Burma Looking Back

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24 January 2012


As we leave Burma we contemplate on the things that have stood out for us:


Beautiful people. The Burmese are truly unspoilt. They are generous and friendly and have a wonderful sense of humour. We will miss the smiles, the home visits, the "where do you come from?" followed by the football conversation, and the prettiest girls in the world.

Velvet slippers. I'm sorry I never bought a pair, I was waiting for our last day and then spent that hanging over the wc instead of shopping.

Pagodas, pagodas, pagodas, pagodas and more pagodas. Everywhere you look!

Thanaka painted faces. From the hastily applied cheek apple swirls to the more intricate leaf prints on faces, or just a spot on the nose or a smudge under each eye. They are all beautiful.

Beautiful hand woven fabrics. There is still a traditional industry here and not everything is generic yet. That will come soon, but for now, hand made ethnic patterned fabrics are available. Give it two years and everything will be made in China on a machine.

Temple bells. Tingling in the breeze or for sale by street side vendors. The tiny brass bells make a very Burmese sound.

Bird food. Everywhere you go you see the little posies of rice hung up for birds, even in dirty, bustling Yangon downtown.

3 in 1. If I never see one of these again in my life it will be too soon. Three in one, for those not in the know, is coffee mix - instant coffee with sugar and creamer, in a packet, just add to a cup of hot water. Tea is also available in this powdered form. There is a two-in-one version available but instead of omitting the sugar you just loose the creamer. Horrible if you don't do sugar! Very horrible if you like coffee and are as addicted as we are.

Men in longyis. My very first time in Asia and only in the Maldives, is the only other time I have seen men in longyis. In Burma EVERYONE wears them. As noted before they are very practical especially when squatting! They can also be very smart and the men in their business shirts and longyis are especially impressive. I imagine these will give way to trousers soon, but I hope not.

Rows and rows and rows of food stalls spilling onto the street wherever you go. And good food too, especially the noodles with fish stock based coconut soup.

Little chairs at tea shops. Knee achingly low little single bum rests where you end up with your knees by your ears at a table you can't reach because your legs are in the way..... They do come in great colour combinations though and the painted wooden ones are especially attractive.

Home industries. Still thriving, but soon to be outdone by an influx of Chinese goods.

Chinese tractor lorries. The engine is on the outside - easier to fix if it breaks. Moving parts like fan belts are prominently displayed for easy access. The exhaust is at a pedestrian's face height and is conveniently pointed to the pavement side of the vehicle. Hold your breath when these are passing or get a mouthful of Carbon Monoxide.

Ox carts. Still the main transport in rural areas, and even seen all over Mandalay city.

Betel nut stained teeth and red chaw spitters. Awesomely impressive these spitters! If I tried that I'd end up with red juice all over my chest. The teeth are something special too. Dark maroon stained and usually lots of gaps between still existing teeth! Dentist's dream!! Berry red stained lips complete the picture. Everywhere you walk the pavements and corners are spray painted red with spittle.

Throat clearing. The true sound of Burma - forget what I said about temple bells! It is practically constant and so disgusting that you can't help but cringe. The hocking up of phlegm is a national pastime, and not only for men.....

Monks and nuns. You get used to seeing monks in their saffron robes all over South East Asia, but in Burma they are in deep red robes and they are literally everywhere. There are probably more monks here than in any other country of the region. Almost every little boy spends at least some time in a monastery. And then there are the nuns. They are usually so elusive that you never see them elsewhere, but in Burma the pink clad, shorn headed girls and ladies are out in the open with the boys.

Street food. For the poorest country in South East Asia, there is certainly a lot of food around. Cooked food is mostly oily - this is the best way to preserve it when you don't have a refrigerator, and electricity is a general failure. The variety is huge and food is delicious until the oiliness begins to turn your stomach. The fresh fruit rivals neighbouring Thailand's offerings.

Glazed water pots. Outside very house there is a huge glazed pot, sometimes decorative, sometimes quite plain. Always full of clean water. This is the family shower.

Toll booths. For the state of the roads there is an awful amount of payment made. You can't go ten kilometres without having to stop to pay a road tax. The disrepair of the roads doesn't reflect this, so I wonder which general is collecting the proceeds and saving up to stay at the Kandawgi Palace Hotel for a weekend.

People bathing and washing clothes in the river. The rivers and canals in Burma are not only highways and fishing grounds. They are also usually the town dump, laundry and communal bath. It is nothing to bath and wash clothes right where you have just dumped your rubbish. It is a common sight to see people bathing in the middle of the day, when it is warmest, wrapped in their bath longyis, washing their hair and their clothes and drying everything off on the dusty banks. How the women have such amazing hair? I'm almost willing to give it a try - almost.....

Last but not least is the ever infringing government. We felt so restricted. Can't go here without a permit; can't stay there because they don't have a permit; can't go on a small boat, you have to take the government ferry; pay here, there's a general who needs your money.....

But change is in the air. Next time we visit Burma it will be very different, I'm sure of this. And we will hold these memories of the place that was.

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