Dazed in Siem Reap

I had not been to Siem Reap since November of 2006, and it’s been closer to two years since I ventured over to the Old Market (Psah Chas) area where my old bookshop was located. Whoa!!! As I had heard from many people, things have changed greatly in recent years. More buildings and renovations … and more traffic and dust. Walking around the area was overwhelming, and a bit annoying. Crossing the street is an adventure, more so than ever; you never know which way --- or which side of the road --- the vehicles are going to go. Cambodian traffic makes that in Thailand seem organized and efficient by comparison. After an hour of wandering around it was obvious: Siem Reap is not the small, quaint town that I used to know. Along with all this construction and “progress” there seems to be an element of greed in the air too. It’s always sad when a small town loses its charm.

Once again I stayed at the lovely Peace of Angkor Villas, run by Dave and Colleen, and their well-trained staff (especially Saam and Daen). Dave and Colleen also graciously let me book a room for my kids (the four brothers) that I brought from Phnom Penh. Due to the current hysteria about child exploitation and sex tourism (some people see a tourist walking around with Khmer children and automatically become suspicious of your motives), many hotels won’t let underage Cambodian children stay at the same hotels with foreigners. It’s not like they are sleeping with me or any such nonsense; that ain’t gonna happen. But they have to stay somewhere, and they seemed to get a kick out of having their own hotel room. We worked it out so that they got a big deluxe room with three beds, and I got a smaller (and more affordable) single room. That worked out perfectly: they could hang out in their room and watch WWE wresting programs and listen to the cheap radio they had bought, while I rested or read my books.

Nevertheless, young Bo or Channo would occasionally knock on my door and ask if I wanted to go outside and play a game of saey, which I was more than happy to do. I thoroughly enjoy the company of these kids and they seem to think I’m a good guy too. We’re a very compatible bunch. They truly feel like family to me and I’ve vowed to do anything I can to help them with their education, and simply just continue being their friend. I can dole out money each time I see them, but going places together and sharing good times are what is most important.

My friends Rong, So Peng Thai, Tra, and Sophea all dropped by the hotel to visit, and we went out to lunch or dinner together each day. On three occasions we went to my favorite local eatery, the Hawaii Pizza House for breakfast or dinner. Despite the name, they serve a variety of excellent western and Khmer dishes. I’ve been a patron of this family-run restaurant for eight years, following them as they moved to four (or is it now five) different locals in the Wat Bo Road vicinity. It’s always nice to return and see the same familiar, smiling faces --- and the good food!

So Peng Thai couldn’t join us for any of the meals because he was busy handling some tour groups that were in town. One of those “last minute” obligations that invariably comes up. Thai is now a licensed Angkor guide and he’s always out and about, taking groups around Angkor or to local restaurants. He’s good at his job --- he speaks English well and has an engaging personality --- so his services are frequently requested. Thai is saving his money lately for a very important reason; he plans to get married in May. It should be a big event and I plan to be there.

Sophea is still working at the Le Meridian Hotel in Siem Reap, and has started her own silk design company. She’s another one that has worked very hard, using her personality and excellent English language skills to succeed. She has her products for sale at local hotels such as Le Meridian and La Noria. While I was in town she had set up an outdoor booth at the Apsara Terrace of the famous Angkor Grande Hotel as part of a seasonal promotion they are having. She was helped by some friends and her young niece, whom I hadn’t seen in about three years. Man, these kids are growing up quickly!

My kids love to swim; put them in a pool of water and they are in heaven. So, I took them on outings to West Baray (the huge ancient reservoir just west of the airport in Siem Reap) and to the Phnom Penh Water Park. At the park in Phnom Penh the kids spent a solid hour going up and down the big, twisting water slide. No stopping, no resting, just up and down repeatedly. I got tired just watching them do it. Between the slide and the wave pool, they got their quota of water fun for the month.

Another outing in Siem Reap was to the Cambodian Cultural Village. Rong and Tra accompanied me and the boys. I had never been to CCV, and neither had Rong, even though he lives in Siem Reap (and still works at the airport). The Village has a haunted house (good silly fun) and several exhibits of Cambodian “culture,” including shows such as traditional dancing and a Cambodian wedding ceremony. If we had stayed later in the afternoon, or in the evening, we would have seen additional performances too. We had lunch as West Baray, feasting on grilled chicken and fish. This area was where I first met Tra, almost 8 years ago, during my infamous “lost passport” episode. Back then Tra was a tiny little kid selling postcards to tourists. Now he is 22, and working as a taxi driver in and around Siem Reap. But work is sporadic and he is looking for something more permanent.

Back in Phnom Penh, on my final full day in Cambodia, I spent some time walking around town while the kids went back home (they live in Kandal province near the city) with the school clothes and other items I had bought them. Naturally, I can’t resist going into used bookshops, and I ended up buying a Robert Wilson novel in the D’s Books branch on Street 240. Walking back along the riverfront I ran into (or rather, walked around), a very large elephant. While taking photos of the creature, a man walked up and addressed me by name. I didn’t recognize him, until he told me that he was a friend of Mr. Dee, and used to sell newspapers along the riverfront. All of these newspaper and shoeshine kids that used to (or continue to) hand out along the riverfront have grown up in the past decade that I don’t recognize many of them anymore.

09:58 PM PST Permalink |

Cambodian Returns

I returned from Cambodia yesterday; an early morning flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, and straight to work later that morning. My first impression upon being back in Bangkok: how clean and refreshing it seems. Really. Cambodia --- whether I’m in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap --- has this constant curtain of dust and grime that sticks to you. Combine that with the pervasive poverty and lingering aura of the Khmer Rouge years (sad to say, but the damage that the KR did to the country, and the successive one-government reign, remains a thorn in the psyche of the populace) I always feel like I need to take multiple showers to cleanse myself.

Despite the occasional weird vibe that I always find in Cambodia, I had a great trip. My Cambodian friends are very special to me; ones that remain very close to my heart. I arrived in Phnom Penh in the morning, met my kids (four brothers from the Tri family) at the Dara Reang Sey Hotel, had an early lunch (or late breakfast; whatever eating at 10:00 is called), and then took a car to Siem Reap. As usual, three of the four boys experienced car sickness on the way, but we fixed that on the trip back, giving them some pills to fix the problem.

It was also nice to see Reang Say and Dara, the two personable sisters who run the hotel. Their father, a very sweet and humble man, was in town this time, too. He’s been supervising the construction of the family’s new hotel in Siem Reap and I missed him the last two trips. The hotel, located just east of the Psah Leu market on Highway 6 in Siem Reap, will open later this year.

While I was having a beer in Dara Reang Sey’s restaurant one evening, I ran into the legendary Andy Brouwer (see his “Cambodia Tales” website for extensive info and articles about the country). Andy moved to Phnom Penh last summer and has been working for Hanuman Travel, and also editing the Cambodia edition of To Asia with Love for Things Asian Press. We commiserated about deadlines and other publishing traumas, and promised to get together next time I’m Cambodia for a proper meal, and perhaps a game of saey (the Cambodian game where you kick around what is sometimes called a shuttlecock). I played with the kids while I was in Siem Reap, the first time I’ve played in over two years. It’s a fun little game, but I’m far from a proficient player. Nevertheless, it was good exercise and helped me work off those evening beers!

More photos and trip stories to follow in a few days. Right now, I’m busy trying to re-arrange the books upstairs in my store. A new bookshelf arrived last week, which will help give us more room for various Non-Fiction books, as well as non-English language sections such as German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Russian.

09:29 PM PST Permalink |

Politics in the Mail

I’ve lived in Southeast Asia for almost 12 full years now, but I still like to hear news from home (or rather, my former home; that being Orlando, Florida). And I’m still an avid follower of American sports (well, Baseball and Basketball, and to a less extent golf) and politics. With the US elections coming up later this year, I’ve been reading as much as I can about the candidates and the primaries that are being held. I’m a registered Democrat and mostly liberal in my views. I’ve never voted for a Republican candidate for anything except maybe a local (city or county) office. But even when it comes to national elections, I often get just as disgusted with the Democratic candidate and end up voting for an independent one.

I went to the trouble of placing an overseas vote in 2004. Or, at least I tried to. The process was/is so convoluted that I was never sure if my ballot made it back to Florida. First, I had to request that a ballot be sent to me (or download a form online) and then mail it back to my original voting precinct in Florida. Naturally, you have to depend upon both the Thai and US postal systems to ensure safe delivery of the letter. But I keep wondering: why can’t the process be simpler? For example, what I can’t I go to the US Embassy in Bangkok, show my passport, and vote? But you can’t. I could go on and on about the screwed up nature of voting in the US. Tales of “hanging chads” and different types of voting systems/machines used in different counties and states should be all the evidence you need that the USA is another country that needs teams of international observers at election time.

It looks like it’s coming down to a two-person race in the Democratic field --- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton --- although I don’t think you can count out John Edwards just out. In my mind, he’s still the most electable of the bunch, at least in terms of defeating a Republican candidate. Call me skeptical, but I just don’t think Obama (who I like a lot) or Clinton could defeat John McCain in a national election. I’d love to think that American has “progressed” to the point where they could elect a woman or a black man (or African-American, if you prefer) as president, but I’m not that optimistic.

04:22 AM PST Permalink |

Barefoot and Wired

I found the ad pictured above while surfing the Canby Publications website (an excellent site for information about Cambodia: www.canbypublications.com ). In preparation for my trip next week I was checking out the site's listings, trying to catch up on what is going on in Siem Reap nowadays. I haven’t been there since 2006 and I anticipate there will be many changes in the constantly growing town. This particular ad is for the Blue Pumpkin, a very good café with delicious pastries. At least it was good when I lived there earlier this decade. From the looks of the ad, Blue Pumpkin has been inspired by Starbucks. If nothing else, the graphic in the ad depicts my nightmare scenario: barefoot young tourists, toting laptops and hanging out for hours at a time. Stick iPods and a few tattoos on them and the stereotype is complete. That’s just another reason I don’t have wi-fi in my bookshop; I don’t want freeloaders like that hanging out for several hours and hogging our precious seating space. I’m no MBA, but that’s not my idea of a good “business model.” But then again, if they are able to charge outrageous prices for their coffee, ala Starbucks, and have enough space --- and patience --- to accommodate hordes of laptoppers, perhaps they’ll thrive.

In the case of wi-fi, iPods, cell phones, e-mail, and other new technology you can think of; it all overwhelms me quickly. I have to stop and think: how many hours per day do I spend/waste checking and replying to e-mail and surfing various websites? When I walk down the street, or am waiting in the Skytrain or Subway stations, I now see nothing but a sea of people who are wired: under the spell of their iPod, texting away on their cell phone, or inanely chatting to someone on their hands-free phone. In the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye: “It makes me wanna holler!”

In case you missed it, the big “news” this week in Thailand was the furious reaction by a group of Thai Airways flight attendants to a new Thai TV series. The prime time TV show, Songkram Nang Fah (Air Hostess War), was criticized by Somsak Srinual, president of the airline’s labor union, claiming that the show “tarnishes the image of flight attendants and is immoral.” The show, from reports I read, depicts flight attendants "engaging in fisticuffs" and slapping each other a lot. Why? The ladies are trying to win the heart of a “dashing” pilot (presumably one who is not a transvestite). Somsak had this to say: “I’d like to ask (the show’s producers) if the series will improve society or benefit viewers. It introduces violence just to improve the series’ ratings.” Somsak also said that he plans to protest to the Culture Ministry (those guardians of Thai Culture and Morality!), hoping the ministry will “order the removal of scenes of infidelity” from the show. The in-flight manager for Thai Airways, Pichitra Taveerat, faulted the show for the “inappropriate” uniforms worn by the actresses, saying that “the skirts were too short and the attendants showed too much cleavage.” The following day, the show’s producers agreed not to show fighting between flight attendants and edit some of the “steamy scenes,” but maintained that the uniforms worn on the show “were not any shorter than those worn by real-life Thai air hostesses during flights.”

08:21 PM PST Permalink |

In Memory of Rick Rozelle

Rick Rozelle, one of my best friends, died over the weekend. Needless to say, I’m greatly saddened by his passing. I’m going to miss his companionship, intelligence, humor, and kindness.

I met Rick back in 1995, on a Northwest Airways flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok. At the time, he was living in Houston and I was living in Orlando. We both ended up moving to Bangkok the following year: I made the move in March and he crossed the ocean in May. We remained good friends over the years, taking occasional trips to various places around Thailand, as well as to Laos and Cambodia. Rick was one of the few people who shopped at my bookshops in both Siem Reap and Bangkok. Another thing I’ll miss about Rick is trading book tips with him. We were always turning each other on to new authors we had discovered.

In June of 2005 he suffered severe head injuries and was hospitalized in Bangkok for the most of the following year. He never fully recovered, and it was never clear if he remembered his friends when we visited him in the hospital. Later, after arrangements were made, he was transferred to a series of facilities back in his home state of Texas. The only consolation to his passing is that he was with his family at the time. Rick, you will be missed by many!

08:32 PM PST Permalink |

Checking in with Friends

I’ll be heading back to Cambodia at the end of this month, but just for four days. After flying into Phnom Penh I’ll be spending two or three days in Siem Reap, a town I haven’t visited since late 2006. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends there (Sophea, Rong, Thai, Tra), staying at the always superb Peace of Angkor Villas, and dining at favorite local restaurants (Khmer Kitchen, Hawaii Pizza House). I might even have time for a half-day at Angkor, a place I’ve toured dozens of times, but one I never get bored of visiting. And I’m not just talking about Angkor Wat itself, but the entire complex of temples in the area. I think it’s one of the most magical places on earth.

I wouldn’t have minded going straight to Siem Reap, but that would have meant either taking the tiring road trip (and dealing with border hassles in Poipet) or taking the expensive flight (Bangkok Airways has the monopoly on that route from Bangkok, and it’s priced accordingly). So, I’ll take the cheap Air Asia flight to Phnom Penh, meet my “Gang of Four” (the brothers I know that live on the outskirts of Phnom Penh: Huot, Han, Channo, Bo), and take them along for the ride to Siem Reap (and hoping they don’t puke the entire way; three of the four usually get car sick). In the past week, everyone has checked in via phone calls, e-mails, and even text messages, so they all know I’m coming. I’m looking forward to seeing them all again.

I experienced what was akin to a living nightmare this week: walking down Soi Nana. This is probably the closest thing Bangkok has to a human zoo. No, I wasn’t going go-go barhopping; a friend of mine lives in a condo halfway down Soi Nana, and since I’m a vehicle-less fellow, I walked to her place. In doing so, I had to pass the bewildering blur of bars, massage joints, bunches of scary looking tourists, and scores of painted ladies. Needless to say, there were no church groups from Iowa in the mix (unless they were backstage at one of the go-go bars).

I’ve added some links to my list of “Favorites” on this page. One of them is “Crawling from America,” a blog from Charles Martin, an ex-Orlando friend who recently moved to Canada. His observations about the differences in living in the two countries are very illuminating. In one of his recent posts he also mentions Brian Maguire, an Orlando resident who is now hospitalized after a pretty bad motorcycle accident. I have fond memories of Brian; he’s one of those good guys that always has a smile on his face and never a bad word to say about anyone. And he’s a good drummer, too. Brian has been a member of several Orlando bands over the years. He scored bonus points on my scorecard one year when he gave me an advance tape of a new Reivers album (a fantastic band from Austin, Texas that recorded several fabulous but sorely underrated albums in the late 80s and early 90s). Their Translate Slowly album (originally released by Atlanta’s DB Records when the band was called Zeitgeist) is an absolute classic in my opinion. Meanwhile, here’s hoping that Brian has a complete recovery from his accident and is back behind his drum set again soon. www.thereivers.net

Reina Collins, another friend and ex-Orlando resident has a new album out: Austin to Boston. Reina and I grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school, although two years apart. But she fled “the city beautiful” long before I did, moving first to St. Petersburg, and then on to Boston, and eventually way out west, to Idaho. Reina is now based in Portland, Oregon, where she performs regularly in area clubs. I may be biased, but I think Reina’s albums are great. Her melodic voice is strong and striking, able to effortlessly sing a variety of material, blending together bits of country, rock, blues, and folk. She calls herself a “roots rockin’ songstress” and that’s a pretty apt description of her style. The new album highlights Reina’s original material, along with heartfelt covers of songs by Joni Mitchell, World Party, and Richard Thompson. Excellent stuff! See the link on this page for her website.

07:25 PM PST Permalink |

Elephant Rock

Besides the deluge of tourists in town, I have noticed a lot more elephants wandering around the streets Bangkok lately, too. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen more elephants in the 12 years I’ve lived here. They seem to be everywhere. But unlike some of the poorly dressed foreign visitors, the elephants are well groomed, well behaved, and don’t pester local merchants for discounts.

Now that most of my book editing work is finished I’ve had more time this past month to read books instead of edit them. One book I’ve almost finished is Passion is a Fashion: the Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert. It’s a fascinating window into the colorful personalities who comprised one of the best rock/punk bands of the late 70s and early 80s. Of particular interest to me was one of the later chapters that touched on the Clash’s tour of Thailand in 1982. According to one member of the band’s entourage, when bassist Paul Simonon fell ill and had to be hospitalized briefly in Bangkok, guitarist/vocalist Joe Strummer invited some monks he had met earlier that week to come to the hospital room and “bless” Paul. While they were in Bangkok, the Clash wandered down to the railroad tracks near their hotel (somewhere in the Makkasan area on Petchburi Road, I’m told) and a photograph from that session ended up being the cover of their popular Combat Rock album, released later that year.

Here are some of the other books that I recently finished, or am in the middle of reading. It seems like a bunch at first glance, but then I remember that growing stack of books at home, and I realize that it's nothing compared to what I need to read. Generally, I have three, or more, books going at the same time: one at work, one at home, and one tucked away in my shoulder bag.

Richard Russo – Bridge of Sighs
Ed McBain – Hark!
Les Standiford – Havana Run
Lorna Landvik – Your Oasis on Flame Lake
Anne Tyler – Digging to America
Ian Rankin – Exit Music
Karen Connelly – The Lizard Cage
F. Tennyson Jesse – The Lacquer Lady
James Hamilton-Paterson – Playing with Water
Leslie Milne – Shans at Home
Cristina Garcia - Dreaming in Cuban
Tom Sharpe - The Throwback

08:30 PM PST Permalink |

Politics and Chic Lit

Meanwhile, back in the city … Bangkok remains as wonderful and chaotic as ever. Daily traffic jams, and daily delights on the streets and in shops, bars, restaurants, and drugstores. You never know who you're going to run into ... or over. Which is a reminder to watch out where you're walking; those motorcycles on the sidewalk will flatten your ass if you aren't looking.

They held national elections in Thailand while I was away and predictably, and disappointingly, the PP Party (People's Power or Pathetic Pranksters?) was the winner. If there is any justice left in this country, they will be disqualified before they are able to take office. This group of goons might make the Thaksin regime look lovable by comparison.

Business continues to be brisk lately: the number of tourists passing through town seems higher than in recent years. Thankfully, most of the tourists are spending money, but as I noted in a post last month, we still get a few slacker backpacker types who are content to drop by and persue our books (usually guidebooks) for an hour or two (or three or four hours, in the case of some diehard loiterers) without buying anything more than a bottle of water or a coffee. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t monopolizing a table the entire time.

While I was in Myanmar, my business partner Kiwi related this incident that happened in the store one day: a lady and her husband came in, browsed the shelves, and put some books on the counter, intending to buy them. The woman went upstairs to browse some more, but came down a minutes later, clearly upset. She said that the section labeled "ROMANCE/CHIC LIT" was an insult to woman. She said that it made it seem like women were not intellectual. So she refused to buy the books and left the shop. The husband just smiled as he trailed her out the door. As I’ve said in the past, I clearly don’t believe in that crap that the “customer is always right.” If someone is offended by something in my store, I’m not going to bend over and beg them to stay. Obviously, there more than a few nutcases out there, and this was one good example. It’s not like we invented the term “chic lit.” I don’t think the term “chic lit” degrades women or categorizes someone as “not intellectual” just because they like to read something fun and romantic once in a while. Next thing you know, someone will come in and complain that we’ve got Stephen King book in the Horror section, or that Al Franken is in Humor. Lighten up, folks, they are only labels.

02:18 AM PST Permalink |

Moments in Myanmar

Cleaning out the photo vaults today; remembering the amazing places and people that I saw in Myanmar last month. Despite all that you hear in the media, visiting this country (Burma, Myanmar, the Golden Land, whatever you wish to call it) is extremely safe, as well as inexpensive, friendly, and mind expanding. Besides all the normal tourist attractions, you can visit teashops, monasteries, orphanages, and schools; all of which can give you better insight into local life and customs. The bottom line: the Burmese people absolutely want more foreigners to come and visit their country.

A monk in Mandalay finds a quiet spot for reading.

A foggy morning on the Ayeyarwady River in Mandalay.

Guitar playing fruit seller in Yangon.

All eyes on an outdoor soccer game in Mandalay.

A cat finds a nice literary place for a nap in Yangon.

At Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine restaurant with guide supreme Kyaw Zay Latt, more commonly known as Eugene.

A Burmese style traffic jam in Mandalay.

One of the many enthusiastic young kite flyers in Nyaungshwe.

A painter in Nyaungshwe displays his wares.

Betel nut stains on the road to Maing Thauk.

Novice monks at Shwe Yan Pyay in Nyaungshwe.

Novice monks at Shwe Yan Pyay pose for tourists.

Water jugs at Shwe Yan Pyay.

Sunrise in Bagan.

Groups of monks on morning alms rounds converge at an intersection in Nyaungshwe.

Young orphans at the Myanmar Buddhist Orphanage Association in Mandalay.

Buying horsefeed in Bagan.

Village children in New Bagan.

Novice monk bails water from a canoe in Nyaungshwe.
07:34 PM PST Permalink |

More Snaps about Buildings and Food

01:53 AM PST Permalink |

Power to the People

09:10 PM PST Permalink |

Games Burmese People Play

One of the many charms about Myanmar is seeing so many children outside playing in streets and playgrounds. As far as I’m concerned, the fact that “progress” has been delayed in so many parts of the country is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s most refreshing to see kids outdoors playing games, rather than holed up indoors, eyes glued to a computer screen while they play violent online games.

When it comes to outdoor fun, the Burmese have an array of choices. They can play games such as football (soccer to the Americans), volleyball, chinlon (similar to takraw, in which players kick a cane or wicker ball back and forth across a net), or badminton. Flying kites, hide and seek, and playing marbles are also popular choices for the kids.

When I was in New Bagan, I noticed one little boy hanging out on the fringes of the regular postcard-selling group of kids that wait in front of my hotel. I invited him and his sister to join us for a few meals and a horse cart ride around the pagoda ruins. One afternoon, while browsing in a nearby store, I noticed badminton sets for sale. I asked the boy, whose name is Zin Maung Maung, if he wanted to play. He replied yes, so I bought the set for him, figuring he could play with his sister, two younger brothers, or friends. But first, he wanted to play a game with me. I hadn’t played badminton in … let me think … at least 30 years or more. But it’s not a game that is too difficult to play, no matter how long the lay off, and was swatting that little birdie around effortlessly. Zin Maung Maung, however, had a bit more difficulty. I can’t be certain, but it appeared that this was the first time that the nine-year-old had ever played. But he seemed to enjoy our badminton session, and later he thanked me in Burmese. He’s a nice, polite kid, but yet another one in this village that is not attending school on a regular basis. His older sister is also a sweetheart and very polite, but she also hangs out with the postcard sellers. Trying to get these kids in school to stay is proving to be a big challenge.

The only game that bothered me seeing played was during one of my many orphanage visits. I came across a group of young boys playing “soldier,” taking turns running around corners and trying to shoot one another with toy guns, or sticks. Granted, this is a universally popular pastime for young boys, but in light of the current situation in the country, seeing these youngsters playing such a game was a bit unnerving.

09:16 PM PST Permalink |

School Dazed

While staying in New Bagan, my travelling companion Walter, asked the neighborhood kids if it would be possible to visit one of the local schools. Walter is a recently retired teacher and likes to visit schools wherever he travels. He went to several in the vicinity of Luang Prabang in Laos last year. One of our New Bagan entourage, a personable teenager named Ninety-Nine (his Burmese name is Nein Nein, thus the English alternative nickname), led us to a nearby primary school and talked to the director, who was more than happy to let a couple of foreigners traispse through her school.

The next day Walter returned with gifts for the teachers. They were quite happy to receive those, but no doubt even happier that this was the last school day of the year and could look forward to ten days of vacation time!

Prior to going to this school we had heard that visiting public schools in Myanmar was usually not possible. You must obtain permission from the school, or a local authority first. But when we asked in New Bagan, everyone assured us that visiting was not a problem whatsoever. And that appeared to be true. The teachers and students seemed very happy to have us drop by.

While we were in the neighborhood, we also dropped by the Kuthodaw public library, which was started by Win Thuya (a native of New Bagan) last year. The bookshelves are now full of books and magazines, including some English language titles; both novels and children’s books. If you are passing through New Bagan, you are welcome to drop by and visit the library. It’s located just off the main road, near the town’s morning market.

12:04 AM PST Permalink |

Myanmar Buddhist Orphanage Association

During one of my meandering bike rides around Mandalay one afternoon I noticed this large orphanage on 62nd Street. I wheeled through the entrance gate and was greeted by a young man speaking English. He asked if I wanted to meet the director. Sure, why not!

The director was a nice man named Ko Ko Gyi. He showed me around the orphanage, one which houses 180 boys. The campus is quite large, giving the boys enough room to play games such as football and chinlon. There are newer buildings that house classrooms and a dining hall, but they boys currently sleep in an old, crumbling dormitory with bunk beds. Thanks to donations from a German group, the orphanage has been able to buy computers for one of their classrooms, along with new water storage tanks, but there still is much to be done.

I was impressed by what I had seen, and the dedication of the staff. I planned to bring a friend with me to visit the following day, so I asked Ko Ko Gyi what we could bring the kids. He said that they had enough stationery supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.) but he suggested the children could use sports equipment such as footballs, cane balls to play chinlon, and badminton sets. So, the following day I went to the market in Mandalay and bought several of each.

In retrospect, I should have purchased even more stuff, especially badminton sets (which the younger kids seemed to prefer). There just wasn’t nearly enough for everyone to use at one time. But what I was able to bring certainly was appreciated. The kids all lit up when I returned the next day with my trishaw driver (not my usual driver, Myint Shin, but another nice fellow I know, Hashim) and distributed the goods. Ko Ko Gyi had already left for the day, but one of his assistants was there, along with the Buddhist monk Abbot, U Sandimar (I love that name: it sounds like what you’d call Sandi Shaw if she married Johnny Marr---okay, only Smiths fans might understand this one!).

This is definitely a place that I will return the next time I visit Mandalay. Just to see smiles on the faces of the children is worth every kyat I spend on balls or donate to the orphanage. The children can also use donations of clothing, blankets, toys and books.

04:26 AM PST Permalink |

Burmese Teashops & Restaurants

I have become a teashop addict. At first, my teashop visits only involved a cup or two of the glorious sweet, hot tea that is artfully made to order. None of that instant crap at these establishments. Then I started sampling the snacks on offer; goodies such as paratha, samosas, and goey pastries filled with coconut shavings. After that I graduated to the hard stuff: the noodles.

Yes, Burmese teashops aren’t just places to sip tea. During the day, especially in the mornings, they are filled with hungry customers, wolfing down bowls of noodle specialities such as monhinga, ohno kauk swe, and mondhi. And each one of those dishes has subtle variations. For example, I discovered shwe taun kauk swe for the first time on this trip. And I entirely blame my friend, Ma Thanegi, for turning me on to see many addictive noodle dishes. Another Yangon friend and noodle nut, Sandra Gerrits, says that I should try kyay-oh next time.

Burmese teashops are also the place where locals go to socialize, catch up on news, and gossip. If there is a football match (usually an English Premiereship game) on the tube, there will be a crowd watching it. In Yangon I tend to hang out at the Yatha Teashop on Mahabandoola Road, and the Morning Star Café on Sayasan Road, just off Upper Pansodan Street. Yatha is just a tiny hole-in-the-wall joint, but the service is attentive and the tea is tasty. It’s always full of customers, some of whom you’ll share a table with due to the lack of seats. During one of my visits last month I sat with a nice older couple (I’m guessing they were in their late 60s or early 70s) who spoke excellent English. After hearing that I was American, they wanted to know my opinion about who would be the next president. The gentleman was very knowledgeable about the world and current events; besides American politics, our conversation touched on President Sarkozy of France, the troubles in Iraq, and global warming. I asked this gentleman for advice on what sort of gift I could take to families I would be visiting in Bagan and Mandalay. He laughed and replied: “Money! Everybody needs more money nowadays.”

I met my friend Win Thuya at Morning Star a couple of times during my Yangon stay. He’s the one that started the Kuthodaw community Library in New Bagan last year. The next project he is thinking of starting is something that can help local students and keep them in school. I had been telling Thuya about my attempts to get some postacard-selling kids in New Bagan that I know back in school. I’ve been disappointed because everytime I return I find them standing in front of hotels, trying to sell souvenirs to tourists, instead of attending classes. Thuya feels that the money could be better utilized to help the kids that DO attend classes. Some of these kids can afford to go to school, but they often don’t have enough money to eat lunch each day. At this point I’m inclined to agree with Thuya. He’s looking into the logistics of working with some schools in New Bagan so we can assist needy students.

At Morning Star I passed out photos I’d taken on my previous trip to some of the kids that work there. Like at most teashops in Myanmar, the staff is almost entirely comprised of teenage boys. They don’t go to school either; they just work 12-hour days (or longer) at the teashop, and sleep there too. Some of them make as little as 8,000 – 10,000 kyat (less than ten dollars) per month in salary. Sure, all their meals are taken care of, and they have a place to sleep, but that’s still a pretty paltry salary. It’s no wonder they appear so happy when I leave tips!

Morning Star also has a branch in Mandalay, and my friend Walter and I stopped by there almost every morning for breakfast, along with Myint Shin, my favorite trishaw driver. It’s not as big as the branch in Mandalay, but the kids that work there are very pleasant and provide excellent service. On our last morning in town, Walter passed out t-shirts to all the staff at Morning Star. That and some final tips from us brought out more big smiles.

My favorite place in Mandalay is not a teashop but a restaurant: Aye Myit Tar. It’s located on 81st Street, only a few blocks from the house where the Moustache Brothers perform their show each evening. Due to that location they tend to get a few tourists dropping by in the evenings. What can I say about this restaurant? I like the food, despite the oily curries, but it’s the overwhelmly attentive and goofy service that really hooks me. Like the teashops, the staff is entirely boys who work long shifts and live on premises. But they seem a happy lot overall; smiling and laughing, and even singing when the urge takes over.

I also brought the Aye Myit Tar crew a bunch of photos from my last trip. They remembered me as the crazy foreigner who always leaves big tips, so the service was even more attentive than usual. At this restaurant, along with your main dish give you as many free refills of their side dishes (creamed corn, butter beans, soup, tea leaf salad, tomato salad, etc.) as you can eat, so I was more than stuffed each time I ate there.

I decided that these hard working kids deserved some gifts, too, so after consulting with Myint Shin, I ended up going to Zeigyo (the big market in Mandalay) and buying thirty white t-shirts for the crew. Thankfully, the whole lot fit into my backback and I was able to cycle over the next day and distribute the bounty. Gotta love those smiles!

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