adventure, but ArcticTropic stopped in for several days to be totally immersed in this vibrant modern/ancient culture.

Tokyo is always the City of the Future.

Gundam ! Japan s the world’s merchandising capital.

Food choices not found elsewhere.

In vibrant Shinjuku ,where we stayed.

The best neon anywhere.

Our flight trajectory did not take us over North Korea even though we were in a Chinese plane. We passed about 50 miles south of that path.

There are only two ways to fly to Japan from Ulaanbataar, either though Seoul or Beijing, Beijing was the cheaper option and one of our travelers had not yet been there.

China has recently instituted a 72 hour visa-free program. One must be flying from one country,though a major city in China with an international airport and then fly on to a third country. One may not leave that city in that time frame.

Unlike last year at his time,Beijing skies were incredibly clear on a beautiful very dry 90 degree day.

Distant mountains were visible ! Third time in Beijing and first time seeing them.

A two hour flight on our Round The World Adventure.

The East is Red. But Capitalist.

Snake For Dinner.

One of Josef Stalin’s greatest accomplishments, the Moscow Metro opened in 1935. To this day ,it is probably the best underground transit system in the world, with elegant stations everywhere along the lines.

The elaborate stations are a tribute to the Communist Ideal.

Chandeliers light the platforms.

A large mural at Kievskaya Station shows joyous Ukranian proletariats.

Murals on the ceilings. Hero workers.

Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

A hub and spoke system.

Smolenskaya Station.

Comrade Soldiers.

Comrade Lenin.

Conrade Stalin.

Moscow is a great sightseeing city . It’s very easy to get around on the Metro. Above, church spires in the Kremlin.

The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, outside the walls of the Kremlin.

Memorial to the Siege of Leningrad.

Inside the Kremlin walls.

Foreign Ministry Building.

Lenin is Everywhere – Still ! But his philosophy is long dead.

Evening Mass.

Stalin’s Greatest Masterpiece – Moscow State University.

The Central Museum of the Armed Forces is a fascinating portrayal of Soviet, and now Russian,military history.

Kalishnikov – world’s most popular automatic rifles.

Comrade V.I. Lenin gazes wisely upon his subjects.

ArcticTropic arrived in Moscow at 12:05 PM yesterday. Customs was extremely quick. After checking into our apartment on Tverskaya, we were ready to explore. It was my first time in Moscow since 1992 and much has changed.

The internet connection is adequate, but not for heavy uploads from the GoPro. Video will have to wait.

The Kremlin – Power Center of Russia.

We were able to see volcanic peaks in Iceland and Norwegian fjords.

After flying for over two days – from Miami to New York to Frankfurt to Singapore to Yangon – ArcticTropic then boarded an Air KBZ ATR 72 prop plane to Bagan. I arrived Friday late afternoon on March 14,2014. The temperature was a dusty 104 ( 40 C) when I got off the plane. In the next few days it would get up to 107 in the day, then down to about 78 at night.

A combination of a silent electric scooter and a GoPro strapped to my forehead made for great stealth shooting (video) opportunities. Village inhabitants did not realize my presence till I was already gone.

Baby Burmese.

Crab Curry.

Houseboat.

Next Stop – 1948 !

Offerings To Lord Buddha.

Burmese is written in one of the 19 Sanskrit alphabets.

Next Stop – 1648 !

Searing heat bakes the riverbed,now 20 feet above the current waterline. By August this spot will be under 20 feet of water.

Lunch Break.

The Myanmar Government may have moved the Capital hundreds of miles North to Naypyidaw, but most business still takes place in once sleepy Yangon – now awakening to be the next Asian Tiger. However it is still Old Asia – gracious and spiritual.

Lord Buddha Meets Ganesh at the Military Pagoda.

The Time is 1920 – British Empire Architecture.

Yangon, and the whole of Myanmar, has a large Islamic population.

A delicious dinner of river prawns.