Explore. Dream. Discover. Myanmar

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Stepping out of our taxi cab in downtown Yangon, felt like a trip back in time. Trucks from WWII war movies roared past, while people scurried along the dirt roads. I watched women haul their market items over their shoulder on a stick with two pails, one at each end, and I jumped back as I nearly got splattered with beetle-nut spit as one man projected into the street.



One of the many Myanmar children that I made CRY!



As we were introduced to Ei Ei’s village, family, neighbors, and friends, I couldn’t help but notice people laughing. I was concerned that I had done something inappropriate or was rude without knowing. Ei Ei could tell by my face I was concerned and said, “Oh don’t take it personally, the babies in my village have just never seen someone that looks like you.” I made babies cry. Not just one baby, as Suba reminded me – at least twelve, in the first day. Parents were laughing because they thought their kids reaction was hilarious! I realized that for some of the children in Insein, I was the first blonde hair, blue-eyed person to step foot in their village. As the day went on and there were more wails as I walked past, I became more and more upset. I tried to put myself in their tiny booties and think back to when I first saw a person that looked “different” but I couldn’t remember. I tried to smile, which seemed to only make things worse. It became a game for all of us throughout the entire trip. Suba would nicely approach a baby, get its attention, and then point at me. Every time one would wail, everyone would start laughing…except me. My face makes babies in Myanmar CRY!



As we walked around downtown Yangon that evening (scaring a few more children with my looks), Phoo’s boyfriend pointed out a car. I asked him why he was so excited about this particular car – and he said it was the new 2002 model, which wasn’t supposed to come out for another week or so with the new year. I arrogantly and naively corrected him saying “You mean 2012.” He laughed and said, no, we are just getting the two-thousand TWO models in just in time for the new year…in 2012!

The most anticipated, and highly disappointing part of our trip (which in turn, is perhaps a good thing!), was the military junta. Suba and I were anxiously awaiting our confrontation with the extremists and Myanmar came and went, without a single incident. We barely SAW the military! Of course, given the areas we traveled, it is understandable to assume that the military would tactfully not position themselves in areas of “high tourism,” nevertheless, when military government officials boarded our bus and began rifling through people’s belongings and demanding passports, Suba and I were excited. We fumbled through our backpacks to find our passports and I placed my finger on the page with my Myanmar visa, ready. As they inched closer, we both looked at each other and almost smiled in excitement – FINALLY! We get a chance to see these ruthless dictators. In hindsight, and after further educating myself on the government regime in Myanmar, I do not know why I was so anxious to have a run-in, and must say I am incredibly thankful we didn’t have any incident with the government. As they got to our seats, they took one look at us, smiled and said, “Welcome.” As the officer walked past our row, without even a glance at our documents, I reached over Suba from my window seat on the bus and attempted to throw my passport at him! I was so desperate to have some kind of interaction with the government, although I really do not know why!

At The White House Hotel in Yangon with the Manager's son
One of the nicest families we encountered on our trip!

While Myanmar remains one of the poorest countries in Asia, you might be puzzled as to WHY. Plentiful in minerals (gems, gold, and natural gas), it would appear that the country would have significant wealth –but the government controls all aspects of the wealthy natural resources, and most people in Myanmar do not even see a penny (a kyat!) from this. What Myanmar lacks in economic wealth, they make up for in the abundance of heart-warming people. The country has a rich culture that is unlike any other I have ever encountered. I met so many people on our journey who were so nice– it took me several days to let down my guard because I assumed they had ulterior motives. Their genuine and honest happiness can be inhaled at the sight of one smile from a local or one wave from a stranger as a boat speeds by at Inle.

House on canal near the mouth of Inle Lake

I worry for Myanmar at this incredibly delicate time. With the recent presence of Hillary Clinton, Prime Ministers Yingluck, Cameron and more– I am seriously concerned that tourism will soon invade. Although it is not my country, and I can hardly say I have spent enough time there, I feel protective of its innocence and unique culture. In our program, we have had several developers excitedly reference Myanmar as a “clean slate,” – a‘project’ that is predicted to be the biggest boom in development that will take place this decade. Development professionals are anxious to dig their nails into the country and have already drafted, drawn and proposed projects that would greatly impact the culture, climate and well-being of Myanmar. I hope that in the upcoming years, Myanmar will continue to preserve its unique landscape, and provide insight and education for those that chose to visit.

While I can’t provide an all-encompassing summary of the country, I can say my overall impressions were extremely positive and I managed to fall in love with the people and the landscape. The future is a very bright and exciting one for the people of Myanmar, and I only hope that they will fight to keep their unique culture, archeological sites and temples, beauty and untouched Inle Lake, and their smiles – which far surpass the smiles I have seen in Thailand. I would encourage you to Explore. Dream. Discover. Myanmar yourself – before it is threatened with change and mass tourism!

 “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Irrawaddy River, Bagan

Myanmar Wedding



Victoria (Ei Ei's cousin), Suba, Myo Ko (Ei Ei's boyfriend), Ei Ei and I right before the wedding ceremony!

We arrived at 4:30 am in Yangon.  We felt it was too early to show up at Ei Ei’s – so we waited around the bus station for about an hour, and made a game out of negotiating with the taxi drivers to try to get  the lowest rate.  At 6:00 am, we decided it was ok to start our adventure returning to Insein village for a very important event – Ei Ei was the Maid of Honor in her friend’s wedding – and we were invited!  On December 31^st I anxiously got ready for my first Myanmar wedding.  Ei Ei warned us that it wasn’t an extremely traditional wedding and had been “Westernized,” but I was still really really excited.

Modeling our new longyis for the wedding!

 Ei Ei left around 7:00am to go get ready with the bride.  I of course inquired what color Ei Ei’s dress was, to which she answered “White.”  Oh!  My immediate reaction was “Oh my gosh, you can’t wear white!” and explained to Ei Ei that in the States, no one can wear white but the bride.  But Ei Ei explained that not only would she be wearing white, but she was also getting the same hair and makeup as the bride…I surely thought that if this scenario played out in the States, it would end up in an episode of Bridezillas.  We spent all morning trying to tie our longyis (long traditional Myanmar skirts)…and have them stay on!  Ei Ei’s family helped us get dressed and get ready for the big event.  They were nervous about us in our longyis – essentially you wrap cloth around your waist and just tuck in the corner, like you would for a towel.  Both Suba and I would take a few steps and already our longyis were unraveling.  So her family insisted on a few safety pins to help us!

Happy Newlywed couple

Around 9:00 am, we went with Ei Ei’s family to the church.  The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and there were at least 200 people in the church – Ei Ei’s entire village!  Ei Ei looked stunning as she went down the aisle, and the ceremony was wonderful although I did not understand all that much as it was in Myanmar language!  After the ceremony the reception was in the courtyard, with lunch provided and another chance to see the newlyweds.

 

By the time Suba and I checked in to our hostel that afternoon, we were EXHAUSTED!  It was hard to imagine but just a few short hours earlier we were on a 16 hour bus ride!

After we napped, we met Ei Ei again and got a great tour of her NGO.  Ei Ei works for “Spectrum” a local Myanmar environmental NGO.  They have cartoon manuals about how to treat the environment, educational instruction kits for villagers on farming, and children’s books about the endangered river ayeyarwady dolphins.  It was truly special to see the place where all of Ei Ei’s passion, energy and support went and as she gave us a tour of her place, it was obvious as she spoke that it meant a lot to hear too.

After Spectrum, we went to another family member’s house in Ei Ei’s family, who was throwing a barbeque for the newlyweds.  We sat around the table and ate with over 40 of Ei Ei’s village members, cousins, aunts, nephews, uncles, nieces, sisters, parents, and more.  Everyone was hanging out ouside the house, eating, drinking, talking, laughing (lots of laughing!) and having a great time.  Suba and I both got a little homesick, as we both identified our families as having an aspect of careless, chaotic and charismatic about them and being with Ei Ei’s family helped us realize this. 

Suba, Ei Ei and I outside of SPECTRUM - Ei Ei's office

Justin Beiber at the Hair Salon

On Friday, December 30^th, we got up and decided to venture into town to attempt to find a hair salon.  We weren’t attempting to do anything serious – actually, rather embarrassingly enough, Suba and I hadn’t washed our hair since our first night in Yangon because it was so cold and there was no way to dry our hair…we didn’t want to chance freezing on an air conditioned bus or outside on a boat on Inle Lake.  Suba said she’d had her hair washed before and although this was all new for me, we headed into town.  We knew we were on an afternoon/night bus back to Yangon that same day, and would arrive early in the morning and go straight to Ei Ei’s friend’s wedding. This was our only opportunity to shower and we wanted to be presentable for the wedding – or at least NOT smell!

My lovely locks couldn't quite compare to the Biebs...

We found a hair salon, and for 2,000 kyat ($2.30 USD) I got a hair massage, had my hair shampooed, conditioned and dried.  While we were in the salon, many of the locals came into the salon to watch Suba and I get our hair done.  At first, I thought it was because we were rich, spoiled, obnoxious tourists, but I learned that all the locals get their hair done at this salon – but they never have foreigners (especially foreigners with blonde hair!).  They turned on a DVD of music videos…and my body cringed when I heard a familiar “Baby, Baby, Baby Ohhhhh” song come on.  I looked up, to see a familiar Canadian kid’s (He is 17 but at the time this video was filmed, was even younger) face on the TV.  Everyone in the hair salon was singing and humming along…including myself.  Everyone in Myanmar LOVES Justin Bieber.  Although one of Ei Ei's cousins did make the horrific mistake of saying, "You are from America?!  My favorite singer is from America - Justin Bieber" (He is from Canada although it is an understandable mistake).  It is amazing for a country that is so protected and sheltered from the outside world, Justin Bieber somehow made it through the protectionist cracks…and onto all of the TVs in Myanmar!

As we got on the 16 hour bus from Inle Lake back to Yangon at 2pm, I couldn’t get his stupid songs out of my head and then smiled at myself.  Who knew Justin Bieber would bridge various cultures and somehow break through the tight government restrictions in Myanmar?!

How Long Will Inle Last?

Be careful!  That water isn't as clean as it may appear to be!

Inle Lake is suffering from the serious environmental effects of increased population and rapid growth in both agriculture and tourism. During the 65-year period from 1935 to 2000, the net open water area of Inle Lake decreased from 69.10 km² to 46.69 km², a loss of 32.4%.

Floating Gardens - Tomatoes!

While there were times when Suba and I felt like the only two people on the lake, there were moments when it was clear that tourism has become a much bigger practice than in previous years, and there were perhaps seventy-five boats on the lake that day shuttling tourists.  

The development of the floating garden agriculture encroaches into the diminishing area of the lake, since over time the floating beds become solid ground. About 93% (nearly 21 km²) of the recent loss in open water area of the lake, largely along its western side, is thought to be due to this agricultural practice.  Inle’s main business is floating garden agriculture with tomatoes, the primary cash crop, comprising two-thirds of the region's agriculture.

The supply of fish at Inle has decreased dramatically

But what I noticed most was the amount of trash trapped in the lake reeds or floating in the water.  Sanitation in the villages around the lake is an ongoing concern for public health authorities, due to untreated sewage and waste water flowing into the lake.  With nearly 120,000 people living ON the lake – there is a lot of waste that is clearly not managed.  I was horrified to watch one woman take her trash bin, approach the water’s edge, and empty its contents into the lake.  This was the same lake water I had seen earlier that day, with people bathing, washing clothes and preparing food items.

Inle faces a lot of challenges as a result of overpopulation and overuse of natural resources. These challenges include pesticide pollution from the floating gardens, chemical dye contamination from textile processing, excess siltation from watershed erosion, lack of proper sanitation and the dumping of water and garbage.  As a result, the fish supply that serves as the main diet for the Intha (Lake People) is becoming scarce, public disease rates have dramatically increased, and the lake water has become increasingly polluted.  This does not include the impact to the environment that the predicted influx of tourism will cause! 

Inle was by far the highlight of my trip to Myanmar.  I sincerely hope that it will be able to maintain its beauty, mystery, and unique culture, and be able to adapt to these growing environmental concerns to remain for many years to come.

Inle Lake: A Tonic for the Soul

Famous leg-rowing at Inle.  Looks like a LOT of balance to me!

 As we continued to cross the lake – all of a sudden, the clouds parted, and the sun came out.  Suba and I were elated – not only were we significantly warmer, but the lake sparkled with the sun, and everything lit up.  As Lonely Planet describes it, “Mountains tumble down towards the lakeshore, blurring the distinction between heaven and earth.”  It was absolutely breathtaking.

Playing with the cute cat although he did NOT jump for us...

What is fascinating is the history of Inle.  Essentially - thousands of years ago, a Burmese King banned one tribe from "living on the land of Myanmar."  Like the true lawyers they were (which is perhaps why I like them so much!) - they interpreted the King's words literally, and instead of occupying "land" in Myanmar - they decided to occupy the waters of Inle Lake.  They built entire villages ON the Lake.  Today, over 120,000 tribesmen and women live on this lake.  It was truly spectacular to witness. The people at Inle were unforgettable.  Never before had I seen so many genuine, straight-from-the-heart smiles in such a short amount of time.  For reasons beyond my cynical mind, people here were always happy to see me, always joyful in the present moment, and always waved as we passed by in our boat.

 

We walked around floating markets where locals were selling everything from Buddhist meditation items, to vegetables, to tourist t-shirts to the pungent-smelling early catches of the day.  We had a tour of a small silver shop and learned about the process of how silver is made at Inle.  We visited a weaving shop and watched women weave silk, lotus flower, and cotton together for longyis and scarves.  We went to an umbrella shop and learned how the umbrella paper is made and visited the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, situated in the middle of the lake.  We passed the floating villages and saw the floating gardens growing tomatoes and vegetables.  We visited the jumping cat monastery where monks have taught enlightened cats to jump through hoops at high heights.  However, if you look at my pictures…you will notice that we were thoroughly disappointed with the cats as they seemed to be basking in the sun as oppose to jumping!

Aung Traditional Puppet Show Puppets!!!

 After our all-day trek on the lake, we came back, and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at our hostel.  We stayed at the Queen’s Inn and the woman in charge took great care of her customers.  I called her “Big Momma” because she reminded me of a Burmese Queen Latifah in the movie Chicago.  It was very clear she ran the business and ran it well.  We ordered (and devoured) her dried chili pork, avocado salad, and potato and chicken curry.  It was the best meal I had in Myanmar.  Delicious!

My favorite puppet :)

After dinner, we headed out to see the traditional Myanmar Puppet Show.  I absolutely love puppets as their costumes always remind me of The King and I which to this day is still one of my favorite musicals and was anxious to see the show.  On the way, we met a few travelers and convinced them to tag along with us to the Aung Traditional Puppet Show.  We had a private performance by Mr. Aung who was a third-generation puppeteer.  The performance and the puppets were great – but for me, the best part of the show was watching Mr. Aung behind the puppet’s he was directing.  

 Although he mentioned that the tradition of puppets has largely lost popularity in Myanmar and is dwindling, his enthusiasm and sincerity in his puppet performance showed me how much he appreciated the art and made me appreciate it even more!

Inle Lake – 8th Wonder of the World

Inle Lake, located in Shan State, Myanmar

To say the least, without a doubt, Inle Lake was the highlight of my trip in Myanmar in terms of sheer beauty and fascination.  A wonderful watery world of floating gardens, stilted villages and crumbling stupas, Inle is one of the few places that is a tonic for the soul.

My favorite fisherman!

We were up early and in a boat by 7:00am on our way to explore the 44.9 square miles of Myanmar’s second largest lake.  I wore six t-shirts, one on top of the other, my new sweatshirt, and my towel wrapped around my neck as a not-so-fashionable scarf.  My Dad always said that ladies chose fashion over practicality…today was a day when practicality won.  I had rowed in boats for four years, and I knew how cold it was on that water, and how the wind whips through all of your layered clothes, so both Suba and I came out ready.  We were not about to miss our one chance to see Inle.

As we crept up the canal to the mouth of the lake, it was uncanny and quiet.  It was dark and there was a thick morning fog that hung over the lake.  It was difficult to make out what was ahead.  All of a sudden, a huge canal boat carrying 15+ local passengers would part the dense fog and speed by on its morning commute.  Although it wasn’t quite as early as my morning rowing practices, it felt all too similar to be back in a boat freezing when it was still dark and foggy outside.

Enjoying the views from our canal boat...

 As we entered the mouth of the lake, you could make out silhouettes of fisherman, each in their own boat, casting out their nets and emptying their fish baskets into their boat.  We watched fisherman raise their paddles over their heads and beat the water to stun the fish before quickly casting out their nets.  What we didn’t know at the time was that the lake, at its deepest, is only about 7-10 feet, and so the fisherman could see most of the fish and would position themselves in a place where there were many schools.

 

My first art purchase (was on our trip back through Yangon) but I put a picture of myself with the artist in this blog entry however, because the reason I purchased this painting is because it is of the fisherman on Inle.  It is perhaps my favorite memory from my time in Myanmar.

My first art purchase - to remember my fisherman on Inle Lake!