Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Elena smokes a Myanmar stogie

Myanmar makes some interesting little cigars called cheroots that some folks there seem to relish. They are made everywhere. Elena decided to smoke one (I have never smoked even a single cigarrete and was not about to start now!). She said they were actually OK! Well, you be the judge:

We encountered these in a hut in a small native village near Lake Inle.
Cheroot is one of the distinctive icons of Myanmar. These cigars are made with a blend of tobacco and fragrant wood chips, then rolled up using a dried green leaf called the 'tha nat phet'. After adding a filter made of corn husks, the cheroot is ready to be smoked and is without the addition of harsh chemicals. They are mostly hand made by women in the Inle Lake region.

Anyway, as we were leaving Myanmar, in Elena's baggage I could not help but notice a wad of carefully wrapped Myanmar stogies!!

3 comments:

Elena said...

Oh no Travis you are not a nice boy! All of your family and your friends will think I am an addicted woman ;-) I have to tell everybody that I have never smoken of all my life. I just wanted to experience the taste of the stogies and they were quite nice and natural. But it is the end of my smoker's life ;-)

Travis said...

Elena, actually I was a bit jealous -- I wouldn't have minded trying a cheroot but I was too scared -- I thought that maybe I would like it too much! It was a great trip traveling together! Travis

Elena said...

Ok, I will preciously keep the stogies bought as some souvenir in Burma. And the next time that we will see each other( I hope very soon!), if you have any regret, they will be for you;-)
Yes, it was a wonderful trip! I really hope that we will have many other trips together;-) Elena