Bagan Different Perspectives Newsletter July 18, 2008

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Dear Patrons:

Welcome to our news letter. The Staff at Different Perspectives try to bring a clearer picture of current events effecting China and Asia .

Although we believe the international media driven primarily by western world's interests, is bringing the public events as they happen, we at Different Perspectives are independent and non biased without an agenda for prestige or monetary profit.

We simply feel the western world may be somewhat isolated from news that is local to our office here in Beijing, China .

Thank you
Different Perspectives Staff
Edward

Recently I have returned from a 9 week tour of South East Asia and reporting on my perspective and personal experience. Currently our newsletter is focusing on my 24 day trip through the country of Myanmar.
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Friday July 18, 2008
Eden Guest House
Bagan, Myanmar

Today Da Da, Cris and I spent the morning touring the Bagan Archaeological zone. I'm grateful to have met DaDa since she twisted my arm into visiting more of the "tourist" spots, which included most of the Monasteries, Pagoda's and Stu pa's in Bagan.

My daily plans had been to chat with locals, drink coffee, daydream and enjoy the laid back nature of the Myanmar people and their culture, take notes, and pictures. That in itself was satisfying enough my desire to experience and learn about a people that were completely foreign to me. I could do that all day long in amazement.

Hopping on our 1 speed bikes after a nourishing Eden Guest House breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and locally grown coffee served with a genuinely content smiling Buddhist clerk Mang Soe we embarked on our day among the many spiritual structures of Bagan.

Out into the hot hot Bagan day we rode south past the many sidewalk cafes, motorbike repair shops, and abandoned guest houses. 1 cylinder tractors putt putting through the streets, along with many loud motor bikes and locals seemingly for a lack of anything else to do lounging in the hot morning heat.

After about a half hour bike ride we pulled off onto a sandy dirt road to scope out our first of many Archaeological sites for the day. In the distance stood a massive temple. The temples Spires reaching for the skies we walked our bikes along the soft sandy road, anticipating the sites of the temple ahead.

Reaching the clearing in front of the temple we left our bikes, and after removing our shoes we walked into the cool enclave of the temple. Directly ahead was a sitting Buddha with shoulder width of 3 meters looking down on us from a perch reaching for the 10 meter high ceiling.

Massive in it's presence, the Buddha expounded a welcome to us of peace, contentment, and hope, through its humble smile. Pausing for a moment we joined a small handful of Buddhist worshipers kneeling for some prayers.

Snapping pictures we moved through the Temple to the adjacent side. Most of the temples were built with north, east, south and west sides, each side with a similar entrance, and a Buddha facing you as you entered. Between the 4 sides of the temples were corridors linking the sides. Some corridors with small Buddhas, other deities, and prehistoric type etching's of stories past on the massive stone walls.

Reaching a narrow steep staircase we navigated our way up and out onto the the top of the temple, where we were free to roam within the nooks and crannies of the stone architecture and look out over the vast barren landscape of the Bagan Archaeological Zone.

By this time mid-day was approaching and the heat in the direct sun was almost unbearable. So we didn't spend much time on the top before retreating to the relative cool back inside the temple.

Quiet and reflecting we looked over our map before settling on our next temple to visit. The temples on this barren almost deserted landscape attracted few tourists (I don't recall seeing any westerners) and a handful of local worshipers, small groups of children, begging for handouts and an occasional motorbike or horse drawn farm wagon.

We visited about 10 temples that day, among an area of hundreds. Occasionally we would see new brick and concrete stupor's being built adding to already heavily occupied landscape. Reaching the main road again, I decided to turn right and go back to North Bagan for an afternoon rest. DaDa and Cris turned left and rode south in hopes of finding a place for a bite to eat.

Not long after I started the 10 km ride back to the Eden, I approached a small bridge and immediately after crossing it out of the side of my eye was a large snake making its way from left to right across the road in front of me. I got a second look at it as I was passing by. It hustled it 's way quickly across the street and into the dry dusty brush out of site.

Seconds later to locals arrived behind me on bikes and we chatted a bit. They said they had seen it too. I think I mentioned the name cobra and they shook their heads yes. I can still picture the snake in my memory, big in the body, long, thick, dark colored with a lot of energy.

Excitement never seething, I stopped at a small temple on the left side of the road for a breather and a cold drink. Parking my bike I took my cold drink and walked the 50 meters into the east entrance side of the temple. Locals, visiting, and praying families and couples on pilgrimage in the heat of the day.

Leaving the temple walkway and returning to the dusty parking area to retrieve my bike I noticed some activity behind me on the walkway. A man with his arms stretched out side to side gripping in his right hand the head and in his left hand the tail of a healthy looking snake.

Apparently the snake had been found in the area that I had just came from! Instantly a local man ran up to me and encouraged me to get a picture, for this was a cobra! Out with my camera the man with the snake posed proudly for a couple of pictures.

As I stood in amazement at what I was seeing the man carried the snake across the dirt parking area. My local friend mentioned at my inquiry that the snake would not be harmed and would be let go across the street. It's against our religion to harm the snake.

One more day of site seeing with Da Da and Cris and we will go our separate way. Bagan has been a wonderful experience. DaDa will go to Mandalay to get a visa for India as she continues her pilgrimage and sabbatical into another country.

Cris and I will board a 5 am bus tomorrow morning for our 10 hour ride east to the town Kalaw, Myanmar. About 150 km through the rugged mountains of the Shan State. When we get there, the following day we will embark on a 3 day trek through the rolling hills of Myanmar to our continuing our travels through the mysterious country of Myanmar.

Tomorrow we will all go to Mang Soe's Village outside of Bagan to help them celebrate the Full moon Festival and meet his mother. we July 18, 2008
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Again Welcome to our news letter. As is common with our objective the following articles are of interest in upholding the purpose of our newsletter to offer a different perspective.
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Italics text by Different Perspectives

Myanmar cautiously welcomes Obama win
Web posted at: 11/6/2008 7:6:6
Source ::: AFP
YANGON • Myanmars pro-democracy party yesterday cautiously welcomed the election of Barack Obama as the next US president, but said time would tell if he could help open up the military-run country.
The United States' presidential campaign has been splashed on the pages of newspapers around the world for the past year, but in Myanmar's state-run media it has barely featured, leaving many unsure of Obama's policy platforms. Internet Cafes are widely available to almost anyone especially in the larger cities. The ones that I went into were always very busy with young people, students and others. The cost per hour was usually very inexpensive. I frequently visited internet cafes, and had no problem catching up on the world news including the US Presidential campaign.
"We welcome the result (but) policy will be little changed," said Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy, the party headed by detained Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
"It is still too early to say what he can do for our country. We will make our conclusion after he has done something for us."
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962, and is under economic sanctions by the United States and Europe over the long-running detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and human rights abuses.
The United States has been Myanmar's harshest critic, pushing for UN Security Council resolutions against the isolated nation, which has responded by accusing US leaders of plotting to overthrow the government.
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European film festival to be held in Myanmar


www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-04 13:31:41


YANGON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A European film festival will be held in Myanmar's former capital of Yangon next weekend to boost cultural exchange between Myanmar and European countries, a local news journal reported Tuesday.
The eight-day film festival, which lasts from Nov. 15 to 22, will take place at the Naypyitaw Cinema, the Myanmar Newsweek said.
With English subtitles, a number of famous films from Germany, France, Italy and Britain will be screened which include "The Counterfeiters" and "Grave Decisions" from Germany, "The Son's Room" and "The Land" from Italy, "Life in Pink" and "Could This be love" from France and "Stardust and "Miss Potter" from Britain.
The European film festival is to be preceded by a South Korean one scheduled earlier for Nov. 7 to 10 at the Thamada Cinema, in which five Korean movies - "Le Grand Chief", "Hello", "Goodbye", "Little Brother" and "My Love" will be on the screen.
Foreign film festivals have been introduced in Myanmar since the past three years which also included those representing East Asian nations -- China, Japan and South Korea under respective bilateral cultural exchange programs.
In June and December last year, a European film festival, which marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Union (EU) and a first ever film festival of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which marked its 40th anniversary respectively, had taken place in Yangon.
The foreign film festivals have provided opportunities for Myanmar audiences to get more access to foreign movies from different continents, organizers said, adding that through sponsoring such foreign film festivals domestically as part of the cultural exchange with foreign countries, the mutual understanding between Myanmar people and peoples of the world would get enhanced.
Meanwhile, Myanmar has called for efforts to promote the standard of the country's video features and movie production for penetrating foreign markets.
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PMs from SE Asia's Mekong countries to meet in Vietnam
17 minutes ago
HANOI (AFP) — Leaders from Southeast Asia's five Mekong river countries were due to meet in Vietnam's capital from Thursday for two days of talks that aim to boost economic ties and trade across the developing region.
The prime ministers of the communist host nation Vietnam as well as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were set to meet on Thursday, then be joined by Thailand's new premier Somchai Wongsawat on Friday for a wider summit.
Except for middle-income country Thailand, the other four nations remain among the region's poorest and hope to build prosperity through closer regional transport and commercial links, both with each other and with China.
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Cautious optimism six months after cyclone lashed Myanmar
4 days ago
PYIN KAYAING, Myanmar (AFP) — Six months after Cyclone Nargis lashed Myanmar, the initial despair over the ruling junta's inaction has been replaced by cautious optimism that more aid is reaching the country's needy.
Despite enormous obstacles after the May 2 and 3 cyclone that left 138,000 people dead or missing and devastated rice paddies, supplies have made their way through the country's battered infrastructure to survivors.
Myanmar provoked outrage in the weeks after the disaster as it mired the aid effort in red tape, hampering volunteers trying to get to the affected areas. But the junta relented after a visit from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The resulting cooperation between the isolated military rulers and the outside world has raised hopes that more aid can get through to those in need, where Western sanctions and junta restrictions previously kept donors away.
"We've seen trust being built, we've seen relationships strengthened," said Amanda Pitt, spokeswomen for the UN's emergency relief arm in Bangkok.
"It would be great if that spirit of dialogue and cooperation could be developed even further."
But down in the southwest Irrawaddy Delta , which suffered the brunt of Cyclone Nargis, many people still do not know where their next clean drink of water will come from.
Food and medical supplies may have arrived in the most far-flung corners of the delta but in many areas housing is just a sheet of plastic and people worry about what will happen when emergency aid runs out.
At Thar Yar Chaung village on Pyin Kayaing island in the far southwest of the delta, the cyclone brought undrinkable sea water flooding into the ponds.
People fear a makeshift rainwater tank of tarpaulin and wood poles will not be enough to see them through the dry season which begins in November.
"Six months after Nargis, we are trying to get back on track and have begun to step forward but still houses are not rebuilt," said a villager in his 60s.
"Farming rice did not work well because of spoiled rice seeds. There are still many things needed to be done. Among all those needs, water is the main concern for us. We can't live without drinking water."
Villagers have received food, tarpaulin, mosquito nets, blankets, water buckets and money from different organisations but worry how they are going to pay back government loans they took out to rebuild their lives.
"This boat and engine from Myanmar's fishery department are worth about 400,000 Kyats (330 dollars) and we had to sign for it to pay back that amount of money," fisherman Myint Lwin told AFP.
It is the long-term needs such as permanent housing, clean water and job creation that donors need to start stumping up cash for, said Pitt.
The United Nations appealed for 464 million dollars to help the cyclone survivors and so far donors have come forward with 257 million dollars.
Help is all the more important in a country where the government spends just 0.3 percent of its GDP on health care, according the UN figures from 2004.
Exacerbating the problem, Myanmar only received 2.9 dollars of foreign aid per person in 2005, the UN says, compared with more than 38 dollars per person in nearby Cambodia and nearly 50 dollars in Laos.
Despite the relative success of the Nargis relief operation, the complaints that kept donors away remain. Permission is needed to travel outside Yangon, some areas are out of bounds and many pro-democracy groups pressure governments to withhold any money from the junta.
Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962 and is under American and European sanctions because of human rights abuses and the long-running detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group, however, said in a statement in October that an increased flow of foreign aid into Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis could help open up the country and foster democratic reform.
Frank Smithuis, Myanmar country director for Doctors Without Borders -- Holland, said health needs throughout the country were immense, with thousands of people dying each year from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
"I think the reason why there was not aid to Myanmar is not because it is not possible but because of political reasons," he told AFP.
"The only people who suffer from that is the Myanmar people."
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Next time on Different Perspectives, join me as we visit Mang Soe's village and celebrate the Full Moon Holiday with the people of Bagan.

Also we will leave Bagan for the last time and travel to the agricultural center of Myanmar in the Shan State and our chance to meet and stay with Myanmars hill tribes the Pa-o and Danu, in this fascinating country.

We hope you will join us. Until then

"Those who accept that we all die someday settle their quarrels"
Dhammapada
Peace

Edward
Different Perspectives

Written by Edward Mangan c2008

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