Mandalay Memories

I’m glad I gave Mandalay another chance. Like many tourists that do whirlwind tours of the city, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by my first exposure to Mandalay. The city is dusty, noisy, congested with traffic (a wild stew of cars, bikes, motorcycles, trishaws and carts), very hot (for most of the year, anyway), and not very attractive. If you have the visual image of an exotic, tropical Mandalay, you’d best forget it. But I’ve found that when you get off the busy main roads, and away from the crowded sightseeing spots, the city offers many interesting, attractive, and pleasant spots. Riding my bicycle east on 28th Street was particularly pleasant: I found myself under a canopy of trees as I passed pagodas, churches, soccer fields, and schools. Children would yell greetings such as “Hello”, “Goodbye”, and “Ta Ta.” One kid even threw in a “Cheerio,” which made me laugh out loud.

One of my favorite areas is the “Monk District” in the southwest part of the city. Here you will find dozens of active monasteries and old pagodas. One of the most eye-catching of the bunch is Shwe Bin In Kyaung, an old monastery made entirely of teak. Except for a few cobweb-encrusted carvings, the place is well-maintained and clean. Just down the road, over a small bridge, is the city’s largest monastery, Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung, home to over 2,700 monks and novices. I stopped by that monastery my first day in town and met several friendly monks, one of whom invited me to see the mammoth breakfast ritual the next morning. Near the small lake that borders the monastery I could see several men already preparing the next day’s meal. They were chopping, cutting, and slicing a variety of vegetables and meat, then stirring each batch and cooking it all in huge pots or woks.

The only problem with seeing the next morning’s extravaganza – and watching 2,734 monks getting served breakfast certainly qualifies as such - was getting up early enough in the morning to see it begin. But I managed to crawl out of bed at about five in the morning, take a quick shower, and - armed with a flashlight – cycle in darkness over to the monastery in time to see long lines of monks being served their meal. While taking photos of the spectacle I met one of the volunteers distributing food, a kind man named U Myint Swe. We talked for a few minutes and he invited me upstairs to meet the senior monks and to eat breakfast. Once again, I was lucky enough to experience the incredible hospitality and generosity of the Myanmar people. You just can’t plan moments like this.

I couldn’t find Hashim, the trishaw driver I used previously in Mandalay, but I lucked out and met another dependable driver named Myint Shin. The first time I used his services was when I needed transportation back to my hotel after dining at the always incredible Aye Myit Tar restaurant (talk about getting stuffed: they never let up with the extra portions). We struck up a conversation and Myint Shin proved to be a delightful and knowledgeable driver. When I wasn’t cycling or walking around town I used him for night outings (with no light on my bike and very little in the way of streetlights, I didn’t dare cycle much at night in Mandalay) and to the boat jetty. On my last night in town Myint Shin invited me to his home, where he and wife cooked up a delicious spread of food. Nothing like home cooking!

Riding my bicycle around town I noticed many children out on the streets and playing games such as marbles, badminton, chinlon (pretty much the same as the sport of Takraw), and of course football (soccer). It’s refreshing to see so many kids out in the great outdoors, having fun and playing healthy games, as opposed to sitting inside an Internet shop and playing violent computer games for hours on end. But I suppose that will spread around Myanmar soon enough; I already see such shops in Yangon.

Another of my favorite Mandalay activities is visiting teashops. They are sort of like 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok: you find one or two on almost every block. There are many inexpensive little shops with tasty tea and snacks such as samosa, paratha, and several varieties of sweet cakes and sticky pastries. The teashops are great people watching spots too. Pull up a chair, sit down, and watch the colorful Myanmar street scenes unfold. Many teashops open early in the morning and serve very tasty noodle and rice dishes. The famous Mandalay noodles called Mondhi are very addictive. Myint Shin turned me on to one excellent place for Mondhi and I took Ma Thanegi’s advice and found another good spot, too.

While I was in Mandalay I met up with an e-friend, Klaus Schroeder, for a meal at the Golden Duck Restaurant. For several years Klaus has been coming to Myanmar for annual visits, during which time he has set up an organization to help two orphanages in Mandalay. Besides helping to build new dormitories and classroom facilities, his group has helped several of the older orphans to open their own businesses. But due to sanctions imposed by foreign governments, most notably the United States, getting funds to the orphanages has proved to be problematic. Once again, politics rears its ugly head and prevents people from getting the help they need.

08:55 PM PST Permalink |

The Faces of Thanaka

People keep asking: What is that stuff on their face? If you visit Myanmar you will notice a white paste – it’s actually more of a beige color – on the faces of most women and children. This paste is called thanaka and it’s made from the bark of a sandalwood tree. The bark of the tree is ground and mixed with a small amount of water to form the paste. Thanaka is used for several purposes: it acts as a sunscreen, a skin moisturizer, and as a cosmetic beauty aid. And it smells good, too! Thanaka is smeared liberally on the face, and even the arms, or applied in more artful ways (geometric patterns, leaf prints, etc.) on the face.

01:38 AM PST Permalink |

Smoke and Rain

Woke up to an early morning rain yesterday. This made my motorcycle ride to the Skytrain station at around nine o'clock a bit soggy. It looked like it was going to be one of those depressing all-day drizzles, with no customers in my bookshop, but by early afternoon the rain had stopped, and the flow of book buyers had improved. Meanwhile, the weather has been getting warmer, making me think that Bangkok's always brief "cool season" has come and gone already. I only hope the rainy season is still a few months down the road.

Last weekend at the bookshop we had a visit from Robert Carmack, the "Globetrotting Gourmet" and author of several books, including Thai Home Cooking and Vietnamese Home Cooking. Robert just returned from leading a food tour to Myanmar. In fact, I was there around time that he and his group were touring the country, but we managed to cross paths only in Yangon - and that only consisted of a phone conversation. Robert was in Bangkok for a few days to enjoy the food (of course!) and some Thai kickboxing (but only as an observer!) before flying back to his adopted home of Australia. He will lead another Asian food tour in June, this time to Japan. For more details on that trip and other "tasty bits" check out his website:
www.globetrottinggourmet.com

Like many cities around the world Bangkok has laws against smoking in public places such as office buildings, restaurants and stores. This includes my bookshop. In fact, the law requires us to post "No Smoking" signs both on our front door and inside the store. But that doesn't prevent some idiots from lighting up. Last week there was a guy in our shop that lit up and took a few puffs (thank you for stinking up my store you jerk!) before he even opened the door and walked outside. I suppose I should pity people that crave their nicotine so much. But I'd prefer to whack them upside the head with a hardcover Robert Ludlum book. The smoker inside the store was bad enough, but this morning I had to deal with one inside the elevator of my apartment complex. Yes, that's also against the law, but that doesn't stop these people. I was riding down to the lobby when the elevator stopped on another floor. The door opened and this young Thai guy stood there puffing away. Seeing me staring back at him, he quickly put out his precious ciggie and got on the elevator. The door closed and he exhaled the filthy smoke inside the elevator. Thanks, dude! I don't doubt that he would have continued to smoke if I had not been on the elevator with him. It's happened before and I'm sure it will again. What can we do about these wretched smokers? Hanging is perhaps too harsh a penalty for smoking violations of this sort, but I would certainly support public flogging or caning.

01:48 AM PST Permalink |

Full Moon Festival

I timed my trip to Bagan so that I could attend the annual Ananda Pagoda Festival, one of the biggest such temple fairs in the country. Ananda is one of Bagan’s most revered pagodas, and the famous festival draws people from all over the country. The date for this festival, as is the case for other similar events in Myanmar, falls on – or in the case of this multi-day festival, around - the night of that month’s full moon.

Trucks and buses packed full of party-hearty folks from the countryside can be seen riding around Bagan during festival week; the passengers clapping, laughing and singing songs. Festive is certainly the appropriate term for the atmosphere. Bullock carts pulled by white water buffaloes camp out for several days on the festival grounds. Visually, it’s a nice sight, but you have to be careful where step; it becomes a minefield of cow patties.

The surrounding grounds of the temple are occupied by a sea of vendors, selling merchandise and food of every imaginable type. Frankly, it gets a bit junky, resembling a gaudy Asian flea market, but the locals seem to love it. In addition, there are song and dance performances (and always frightening spectre of shrill karaoke), puppet shows, and on the outskirts of this shopping eyesore are traditional amusement rides such as merry-go-rounds and a Ferris wheel. The latter is quite a sight: it’s propelled by human hands (and feet) as opposed to electric means. All of which makes a spin on this Ferris wheel more than a bit of an adventure. When they want it to stop, a group of four or five young men will jump up and grab onto one of the carriages and pull it back to earth. It sometimes takes them several tries before they are successful.

The morning of the actual full moon day is dedicated to a colorful ritual where the pagoda’s monks are given offerings. The donations become a deluge; thousands of people bringing a variety of items (food, money, toiletries, etc.) for the monks. These are normally placed in bowls or small baskets and then displayed on a long stage outside the pagoda.

After the early morning ceremonies (sadly, I didn’t get up early enough on the big day to see the start of it) have finished, the monks, nuns, local villagers, and foreign tourists all mingle around the pagoda compound, snapping photos, chatting, and receiving blessings. Some of the young novice monks could be seen playing games or enthralled by the sight of vendor blowing up helium balloons.

I made two daytime excursions and one nighttime visit to the festival, making the multi-kilometer journey from New Bagan on bicycle with Tun Tun and Min Min each time. My legs survived the semi-hilly ride in pretty good shape, but the hard, wobbly bike seat absolutely tore up my posterior. Each time we were in the area we paid a visit to the nearby Misan Restaurant in Old Bagan for some good eating. Run by the personable U Soe Tin, Misan offers a variety of inexpensive Burmese dishes, most of them accompanied by a spread of vegetable dishes. I’m always stuffed when I leave the place. For a restaurant in a very touristy area, the quality of the food and service at Misan is surprisingly high.

09:43 PM PST Permalink |

Books for Bagan

Bagan native Win Thuya decided that the youth of his hometown needed a place to study and have access to reading material. Even though he is now living in Yangon, where he works for the Gulliver Travels tour agency, Thuya found time to open the Kuthodaw Library late last year. Thanks to assistance from friends and his employer, Thuya was able to rent a vacant building, put in some bookshelves and tables, and stock a small selection of magazines and books.

During my recent trip to Myanmar I finally got the chance to meet Thuya. He dropped by my hotel in Yangon to pick up a bunch of books for the library; some that I had brought with me from Bangkok (mostly children’s titles), as well as another big bagful that local writer Ma Thanegi had donated. Thuya is an earnest, thoughtful young man who is dedicated to this library project. He admits to getting discouraged at times, lamenting that many young people in New Bagan only want to read fashion magazines or sports newspapers. Currently, Kuthodaw has over 30 members, but they are trying to encourage more local students to learn about and use the library. Eventually, they want to add computers for a proposed multimedia room. “I will not give up,” Thuya promises.

A few days after I met Thuya I visited the library in New Bagan. It’s located just off the main road (on a side street, next to a teashop) near the town’s morning market. I went there one afternoon with two local boys I know; Tun Tun and Min Min. They had not been to the library yet, so this trip was enlightening for them as well as for me. The library doesn’t yet have electricity so they are only open during daylight hours. Thuya’s sister, along with a few other volunteers, help to run the library. They told me that most patrons visit on Sundays, when students don’t have to attend school.

The library is just starting and they need more English language books in a variety of categories. Currently, most of the books are in Burmese and come from Thuya’s personal collection. If anyone is interested in donating books or money for the Kuthodaw Library project, you are welcome to contact Win Thuya directly, or drop off books at my shop in Bangkok. You can find the link to the Kuthodaw Library website (which includes Thuya’s e-mail information) under the “Favorites” list on this page.

01:06 AM PST Permalink |

Move on Over!

A letter to the editor in Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper this week suggested that both the BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway operators should make announcements and urge passengers to stand on the far right-hand side of escalators at all stations. By doing this, the letter writer said, riders that are in a rush to reach their destination sooner would be able to “safely bypass” the slowpokes that prefer to stand in one place, “rather than the current situation whereby many users are blocked throughout the system from making any headway.”

An interesting idea, but I doubt anything will come of it. For one, it requires the cooperation and attention of those that like to stand in the middle of escalators (and stairs). These folks are, and will remain, oblivious to the presence of the other commuters surrounding them. Most of these zombies are usually doing one of the following activities: chatting on their cell phone, sending text messages on their cell phone, starting at photos on their cell phone, or singing along with their iPod. Regardless of the diversion, it prevents them from noticing that other commuters are attempting to use the same escalator/stairway/path.

Another factor that will prevent such an organized system from being implemented: this is Thailand, and most locals are not in a hurry whatsoever. They do not rush around with the same breathless abandon that is exhibited by many of us foreigners. Moving quickly equates to sweating, and that is simply not done here. “Easy does it” could not be a more appropriate motto for Thai pedestrians. But even the term “Thai pedestrian” is somewhat of a contradiction in terms. Most Thais hate to walk anywhere. They would rather hop on a bus or motorcycle to journey the equivalent of one city block rather than walk that same distance.

Since I returned to Bangkok this week I’ve been subjected to bag checks by security guards at the station entrance each time I have used the subway. This new security measure is no doubt in response to the New Year’s Eve bombings in Bangkok. I don’t mind these very quick bag checks but I have to wonder if they are effective. Are these security guards trained to know what to look for? And can these cursory checks really prevent someone from bringing dangerous devices into the stations? Curiously, there have been no similar security changes at BTS Skytrain stations.

08:40 PM PST Permalink |

Oh, Yangon!

While not as noisy, polluted, or chaotic as Bangkok, the streets of Yangon are becoming increasingly full of traffic, and the sidewalks are overflowing with vendors hawking all sorts of merchandise. But unlike their comrades in Bangkok, the street sellers in Yangon are very vocal, loudly proclaiming the virtues of their products as pedestrians continually stream past. For some strange, wonderful reason used books can be found in abundance; both in proper shops and out on the sidewalks. But don’t go expecting to find any recent best sellers. At one shop I entered there wasn’t a single book on the shelf that was published in the past 30 years.

I discovered some good new restaurants this visit, thanks to recommendations from a couple of hospitable and knowledgeable Yangon residents. Ma Thanegi introduced me to Monsoon, a delightful restaurant on Thein Byu Road, only about a block from the river. Not only does Monsoon serve excellent meals (in addition to Burmese cuisine they also have Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese dishes), displayed throughout their attractive three-floor building are artwork, glassware (from the famous Na-Gar Glass Factory), books, paper umbrellas, and other native handicrafts. They even stock Ma Thanegi’ book about Myanmar Cuisine!

Myriam Grest, the owner of Myanmar Travel Ltd., took me to the brand new branch of L’Opera, located in a refurbished old home on the lakeshore next to the Dusit Inya Lake Resort. Scrumptious Italian food served in an attractive outdoor garden. Being in the company of the vivacious Myriam, her personable daughter (who attends ISB in Bangkok), and her industrious office manager made for a splendid evening.

I returned one afternoon to Happy World, an amusement park located in the vicinity of Shwedagon Pagoda. I had promised the staff photographer at the park that I would bring him some of the photos that we took together last year, plus I wanted to take a dip in one of Happy World’s large swimming pools. Thankfully, the weather was warm enough to permit such indulgences. A couple of boys at the pool befriended me and after a swimming session (I passed on joining them for a plunge down the giant slide) they invited me to a bumper car duel, and later a round of darts (the game involved picking a number and then trying to aim your dart at the corresponding number on a nearby wall). And to top it off, these two kids, who couldn’t have been more than twelve, paid for it all!

I also paid a couple of visits to the Mandarin Restaurant, my old reliable dining spot near Mahabandoola Park and Sule Pagoda. The couple who run the place always remember me, greeting me like a long lost relative. The food is nothing fancy, but it’s consistently good, and the prices are affordable. And if you’re lucky the electricity won’t go out during your meal.

01:28 AM PST Permalink |

Smiling Faces … sometimes

As much as I love visiting the many historic sights and beautiful places around Myanmar, it’s the people that make each trip so memorable and rewarding. I enjoy taking photos of them and looking at those pics again and again: lots of delighted smiles, a few puzzled expressions, and some looks of total wonder. When I’m lucky the camera helps to capture and preserve those fleeting magical moments.

12:09 AM PST Permalink |

Discovering Bago

Bago is only about a 90-minute drive from Yangon, making it an ideal destination for a half-day trip, or as a place to break up the journey to or from Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock). There are several pagodas of historical interest in the town, including Myanmar’s tallest pagoda (114 meters high), Shwemawdaw Paya. There is also a very long reclining Buddha (longer than the famous one in Bangkok), and the huge four seated Buddha figures at Kyaik Pun Paya.

Bago is also home to Kha Khat Wain Kyaung, which is one of the largest monasteries in the country. If you wake up early enough you can witness the spectacle of hundreds of the resident monks making their alms rounds in the pre-dawn hours. Visitors are also welcome to stop by the monastery during the day to observe the monks studying or having their late morning meal.

My motorcycle driver in Bago was a friendly fellow that knew all the best places to go. Besides the usual bevy of pagodas, he found a nice hilltop sunset spot, and a good restaurant, the Three-Five, where I enjoyed a delicious meal and a much needed cold beer.

But the thing I found most interesting in Bago was the lively morning market. Located on a side street near the Bago River, the market is full of vendors selling everything from flowers and fish to pepper and vegetables. The morning I strolled around the premises there were no other tourists around, making me more the center of attention.

04:52 AM PST Permalink |

Heart of Golden Rock

During my Myanmar trip I posted one story about my visit to Kyaiktiyo, more commonly known as Golden Rock, but to do this spectacular site proper justice, here are some of the photos from that journey.

Gazing upon the rock itself is an awesome experience, but taking in the view from the top and watching the spectacle of the legions of Buddhists as they make the exhausting pilgrimage to the mountaintop is also a rewarding sight to see.

For a small fee porters will carry your bags up and down the hill. But it’s not the foreign tourists that make use of this service as much as the tourists from Myanmar, who pile as many bags as they can into the porters’ baskets.

Using stretchers, a team of porters will also carry people up and down the mountain. Normally, the only ones that make use of this special service are the physically handicapped or elderly.

Once you have reached the top, there are observations decks on several levels that enable visitors to view the rock and the surrounding mountain ranges.

It’s also quite common to see groups of monks, including novices, making the pilgrimage to the top.

Bathed in light at night, the rock glows with a brilliant radiance.

Offerings of food and flowers are given and sticks of incense are burned throughout the day and night.

People of all ages, from all over Myanmar, make the trip to Kyaiktiyo.

Children sell homemade horns. The sound the horns make is very loud!

At times the narrow road gets jammed with porters and pedestrians, and once in a while a truck will join the fray.

Pilgrims can approach the rock and apply more gold leaf to its surface. Women, however, are not allowed to touch the rock.

There are a few other interesting stupas along the trail to the top.

09:11 PM PST Permalink |

On the Soi again

Back in Bangkok today, strolling past the busy sois, chaotic traffic, and vendors selling all sorts of crap on the sidewalk. I was happy to see my regular fruit vendor on the way to the bookshop: a sure sign that life is back to normal as I return from my latest trip to Myanmar.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning at the May Shan Hotel in Yangon. Started to finish packing my bags and then the electricity went kaput at about 5:45. Not an uncommon occurrence in Myanmar. If you get through a day when the lights do NOT go out, it's pretty much a miracle. I finished packing by flashlight and then rushed downstairs to get the taxi that was waiting to take me to the airport. The Yangon airport is a weirdly organized building with baffling systems for checking in and, when arriving, claiming your baggage (especially, for some reason, on domestic flights). My Air Asia flight left only slightly late and we arrived in Bangkok pretty much on schedule.

But oh, this new Bangkok Airport, the one they call Suvarnabhumi (pronounced: "Soo-wanna-poom"): I don't like it whatsoever. Actually, it's not as horrible as I had feared. Getting to and from this airport, at least at five in the morning and on a Sunday, is fairly painless. More expensive than the trip to Don Muang, but not as bad an ordeal as I had expected. But I detest the long check-in lines and congested areas inside the terminal. Because there is not enough room, you run the risk of being run over by the dudes that are pushing long trains of baggage carts through the terminal. The layout design of the terminal appears to be the work of a blind person. Did no one think of the term "user friendly"? The interior is also dim and spooky, especially in the pre-dawn hours. There is more lighting outside the terminal than inside the building. Very weird. And the P.A. system they use is virtually useless: the murky sound gets lost in the cavernous reaches of the roof. Really, it's almost impossible to understand anything that is being announced. Good things to say about the airport? Umm, let me think. Well, the immigration process was very fast and efficient, and claiming my baggage didn't take too long either. Other than that, poor signage and all those damn shops selling expensive merchandise make want to spit. In fact, I think I did. Several times.

I went straight from the airport to my bookshop, only stopping at Subway for a sandwich (my first meal of the day), and a few bags a fruit from my vendor pal. I've spent the rest of the day catching up on book arrivals, wondering what to do about our leaky air conditioners, and downing several cups of good fresh coffee. Ah, it feels good to be back home again. Myanmar was great - and this was an especially amazing trip - but I love being back and feeling the familiar rhythms of Bangkok.

04:37 AM PST Permalink |

Let's Get Lost

Getting lost can lots of fun. In fact, when it comes to travel, wandering around a strange new city - or village - and losing your way can provide for some memorable and magical moments.

Two days ago I took a boat ride on Inle Lake, the majestic body of water in Myanmar's Shan State. The huge lake is surrounded by a ring of green mountains, but it's most famous for the unique "leg rowers" on its water; local fishermen that use one of their legs to help navigate the boat. There are many small villages dotting the lakeshore, one of which is Maing Thauk. In this particular village there is a lively market, several monestaries (including one "Forest Monastary" at the foot of the hills) and an orphanage for both boys and girls. The orphanaged are run by a very nice man named U Tet Tun. All the children that attend the Maing Thauk orphanage are not necessarily orphans. Some live in nearby villages (many of which belong to the Pa-O minority group) but are either too poor to attend school or live too far from the town itselfto be able to go to classes on a regular basis. So they are allowed to stay at this orphanage and attend school in Maing Thauk.

I had visited Maing Thauk when I was in the area last year and wanted to go back again and make a donation to the orphanage. Chatting with U Tet Tun is also a rewarding experience. To do what he has been doing requires boatloads of dedication and patience. On this day tThe boat driver dropped me off at the lakeshore and gave me vague directions to both the orphanage and nearby monastary. Somehow, after passing the market and the secondary school, I made a wrong turn and got myself totally disorientated. I turned around, to what I presumed to be the correct direction, and looked towards a range of mountains, hoping that orientation would set me straight. Just up the dirt road I spotted two monks walking, but before you know it they disappeared somewhere off to my right. Monks equal monastaries, so I figured if I could follow them, I'd get to where i wanted to go. Forget the yellow brick road; I'll follow the saffron robes.

When I reached the spot where I had last seen them, I noticed a narrow path winding through dense foliage. I saw the two young monks - novices obviously - up ahead and walked quickly to catch up with them. One was munching a bunch of sunflowere seeds and seemed startled when I greeted him in Burmese. I asked him and his partner if this was the road to the monastary, and they applied in the affirmative. I thanked them and continued on my way. A couple of minutes later I passed a village woman who was carrying a basket of produce on her head. I also asked her about the monastary and orphanage, and she directed me onwards. Not only that, she stayed with me (no small feat, seeing as how I'm a very brisk walker) and gave me more exact directions. I thanked her, slipped her some money (which brought a big smile) and within two more short minutes I was at the entrance to the orphanage. I don't think I would have found it - certainly not without making more wrong turns - if it hadn't been for the help of the basket lady and the two monks.

I'm back in Yangon today, hoping to catch up with a few friends, enjoy more fine meals (no matter what you hear, there is some excellent food to be found in this country) and see a new sight or two before I return to Bangkok on Sunday. More stories - and tons of photos - will be coming shortly.

11:49 PM PST Permalink |

The Robes to Mandalay

On the road again today; flight from Mandalay to Heho and a bumpy road into Nyaungshwe. The weather is a bit chilly here, but it's not nearly as frigid as it was three nights ago in Pyin U Lwin. Damn close to freezing. Not the sort of weather that I am used to, and I was glad to return to Mandalay where I didn't have to wear three layers of clothes to bed.

I am almost positive that Myanmar has more monks per square kilometer than any place on earth. The men (and boys) in robes are everywhere! Some monks, the novices, appear to be as young as six-years-old at some monastaries. I spent a good portion of my stay in Mandalay visiting pagodas and active monastaries, and struck up conversations with dozens of curious monks. I brought a book to one of them, a fellow named Sittila, whom I had met last year. Sittila, who is in his late twenties, is a voracious reader and teaches English to the younger monks at his monastary. The first day I arrived, he was not around, having gone to visit Mandalay Hill (a good spot for monks and students to practice their English with foreign tourists), but I caught him the following day.

Earlier today I stopped by a monastary just north of Nyaungshwe, the town closest to famous Inle Lake. This particular monastary has funky looking circular windows and lots of old teakwood carvings. The monks there, most of whom are novices, are very friendly, if not a bit silly. One crew had been assigned "sweeping the grounds" duty, but several of them were taking playful swats at one another with their brooms, and one little kid was playing air guitar with his broom. Hey, who can blame them: they are just kids.

I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality that people here have shown me these past two weeks. I've been invited to homes of trishaw drivers, postcard sellers, and others; most of them offering me a lavish feast that I am sure is not an everyday occurence for them. At one monastary in Mandalay, I was even invited to sit down for a meal with a council of head monks and teachers. I was the only foreigner there on the morning that they dished out food to 2,734 monks. One man at our table told me that he felt lucky to have met me, after I told him that I would get him a book that he had been looking for. But I'm the one that feels lucky for having met this generous man and so many others.

Being on the road in this country also cuts you off from the "real world." This is the first time I've gone online in ten days. Needless to say, I have not kept up with e-mail or current events as much as I normally do back in Bangkok. But through word-of-mouth, and a few glimpses of CNN, I have heard about the bombs in Bangkok, Saddam Hussein's hanging, and Vijay Singh's latest victory. Tomorrow I hit the big lake for an all-day tour, then back to the monastary before sundown for a chat with some of the monks I met today. More soon!

05:09 AM PST Permalink |

Golden Rock Around the Clock
Greetings again from Myanmar! Mingala Ba!

I'm back in Yangon today after a whirlwind tour of Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) and Bago the past two days. Amazing sights and scenes, and truly wonderful people along the route. This country continues to impress me in so many ways.

The trip to Golden Rock was especially memorable. I would say that making a trip to this site - a gold leaf-embossed rock that is perched on top of mountaintop, looking as if it might tumble over the cliff at any minute - is the Buddhist equivalent of a trip to Mecca. Pilgrims from all over the country, and overseas, flock to the mountaintop to both gaze at its majesty, as well as to pray and make offerings. I saw hundreds, probably over a thousand people going up and down the mountain during my stay there.

Many Myanmar people trek up the top and spend the night. Foreigners like myself, however, aren't allowed to stay with the locals and must get a hotel room on the mountain or in the nearby town of Kinpun. I chose to splurge for an overpriced room on the mountain rather that take budget accommodation in town for the simple reasong that this enabled me to stay on the mountain and see both the sunset and sunrise. If you stay in Kinpun you must board a horribly packed pickup trek and endure a 40-minute ride either up or down the mountain. And that last truck leaves before sunset and after sundown, so that nixes those plans if you stay in Kinpun.

And even after the truck drops you off at the the mountain base camp, you still face a very steep and exhausting climb to the very top, one that can take an average of 40-60 minutes. You can pay porters to carry your bags, or even lay on a stretcher and have them take YOU all the way to the top. And some elderly or disabled pilgrims do just that. But I saw one man, an amputee on crutches, making the climb by himself. Just thinking about the effort that took brings tears to my eyes. These people are incredible.

When I was coming down the mountain on Friday morning, a Thai tour group was seated behind me. We were all clinging for dear life as the truck slashed and shimmied its way down the mountain road. In between dangerous curves we struck up a conversation and found out that we all live in Bangkok. The group invited to give me a lift to Bago on their way back to Bangkok. The kindness of strangers strikes again. That was a really nice gesture. I accepted their invitation and enjoyed the ride and their company.

Bago wasn't as amazing as Kyaiktiyo, but it did have its share of enormous pagodas (the tallest one in Myanmar), oodles of monks walking around town, and a very long reclining Buddha (longer than the one in Bangkok). It also has more dogs than any place I've seen in Myanmar. But, thankfully, they aren't the menu of local restaurants. Fried goat testicles, yes; but dogs, no.

I'm off in the morning (an insanely early 6:15 AM flight) to Bagan, where I'll ring in the New Year with friends, and attend the annual Ananda Pagoda festival. The adventures continue! And on that note, I wish a very Happy New Year to all of you that have read my blog during 2006. Let's hope for more peace, love, and understanding in 2007.

01:26 AM PST Permalink |

Foreign Phrases

I just picked up the latest album by Yo La Tengo. Great stuff, as always, with material that ranges from sweet melodic gems to feedback-spiced guitar jams. This one also has my pick for best album title of the year: I am Not Afraid of You and I will Beat Your Ass. Ira Kaplan, you are a genius!

I was upstairs in the bookshop on Sunday, trying to fit some more Ian Rankin books on a shelf in the Mystery section. And then my cell phone rang. A chorus of voices speaking something that wasn’t Thai or English greeted me. It took me about ten seconds to realize the call was coming from Cambodia. But who was calling? It was Huot, one of the kids that used to help clean my bookshop in Siem Reap. Since I returned to Bangkok I have continued to help him and his younger brother, giving them money for school and family needs. He had never called me before, so I guessed something was up. Sure enough, the family has had to relocate to Phnom Penh and they need more money to keep the kids in school. No problem, I assured him, expcept that I’m leaving for Myanmar in two days and don’t have enough money to send right now. Wait until next month, I promised, and then I’ll get something to you. But how? There is no way to contact him or his family. No bank account, no phone number, and maybe no fixed address at the moment. Huot will have to either call me direct or go through our mutual friend So Peng Thai (a tour guide in Siem Reap who also used to work at my bookshop) to arrange any further assistance. Not sure what I’ll end up doing, but we’ll have to wait until next month to cross that bridge.

Speaking with Huot brought back those seemingly long-lost Khmer phrases. It was slow going at first, but after the language “kicked in” I started spouting melodic Khmer phrases ever-so-smoothly. Or so I’d like to think. It didn’t help that I’ve been studying Burmese every day for the past six months. All these various phrases and words kept bouncing around in the craters of my cerebellum; Khmer, Burmese, and Thai all threatening to emerge from my mouth at any second. Luckily, I made it through the conversation without confusing the kid too much. But I do enjoy speaking Khmer; there’s something about the breathless cadence of the language that really appeals to me. It’s just all those damn vowels that trip me up.

It just hit me: I didn’t make any trips to Pattaya this year. That makes it the first time since 1992 that I haven’t visited the nearby beach resort at least once during the year. Not that I have any regrets. The appeal of Pattaya’s sandy beaches and seedy bars has long since vanished for me. I used to visit Pattaya frequently when I was a tourist back in the early 1990s, but after moving to Bangkok I found myself venturing over there less and less with each succeeding year.

11:05 PM PST Permalink |