Burma Nov. 27-Dec. 16, 2010

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Burma; The Land Beyond, November 27-December 16, 2010—field notes from the journal of Guide Don Lyon

Day 1 Mae Hong Son, Thailand: Eight stalwart photographers gathered today along with their trusty guides Manop Netsuin (Chiang Rai, Thailand) and your humble correspondent (YHC, aka Donald Lyon, Brownsville, Oregon). Anand Khoka (Los Angeles, CA) and Sandi Kunz (Bend, Oregon) had arrived a day or more early and not without more adventures than one trip requires. Glenn and Jane Richards from Aurora, Colorado were also advance mattress checkers. “Beds as soft as a pool table with a sack of concrete for a pillow” was the description of our little Piya Guest House on the shores of Mae Hong Son’s lake. Jim Treat (Walnut Creek, CA), Patty Tauscher (Rochester, NY), Karen Molleson and Lowell Hill (Los Angeles, CA) completed the team along with our two drivers, Nan and Song and two big Toyota Vans. Most of us had spent a night or two at the Galare Guest House in Chiang Mai and caught the 11:15 flight to this little town on the border with Burma. YHC treated the group to lunch at the Fern Café—Tom Kum Gai, spring rolls and chicken cooked in pandanus leaves. After orientation we headed deep into the hills to Kayan Tayar Refugee village (aka Ban Nai Soi for the nearby Shan village. The Kayan are also known as Paudong. They are ethnic Karens who have been seeking autonomy within the Burmese state for the past 40 years. Most have fled to Thailand to avoid being conscripted as porters by the Burmese army (virtually a death sentence) or because of other harassment from the Burmese regime. It was exciting to come around a corner and see five elephants guided by their mahouts lumbering off into the jungle with a baby tagging along behind. From 4-5:30 we were at the camp where the Kayan and their cousins, the Kayaw make a scant living posing and selling trinkets to tourists who especially come to see the women—the Kayaw insert silver dollar size plugs into their ear lobes. The Kayan women wear brass coils around their necks, arms and legs. The neck is not actually stretched so much as the collar bones are compressed downwards. The Thai Military governor permits the refugees to stay as they attract tourist dollars. YHC has images from previous trips to give away. Most speak some English and claim that life is better here where there is the opportunity to earn some money than it was in Burma. The tall poles at the edge of the village represent the sun, and the moon (the sun’s wife). Hopefully our images of camp life and the warm Karen people can be used to help their cause in some way. Dinner tonight is at the Fern.

Day 2 Mae Hong Son and Karen camps: By 8AM we have finished our breakfast on the Piya pavilion and are ready for the day’s adventures. Oola from Germany has joined us for the day to see what photography tours are all about. We drive to the
Pai River landing to take a long-tail canoe ten kilometers downriver to Huay Pu Keng refugee village—also housing Kayan (long neck) and Kayaw (big ear) refugees. The air is cool and there is mist on the river as we skim over the riffles. From 9-11 we explore, chat with the villagers to learn about their lives and photograph. We brought along some hygiene products and clothing for infants (trying to make their lives a bit easier and healthier but to change them as little as possible. The women work at their looms and willingly pose. There are two Christian churches in this village and voices raised in joyful hymn pour forth. The local school teaches Thai, Burmese and English. Cruising back up river we stop at a riverside restaurant for an excellent meal midst the cool jungle environment. Oola bought a round of Singh Ha beers—viel danke Oola! Back at our simple guest house we took from 1-3pm at leisure and at 3pm headed high (3500 feet) up into the hills to Ban Rak Tai, a mountain top village around a little lake settled by remnants of the Kuomintang army defeated in 1948 by Mao Tse Tung. They were forced out of nearby Burma. Much of the drug trade was (is) run by the KMT along with insurgent groups in Burma. They are now growing tea, which covers the hillsides in neat rows. The light was fading fast, as were the harvesters who were packing up for the day but we managed some good images. We said Ni-ow instead of Saw was dee here to the Chinese speaking locals--nice reflections in the lake, too. The Burmese border is just a few hundred yards from here. Dinner tonight was at a pleasant restaurant specializing in duck—yum.

Day 3 Mae Hong Son to Chang Dao area: Departing at 8AM this fine misty day—some were out early to capture the monk’s procession with begging bowls—giving the laity the opportunity to earn merit. As we began the first of the 1869 curves for which this road is famous we stopped for some rice paddy shots. The huts are for resting during the heat of the day. Another stop was at a KMT village where a cultural center was being built and tea tasting was offered. Nice limestone peaks and cliffs here with jungle-like foliage. House building scenes and “sunstars” attempted on the temple gate—f16, 1/125th sec at ISO 100. Black Lahu villagers had set up stalls at one pass—we stopped for the toilets and photographed one old lady—betel-stained mouth—playing her flute with gourd instrument—looks like a bagpipe without the bag. 1001 curves later we were in Pai where chicken curry noodle soup is the specialty of the town. Banks were visited, T-shirts were purchased and off we went to the main highway. Near Chang Dao we left the highway to visit a Palong village to the east. We spent an hour with the friendly people who really do want to sell their knick-knacks (handicrafts being too gracious a description). We bought because they all were so nice about posing. They had been here about 20 years, also refugees from Burma. The women wear rattan and silver hoops around their waists. Red and blue are predominant colors. The trick in such circumstances is to avoid the trinket booths and include the village life. Lowell is promoted to head shaman and has the hat to prove it. Back down the rutted dirt track to the highway and soon we are at Rim Doi Resort near the mountains—which is what Rim Doi means. Our chalet is almost a tree house of teak logs on the edge of a small lake and engulfed in wonderful tropical shrubs and flowers—we could spend a day capturing the exotic natural shapes that offer themselves at every turn. After settling in we join Manop for a Korean BBQ—charcoal heats the broth and the grill. We use our chopsticks to place bite size chunks of chicken, beef and pork on the grill and cook veggies in the steaming broth—fun and delicious. Chok Dee—as we say. Large Changs quench our thirst.

Day 4 Rim Doy Resort to Mae Sai border: Beautiful mist on the lake this morning. Breakfast was served at 7, departure at 8 after many flower and foliage shots. We arrive Chiang Dao Elephant Camp by 8:30 before other tour groups and have some time to chat with the Lisu women who are selling trinkets and crafts. YHC has pictures to hand out and these are received with delight. Elephant bathing (and mahouts getting a shower by the elephant) produces some good scenes. The bamboo and other natural vegetation let us capture very natural looking scenes including nice backlit scenes of the Lisu mahouts on their elephants. The demonstration was of elephants loading and stacking logs as they would have done in the forest a decade earlier. One baby elephant was quite the artist and painted a credible picture of a Flamboyant tree. We stayed through the second show, mainly to capture more scenes of the elephants in the river and forest. At 11 we left for Thanton and had the national dish, Pad Thai for lunch at Duoc Duoc Resort looking into the hills of Burma across the river. Up into the hills again to Doi Mae Salong, a Chinese village where tea is king (formerly opium). We photographed some Ahka women here with their distinctive silver ball and coin headdresses. Trumpet flowers and Chinese ponies, too. Several landscapes of the steep terraces and patch work fields before we hit the valley and cruised in to Mai Sai and the Piyaporn Hotel. (Porn = Offering, Piya = King). We say Chok Dee to drivers Nan and Song. Chinese dinner tonight was delicious with fried mushrooms and morning glory vines (and so much more).

Day 5 Mae Sai, Thailand to Kengtung, Burma: Quite a day. Leisure breakfast and chance to explore this bustling border town before our 9:30 departure. We crossed the bridge separating Thailand and Burma, saying farewell and thanks to Manop and Mingalaba to Daniel waiting for us on the Burma side. We had an hour to poke around Tachileik while paperwork was processed. The immediate area is like a shopping center with all the luxury goods from China and Thailand that one could imagine—a very different scene from YHC last visit before the road to China was paved. The I-phones looked legit but the Rolex’s were suspect. Our driver is Soe Min and his assistant is Sai Min. We have a cute little 15 seat bus. Soon we are off with Daniel telling us about Shan State—his home. Lunch was morning glory vine soup with Shan noodles and stir-fry veggies and meat. As we head north the scenery becomes more rugged and exotic. The forest has been cut and the hillsides planted with rubber trees and teak. Rice harvesting is going on in the terraced rice paddies. We stop about 3pm to walk through a Lahu village with pot bellied pigs, puppies, children and chickens running wild. At first the kids are very shy with the strangers but the magic of the LCD wins them over. We stop a few more times for the lovely low light at 4pm then arrive at the Law Yee Chain Hotel at 5:30—our home for the next three nights. At 6:30 we walk over to one of the few tourist quality restaurants where Daniel briefs us for the adventure ahead.

Day 6 Village Life around Kengtung: A busy day. The market is just 100’ away from our hotel. Tempertures are pleasantly cool at 6:30 but the locals are bundled up in western (ie—Made in China) clothing. By 7am the light in the produce section is golden. Eggs and toast for breakfast at the hotel then 8:45 departure after Daniel obtains the permits for us to visit the ethnic villages nearby. We meet Sai Win and two of his students—the three of them will be our local guides. Sai Win teaches English and Tourism at the new University here. We head SW on a dirt road. Shots of rice paddy preparation and a stop at an elementary school where there are just three teaches who must divide their time among the six classrooms. The kids are very well behaved. YHC presented an English recitation to the 2nd graders who repeat very well. Our first village is Ahka—called Wan Pin. We learn to say Kalahu mya de’ which means thank you in the Ahka language. The women have many colorful sewn items for sale, which are vigorously offered. We want to photograph them and they want to sell to us so some deals are made. Good village life scenes, too. Now we climb up up through the forest over red clay soil to the Enn village of Dan Le—this group is Animist. The women begin to descend upon us, each eager to sell handicrafts but Daniel asks them to wait in the village so we can create more informative images. We pose three generations of women from infant to betel-stained grandmother. Nice overviews as we descend the hillsides to a bamboo pavilion sun shelter to eat our picnic lunches of chicken, spicy pork balls, sticky rice and selection of sauces—all finger licking good. Trekking back to the bus we encounter another school where light and subjects were very nice. We visited a distillery where a rice spirit is made from a mash fermented for 10-12 days in plastic bags and distilled into 90 proof white lightening. We stick a finger into the pot and attest to its potency. Back in Kengtung we stop at a café along the lake and drink a limejuice—destined to become our favorite drink in Burma. We will visit the temple whose golden stupa we see reflected in the lake on our last day here. YHC mentions panning as a way to show motion and we practice on the bikes and vehicles going past. Dinner at our favorite little spot a few blocks from the hotel.

Day 7 Kengtung Environs: A pleasant day—not as hot as yesterday. Time to explore market and town in the morning then 8:30 departure by bus. Sai Win and his students Poppy and Lena (their western names) join us again, along with Daniel’s young cousin who will start college as an English Language Major in the fall—good chance for the three of them to observe Homo photographicus at close range. We stop to compose some scenes of road building—hand made in Burma, stone by stone. We meet some Loi people on the road. Young rubber trees are being tapped—we catch the latex actually dripping into the collection pots—action images, not. In the fields we see water buffalo on tethers suspended from a bamboo pole. Daniel explains that they are being trained to respond to the harness in this way. Walking through an Ahka village we find all of the women chomping on bamboo pipes and offering them for sale. A nearby village is Loi—the women chew a leaf that stains their lips almost black giving them a strikingly avant garde Goth look. They are good weavers and sell us scarves. We visited a small monastery here where the novices are preparing for a festival. Back in town we have a 45 minute break back at the hotel then we are off to visit the Silver Palaung village of Wan Paout. Sai Win told us the folk story that the Palaung women wear the rattan and silver hoops around their waists because their female ancestor was a celestial Princess who agreed to stay on Earth with a local man who saved her and her sisters from death. He asked her to wear the hoop so he could pull her back if she floated off. By 5:30 it is quite dark—which is about the only way to get our group back on the bus at end of day. Time for a shower before dinner at 7PM.

Day 8 Kengtung to Lake Inle: Morning to explore town and markets. At 9:30 we drove to see the great tree on the hill—a local landmark (Diptocarp?). Some of us practice sun-stars on the otherwise unremarkable stupas here. The children of one of the groundskeepers (at the park) has brought her two kids—lots of pictures there. Over to the Standing Buddha with outstretched arm—Yat Thaw Min, built in 2002 in a unique pose. On to Wat In with it’s old wooden buildings and wonderful collection of old Shan style (leaner) Buddhas.. We put some of the novices to work posing for us in the screen windows. At the hotel we finish packing our bags and drive to Pan Then Restaurant—which makes it’s own ice cream. First another delicious lunch. Lime juice is now the official drink of Close-Up Expeditions. Off to the small airport where, surprise, our Air Mandalay flight is running a little late. Some of us pass the time in a nearby coffee house chatting with the locals. We present our driver with one of Jim’s baseball caps. Short flight to Heho was cloudy but glimpses of the Salween River were appreciated by YHC. The Salween was one of the major routes of emigration for tribal groups from China. At Heho airport we met our driver and assistant and headed for Nyaung Shwe where we boarded two long-tail cargo canoes for the hour long-cruise down the lake. Lake Inle is another world. As we raced down lake we saw in the gloaming figures standing on one leg on the sterns of their dugouts and rowing with the other leg, setting out their nets for a night of fishing—could it be real? The boat drivers navigated around clumps of floating water hyacinth heading unerringly, perhaps by the star filled sky, towards the distant Golden Isles Cottages where the staff was waiting, playing gongs, cymbals and drums to welcome us and offering hot tea. We were glad to be here! Within 15 minutes we were checked into our comfortable cottages on stilts in the middle of the shallow lake and after another 15minutes we are seated next to the stage and are entertained by dances, martial arts demonstrations, fire dancing, strange mythical beasts cavorting and a human puppet “operated” by unseen strings. Sleep came easy that night.

Day 9 Around Lake Inle: We were up early—there was to be a Donation Ceremony arranged by a group of Overseas Chinese Buddhists (Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore). We hired two long tail canoes to take us closer to the ceremony where the Golden Karaweik (Bird) Barge was towed around the lake by two long canoes rowed by a hundred local villagers. The Abbots of the lakeside monasteries rode on the barge and several hundred monks rode in long tail canoes behind them to receive the offerings of the Chinese donors and locals who wanted to make merit. After a quick breakfast we were off by 8:45 in our two big cargo canoes for the nearby market at the pagoda in the center of the lake where the five sacred Buddhas are kept (Phaung Daw Oo Paya). The local people feel that their fortunes are entwined with these five small statues. They have pressed so much gold leaf onto them that they look like golden blobs. Lake dwelling Intha people are selling their tomatoes, beans and fish. The Pa’O, down from their mountain top villages have brought cabbages, leaves for making cheroots and firewood to trade or sell. We then visited a nearby silk weaving enterprise where sweet old ladies were busily stringing looms, tie dying the warp threads with intricate patterns that only they could “see” at this stage. Young girls were weaving the glorious ikat designs. Making lotus cloth is another handicraft practiced here. The stems of the lotus are scored with a knife and the fibers drawn out and twisted together to make thread—something like raw silk. At the black-smith’s shop we photographed three men swinging 10 lb. sledges to temper red hot steel—from old car springs. Machetes, tongs—whatever anyone needed, they made. Lunch was at the Golden Kite where all things Italian were served with imported cheese. Quick stop at the Cheroot making shop where young girls were rolling 1000 local cigars per day for about $3 in pay. The leaf comes from a tree growing in the hills—very mild. Siesta from 2-4:15. Jim had a Japanese style massage--$5 for an hour. At 4:15 we assembled at the small bridge to photograph two Intha men demonstrating leg rowing and cone fishing. Daniel talked them through an elaborate ballet as we shot up a storm. The light was great. We then followed them in our big canoes out into the lake to capture the action with the backdrop of far away stupas and the sun setting over the western hills—it was magic—especially the silhouettes as they passed through the golden path of sunlight. YHC had provided a new Bic lighter so we could have a nice glow in the cheroot lighting shots. These scenes are a perfect pas de deux and we will have a hard time deleting any of the 500 images we each made. The contented photographers rode home in the dark with faces glowing—stuffed fish and the tomatoes with ground peanuts—more glowing faces.

Day 10 Indein Market and Lake Inle: Very misty this morning. We loaded our two canoes at 8:30 and shoved off for Indein—the market up the river on the west side of the lake (There are five markets at different parts of the lake—each follows the other in a set pattern). Nice shots of fishermen in the mist. First stop was at the weaving center where six Padaung girls and women worked. Their homes at the south end of Inle are off limits to tourists so they come here to be a tourist attraction and, hopefully make some money, with the weaving they do on their back-strap looms. The Padaung are a small sub group of Karens one of the groups (like the Shan) who are fighting for autonomy within Burma. The brass rings probably originated as a way of making the women les desirable to slavers. Some women are wearing 40 pounds of brass around their necks, arms and legs. It is a myth that the process stretches their necks (it compresses their collarbones) or that they will die of suffocation if the rings are removed. We watched as a group of Chinese tourists circled one Padaung girl, snapping photographs, like lions devouring a kill. We hope we were more respectful but maybe we tourists are all the same to them as Karen M. observed. At Indein the group managed to walk straight through the market, past the bullock carts, water buffs for sale and orange turbaned Pa’O women squatting next to their wares. Our priority was to reach the wonderful disarray of ruined stupas around the Shwe Inn Thein pagoda on the hill. We would return. Tougher yet for some were the vendors of very intriguing almost antiques—their stalls lined the very long entrance portico to the pagoda. We reached the stupas without further incident and collected a number of visual delights of the crumbling mini-temples with their flaking stucco, headless Buddhas and overgrown jungle. This area had been a free-fire zone until a few years ago with insurgent groups hiding out in the ruins. At the Pagoda several dozen Pa’O women on their way home from market had stopped to pray and eat their lunch. Some of us sat down with them and entertained them as only photographers with digital cameras can. YHC had a small photo book of pictures of his children, pets, the Oregon Cascades and Coast which attracted an audience. We got some great shots in the process. We now had 30 minutes to shop/photograph the market and check out the Pa’O swimming hole. That water is cold! YHC purchased a woven rattan box painted with Shan designs by Ko Htwe who holds the brush between his toes as he has no arms and just one foot—birth defects similar to those caused by Thalidomide. It wasn’t pity but admiration that guided the purchase, paying 1st price. At noon we all cruised out to our lunch spot at Htun Htun Restaurant across from the five sacred Buddhas Pagoda where we could see the golden barges back in their berth. Leisure time at Golden Isles from 2-4 when we cruised through the floating tomato and bean gardens enroute to Jumping Cats Monastery aka Nga Hpe Chaung. The Abbott here had collected shrines and old lacquer-ware Buddhas from monasteries abandoned during the 50 years of warfare in the hills and stored them here in the Ordination Hall of the monastery. Jumping cats were caught in the act. One can imagine bored monks during the monsoon teaching hungry cats to jump. Since the monastery is a small island the cats had to go along with the program. At 5PM we cruised off into the gloaming to capture fishermen setting out their gill nets. The Cultural program was repeated tonight and most of us stayed for this encore.

Day 11 Lake Inle to Mandalay: We celebrate our surfeit of leg rowing images with a morning at leisure—departure at 9:45. A chance to bask in the sun and chat with the amiable Pa’O staff. Golden Isles is operated as a cooperative by the mountain dwelling Pa’O. Many staff come from their villages and work for two months, then return--others are full time. YHC had a chance to speak with Khun Than Tun Lay—a trekking guide and good friend of YHC’s niece who had taught English here for a month last year. His older brother is the affable bartender, Khun Thein Zaw. Now we skimmed across Lake Inle, unable to resist just a few more leg rowing shots of the graceful Intha people reeling in their nets, rarely finding any fish. Others were digging up waterweed from the shallow depths to compost on their gardens. Daniel said the large black scissortail bird was a Dandron (sp?). We also saw cliff swallows, cormorants, egrets, whitish hawks and other’s unknown to YHC. After a toilet stop at Huipin’s Hotel in Nyaung Shwei we were off by bus to the old wooden monastery north of the town—Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung. Several tour busses had unloaded their tourists who swarmed over the monastery, poking their heads out of the windows, calling gaily to be photographed and generally making a mockery of monastic serenity. The novices are supposed to learn “detachment” so perhaps this was good practice. YHC would like to think we behaved a bit better. Daniel always consults with the Abbot and is very respectful towards the monks and novices—we learn from him. He asked a couple of novices to pose in the ornate oval windows of the delightfully decrepit 150 year old ordination hall. Shooting on the shady side gave us some distance from the other tourists and even exposures. At the junction town bullock carts full of cabbages needed photographing-- then on to Heho Airport where we had lunch at a simple café serving Shan Noodle soup (and more). The serving boys double as masseuses and provided wonderful half hour neck and feet massages for $2. The air is fresh and pleasant as we wait for our Air Mandalay. It is an hour late. Night is settling in as we spot a bright star approaching -–hurrah, it is our plane. Twenty minute flight, then an hour’s drive from Mandalay’s fancy new airport to the Emerald Land close to the center of Mandalay. Late dinner at 8:30 and to bed.

Day 12 Mingun and Mandalay: a beautiful Mandalay day with 8:30 departure for the jetty where we were to catch a riverboat up the Ayerwaddy River to Mingun—but first a half hour to explore along the river bank—a bustling hive of activity where the poorest of the poor live in makeshift hovels, pigs and children wandering innocently. Young girls were part of a human conveyor belt hauling 40 lb baskets of sand on their heads from boats up the beach to trucks hauling the sand to construction sites. The faded riverboats have the patina of the ages—it is a timeless scene in sepia. We cruise upriver for an hour sitting in our bamboo deck chairs picking off river scenes left and right. People in canoes probe for teak logs stuck on the river bottom and all manner of craft pass up and down this famous “road to Mandalay’ that arises in China and courses the length of Burma. No flying fishes were observed. At the huge unfinished pagoda begun by King Bodawpaya Daniel poses a nun—offering her a whacking white cheroot and provided her with a train of young novices. We capture some scenes in full sun and some in full shade. Great cracks run through the giant brick structure that was only a 1/3 finished when the king died in 1819 and an earthquake made completion inauspicious as well as unfeasible. Two young novices rang the world’s largest hanging and intact bell (the larger one in Moscow is either cracked or not hanging or both The wave like patterns of the white pagoda (Hsinbyume) represent the oceans surrounding sacred Mt. Meru, center of the Hindu/Buddhist cosmos. Two young Shan novices oblige us by jumping from wave to wave a la the recent cover of the Lonely Planet guide. We admire the beautiful oil and watercolor paintings and we would surely buy some if we were not in the picture business ourselves. We have a few moments to sit and chat with the kids who have fanned us, carried our camera bags and delighted us with their expansive conversations and knowledge of English. Most can carry on in five or more other tourist tongues. By 12:30 we are cruising back down river and soon a munificent feast of roast duck is set before us at The Golden Duck. Recharge from 2:30 to 3:30 at the Emerald Land then drive to the beautifully carved old wooden monastery that was King Mindon’s bedchamber. Since he died in it, it was removed from the Palace to this site. That structure, known as The Glass Palace, was completely destroyed during WWII. Two young sisters with leaf designs in thanaka were happy to pose in the doorways. YHC had 8X10 prints of them from earlier clients. They make their living selling sweet flower leis, which we were happy to buy. Daniel brought two novices to pose, also, in the doorways. We managed to get our shots before the other tourists caught on and crowded in for pictures, too. To them such scenes were heaven sent but we thanked Daniel for them. YHC reconnected with some vendors, Tit Tee and Mi Mi, friends from prior trips. Coquettish MiMi with the thanaka leaf cheeks and Bridget Bardot pout is distressed that at 27 she has not yet married. Back to the jetty for the sunset light. Delicious repast at the hotel.

Day 13 Burma’s Former Royal Cities: 8:30 departure today—heading across Mandalay to the old capital of Amarapura. Our first stop is the marble sculpting street where pure white local marble is turned into Buddhas of various ethnic shape and other religious figures and objects. Power tools have been introduced recently but the magical shots are of young girls crouched over a Buddha polishing with their collection of different shaped stones. YHC had pics from previous trips to share. The overcast day was perfect for these scenes. On to U-Bein Bridge, 200 year old teak posts spanning an oxbow in the Ayerwaddy between Amarapura and another pagoda favored by the royal family. Colorful rowboats waited for customers, vendors selling melon seed purses attached themselves to potential buyers and we checked out the iconic bridge for our planned sunset shots The nearby monastic center is Burma’s preeminent Buddhist teaching institution with over 1100 monks studying here. At about 10:20 a bell would ring signifying suppertime—the last meal of the day—and the red robed monks, barefoot and with black bowls clutched to their chests would stream in from every corner of the grounds. It may seem odd to the non-photographer but we knew herein lay some great shots. Slow shutter speeds blurred the shuffling feet of those in line. The Hand Painted longyii workshop was next. Young girls also did silk embroidery here. Crossing the Ayerwaddy on the new Chinese-built bridge the road continues to India but we stopped in Saigang, once a capitol during Shan occupation but now a religious community filled with convents and monasteries. We stopped at a monastic school with hundreds of young pink clad nuns, red-robed novices and green uniformed local kids in attendance. Each of us wandered around encountering groups of kids in our own way and looking for shots at play or reciting aloud in unison. This school is free, consequently lacking many teachers and resources. CUE members pitched in with $65 for teacher’s salaries and food. Lunch at nearby Happy Restaurant where mushrooms were featured today. A crowd of beggars waited for us outside—YHC had not encountered this in Burma before. Perhaps there is a breaking down is the social structure or a realization that their wants might be met by others. Back to the East side of the river and a small backwater village where we hop aboard a simple ferry to cross the Ava River to the old capitol (twice) of Ava. Inwa is the original and preferred name. We boarded horse carts and bounced down the track around the precincts of the old capitol. First stop is the yellow stucco pagoda, Maha Aungmye Bonzan, built in 1822 by one of the Queens for her favorite Abbott. Daniel produced two novices to pose both in the arched foundations and in the window frames. The soft light and yellow stucco is fabulous. On to an old wooden monastery of Bagaya Kyaung where three young novices posed in the carved wood doorways. Again the overcast light was ideal. Now we had to hurry to reach U-Bein Bridge for the sunset shots. The bridge timbers came from the old palace here at Ava. The overcast day was not our friend anymore—zilch sunset. Also—it was hard to find a good composition of Burmese people on the bridge because of the number of tourists. We salved our wounds at Ko’s Thai Kitchen watching and photographing the food being prepared.
Day 14 Mandalay to Bagan: Surprise—the few rain drops of yesterday turned into on again, off again rain but the photographic conditions were great. Back to Amarapura this morning to the great pagoda of Mahamuni where the “living Buddha” resides—a great mass of gold leaf. The statue is thought to have been made during the life of the Buddha and was touched three times by the Buddha—hence it has life. The face is washed and teeth brushed every day by the resident monks. We skeptics found our best shots near by-- of those who had come to pray of offer their services—such as fortune tellers and astrologers. There is a collection of heroic bronze figures housed here which originated at Angkor but have been carted to and fro as empires waxed and waned. The gilded arches, even reflections on the tile floors all contributed to our feeling we had reached photographic nirvana. Sandi found her wood Buddha sold by the carver in his small workshop in the South Portico. On to the Embroidery Center where the craft of making thick padded items of velvet rich with gold braid and sequins is still practiced. More interesting to this photographer were the old bits and pieces of wooden sculpture and ornament lying wet from the rain in delightful disorder. The shop sells these old pieces, restores them and undertakes carving commissions. The making of gold leaf is another of the ancient crafts still practiced near the old royal precincts. Young men with six pack abs swing 10 lb sledge hammers onto small pouches containing pure gold. A special paper is manufactured here, too, to keep the gold leaf foil pieces from sticking together. The pagoda known as the “world’s biggest book” contains 100’s of marble “pages”, tablets really, inscribed in Pali with the sacred teachings of the Buddha. We had some time to wander. YHC wandered into a nearby monastery and spent a pleasant half hour chatting with monks who were studying English in their dormitory. FYI, Glenn—their beds are solid planks of wood with a grass mat for padding. Lunch today included passion fruit juice and curried mutton along with those great frenched green beans with chopped peanut salad—must try this one at home. All this at A Little Bit of Mandalay Restaurant. Leisure until 3pm to pack for our flight—a process that is getting harder and harder.
The flight to Bagan was delayed for an hour. We arrived in Naung Oo Airport and drove to the wonderful resort called Thande Old Bagan, overlooking the Ayewaddy River. Still drizzly, dinner was inside where a young girl sang, accompanied by her father on Burmese harp and then on the Burmese bamboo xylophone. Our rooms are lovely.

Day 15 Exploring Bagan: Uh Oh—still rainy. Breakfast in the beautiful teak dining hall and 8 AM departure for Ananda Pagoda where there are four standing Buddhas—immense and each carved from a single teak log. We enter the East side. This and the West facing Buddha are only 150 years old. The original ones having burned—careless candles. The South and North are original with the 11th C. age of the pagoda. Ananda has the Indian style top that looks like a corn cob. Next was Manuha Pagoda where two large Buddhas, one sitting and one reclining are housed in claustrophobically small rooms. The patron who provided the six bullock carts of silver coins in 1059 to fund the building was the Mon King Manuha who brought Buddhism to the Bagan kingdom and was imprisoned here by the spiteful Bagan king for whom the lessons had not sunk in—thus the Buddhas are “imprisoned” just as the Mon king was. Daniel poses two novices next to the head of the Reclining Buddha and surrounds them with candles. We take turns, more or less, at the two main vantage points and keep the poor kids at their poses until all have a surfeit of images. At Moe Moe’s Lacquer-ware factory Daniel demonstrated the many steps of weaving or constructing the frame, coating it many times with lacquer from the Lac tree and finally incising designs into the surface. The hand-operated lathes for shaping the wood and polishing the bowls are ingenious to us who rely on motors for everything. All the workers are happy to demonstrate their part of the process and we manage many story telling images before turning our attention to shopping—but shop we do. A green lacquer ware “lunch box” is for YHC’s daughter’s Christmas. Moe Moe’s daughter says “Je sui bei” and presents us each with a little owl shaped cup. The Sein Nyet Sisters were the patrons for twin temples—the west one is Indian style (corn cob) and the other is Sri Lanka style—solid. These two are un restored and a missing Buddha leaves a ”shadow” of himself. Lunch at the Sunset Garden Restaurant with the view down the wide Ayerwaddy River and the serene splendor of the spacious grounds. Cabbage soup and the watercress salad would have been enough but then beef, chicken and pork dishes arrived and it would be impolite not to try them all! At leisure back at Thande Old Bagan from 1-3:30—swim, explore the ruins and temples surrounding our lodge, or ?? At 3:30 the mist and occasional rain persisted. Armed with umbrellas we visited Shwe San Daw—a white temple with a helpful handrail up the steep outside stairs for views of the surrounding “templeside”—perhaps 500 domes and stupas in sight at any glance. On to Baya Thanzu Paya (Paya= pagoda), 13th C, where Daniel lighted candles to illuminate two Buddhas surrounded by wonderful frescos—10 second exposures revealed another world unseen by the unaided eye. Though it was quite dark we walked over to our usual sunset pagoda and several climbed up the inside staircase to reappear on the terraces above. Vendors seeking their first sale of the day sold horsehair lacquer ware bowls for 2000 kyats ($2.50)—we bought them all. Dinner at Nanda Restaurant with the great puppet show—5 puppet masters, live voice and music—best YHC has seen.

Day 16 Mt. Popa and Salay: Looks like clearing today—at least it was dry. 8 AM departure. A few miles outside of Bagan area we stopped to see peanuts being ground into oil—a mortar made from a tree stump and log sized pestle crushing the ground nuts as a bullock walked round and round—the oil dripped out through a hole in the bottom of the stump. The peanuts had been harvested a few weeks earlier but gleaners were still finding plenty. The other industry here is collecting and processing the juice from the toddy palm. Lithe young men climb the male toddy palms and slice the tip off the three cone like flowering parts placing a pot underneath to catch the sap. This has to be done every day (hence the lithe young men). The juice ferments into wine within 48 hours. The wine is drunk or distilled into a clear liquor, about 35% alcohol. We captured shots of the ingenious pot stills with their simple water pot condensers—YHC bought a bottle to share tonight and Jim added a second just in case we like it. The sap is also boiled down to make jaggery or palm sugar—we all liked that—similar to maple sugar. Good story telling images here. On the Mt. Popa Village, the junction town where we used the toilets and photographed the beautiful fruits and engaging vendors. Soon we were at Mt. Popa with time to explore, make an offering to the Nats who reside here when they are not creating havoc around the country—this is their Mount Olympus. Walking partway up the covered staircase was a good way to meet the 100’s of monkeys that hang out hereabouts waiting for handouts. For YHC they are the embodiment of the malevolent nats. Lovely wooded boxes are sold here for 1000 kyats. Lunch at the sublime Mt. Popa Resort—along with a contingent of military officers—we looked at them and they looked at us. Senior General Than Shwe is expected to arrive at any time for a conference with the Nats and to advise the local authorities (so we read in the paper). Continuing on, we stopped at a small reservoir where a grove of palm trees stood knee deep in water creating some interesting patterns and reflections. YHC heard the sounds of clothes being washed (whack, whack) and led the group to where 20 villagers were washing and bathing. Mid afternoon arrival in monastic village of Salay. The 150 year old wooded monastery’s Ordination hall is decorated with wood carvings illustrating the Buddha’s past lives. Daniel corralled a few young novices to be our models here and then over to the ruined white pagoda across the road where we tried a number of poses in both full shade and partial light. One young novice jumped from point to point creating some dramatic shots. It is 4 PM and the light is almost gone. A local artist draws ink sketches of local scenes—great for Christmas and note cards. Short distance but several hours of driving, crossing several “sand rivers”—we arrived back at the Old Bagan in time for dinner at 7PM. We made ourselves Ayerwaddy slings with soda, lime , jaggery and the palm liquor and YHC recited Kipling’s The Road to Mandalay. A long and fulfilling day.

Day 17 Bagan to Yangon: Out at 6:15 with the adventurers. Thanks Lowell, for yanking YHC out his slumbers. We walked to our sunrise temple down the road but all the roadside temples were closed for climbing today because of the visit by “his royal highness” as the General styles himself. One of the locals volunteered to take us to a pagoda away from the highway that we could climb. After a brisk walk we did climb up to where we could shoot the misty stupa and temple crowded scenes that we wanted. We made it back in time to shave, shower, breakfast and pack for 9 AM departure with our bags. We stopped for an overview of Dhamanyazgyi—the largest of the Bagan temples and unfinished. Inside Sulamani Daniel produced (out of his hat?) two novices with their umbrellas to pose both outside and in. Jane had a present for the young man Shirley Brown (from Denver) had known since he was a child and had visited with CUE in 2008. He showed up on a motorbike to say hello and receive his package of pictures. We made another stop or two for landscapes enroute to Naung Oo where the airport is located. The market was in full swing. YHC led some to a series of shops where there was a wonderfully faded blue wall background behind the poultry vendors. It is tough enough in travel photography to control the subject. Here at least we had a background that helped isolate our subjects—lots of pictures, bemused vendors, no comment from the chickens. We ate our picnic lunch in the airport at a tea shop. Our afternoon flight to Yangon passed through Heho so we had a few glimpses of Inle Lake from the air. In Yangon we stopped by Min Thiha Jewelry Emporium to check out the famous pigeon’s blood rubies mined in the north. They are beautiful and deep deep red. One lucky lady walked off with a beautiful pair of earrings—way to go Glenn. Now we have checked into the splendor of the Park Royal Hotel. Daniel returns home to his wife and we all meet for the 7pm International Seafood Buffet—from smoked salmon to curried calamari—it was delicious.

Day 18 Around Yangon: Out at 8 AM after a too opulent breakfast buffet of specialties from all over Asia. We took a quick tour of Central Yangon, driving through the Indian and Chinese neighborhoods to the Commercial Jetty—Yangon’s port where colorful wooden “dories”, the size of lifeboats, were racing back and forth with commuters from the west bank. Signs of the times—they are now motorized with Chinese diesels and life jackets are required. Lines of stevedores were hauling 100 pound sacks of sand for construction. Our group got down and mingled, laughed and shared images off our LCD’s with the locals. Stopping at Sule Pagoda, Yangon’s political heart, we walked past the Socialist/futurist-style City Hall and past colonial era churches, post office and passport/exit visa office where Patty found out picture taking was verboten. Anand chats in Hindi with a few Indian residents. We walk over to the Strand Hotel—beautifully restored from the early 20th C days of the Raj—when India, Pakistan and Burma were one. At Scott’s market (aka Boyoke Aung San Market) we photo-explored, drank a coffee or shopped according to tastes. YHC found Indian vendors with old coins, denominations mentioned in Burmese Days. At noon we drove to Oriental House for a Dim Sum lunch—lots and lots of tasty tidbits. Leisure time from 1:30 to 4pm when we drove to the Schwedagon, photographed the South Entrance chintha (half lion, half dog temple guard). Circumnavigation of the sacred precincts is clockwise. Stops to perform ablutions at our stations—according to the day of birth and two for Wednesday. The sun sets, lights go on, local people stroll, eat a picnic dinner, pray, make offerings of flowers and we are there to record it all—and take a few minutes of quiet reflection. Dinner was on the terrace of the lovely Thai Garden Restaurant—we can hear young carolers sing Christmas songs in English in the back ground.

Day 19 Yangon and Environs: Out at 8 AM this pleasant day. We drove out of town across the Bagu River and on to a junction town where we explored for 30 minutes, chatting with the people and looking for new angles on old subjects such as he pagoda on the hill. In the market, a large clay pot on it’s side with a smoldering fire inside made a tandoori oven for cooking naan (bread) in 20 seconds. Then on to Kyouktan where there is a pagoda in the middle of the river. Giant catfish are fed popcorn by those seeking to have their wishes fulfilled. We are after larger game-vendors, babies, old ladies selling dried fish-- all are recorded. By 11:30 we arrive at the monastery school supported by our tour operator, Nee Nee Myint of Zarmani Tours. Nee Nee Win is the sister of our Nee Nee and is the Director of the School where there are almost 200 kids, most quite poor. They receive a free lunch paid by Zarmani Tours which also covers the cost of a doctor’s visit twice a week for anyone in the community. We leave some clothing and basic medical supplies for the clinic and teaching supplies including a picture dictionary for the English teacher. 9 teachers are employed. Nee Nee gently explains that cash is really better as everything can be purchased on the local economy these days. $5 buys the necessary school uniform, for example. We pass the hat and raised $150—jez su bey. Our lunch is back in Yangon at an old favorite, the Green Elephant. The Thai-Burmese owner asked us to send more travelers. Back at the Park Royal we said good by to Lowell and Karen who transferred to the Governor’s Residence for two nights of R&R. We also said good by and thank you to Daniel—lots of hugs and a few tears—we all grow to love him for sharing his country and people so beautifully. The afternoon is at leisure for last minute shopping and, groan, packing. Dinner tonight was again the International Seafood Buffet and we outdid ourselves. Glenn read his epic poem included below—bravo Glenn. Indonesian Cultural performance by a local school.

Day 20 Yangon and onward: We meet for breakfast and say our good bys. Conversation turns to how our Burma trip has affected us emotionally and spiritually and most of us comment on how the gentle nature of the people has impressed them. People have so little yet they are rarely begging nor do they seem to hunger for material things. Unfortunately this is changing as tourism has its impact. It is quite common now in 2010 to see novices asking the tourists for money. Occasionally older monks are also asking for money. In the past this just did not happen. Let’s use our images and experience in this special place to encourage other visitors to be respectful of Burma’s priceless culture. And now Glenn’s ode to Burma:

Well, we’ve trod the road to Mandalay,
Where Rudyard said the fishes play.
Lot’s of boats and people views
But no thunder or flying from this muse.
From Bagan to Inle and every pagoda,
We’ve certainly filled our photographic quota.

Here’s to our guide Daniel
The leader of this trip,
For shepherding us like a mother
From town to village without a slip.
And now a toast to Daniel and Don:
May our memories of Burma
Last for long!

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