Advertisement
Published: January 25th 2008
Edit Blog Post
One month in Burma (Myanmar)
Dec 30 - Jan 24, '08 (photos to follow)...I have to say, that Burma makes a National Geographic photographer out of anybody (I mean ANYBODY!).
Visited...Yangon, Kalaw, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Bagan, Sittwe, Mrauk-U, Yangon
I have finally made it back to Thailand after 1 month in Burma...back in the noisy, polluted, hot, sticky, metropolis of Bangkok...but finally with excellent internet (I had very limited access in Burma).
I continue my tour of the oppressed countries here in Asia...Tibet, Nepal and now Burma. As many of you may be aware, this is a controversial country to travel in as some countries have "travel boycotts" on. I have to say that everyone we met in Burma was very happy to see us there, particularly given that we were travelling independently and spending our money locally vs. in a tour group. Whether they were involved in the tourism industry (and hence benefitting directly from us spending our $) or just people we met out and about...they were interested and curious in us and our presence in their country.
My friend "tall Sue" from Toronto and I had a wonderful trip in Burma filled with lots
of laughing and talking and chatting and catching up with each other's gossip. It was a real "girlie" trip...we treated ourselves to economical luxuries such as nice hotel rooms with views of rivers and fields and ate well. Of course we had the occasional beer too. The country is truly beautiful and still relatively untouched. Most memorable, the people are lovely...honest, kind, and peaceful...quite remarkable given the political problems that they have experienced over the years...most recently in Fall '07. A bomb was reported to have gone off in a woman's washroom near the capital city in early January and after that the streets had more visible police presence...but otherwise, "all was quiet on the homefront" for us during the trip.
Again, I have been a true vegetarian for the last month...seemed like the easiest and safest thing to do. Burma is a country that eats a lot of fish...and puts fish sauce into everything...which I find pretty disgusting and avoid at all costs. Somehow the coastal fish genes never made it into my makeup (are they really my parents??)...what being from Aberdeen Scotland and Victoria BC. I visited some of the early morning fish markets for sunrise and
saw some horrifically strange fish...huge flat fish 5 feet across, snake like eel type fish, little dried fish and an even more disgusting smelling dried fish paste. Yum yum for all of my friends who are fish eaters.
When tall Sue headed back to Canada I had 9 days left to entertain myself. That day I flew North and was the ONLY passenger on the flight (45 seater) to Sittwe. I really started to worry about how I was going to pay for that rumoured $150US boat ride on my own but I had luck and connected with 2 Slovenian girls and for $20 each (1 way) took the boat from hell at 6:00pm to Mrauk-U. I have never been SO %^&g cold for SO long in my life for 8 (yes count them 8!) hours. Barefeet, cotton pants, 1 jacket and my thin shawl were all I had to shroud myself and protect me from the cold humid winds on board. I loved Mrauk-U, the temples, and in particular just watching life go slowly by in a rural town.
Perhaps the oddest photo I have ever taken was in Mrauk-U. I came across a local quiet ceremony
Pagoda and Moon
Mrauk - U, Burma being held for the 83 year old monk who had just passed away the day before. He looked very peaceful in his maroon robes and lying with arms crossed in the wooden coffin. The local attendants shifted the wooden lid (with plastic see-thru cut outs) off and encouraged me to take pictures. I assumed they would like me to mail them a copy (there are lots of respectful photos of dead people here in Asia) but when I had their "address" translated all it said was the name of the monk who had passed away. He was waiting to be creamated the following day.
I am still healthy and happy...went to have my hair trimmed in Bangkok and "lost it" and told them to just hack it all off...but "no", I didn't have my head shaved this time around.
Ciao for now...and thanks for the messages you have been sending me and keeping me up to date with your latest news !
Susan
Advertisement
Tot: 0.297s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 8; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0477s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb