Myanmar (Burma)

Some compare it to Thailand in the sixties. I've never experienced the 60's nor have I been to Thailand, but I like this analogy. Myanmar is full of charm and authenticity, and is not quite changed by modern development and tourism. Despite all the hardship, the people are happy, kind, and considerate. They are also very passionate and inquisitive, and want to be a part of our world as much as we want to be a part of theirs. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, opened its doors to tourism in 2010. Before then it was named an "outpost of tyranny" by the government of George W. Bush.

Salena & I at Shwedagon Paya in Yangon

 We began our journey through Myanmar in the capital city of Yangon. Before even leaving the airport I was already confused. What is that whitish yellowish stuff all over the faces of the women and children?  And why does it look like the men have been sucking blood for the past few hours? Well I soon learned the stuff on their faces is thanaka, a beauty secret of Myanmar women. It is a long wood cutting that they mix with water to create this mixture which is multipurpose (from preventing skin acne to a natural sunscreen.) As for the vampires... it is from betle nut, which is from the nut of the areca nut wrapped with tobacco in the betel leaf.  Everyday, at least once a day, I was confused about something. Why do some cars have steering wheels on the left side and some on the right? What exactly is "lucky money"? (what all the shopkeepers say when trying to get you to by their goods. Why is the time difference not hourly, but instead half hourly. Why do all the men wear skirts? Why are the women not allowed to touch certain things (some of the Buddhas in certain temples, strands of Buddhas hair, the Golden Rock, etc.) Most importantly, why is there a 14 foot alive python just chilling in the temple?

at the Shwedagon Paya

Yangon is probably one of the best capital cities I have seen. It is underdeveloped (so no McDonald's, few skyscrapers, etc.) The place has a certain charm to it with it's colorful streets and open-air markets.  Due to lack of time, we only planned for one day there in which we spent at the Shwedagon Paya (paya means 'holy one', a religious monument) It is said to be built on a hill where Buddha relics have been found, including eight hairs of the Buddha.

Stefani (Germany), Salena, and I in the town of Kyaiktiyo

 The following day we took a 5 hour bus ride to Kyaiktiyo, home of the gravity-defying Golden Rock. It is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar, and is said that this giant, gold leaf covered boulder is topped by a stupa (a strand of Buddhas hair). How this rock has managed to survive a number of earthquakes adds special value

the Golden Rock in Kyaiktiyo

Thousands of pilgrims come daily to see this rock, which makes the experience more interesting.  Everyone crams (monks in their red robes, villagers with their colorful head wraps carrying their babies in a sling, and Westerners with a camera in hand) on the back of a flat bed pick up truck (12 rows, 6 people to each row- when really there is only room for 4) making an hour long ride up to the top of the mountain. The men (no women are allowed to touch the rock) say a prayer and then stick a gold leaf to the side of the rock.

a monk lighting incense at the Golden rock

Here we met Tim, from Seattle who is traveling the world for 2 years. We ended up traveling with this lad for the remainder of our time in Myanmar. By the end of our trip we all agreed it felt like we have known each other since we were kids.

On the back of a "tuk tuk" with our long last friend Tim

 From there the 3 of us took a 15 hour bus ride to Inle Lake, stopping for 3 hours in Bago, for a bus transfer. In Bago, a driver took us to see a number of pagodas in the city. Our last stop was at driver's house to see his wife and other ladies working there rolling cigarettes. They work from 6 am to 6 pm rolling about 1,400 cigarettes a day. All of the women sleep on the same wooden plank that they spend all day sitting on. What a neat experience for us all, considering in 10 years likely this place will be a factory with a $10 entrance fee.

Salena learning how to roll cigarettes. We bought 40 cigs from her for 80 cents.
Notice the thanaka on the woman's face

 During our tour of this city, we stopped at a temple which was home to a 14 foot python, and of course I had so many questions. Since no one had the English to tell us, I read online that the head monk believes it's his reincarnated daughter. This only leaves me even more confused since monks aren't allowed to... well, ya know.

Yes, folks that python is alive

sitting Buddhas inside a temple

 After a 12 hour bus ride of restless sleep and feeling nauseous, we arrived at 4am at Inle Lake. I was ready to spend a few days at this peaceful, relaxing place. The first day we cycled around the lush countryside to a small village with a small canal that that provides access to the lake (the lake is only accessible by boat.)

fishermen at the lake paddling & steering the boat with their leg!

The following day, Salena, Tim, and I joined a lovely couple from Switzerland on a boat where we spent the day visiting different floating villages, floating gardens, floating markets, and (of course) more temples around the lake.  We watched a number of people weaving, blacksmithing (is this a word?) and making beautiful jewelry.

fishermen posing in front of the sunset

At one of places there were a few of the Paudang women weaving clothing and selling their handcrafted items. They belong to a tribe residing on the border of Thailand and are bused in to Inle just for the tourists. It is an ancient tradition for this group of people to fit young girls with brass neck rings. After awhile, they can no longer take them off as they are unable to support the weight of their own heads. It was an interesting, yet, somewhat strange experience. I felt like I was visiting a human zoo again, but the ladies would often stop what they were doing to pose for our photos.

The "Long Neck" lady - over 45 years of having this around her neck

From Inle Lake, it was a 6 hour bus ride to our next destination, Bagan. The scenery wasn't anything spectacular; relatively flat with an ocassional field lined with palm trees and rivers full of locals washing their clothing. Every so often we would pass by speakers blowing the sound of Burmese music sung by people holding a jar out trying to earn some money (Again, confused. Do people actually stop driving along the highway to give a tip?) For me, the bus rides are more about that sense of freedom and peace; going on a bus to a place I have never been to/nor know nothing about... over 6,000 miles from home....with over 40 strangers who don't speak my language.

Sunrise in Bagan

sunset in Bagan

The bus arrived at 5pm that night, and "taxis" await at the "bus station." Now, in this time warped country when I say taxis I mean horse and buggies. We stayed at May Kha Lar Guest House, which was nice but a bit noisy. The town of Bagan itself didn't impress me; it was just too dusty and noisy for my liking. However, most tourists come to this place to visit the Bagan Archaeological Zone, which stretches 41 sq. km. across central Myanmar consisting of over 4,000 Buddhist temples, some of which date back to the 1100's.  It is the largest and densest population of Buddhist temples in the world. In the once grand city, these brick and stucco religious structures are all that remain from years of earthquakes, erosion, and neglect. After a week of traveling and visiting temples, I was starting to becoming desensitized.. After visiting 10 the novelty soon wares off. However, this place was really something different, and special. Temples older than anything in my own country, and well, the oldest place that I have ever been to.

At 5am we climbed to the top of a temple for sunrise. We thought it would be neat to see these temples for the first time being revealed one by one with the rising of the sun. Dozens of tourists watch the morning fog amongst the soft glow of the orange sky expose enough light to see ancient temples as far as the eye can see. It was one of the most serene and calming sights that I have seen in a long time.

For $300 you can take a hot air balloon ride over these temples (we did not do this)

We spent the next few days here visiting these temples. Each of them holds it's own uniqueness; from the different architecture, colorful murals, Buddhas, and spiritual meanings. Bagan is a place that I left thinking.. 'how did I never hear of this place before?!'

a child monk praying at a temple

From Bagan we took the train (which looked like something from WW2) to Mandalay. We didn't intend to stay here very long here, since noone that we met along the way had anything good to say about this place. I instantly understood why; a sprawling city of dusty streets, traffic, construction, and a bit of a "Chinese feel" (due to heavy Chinese investment in recent years.) The first day we took a tour inside and outside the city mostly visiting... yes you guessed it, more temples. Half of Myanmars monks reside in and around Mandalay.

The first part of our tour was a visit to a monastery that is home to over 1,500 monks. We were scheduled to get there just in time to watch them eat their 10:15 lunch (awesome.. i thought) Well, it would have been if it weren't for the hundreds of other tourists surrounding the cafeteria taking pictures with their long lens camera practically in the faces of the monks as they eat. I felt like I was at a human zoo. I ventured off by myself away from the cafeteria and a monk started talking to me. Even with his broken English, it was very interesting to talk to him. I asked him many questions about Buddhism, and he had a few about the American culture as well. For example, he wanted to know what "rolly polly, holy moly" meant. I wasn't really sure how to respond to this, as I was a little bit shocked that this was his first question about the American culture, so I asked where he heard this. He responded, "in a Justin Beiber song that I heard yesterday."

At a temple

The monk kept encouraging me to ask him questions about his life. He told me about his daily routine: 4 am- wake up, followed by a 2 hour long meditation. Then all the monks walk the streets together in a line collecting donated food from houses and other businesses. His 10:15 lunch consists of beans, veggies, chicken, or fish (no beef) After lunch he studies Buddhism with his teacher, who wrote the book, Buddhism and Democracy. Pretty much the remainder of his day he spends either studying or meditating.

Little monks collecting food in the morning

For me, the highlight of Mandalay was the sunset in Amarapura, which is famed for U Bein's Bridge. It is over 200 years old and is the world's longest teak bridge at 1.2 km. Yet, another serene, peaceful, and photogenic sunset.

sunset at U Bein's Bridge (this view is also on the cover of the Southeast Asia Lonely Planet)

From Mandalay we (now a team of 4 with our new addition Paddy, from Ireland) headed to Pyin Oo Lwin. It took us about 2 hours in a car to get there.

Paddy blending in quite well with the monks

On our way, we passed an accident where a truck had flipped over. As it looked somewhat bad, fortunately everyone was okay. Most everyone driving by stopped to see what was going on and if everyone was okay.  I say most everyone because I mean, everyone but the police (they turned their heads briefly, but they just continued to drive on by.) Pyin Ooo Lwin is a smaller place located in the foothills of the northern Shan State. We chose to spend a few days here relaxing (at a waterfall and walking around the botanical gardens) before returning back to hustling bustling China.

Anisakan Falls

The overall highlight of my trip was having the opportunity to talk with so many monks. Myanmar is one of the most devout Buddhist countries in the world (89% of the people are Buddhist) I enjoy learning about Buddhism, and there is no better way then to learn first hand from monks in a monastery. Buddhism in China is much different. The monks in China want to come to Myanmar as they look at it as a place of freedom, since they are not allowed to practice religion in Communist China.

A morning visit with a few monks - They are not allowed to touch girls
(which explains the somewhat awkwardness in this picture)

This country will always hold a very special place in my heart. The whole time here I felt at "home", even in this very poor, strange land. We met a number of people who were just so kind and generous, without asking anything in return. As more and more tourists come through this place, the hospitality of many of these people will ware off. Sad but true, as more tourists go through this country, Myanmar will likely lose much of it's charm and authenticity. I feel very fortunate to have gone to a place that has not yet been changed by modern development or tourism.