Yet Another Ancient City

July 19

Mingun

We went to Mingun with two Burmese friends of ours. They wanted to take us site seeing and since we had seen most of the places around Mandalay, we decided to head across the river. Unfortunately, we had to pay the historical fee that we were trying to avoid in Sagaing (the fee was for both locations). And, we were unable to take the local boat across the river and so our friends were stuck paying the tourist fee, which is three times the amount as the local boat. This is the stuff that really irked me about travelling in Burma.

Mingun Paya (temple):

Built by King Thibaw's grandfather. King Thibaw was the last king of Burma. His grandfather was from Shwebo, which is the town over the mountains. As the legend goes, he wanted to see his hometown form the top of the paya and so he began to build what would have been the world's tallest paya if it had ever been completed. Unfortunately, he died before it could be finished and no other king recommissioned the project.

All that remains of the magnificent structure is a 173 foot high stack of bricks. Some of the bricks are crumbling and there are deep fissures in the paya from an earthquake. It's a bit of an adventure climbing up the pile, but the views of the Ayeywady River and hills that block the views of Shwebo.

Myathendan Paya

Our tour guides informed us that this pagoda was built from bricks taken from the vast Mingun Paya. The paya is unusual and gorgeous. There are 7 waves encircling the paya which are said to represent the 7 oceans (though our LP says that they represent the 7 mountain ranges of the mythical world - for some reason I trust our guides more). There are three entrances followed by three staircases which lead to the top. The middle and most grand staircase was strictly for the king and queen. The left side was for the princes and the right side for their followers. Today, everyone is a king or a queen.

This is a kid trying to sell me incense to burn at the alter. I can't understand why they were so persistent. I highly doubt that most Westerners buy it considering they're usually not Buddhist, but perhaps I'm wrong. It made me feel better to know that they heckled our tour guides just as much as me. It's just their nature.

Mingun Bell

Impressive. The second largest bell in the world and the largest uncracked bell in the world. It ways 55,555 viss and is 1/3 of the size of the largest bell in Russia.

Another Ancient City

July 18


Sagaing

We loved biking around the city. We rode our bikes everywhere, since they were quicker than walking and cheaper than riding public transportation. We had enjoyed our ride to Amurapura so much that we decided to hit up another ancient city. Sagaing (pronounced Zuh-gine with a g as in girl) is situated across the Ayeyawady (Irrawaddy ) River from Mandalay and Amurapura.

Sagaing is one of several ancient in the area. Mandalay, Sagaing, Mingun, and Ava are all along the Ayeywady and they have all been the capital of various kingdoms throughout Burma's history.

One of the reasons we decided to attempt the 2 hour bike ride to Sagaing was to worm our way out of the governments tourist fee for visiting the site. We had heard if one went on tour, or possibly via public transportation the government officials would catch you and make you buy a ticket to see the city. We passed over the bridge with ease, it seemed that the officials weren't on the look out for foreigners that day.

The Burmese are very fond of paying for services, or having others pay for services. Thus, when we arrived at the Sagaing central market we parked our bikes on a spot of dirt for a fee of 50 Kyat each. We received a number, which we gave to the "garage" attendant in exchange for our bikes once we were finished looking around.

After breakfasting at the market twice (its too difficult NOT to try all of the food!), we set off to explore the city. First we road along the river until we found an old fort that was used during the second Anglo-Burmese war. There wasn't much left aside from a few canons and the surrounding wall, but it offered some nice views of the river. We met a man who tried to talk to us though our Burmese and his English were both extremely poor. He handed us a copy of the history of the fort that had been translated into bad English. As we left he held out a visitor book which gently suggested a "donation." For what, I don't know, I guess he is the grounds keeper.

The main tourist attraction of Sagaing is Sagaing Hill. We made our way to this hill, and parked our bikes at the base because there was no way I was able to pedal up the steep slopes. I was a bit tired by this time, since we'd be riding around for half the day already, but Casey insisted we visit the top. I must admit, that I wasn't so thrilled to see yet another hillside pagoda and I was nervous that they would ask us for our "tickets", but I followed Casey anyway. I'm sure glad I did. The walk up was pleasant as much of the hill is still forested (or re-forested). The views from the top was breathtaking - we could see just how large the hill was with a backdrop of the river. After taking in the views we set off down the dusty road to Mandalay and the guesthouse we called home.

One reason we wanted to try biking to Sagaing was because

Journey up a Hill and Down Again

15 July 2007


Yankin Hill

Yankin is Burmese for "Free from Enemies." The hill is so named because legend has it that the Buddha was able to escape his enemies there. Another story states that when Buddha was a fish he was King of All Fish and he lived in a pond inside a cave on top of the mound. Clearly, this is a special hill.

The hill is not only special because the Buddha once resided there, it also has connections with many of the nats. The worship of nats predates Buddhism in Burma and is incorporated by many Buddhists. When Buddha arrived into the lives of the Burmese, he was given the rank of the highest nat. Nats are an extraordinary mixed collection of deities, including spirits of trees, rivers, ancestors, snakes, and the ghosts of people who have met a violent or tragic death. When in good spirits they can bring wealth and good luck, but when they are provoked, they can reek havoc. In order to appease the nats and to bring good luck, the Burmese set up shrines and nat houses, where they provide offerings of food, drink.

On Yankin Hill there is a shrine to the nat that inhabits the township. Worshippers visit the nat house and perform a little ritual. First one must walk around the shrine 3 times then kneel down to pray to the nat 3 times and finally lift a ball that is at the base of the statue. Only after this, and tipping the monks who "guard" the shrine, will your wish be granted.

At the top of the Hill is a monastery with three large Sambar Deers with bells around their necks. They are the closest animals to reindeer I'd seen in a long time. They were "saved" by a monk, who granted them existence on the hill where Pilgrims feed them biscuits while trying to pet them. I'm not sure if this is what most people mean when they save animals, but its the closest thing to the Humane Society that we saw.

We were brought to Yankin Hill by a Chinese-Burmese family. They took us there to woo us into teaching their daughter English. We hadn't yet visited any sites in Mandalay with anyone we knew and it we had a very interesting time. Without their explanations, the hill would've been just another sacred site, instead we were able to come away with a deeper understanding of why the locals pay tribute to shrines that dot the route to the top.

Mya Kyauck Monastery

Near the base of Yankin Hill is a monastery with an enlightened monk. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Buddhism, enlightenment is what Buddhists strive for. Only through enlightenment does the cycle of suffering end. The Buddha attained enlightenment, but chose to stay in this world in order to teach other about the way towards enlightenment. Needless to say, an enlightened monk doesn't happen everyday and it is a big deal. This is evident by the large fresco of the monk that's painted on the side of the main pagoda.

We were lucky enough to meet with the enlightened monk. Now, I don't know what I was expected from an enlightened monk, but I thought they're be an air about him, something that would radiate from his being, which would confirm his status. Instead, what I found was an ordinary monk who liked to discuss his international travels and the monasteries famous mineral water.

One day, the monk decided to build a well on the monastery land. After making this decision, he begins mediating. During his mediation, the Dragon King, who lives on the grounds, appears to the monk and tells him the best place to build the well. After the well was built, water samples were analyzed and it was discovered that it is the best drinking water in the world - even better then spring water in the Western world, so we're told. The water is so special, that once some Japanese businessmen came to the monastery with US dollars and asked to buy the water for exportation to Japan. Not wanting money, the monk refused. The monastery does bottle and sell the water and they publish a pamphlet listing the benefits of the water, which range from curing diseases to keeping one hydrated.

After our interesting discussion with the Enlightened Monk, we were able to tour a small room that was filled with boxes of stones. These tet tho are said to appear after the cremation of a monk. The more tet tho are present, the more enlightened the monk was upon his death. Somehow this monastery gained a large collection of these stones, which were placed in fish tanks labeled with the name of the monk along with Buddha paraphernalia. I wonder how many tet tho will be present upon my death?

Amurapura by Bike

July 14

We decided to bike down to the town of Amurapura from Mandalay. The street between the two towns is dirty, noisy and full of vehicles, but once in Amurapura there was a lot to see. Our original plan was to head down to U Bein Bridge but we never made it there. This was probably for the better, as we later discovered that the bridge had flooded, as it often does during the rainy season.

Our first stop was at some pagodas near the lake. We wandered around the white washed structures with some children, who were adorable. Of course, they wanted us to buy their souvenirs, but they didn't get around to showing us their wares until we were ready to leave. Mostly, they followed us around chit-chatting and showing off the many languages they could speak, which was quite impressive. They could make polite introductions in many Western languages including Spanish and Italian. They seemed like carefree kids, who enjoyed meeting with foreigners. The best part was that they didn't seem all that interested in selling souvenirs, which meant that when we politely declined they gave up relatively easily.

I must admit by this time I was reaching my pagoda threshold, but one oddly shaped structure caught my attention - the beehive. It was one of the most unusual pagodas I'd seen in a while. From a distance it did indeed look like a beehive and upclose I noticed that in each cell a miniature Buddha was tucked away like a immature bee.

We waved goodbye to the children and headed off taking a turn down a sandy path that butted up against the lake. Here memories of the Philippines floated back to us as we meandered through a large bamboo squatter village that was teeming with grunting pigs, children and trash.

On a barren inlet was a large brick factory where men, women and children gathered clay, shaped the bricks, lined them up to dry and p ut them in the large wood-fired earthen and brick kilns. We ogled the workers as they dug the clay out of the banks of the lake. The passed large clay-laden baskets to women who hoisted them on their heads. I swear you could see their necks sink a couple of inches with the weight of the clay. The women carried the clay to the only machine on the premises, which smoothed and mixed it with sand, which was continually shovelled by a pre-teen boy. Children portioned out the clay and handed it to men and women who quickly slapped it in a mold and place it on a board, which was packed onto a wheelbarrow and shipped to the end of the long lines of drying bricks. Other whellbarrows picked up the already dried bricks and brought them to shacks to await the kiln. Occassionally men hopped onto the tall kilns and fed it wood. We soon left as we were clearly slowing down the production line as everyone stopped to ogle us.

Nearby, there was a small herd of plain grey cows with calves. As I watched, a woman allowed a calf to suckle each tit for only a few moments before a man with a pail ied up the back legs of the cow and squatted next to her to milk her. The milk dropped into the pail that was suspended above the ground by the strength of the man's knees.

Soon our wanderings found us in the middle of an isloated village. Judging by the number of mosques and lack of pagodas we gathered this was a rather sizable Muslim village. It was quite apparent that although numerous tourists visit the lake and U Bein Bridge, they don't takes detours. Everyone was turning and staring.

From some of the narrow streets we could hear the clacking of looms. Amurapura is famous for its cloth, which is made into traditional longyi. We rode past various colors of thread hanging in the sun to dry, draped over bamboo poles, lining the streets like streamers.

This was the trip I had been dreaming of - a chance to get off the beaten track to see the everyday life of Myanmar. While it wasn't exciting or breathtakingly beautiful, but it was real. And that was what made the day so special.

Slithering Snakes

July 13

A while ago we were introduced to a family that was eager to have us teach English to their one and only daughter. Though we insisted that this was impossible, they tried to win us over by taking us on a few excursions around Mandalay.

The first excursion was to the famous Hmwe Paya (Snake Pagoda) in Paleik as small town about 45 minutes outside of Mandalay. It is named for the 3 large pythons that are on display around the central Buddha image inside the pagoda. When we were there, they were nestled amongst the concrete and one had made his bed on the Buddha’s head. We arrived early in the morning and so we missed the daily feeding. But, we were informed that each day, the snakes are feed chicken eggs and milk in front of hordes of tourists. They are also given a bath in a special pool built just for them. During this time, it is also possible to get one’s picture taken with one of the famous pythons. And many people do. On the walls of the pagoda is a long line of framed photographs of famous Myanmar movie stars and generals posing with the great constrictors.

Monastic Schooling

The principal and head monk of the monastic school where we volunteered said that he began the school in order to bring modern education to the poor of Myanmar. He has done a significant job. There are over 7000 children attending the school, which does not charge any fees for attendance. In order to control the unruly students, the staff consists of 150-170 teachers and there is generally 2 teachers per class. This is probably a good thing, considering most classes have between 50-60 students and there are rumors that up to 100 students may attend one class. There are so many children attending the school that they must attend in shifts (similar to the way it worked in the town I lived in in the Philippines). About half of the students attend school in the morning and the other half begin after lunch.

We were not privileged to teach a class of 50-100 students, but instead taught the “special classes.” These classes consist of 20-30 students who were identified in preschool as having a higher potential than their classmates. These students are very lucky because they still receive 2 teachers for every class and they attend classes all day.

The school is fairly well known and so foreign volunteers are a common sight. They only teach the special classes, which may or may not give these students an edge over the others in the English language.

We taught at this school for 5 weeks before we decided it was best for us and for the students if we left the teaching to the teachers. Upon agreeing to volunteer, we had only had experience teaching young adults with a basic knowledge of English. We had not expected to teach young students who were still learning their colors. Aside from this, we realized that the Myanmar teachers are very adept in their English and could command the class much better than we could Also, it appears that they are receiving training in student centered learning and activity based learning methods meaning they are now incorporating different methods into their classroom. Therefore, it seemed to us that they were much better equipped to teach English to the students than we were.

Overall, I think that it would be more beneficial if the volunteer teachers taught English to the Myanmar teachers. This way, they could teach all teachers, not just the special class teachers and thus potentially have a larger impact than direct teaching has. Another benefit is that then foreigners are not coming and going every day, week or month, which can be very disruptive to the class.

Pagodas Everywhere

Bagan, June 6-9

Background

Bagan is roughly a 42 square kilometer area filled with over 3000 temples and pagoda ruins. All that remains now are some larger, brick temples with some stuccoed patches with some faded frescoes on the inside. There are also many crumbling structures and piles of brick. Oddly enough, Bagan is also home to a growing number of new pagodas built in the same style of old time Bagan but without the stucco or the murals.

The frenzied pagoda building began when a Burmese king took over the area in 1044, at a time when Burma was transitioning into its current religion. During this time, over 4400 temples and pagodas were built in reverence to the Buddha and his teachings. It is said that the end of Bagan arrived with the arrival of Kublai Khan and his Mongol army at the end of the 13^th century.

It is hard to image what Bagan would have looked like in the prime of its life. There are recorded accounts claiming it to be “one of the finest sights in the world” and covered in gold. It’s also hard to image what kind of work force was needed to build such amazing structures. Where would such a work force have lived? Who else would have lived among the ruins? It couldn’t possibly have been a 42 square kilometer area solely for religious buildings. One day I may scrounge up enough energy to search for answers to my questions, but for now I’m content just to wonder and create my own scenarios in my head.

Bagan Legends

According to some of our students there are two legends that explain how Bagan came to be.

The first legend simply states that at one time it rained silver and gold and thus the empire because rich enough to afford all of the manual labor required to build so many pagodas and temples.

The second legend is a little more interesting. It states that there once was a monk who was an alchemist. Unfortunately for him, he was not very good at is job of making the king rich. This made the king unhappy and to show his feelings he gouged out the alchemist-monk's eyes. The now-blind monk was so angry he threw the lead in the toilet (they had toilets in ancient Bagan?) and thus gold was produced. This act of spontaneous riches turned the king's heart and he thus order the monk to be brought back into the world of sight. Eyes were searched for high and low and eventually someone brought back one from a cow and another from a goat. Apparently no one had died recently to furnish human eyes and no one cared enough to give him eyes from the same animal. But, most importantly, he could see again and he turned lots and lots of lead into gold and silver. All of these riches spurred the king into building massive monuments to the Buddha and thus was the beginning of Bagan's pagoda frenzy.


Getting There
We arrived on the overnight 6500 Kyat per person from Mandalay. It was quite expensive for what it was - one of the small buses with seats that do not quite fit 2 Westerners and overstuffed with cargo so that you cannot stretch your legs under the seat in front of you.

By quite expensive, I am also comparing it to other prices in Myanmar. Of course, this transportation is quite cheap when comparing it to other SE Asia bus trips we've taken (ie the 17 hour Dimple Star Ro-Ro bus trip on equally horrible seats from San Jose, Antique to Manila).

There were four Brits behind us who got a big kick out of the whole situation and spent the first hour discussing how awful the ride was. Was great to hear them complain. Luckily, we were in the front, which was nice because I could stretch my feet out, kinda.

We arrived at 3 am and made our way to the Inn Wa Guesthouse where we got a room for $7/night with a fan and in room bathroom (in Mandalay we pay $6 for a fan and a shared bathroom outside). It was clean and the staff was very friendly and I would definitely recommend this guesthouse. They didn't even charge us for Friday night even though we arrived very early morning.

Day 1
We got up early to see the ruins by bicycle. We figured the best time for birds and heat would be just after sunrise. Though we didn't get out quite this early, we did manage to make it up before most people.

Not so soon after we began biking a young man also on a bicycle came up to us and started talking. He proceeded to follow us to the first few pagodas we visited and then offered to take us near the river so we could do some birding. We thought for sure he was trying to be our guide and so we asked him (as politely as possible) what his motives were. He explained that he is a long distance university student who wants to practice his English and would like to show us around Bagan for free in order to practice his English and to practice tour guiding.

We let him show us around and in general had a good time. He took us to some of the famous pagodas and temples and even hung around while we tried to do some birding in the morning. He usually warded off vendors, but at one temple he let a girl follow us around. It ended up that she was his cousin and he was interested in helping her make a sale (which he did, as I bought a few lacquer ware items from her). The whole day he carried around painting he said he made.

In the afternoon he showed us his painting, which we both felt obligated to buy, though I'm not sure why. I wasn't a fan of any of them and said so, but we still felt obligated (he showed us around, didn't he?) and so I finally said which painting I liked the best (although I didn't like it well enough to hang it on my wall). Unfortunately for us, this was the most expensive painting.

We were in a pickle. I really didn't want to buy any of the paintings, but we felt pressured. So, do you buy a painting you would NEVER put on display because it's cheaper or buy the more expensive painting that you MIGHT hang up, maybe someday. We went with the "maybe" painting and then discovered that neither option is the correct one. The best option would have been to FORGET THE SALE and buy nothing because we didn't find any of the paintings appealing.

After the sale I felt cheated, especially upon discovering that he overcharged us big time and even lied about his name. This discovered happened when we came across another painter with the same name as ours who was selling painting for at least half the price as our guy. Grrrrr...

Let's just say I learned a very big lesson that day: don't trust the local who comes up to you to talk. The nice ones are always the shy ones.

Day 2
This day we decided to do solo on our bicycles. Originally, we had planned to visit Mt. Popa instead of the ruins, but when we inquired about the boat trip to Mandalay, we were informed that it was a day earlier than expected. This didn't leave us with much time, so we decided to stay in Bagan for our last day.

We stopped by 5 ancient pagodas throughout the day. Our first stop was Ananda, which is very famous and thus very touristy though I didn't find it very impressive except for these very large standing Buddhas that face in each of the four directions.

One of my favorite temples was Dhammayangi Pahto and is said to be the largest in Bagan. It has a very mysterious story behind it. The temple is built like Ananda with an inner and an outer corridor both running parallel to the walls. Unlike Ananda, Dhammayangi's inner corridor has been sealed up with brick at each of the four entrances. No one really knows why the inner section of the temple was covered up and it has never fully been excavated. There are legends surrounding the temple as one of the teenage vendors related to us. She explained that the monarch at the time was very strict and insisted on the best work for this temple. This meant that the mortar between the bricks should not be thicker than a pin. If a pin could be placed between two bricks, then the brick layer's hand would be chopped off. Because of the king's strict ways, the people may have revolted by sealing up the inside chamber.

Many of the temples housed intricate murals, most dealing with the life of the Buddha (of course). Some of these murals were incredibly faded while others were magnificently restored. I found the murals of Sulamani Pahto to be a bit unusual. To me it was as if someone had graffitied the old murals by poorly painting large Buddhas on top of the old murals. I thought this had to be a new job, but soon learned that between 1780-1820 someone decided to white wash parts of the walls and repaint. The strange thing is, the old murals faintly protrude through the new paintings.

After biking around temples all day, we decided to head to the docks for an evening river cruise. When we arrived, we were attacked by two different boat men offering their services. Without saying a word, Casey watched as they slowly out bid each other, starting at 6000 Kyat and ending at 4000 Kyat for a half hour ride. Casey decided to pick the boatman by the fairest way conceivable - flipping a coin. Only, in Burma there is no coinage and so our room key substituted. Surprisingly, both boatmen went along with it and the loser accepted the results with relative ease (much to my amazement).

The river cruise was nice, though the boatman had informed us that we would travel farther than we did. They did this little trick where about halfway up the route they pulled out into the middle of the river and turned off their engines and just sat there for a good 10-15 minutes while we wondered what the hell was going on. They only resumed the tour once questioned about their actions. On the ride home, we ran into another tourist boat that had ceased to operate in the middle of the water. Our industrious boatmen secured our anchor line to their boat and straddled the two boats to ensure that they would stay side by side as we jetted back to the bank.

For dinner that night, we decided to treat ourselves with a little tourist fare. We had heard about Aroma II from the LP and though we had generally decided that LP restaurant guide is not to be trusted, we decided to have a go. We were both so glad that we did. It was delicious Indian cuisine! Unfortunately, the pizza we tried the previous night that LP raved about was not up to par and thus we decided to once again be wary of Lonely Planet.

Day 3

When we went back to our hotel we discovered that the boat back to Mandalay was actually the day we had heard about and therefore we had one more day to roam around Bagan. We decided it take it easy this day, well, sort of. We rode to New Bagan to a garden KC had heard about a nice place for birding. We didn't see much there except hoards of Baya Weavers which were all nesting in crazy hanging nests that filled the bushes and trees. We also saw an owl flying, possibly being chased by the hundreds of weavers.

Then we met a nice old man who insisted (through broken English and hand motions) that we look at his paya. It was a nice little place with wonderful views and some interesting stucco. We couldn't find it on any map, but it was clear that the man prepared torch lit outdoor dining experiences for tourists right in front of the paya.

We took a round-about way back to our hotel along a dirt road. Though there were tourists, they were in far fewer number than along the main road. Even better, the vendors along this path seemed lazy to sell their wares and thus didn't hound us as we passed. One temple was even full of napping locals while the children played with fruit on the front stoop! My favorite was Payathanzu, which housed more beautifully detailed frescoes.

Day 4: Trip up the Ayeyarwaddy to Mandalay

We took the fast boat from Bagan to Mandalay, as we were short on time. Apparently, everyone takes the boat from Mandalay to Bagan, which was fortunate for us since it meant that there were only 2 others on the boat and it was $10 cheaper (though about 1 hour longer since the ride was upriver).

The river trip was nice and relaxing. Some of the scenery was amazing, but it soon turned monotonous with all of the plains. The views of Bagan's pagodas was beautiful, as were the hills of Sagaing as we neared Mandalay.

All in all, the trip was very rewarding, though a bit stressful at times.

Myanmar Motor Musings

Millions of Motors
More people ride bikes (both motorized and non-motorized) here than anywhere else we've been. Every morning we bike around the busy palace walls along with hordes of people on their way to work, school, etc. The main roads of Mandalay have bike lanes, but these can be hectic as they are also lanes for parking, turning left and going slow as well as riding the wrong way should someone feel the urge.


Side Saddle
Many women, men and children ride on the bike of bikes. It is most precarious for women, especially if they are carrying children on their lap as they are usually wearing ta mien (a full length skirt made of a loop of fabric and wrapped around the waste like a towel. Similar to sarongs in Indonesia/Malaysia and malongs in the Philippines). As a result of the ta mien the women choose to sit side saddle. It is quite apparent that this throws off the balance of the bicycles since most cyclists with passengers swerve often and pedal slowly. Men often wear longgyis and as a result they too are often riding side saddle.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of side saddle riding is the starting from a complete stop process. It appears that it is quite difficult to start peddaling with a side saddled passenger on the back. Thus, the pedaler begins riding the bike and the passenger runs behind and then jumps on the bike. Try doing this while wearing a full length skirt and carrying and infant.


Gasoline
One thing odd about Myanmar is the lack of gas stations. It took me a while to notice this, but once I did, it made me wonder. Where does everyone get their gas?

As it turns out, the government rations gasoline to motorcycle and car owners. There are a few government run gas stations, which often have lines of people waiting for their share. People wait in line, as the price of gas is relatively cheap at approximately 1500 Kyat per gallon (a little under $1). As it was explained to me, the amount of gas rationed depends on your vehicle.

For motorcycles, one receives 8 gallons of petrol per month and no more than 1 gallon per fill up. Cars receive 30 gallons per month and no more than 8 gallons per day.

All vehicle owners carry around a logbook stating how much fuel they bought and when. If you want more than your allotted amount, then you head to the black market, located just down the street. Along many highways (such as the highway between Pyin Oo Lwin and Mandalay) there are many shops selling gasoline out of large drums using makeshift pumps. The black market price is more than double the price of the government gas, but as long as one can afford it one can buy as many gallons as one wishes!

The Name Game

Just to help mitigate the confusion, here is a little something we found out about the naming of this country and its people.

Myanmar has always been the written name for the country where the Bamar people live. When the British showed up, they bastardized the name Bamar to Burma and added a whole bunch of once independent kingdoms of different ethnicities to the country (many of whom disliked the Bamar) and thus Burma was born. Then all of the different ethnicities were all considered Burmese.

Bama has always been a verbal term for the country and its people (the ethnic Burmese).

After independence when the government changed again to the current government they changed the name Burma to Myanmar and changed the name of the people and the language from Burmese to Myanmar. However, colloquially one can still say Bama when speaking of the language and its people or one can say Myanma.

In general, the whole of the people of Myanmar, including the ethnic groups are considered Myanmar or Burmese and the ethnic Burmese are considered Bamar. However, I have heard disdain from some ethnicities claiming they they are not Burmese that only the ethnic Burmese are Burmese.

To make for some more confusion the different ethnicities often consider themselves different nationalities (ie Shan nationals, Pa-O nationals, Mon nationals, Bamar nationals, etc).

Gastronomically Great!

Burmese food is generally not something you hear people rave about. And i wonder why! More people in the Western world should be tasting this marvelous food. My father sadly informed me that he has not been able to find a single Burmese restaurant in Phoenix and that's the 5th largest city in the US. This is sad.

Admittedly, we don't eat much ethnic Bamar food since we get fed all of the time by the people we teach for. This food is nice also, but here I would like to explain the ethnic Bamar food we have enjoyed.

FOOD - WHAT'S IN IT?
Generally if you approach a Bamar restaurant you will notice large pots of curries. Some of the curries consist largely (if not completely) of meat. Some of these choices include: fried chicken, fish curry, hard-boiled egg curry, goat meat-balls, and pork curry. Much of the time, the meat is covered in a red sauce made of tomatoes, onions and other goodies. It's mighty delicious.

Other pots of curry are vegetarian. Generally there is a bean curry (similar to an Indian dahl). There can also be sauteed greens, fermented bean paste, curried or pickled bamboo, potato curry and the like. My personal favorite is a black colored fermented bean paste called Pongyegyi. It is often mixed with onion, garlic and sometimes tomato and cilantro. A little on the rice goes a long way, but it is delicious!

Always on offer is a plate of lightly steamed or raw vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage, tamarind leaves and sometimes even young lime leaves. At every table there is also a bowl of chili and fish sauce.

ORDERING
It is said that one pays for the meat curry and the other "condiments" come free. I have asked numerous times if its possible to just order the vegetarian curries, but the overwhelming response seems to be no. We usually pick our meat curry the Filipino way: we point to the pot and nod our heads. This is not necessary if one speaks Burmese and therefore knows the names of each curry offered.

TABLE DISPLAY
At the table every diner receives his own plate of rice, bowl of soup and a small bowl of meat curry. When I say small, I mean small. The portions here are NOTHING like those found in America although many Americans would be surprised at the amount of rice served. In the middle of the table is places small bowls of the many different kinds of vegetable curries. Depending on the restaurant the number of veggie curries ranges from 2 to 8, possibly more. The bowl of raw veggies is also shared amongst the diners and it is kosher to dip the veggies into the hot sauce before popping it into your mouth.

The meal is also served with unlimited hot green tea.

Should you require more soup, or rice, the restaurant will happily provide it free of charge.

At some places, the meal is followed by a dish of fresh fruit and sweets made of palm sugar. These after dinner refreshment are supposed to aid in digestion. I think this may be true since I often feel more refreshed after eating the dessert than I did after I stuffed my face with rice and curry.

THE PRICE
We have been amazed at the prices of some Bamar restaurants. They range in price from 500 Kyat per person to 2000-3000 Kyat a person. Now one would expect that the portions for a 500 Kyat (<$0.50) meal would be ridiculously small, but this is no where near the case. It is true that the 500 Kyat meals sometimes only have 2 veggie curries to eat, but you still can eat as much rice as you want and you can still go away will a full belly!

When comparing prices of cheap meals in the countries we've been in, Myanmar by far has the best value for the price. In the Philippines, a plate of rice at a cheap eatery tends to be a small cup and after spending a dollar on a meal one could easily go away a little hungry. Noodles in Thailand, which are often considered only a snack, are just as expensive as a complete meal in Myanmar.

The best thing about the hole in the wall eateries is that their food is delicious! I never hesitate to walk into one (which was definitely not the case in the Philippines or even in Indonesia at times).

BOTTOM LINE
If you discover a Bamar food restaurant near you home, or even if it's a bit far you should visit it! You will not be disappointed!

Mountain Get-away

June 30 - July 2

To escape the heat we decided to head to the hills so we took an overnight trip to Pyin Oo Lwin a former British hill station. It's only about 45 miles away from Mandalay but it takes 4 hours to get to (by public transportation). This is generally because the public transportation are old, overloaded pick up trucks that need to stop every hour to cool off because they don't handle the incline well.

We didn't have much in mind for this town and so for the first afternoon we just wandered around.

One doesn't tend to notice the heat quite so much until one is away from it and then one begins to realize just how oppressive the heat can be and how much nicer it is to be a little cool. This is how it felt in Pyin Oo Lwin. It was great being able to walk about without sweat pouring down your face and back. And the evenings were downright chilly! We actually used the blankets offered by our hotel!

The next day, we planned to rent bicycles from one of the hotel employees in order to bike to a nearby waterfall. We made the terrible mistake of actually trying to discuss with him plans other than renting his bicycle (which of course, he made them sound like terrible plans), so somehow we were talked into renting his bikes for the day.

We set off early in the morning in hopes of getting some bird watching done along the waterfall trail. We left before our "free" and terrible "Western-style" breakfast that every hotel offers to foreigners and so we stopped at a hopping tea-shop to have a bite before heading out. After breakfast, we decided to split up to accomplish some errands faster to leave more time for birding.

At a store, KC quickly discovered that he didn't have his bag, which contained his money and worse, his passport. Naturally, this freaked KC out a little and he frantically hoped back on his bike to search the tea-shop for his goods. Alas, the tea-shop employees claimed they had not seen the bag, so KC hurried back on his bike to search for Lora.

One thing led to another and a minor accident involving KC and his bike and a man on a motorcycle. Now this is even more nerve racking because Lora isn't around, all of KC's money and passport is missing AND the man on the motorcycle is demanding money for damages. Soon, Lora arrives, solving the mystery of the missing backpack, money and passport. Then the fun of extortion begins.

With the help of a local English speaker, we followed the motorcycle to the nearest open bike shop to enquire about the cost of fixing his bike. Now, all that was wrong was that the cover of one of his back lights broke, his foot rest broke and his handlebar got a bit scratched up. While the mechanic was assessing the damage, the translator began casually discussing the fact that the boy's uncle was a policeman and that if we didn't pay him then we "would be the trouble."

These were the words he actually said, "if you don't pay, then you will be the trouble." I felt like I was in a mafia movie with a threat like that.

He commented that if we don't pay a small sum now, then the police would be after us and we'd have to pay a larger sum later. This is because if we didn't pay to get the bike fixed, then the parents of the boy would ask what happened and he'd be forced to tell them that he hit a foreigner on a bicycle. Because of this, the would demand that we pay large sums of money. However, if we pay a little money now, then when the boy's parents ask about the damage, he has the ability to lie.

Well, we weren't sure if this was true, but we didn't exactly want to test out the man's theory (as enfurating as it was) so we paid 7000 Kyat. This may not seem like a lot to other Westerners but it is a good amount of money to most Myanmar.

After this fiasco, we still biked to the waterfall and enjoyed a little birding in the heat of the day. The falls were nice. Larger than expected. Of course, there was a small pagoda planted smack dab in the middle of the best view of the falls.

We managed to lose our way back up the mountain. This means we took the direct - straight-up-the-mountain-with-no-switchbacks route that obviously belonged to locals who collect bamboo and other forest products.

After the verticle but short climb up we were back on our bikes. This was not so easy as the downward trip and Lora had to repeatedly get off her bike on the slightest of inclinations. Soon she realized, however that Casey's bike was much easier to maneuver uphill and all was good again.

We rode our bikes out to the Botanical Gardens that afternoon. These gardens were made by the British, but the government now charges $3/person to enter. We were told that we could see them from our bikes and wouldn't need to pay the entrance. We didn't see much except for a large pond but it was a nice bike ride in the suburbs of POL.

In the 'burbs, the housing of POL is very interesting as many of the houses are left over from the British. There are many, many large brick colonial style mansions. Such a nice difference from the concrete boxes seen in the Philippines. I imagined what this place would be like if it was placed in America. How everyone who could afford it, would have their colonial vacation home set among the cool mountains. I pondered if I'd ever be able to buy such a place...(haha).

The only other thing we saw before it was time to go home was the Chinese temple. This was an interesting mix of Chinese and Burmese styles. We kinda got lost on our way to the temple, but it was a nice walk. If we wanted to go up the tower at the temple, we had to pay some Kyat to the stair keeper, so we decided to give that a miss. We did buy some delicious lychees from a woman who picks them from the grounds and then sells them. Not quite sure why I couldn't just pick them for free either.

The next day we ate breakfast and left. Not much time to explore when one only has the weekends off. How do people work full time and ever have any fun?

The Newest Currency

The other day we went to the local store to buy some toothpaste. We didn't have exact change, so we paid in excess of 50 Kyat. Apparently thinking that there are things better than 50 Kyat the storekeeper brought us back our change in candy.

That's right CANDY.

I wonder if I could pay with candy next time?

Units of Measurement

Just when I thought that the USA was the only country stubborn enough not to switch to the metric system, we came to Burma. Here miles and gallons abound, unfortunately, I've been living in the rest of SE Asia for far to long and now have trouble conceiving what a mile really consists of. What happened to the kilometers?

To make matters more confusing, weight is not in ounces or pounds but rather in a strange unit called a viss. Luckily, we're not buying to much fruit or meat for this to be an issue.

Perhaps the strangest of all is the lek. This is a unit for counting and commonly used for money. It is consistent with 100,000. This leaves me with a multitude of questions such as: What system are they using where 5 zeros constitutes a unit? What are the other units like? Do they break it up into 2.5 zeros, 5 and 10 zeros?

I wonder what other interesting units will present themselves as we delve deeper into the life of Burma.

Amusement Park Myanmar Style

Earlier today we had the opportunity to go on a field trip with the children we teach at the monastic school. About 45 students and 8 teachers piled into a large jeepney (called linecars in Burma) to take us to The City Park. When I first heard mention of the possibility to go to the city park I imagined most parks back home, wide open grassy spaced lined with trees and possibly a football/soccer/baseball field or two. This was so not the park we went to.

The park we visited was a mini-amusement park with a complete set of carnival rides. There was the bumper cars, a large swinging Viking ship, a large ferris wheel, two small roller coasters and a few others. The principal of the school was nice enough to provide us with the transportation and 10,000 Kyat to pay for some rides. This was enough for the children to go on 2 rides: the bumper cars and one of the roller coasters. They had a ball on the bumper cars, though they had a hard time functioning them. Their reactions were quite the opposite on the roller coaster. I thought they'd be much like me (a lover of roller coasters) but I was so wrong! The roller coaster was very small and so each ride consists of 2-3 turns but the way the ride is built the coaster stops between each round. Just before the first batch of students was about to go on their second trip around there was a huge outcry from about 1/2 of them, "Finish!" It was clear they did not have fun on the coaster and were not pleased to be having another go.

We spent the rest of the day walking around so the kids could see the rides they were missing, singing English children's songs and trying to have a nap time. A few of the students grappled for our attentions, but most of them basically ignored us. They were a lot of fun to watch, however and it was a nice day out.

Weekend Biking Tour

For our first weekend of health in Mandalay we decided to head out on our bikes to do a little sightseeing. We arose bright and early to try to salve off the heat for a few hours. Its amazing how two hours makes all of the difference. The air was cool and even a little refreshing as the cars and motorbikes had not yet hit the road.

Our first stop was Mahamuni Paya (Burmese for pagoda). This pagoda is said to house the second most revered Buddha statue in Myanmar. During festivals and holy days the image is so popular that the caretakers of the pagoda have installed video cameras so people can pray to the video screen if they are not in view of the actual Buddha.

It is believed that adding gold leafing to a Buddha image brings merit and for some reason this image is an extremely popular target for merit-seekers. In Myanmar, only men are allowed to leaf an image and many of them come to Mahamuni. The image resulting from the hoards of gold-leafers is quite interesting. Apparently, only the lower half of the statue is allowed to be covered as the top half still shines its original gold and the details of its intricate necklaces and headdress are visible. The lower half, however resembles an amorphous blob. Little mounds of gold leaf sprout up all around the Buddha's torso, hands and legs. Some is said to be 15 cm thick! It is quite an odd site.

Aside from the gilded buddha, the pagoda is also the home of a few statues from the Khmer Empire. As usual, I had no idea what to expect when the Lonely Planet explained the bronze statues. For some reason I envisioned small, shiny statues that would resemble the carvings at Angkor Wat. I was wrong. These statues are as big as a human (or bigger), they are rusting through and falling apart. One is missing a head. They do have interesting features and an interesting story. The statues were taken from the Thais after one of the Burmese kings defeated the Thais in battle. It wasn't until later that they discovered that the Thais had commandeered the statues from the Khmer after winning a battle.

Our next stop on the tour was Kan Daw Gyi lake. Kan daw gyi means royal and this used to be the monarch's lake. We had also toured the kandawgyi lake in Yangon. Like the lake in Yangon, this one also sports a replica "royal barge" that is now a restaurant and karaoke bar. We did not come to the lake to look at the barge, we came to discover what kind of birds roamed the area.

By the time we arrived at the lake the weather was warming up and the sun was already intense. We spent a couple of hours being gawked at by the multitudes of locals who passed us by. We must have looked strange with our eyes glued to our binoculars.

After having our fill of birds we cycled around half of the lake taking in the scenery. For the first half of the ride, the lake is surrounded by nice looking restaurants and homes, but then suddenly these disappear and bamboo shanties come into view.

At the backside of the lake we ran into another pagoda (surprise!). It looked interesting and we decided to take a look. As soon as we entered a boy and girl who were playing on a tree ran to our sides and didn't leave us until we exited the compound. They were fond of staring and giggling, but they could not bring up the courage to answer our questions, even though we asked them in both Burmese and English. They loved having their picture taken and then to view it on the camera. They were cute.

After a Shan noodle lunch by a small roadside cafe we headed home along the strand road (aka the road that follows the Irrawady). By this time the sun was searing hot and most suitable for drying laundry and we witnessed many an article of clothing drying on the grass, chairs and even on the cement road (I'll never understand how this is thought to keep them clean). The Irrawady is a pretty impressive river. I am very excited to get on it and try to see some dolphins!

Later in the evening a few friends of ours picked us up on motorbikes to take us to another lake to view the famous U Bein bridge. This bridge is famous for being the largest teak bridge in the world. Now, my question is: Just how many teak bridges are there in the world? Regardless of its length, it's a pretty neat place to visit. The bridge itself is nothing spectacular, it looks like an old, decrepit bridge. What is worthwhile is all of the people watching and the amazing lake that surrounds the structure. The bridge connects a village to a larger part of the city and thus many people traverse it everyday to bring goods to the market or to buy goods at the market or to run various other errands.

On the bridge we tried toddy which I had always assumed was coconut wine (aka tuba in the 'Pines). In reality, the sweet wine is not made from coconut but from a coconut relative. The fruit comes in a small purple coconut shaped package but when you open it up there are 3 pieces of white fruit residing in pockets around a woody structure. I personally think coconut is much more tasty.

The lake surrounding the bridge is low at this time of the year and full of lillies and other water plants. During the rainy season the waters sometimes flood the bridge. That must be an impressive sight!

Bring Out the Ark

Mandalay is set in the dry zone of Burma. It is considered a semi-desert plains area which is characterized by hot, dry weather with little rainfall. It is the complete opposite of Yangon, which is hot and humid and rains like clockwork every afternoon.

Despite its aridness, there have been a few unexpected moments of torrential downpours in Myanmar's second capital. The first and worst came about 2 weeks ago and last for one day.

It began raining while we were volunteer teaching at a monastic school. We were lucky in that the skies waited to open up until we were safely in the buildings but we were unlucky in that the skies decided to stay open when we had to leave (on bike) for our next class. We arrived at our second class (at a different school) pretty wet but not completely soaked. The rain tricked us for a while as it subsided but in the middle of our lectures the rains came pouring down like I have never seen before. It was difficult to teach over the din of the downpour on the tin roof.

As we taught, we kept peering outside where we witnessed the steady rise of the water on the campus. At first there were just large puddles, but as our 2 hour class moved on, the people marching through the puddles began sinking deeper and deeper until many were calf deep. We also witnessed the water inch its way closer and closer to the classroom door. Within 20 minutes after our class ended, the room and flooded and people were walking their bikes around in knee deep water.

We patiently waited for almost an hour for the waters to subside once more or for a taxi to come rescue us. We weren't sure exactly how a beat up low-lying taxi would make it through the flood, but we were assured that one would save us. However, the longer we waited for a taxi the less likely one would be able to weather the rising waters and it was soon announced that a taxi was out of the question. We would have to walk home (biking was also out of the question).

We gathered our bikes and set off in the downpour, very quickly becoming soaked to the bone. Laura always picks the best timing to wear her jeans and so it was no surprise that today would be the only day she had brought them out of her bag. They quickly expanded with rain and floodwater. We hiked our pants up the best we could and joined the masses who were trying to break through the floodwaters toward higher ground.

The street in front of the school was particularly bad and we were forced to wade through thigh deep water. We could tell that people in Mandalay were no used to the rain. Many vehicles were trying desperately to putter through as their exhaust pipes filled with water which caused a horrible noise and terrible smelling black gas to exude from the pipes.

All but a few of the streets that were luckily built up at a higher elevation were saved from the flood. We heard stories of trishaw drivers charging 1000-2000 Kyat for a ride that is typically 200-300. I wondered how many people would come down with mysterious diseases in the next couple of days (little did I know I would be one of them). I cringed at the memory of a little boy squatting over the waste water canals (why can't i think of the name for them?) the day before and knowing that that water was now around my thighs. I did ask a few people if there were generally outbreaks after floods, but they all seemed to think that the Burmese were used to the nasties in the water and thus were unaffected by sewage all over their bodies.

Thanaka, the Wonder Powder

For those of you who are less versed in Myanmar ways let me briefly explain thanaka. This powder is worn by nearly all women and children in Myanmar and by a good percentage of the men. It is made by grinding the bark of sandalwood. Generally, a large chunk of branch is bought and it is freshly ground everyday. It is said to cool the skin during hot weather and it is a natural sunscreen and is overall good for the complexion.

All of the above information I learned a while ago. But, this week we met an 11 year old boy who enlightened us to the magical powers of thanaka.

We met Chris on the way to school. We first noticed him because he was the little boy biking in front of us while singing and dancing on his bike. Later, after we had biked a fair distance, Chris asks if we are tired. I said yes and ask him if he is tired too. He calmly says no and I am surprised! He had biked quite a long distance for such a small boy.

"Oh, you are very strong." I commented.

"No, I am not strong." Came the reply

"Then you must have eaten a very big breakfast"

"No, I at a small breakfast."

Confused at his responses I finally ask, "Then how come you are not tired?"

To this he pointed to his thanaka smeared face and said with a grin, "I am not tired because of tanaka. It gives sun power."

So, from a small child the wonders of thanaka were revealed.

Thanaka the super-powder. Try some today.

Monks of the Night

So tonight we're walking around the piddly Mandalay night market when Casey spots a horde of robe-ladden monks hovering over a small stand in a dark corner. We take a closer look and realize that the monks are biding their time at the "adult" section of the market. That's right, they were perusing the pornos! So that's where the extra alms money gets spent. I just hope they were only buying porn and not the other items at the shop, which would mean they were REALLY breaking their oaths!

The Second Capital

We moved to Mandalay after our 5 day vacation in Yangon. Because Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar and a major commercial center in the center of the country it is often referred to as the "second capital." Although, now that I think about it, it would make more sense to call it the "third capital" because Yangon is now the old or the second capital since the government moved to Naw Pyidaw.

Mandalay is also famous for being the capital of the last great Burmese (Bamar) Kingdom before the arrival of the British. In fact, there are 5 kingdom capitals within a couple hours of Mandalay. This area was a hot bed for the Bamar ethnicity.

Before arriving, I had romantic thoughts of Mandalay. I recalled many romantic and exotic places in the states with Mandalay in the name. I knew it was set against the famous Irrawaddy, which I also romanticized about. In truth, Mandalay is little more than a thriving metropolis in a developing country. The main difference between Mandalay and say Iloilo in the Philippines is the massive palace wall that dominates a corner of the city. Inside this wall is where the last great king had his teak palace and miniature city. The palace has long been destroyed and the current government built a concrete structure in it's place. Tourists are allowed inside but they can't wander far because the old palace is also where the military has a base.

There is definitely a touristy area in Mandalay, which also happens to be the downtown area. We used to stay at a guesthouse that received hardly any foreign tourists but we just moved to a cheaper guesthouse that appears to be THE tourist center. It is crazy how full of white people this place is! We've seen more foreigners in 48 hours than we've seen during the entire 2 weeks we have been here! Because of all of the tourists, we are also lucky to be constantly approached by drivers and tour guides who are trying to get us to partake in some serious site seeing. Alas, they seem to be the only Burmese interested in speaking to us. I think this is because most Burmese are too shy because the ones we work with are extremely nice and eager to hold conversations.

The funny thing is that when we get a block away from our guesthouse the foreigners disappear! It appears that most of them are not here to partake in the great Mandalay way of life but to rush through the 4 surrounding old capitals on their way north. Thus, going most places in Mandalay takes us off the tourist circuit. This means loads of stares and gapping mouths and smiles and waves from adorable children.

Having said all this about Mandalay, we have yet to actually witness most of it. Our schedule is busy during the week and our first weekend here was spent lounging around because Laura was a bit under the weather (yet again). We'll post more when we discover more!

A Large Golden Pagoda

We awoke way too early on Wednesday to be driven to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda. Casey's friend was nice enough to drive us and she assured us that this was the best time to visit since there would be hardly any other visitors except for the locals on their daily/weekly pilgrimage to pray. We arrived at approximately 5:30 am and were immediately struck by the extremely large gold and white lions that guarded the entrance.

We removed our shoes and made our way up the many stairs barefoot. There were not quite as many stairs nor were they as steep as the temple on Doi Suthep in Thailand, but the pagoda is still equipped with an elevator and escalators for those who are unable to make the trek on foot.

When we arrived at the foot of the pagoda we were again struck by how brilliantly it shone. Like Sule Pagoda, this giant gilded structure is lit up under the morning light like nothing we'd ever seen. After paying for a guide, we understood why. According to our guide, the pagoda is covered in golden plates that are nailed together to create a giant multi-ton sheath surrounding the pagoda.

Our guide was a nice elderly man who worked for some government agency that has some connection with the pagoda. He learned English from Americans in Shan State many many years ago and they must have been good teachers because he spoke excellent English. He is 68 years old and is only allowed to act as a tour guide in the very early morning. He also claimed that his employers are trying to make him retire, but he has no desire to. His speed was not what one could call quick and he drooled as he spoke, but he was a nice man with a gimmick.

The Gimmick
The gimmick was probably my favorite part about him. He kept telling us he'd show us something that no other tour guide would show us (whether this is true or not, I don't know) and he kept muttering the words "seeing is believing." Well, near the end of the tour, he takes us to a corner of the grounds where the smaller "Elder Brother" pagoda blocks the view of the giant pagoda. He explained that the Elder Brother pagoda was where the 8 hairs of the Buddha were kept while Shwedagon Pagoda was being built. Because of this grand honor, the Elder Brother Pagoda is also important and it tells us that by hiding Shwedagon from view if you stand at precisely the correct spot. Then he takes us even further into the corner where both pagodas are once again in view but this time Elder Brother Pagoda looks like it may be the same size of slightly larger the Shwedagon. He also exclaimed that this reinforced the idea that indeed, the Elder Brother Pagoda is also important. He was very happy to have shown us this little trick and with that he ended the tour.

History of Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwe is Burmese for "gold" and thus describes the largest and most revered pagoda in the Yangon area. As legend has it, 2 brothers traveled to India to meet with the Buddha. When they knelt before him he plucked 8 hairs from his head and offered them to the brothers. Ecstatic, the brothers came home to Burma where they presented their present to the king who immediately began to build Shwedagon Pagoda to house these "relics" of the Buddha.

While the shrine was being built, the hairs were stored in the Elder Brother Pagoda and after it was completed they were transferred by elephant via an underground passageway that connects the two pagodas.

A few members of royalty donated their weight in gold to the pagoda, so it could be plated as we see today. At the very top of the umbrella (or hti) on the pagoda is a small golden ball that is encrusted in diamonds and other precious jewels. There are said to be no less the 4351 diamonds weighing a total of 1800 carats on this orb, which is topped with an impressive 76-carat diamond. There are a few large binoculars around the pagoda to allow one to view the jewels, however the power isn't very good and it just looks like a ball with something shiny on top.

Other Interesting but Random Sites in the Pagoda Compound
As we walked around the Pagoda we saw a few other statues that I felt are worth mentioning. Near one entrance along a wall are two statues of men. To me, they look like fat Italian men with thick beards. They are wearing a longyi that is checkered blue and white and one thigh of each man is exposed to reveal an elaborate banded tattoo. I have no idea who they are or what they represent, but they are definitely worth a look.

To point the way to many of the small pagodas and Buddhas are various statues pointing the way up the steps, just in case you missed them.

There are two very large bells within the compound. One of them was taken by the British in order to make a canon but dropped in the Yangon River (not on purpose, to my knowledge). There are paintings around the bell that tell the story of its retrieval, which sounds quite difficult as the bell is very large and heavy.

One Buddha was also stolen by the British and taken back to Queen Victoria, who immediately began having headaches after taking possession of the statue. She finally decided that the Buddha should be sent home and as soon as it was gone, her headaches vanished. The Buddha is enshrined in the compound and is still inside the wooden cargo box thus proving that it once made the return trip to England.

One of my favorites is a small statue of Brahma (a Hindu god) holding a baby. It was explained to us by the guide that couples who wish for a child come to this statue to pray and their prayers are generally answered.

Tea and the US Embassy in Myanmar

The following day was fairly unexciting. We went to the United States Embassy, which is an interesting place near the park we had visited the day before. Half of the road is blocked off and we tried to enter it the previous day, we could have sworn that we were redirected by a cop across the street. Why he wouldn't let two foreigners down a foreign embassy street is beyond us and confused us greatly.

We thought it may have something to do with the large sign in English that faced the embassy. This sign informed the public of the four "People's Desires" namely
1) Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views.
2) Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation.
3) Oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State.
4) Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy.

You gotta love the word stooges. I think they strategically placed the sign in front of the US Embassy so they could see number 3. You also gotta love crushing destructive elements. Word choice in these matters is key.

As it turned out, our fears were for not because we had no problems getting in the following day, except we arrived in the morning to be informed that they only saw their own citizens from 2-3:30 in the afternoon. So, we putzed around the city for a while, stopping at a sidewalk side teashop for a drink to hide from the rain. When I say sidewalk side teashop this is exactly what I mean. I was a little surprised to find many teashops literally on the sidewalk. The owners set up child-size tables with child-size stools and one sits about 5 inches from the floor while sipping on tea and eating snacks. Most of these shops are equipped with large umbrellas to shade their customers from the sun and protect them from the rain. So, we sat on our stools and watched Yangon go by in the rain.

The way most tea shops work is you sit down and order a hot drink. Usually this is Indian style sweet tea with condensed milk, much like the tea tarik we found in teashops in Malaysia. However other teas, such as lemon tea, are also available, we just don't know how to order them yet. Then, each table is also provided with Chinese style plain tea, which is free for the taking. Some of the shops place a tray of fried snacks at your table, which you sample at your liking. If none is eaten then none paid for. Some more permanent shops also provide dahls and curries to eat with your tea. These shops are the center of social life for many Burmese. Men and women will converge here to gossip, catch up and sit for hours to while away the day. They are most interesting places to visit.

After our long cup of tea, we headed back to the US Embassy. With great smiles and superb English the security staff began rummaging through our bags telling us all of the things we may not take inside. We may not bring bell peppers, cameras, water or even medicine (medicine? this one confused me). We opted to leave everything in their care, save the umbrellas, which we were forced to deposit before passing through the metal detectors so we really shouldn't have bothered.

Once inside, we noticed how small and quite it was. There were a handful of Burmese men being interviewed for visas so they could work on ships but other than that, it was empty. We decided to register and get more pages in our passports, so we could get a Cambodian visa in a few months. This took awhile, but they had CNN on while we waited and we were able to rummage through months old copies of the New Yorker, the Economist and Time, so we caught up a bit on foreign and national affairs.

It was an interesting if not exciting afternoon.

The Old Capital

Our adventures began on June 4th, when we arrived at Mingladon International Airport in Yangon (fna Rangoon), Myanmar (fna Burma). It just so happened that Casey knows someone currently living in Yangon (what are the chances!). She is working here until the end of this month. Her work was nice enough for her to use to company car to pick us up at the airport and so we were not left to fend for ourselves in the strange new land as we usually are upon entering a new country. This was a very comforting feeling.

We had a early morning flight from Bangkok to Yangon and when we arrived at the international airport in Bangkok is was sparking with activity even though the sun had yet to rise. It's bustling and alive at all hours, just as one would expect a international airport of a capital city to be. The airport at Yangon is the antithesis from this. Yes it is bright and spanking new, complete with freeze-your-tail-off air conditioning but this is were the similarities end. No more than a handful of flights could possibly arrive each day and it was only the passengers of our flight that filled the terminal and baggage claim.

Someone must have mentioned that foreigners do not like to walk and so the airport obligingly furnished us with an old bus to transport the passengers from the base of the airplane to the doors of the terminal. This was nice of them as the distance was approximately 100 meters. I couldn't possibly have managed without their kind assistance.

After flying through customs we hopped into the company car to take us to her place. She lives in a house provided for her work near a beautiful lake a little ways from the downtown Yangon area. It is an older house, but beautifully decorated and complete with hot water and 24 hour electricity (despite the occasional brownout). She has a wonderful guest room with it's own private bath which she happily offered to us. She is a wonderful hostess and quickly made us feel right at home.

Casey's friend had to go off to work, but she equipped us with a large map of the city and pointed out the prime tourists spots, of which there aren't many. We set off in a taxi to downtown Yangon. The taxis here are old small cars with taxi signs above them. The price is negotiated before getting in. The standard price to and from the place is 1500-2200 Kyat (pronounced Jaht or chaht) equivalent is less than 2 dollars for a 10-15 minute ride.

Downtown Yangon is very easy to navigate around thanks to the wonderful city planners of the British colonial days. The streets are laid out in a grid near the water and we spent much of the day weaving in and of the traffic, the hordes of people, the street vendors and the roadside teashops. The traffic for such a large city it surprisingly low key and though the drivers are typically Asian there are often long breaks in traffic where it is easy to cross the road without fear.

During the middle of the day the heat became so unbearable and the air so thick with humidity we decided to find a little respite in a small park we passed by. We paid the 200 Kyat entrance and tried to find a shaded bench. One of the first things we noticed was a large signboard of activities not allowed inside the park. Some of these activities included hanging up laundry, massaging your lover on the grass, walking on the grass and playing football. Laughing, we took pictures of the sign and then turned to our right where it looked like there might be some shade. As we walked to the trees one of the first things we notice is laundry hung out to dry. A few feet later and we realize we are in the middle of lover's lane where each bench was occupied by a young couple sitting close, holding hands and/or kissing. This made me extremely uncomfortable as I have not seen public displays of affection for over 3 years. We had heard of this phenomenon but it was still surprising to see it in person. The couples really have no where else to go as there aren't any really private places and so the parks have become a safe haven for young romance and physical affection.

We stopped by Sule Pagoda, located inside a traffic circle. One of the first things that both of us noticed was how shiny the gold was. It seemed much flashier and brilliant than the gilded pagodas in Thailand. You may think by now we are tired of seeing pagodas and Buddha statues and maybe it's no longer on the top of our list, but the Burmese pagodas are unlike any we'd seen before. The shapes are similar to the Thai pagodas but it is the statues that really stand out. For example, most of the Buddha statues are not solid gold in color but are given human features that are painted on cream colored skin. Another quirk we loved is the bright neon lights that are posted on the wall behind the Buddha's head. The lights flash in a circular fashion and surround the head like a halo. I imagine this is something that Filipinos would do around the head of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. It's grand fun to see.

We took it nice and easy the rest of the day, just wandering around the city taking it all in. We knew we would be back the following day to discover new aspects of Yangon.