It was down river to Yangon yesterday. We stopped at Maubin which is quite a large town and went for a walk around. We started at the market that is perched on top of the levy bank which is mainly restaurants for local people and ready made products. Across the road was the large square market building which was primarily the tailoring centre. There were fabris and decorative fashion items everywhere. Women and men were using sewing machines that were like table models that predated my mother's Singer.
When we had wandered the market area we walked away from the river and found the residential area of the "well to do". The houses were substantial and stylishly decorated if they were new. In amongst them were the traditional wooden houses.
We then went down river to berth at Yangon. We are tied up to our sister ship the APT boat which we walk through to get to the wharf. From there it was coach to THE Pagoda, Shwedagon. This pagoda is known for the modern elegance of it's stupa (spire) which has a decorative ball studded with percious gems and the fact that the surrounds cover 5 hectares. This includes glass elevators on three sides and escalators at the fourth entrance. The surrounds are made up of prayer areas for the different days of birth, numerous Buddha representations, prayer halls and a huge Banyan tree said to be a couple of hundred years old. The surrounds were relatively quiet when we arrived at 3-30 pm but the crowd gradually increased as we walked around taking it all in. Most conspicuous was the huge numbers of high school age monks who streamed in. Apparently they have been in nearby monsteries taking exams and now came for a visit. San, our guide for the afternoon asked a group if we could take their photo and when they agreed engaged them in conversation to take the stiffness from the scene.
Then it was back on the coaches and a terrifying trip back to the boat through peak hour traffic, Noone wanted to let the coaches in and it was a tussle of size verses determination. I was waiting for the crunch at any moment but our driver was very experienced. One of the other groups took 20 minutes longer to get back. Bob observed that he didn't think we would hire a car!
Thursday 30 November 2017
Wednesday 29 November 2017
Princess Panhwar Day 12 Trishaws in Danuphyu
Trishaws are actually known here as sidecars because the carriage is attached to the side of the bicycle. When we were being ushered to our individual rides I noticed that the seats were well padded with cushions and I thought how considerate this was. After I had been following in the trail of sidecars I realised this was a practical neccesity. The seats are designed for slim Burmese buttocks and ours would never fit in them so they pad the seat up so that we are just balancing on top. It was a fun ride after I stopped worrying about my slim but wirey peddler. Our group went to the market first following the usual practice of sending each group on a different order around the circuit. This is a more affluent town and the produce in the market was fresh and attractive in very colouful displays. From there we progressed to a cheroot workshop where we saw two versions being made. One was the cheaper option for the local farmers which was essentially a corn cob leaf rolled around the makings. We were told the risk of these was the potential to throw sparks which could burn holes in clothing. The others were more like the ones we see but still very cheap. A packet measured by what the packer could grasp in two hands cost $1 US.
The main focus of the trip this morning was a Monastery in the buildings which had been a University in colonial times. They were beautiful old buildings which were now very underutilised. There are only 40 monks occupying a few of the buildings which were well maintained. There were quite a few others which are looking in need of maintenance. There was a significant difference between the building occupied by the Abbot which was beatifully painted and the one occupied by the novice monks which was minimally maintained. Ye Min our guide who has reached monk status but needs to earn a living explained that the Abbot is the highest status Monk in the area and known to be very strict. He said he thought the few novices who came here probably had a pretty miserable time with stict rules. He then told us about some of the hi jinks that the novices had managed at the monastery where he had trained. There were 700 monks and novices there so strict oversight was not possible. Here there was a monument to General Maha Bandula who lead an army to the Burmese Indian border to prevent British invasion. Unfortunately the Brits out flanked him by approaching by sea and landing at what is now Yangong (Rangoon).
He was killed at this town when he hastily came south and the 1st Anglo Burmese War was lost.
There was a lecture in the afternoon about the country's natural resources and how the Chinese exploited the situation during the period when western countries including Australia imposed sanctions. The Chinese are still heavily involved to their continuing benefit.
Last night there was a concert performed by the crew for our entertainment. The performances were enthusiastic and ranged from comedy to group singing of popular western songs to traditional dance. We were all hauled up on the floor to participate in the tradional New Year dance. Fortunately in the dim lighting and the crowd our fairly graceless efforts merged with the scene.
The main focus of the trip this morning was a Monastery in the buildings which had been a University in colonial times. They were beautiful old buildings which were now very underutilised. There are only 40 monks occupying a few of the buildings which were well maintained. There were quite a few others which are looking in need of maintenance. There was a significant difference between the building occupied by the Abbot which was beatifully painted and the one occupied by the novice monks which was minimally maintained. Ye Min our guide who has reached monk status but needs to earn a living explained that the Abbot is the highest status Monk in the area and known to be very strict. He said he thought the few novices who came here probably had a pretty miserable time with stict rules. He then told us about some of the hi jinks that the novices had managed at the monastery where he had trained. There were 700 monks and novices there so strict oversight was not possible. Here there was a monument to General Maha Bandula who lead an army to the Burmese Indian border to prevent British invasion. Unfortunately the Brits out flanked him by approaching by sea and landing at what is now Yangong (Rangoon).
He was killed at this town when he hastily came south and the 1st Anglo Burmese War was lost.
There was a lecture in the afternoon about the country's natural resources and how the Chinese exploited the situation during the period when western countries including Australia imposed sanctions. The Chinese are still heavily involved to their continuing benefit.
Last night there was a concert performed by the crew for our entertainment. The performances were enthusiastic and ranged from comedy to group singing of popular western songs to traditional dance. We were all hauled up on the floor to participate in the tradional New Year dance. Fortunately in the dim lighting and the crowd our fairly graceless efforts merged with the scene.
Tuesday 28 November 2017
Photos
Princess Panhwar Day 10: Akauk Cliffs & Myanaung
We sailed down the Awarwaddy Delta yesterday. At the cliffs of the Akauk Mountain foothills the Captain slowed the boat and then did a complete "u" turn to give us a photo opportunity. Carved into the limestone cliff face were over 300 Buddha images. These were not just superficial reliefs but busts and a full reclining Buddha carved within deep niches. They had then been painted in the colours of monks robes or gold paint.The work has been carried out by the local fishermen over many years and is very skillful.
From there we went on to the village of Myanaung for a walking tour. This fairly wealthy town had lots of colonial era homes many of which were still in use either as homes or more often businesses. Once again the British had left a heritage of dikes to stop flooding of the adjacent flood plain which had then been planted with rice and vegetable crops. The disadvantage is that the soil rich flood waters are no longer depositing the rich silt except where they have been able to divert water for irrigation. Thus they now need to use chemical fertiliser. The town also has the distinction of a Catholic Church. During the Britiah era it Was an Anglican Church but when they left the use changed. It now caters for a small congregation of Karons who are transfered into the town as goverment employees. Apart from about the fluctuating congregation of about five families the rest of the population are Buddhist. We naturally visited the Market area and found th sellers helpful but reserved until they saw that there was the chance of a sale. To our surprise we had a police escort as we progressed around town. He rode his motor bike alongside our group and as we turned down a path rather than the road he would race off and pop up again at the next junction. We learnt that the word for offering a bribe is "watering". This is a take on the practice of offering water to Buddha first thing in the morning along with any other offerings at the household shrine.
This morning we went on another walking tour through a small and very poor riverside village, Shwe Kyin. We had quite a reception committee of children and their mothers. This is because the boat only calls here once a month and no other cruise line stops here. Another reason was that the crew set up a morning tea of cordial and cakes from the ship for the children. I was glad that I had supplimented our stock of stationary for the school donation at a recent big market especially because some of the other passengers didn't seem to have registered the suggestion that they split the supplies they had brought into two lots as there was this second opportunity. Here the people do not have many employment opportunities except labouring on the boats which dredge gravel from the river to be used in construction. It is hard work and the men tend to drink alcohol even at work on the boats. Education is only to primary level and then the 14 year olds start work. Again we had a police escort and were told that their main issues are drunkenness and domestic violence. There are also issues with amphetamine use which the men use to bolster them during the long physical working day.
The two police officers walking with us today were very young and one was a very attractive woman. I was amused that just after I had casually taken a photo that incidently on purpose included the police woman I spotted her taking one of us on her mobile phone. This walk included many opportunities to see cooking methods, local shops, fish drying methods, to talk about housing and to see a local day care. This was because all these activities are focussed on and open to the one main street which is built along the to of the dike. The people didn't seem concerned that we were walking around talking about their lifestyle. I have been extremely grateful that the cruise company has not been so crass as to arrange intrusion into peoples homes.
Tonight is the Cultural Night when we all get to wear our longis and are threatened with participation in Burmese dancing.
Sunday 26 November 2017
Myanmar Day 8/9 Minhla Fort & Pyay
This is likely to be brief because I have just lost 3/4 of a page due to a pop up of b---- Facebook. This is after not having connection all of yesterday. This morning we realised this had continued for too long and had SuSu our skilled receptionist find connection for us. Enough grumbling.
At Minhla we visited the Fort built to repell British gun boats during the 3rd Anglo Burmese War in 1860. Built of brick it is still substantially intact but the local cannons were no match for British explosives. From there we went by horse and cart and tuktuks to the St Andrew's golf course built in 1870. It is affiliated with the Scottish course and enitled to the name. Here we had a putting competition between the three "families" that we are allocated to for logistical reasons. The groups remain the same throughout the cruise but the three tour leaders rotate between groups so that we have the benefit of their different backgrounds and experiences. Our yellow team came last because we had the roughest side of the green to putt from and the most novice golfers. That is our excuse and we are sticking to it.
Yesterday we had a demonstration on how to tie our longi's ready for the cultural night coming up. They also showed us the multiple ways that the people use them and we could see why they are still the predominant mode of dress for men and women. A friend has loaned me one for the trip but I will buy one next time I get a chance in the market. I can see the advantages of having one when we go camping. They are a very discrete garment when changing or squatting behind a bush.
After our "after lunch" nap we visited Pyay to visit the Museum and city walls of the ancient city Sri Ksetra which developed between the 2nd and 9th Century. The museum had a small collection of stone burial urns, frescos and statues of Buddha, metal implements and fine gold and silver jewellery. The valuable gold Buddhas are now in Yangon Museum after being sold of to an American and then returned by him so that they are more secure.The stupas are brick and are massive but simple in comparison with modern ones. Th city wall was 8 kms long and made of brick once again. It has been partially excavated and we could go for a stroll.It provided a great view over the now harvested rice paddies. The wall is now covered by earth and forms a levy and the base for the road.
Back in Pyay we visited the huge Shwesandaw Pagoda which occupies the top of the central hill. There is now a double lift to take worshippers to the top instead of the long staircases which shows the wealth of the area. It has benefitted from being a major colonial centre and there are still quite a few colonial houses in the area. However this town also has a population of more than 300,000 devout Buddhists who gain merit by contributing to the upkeep of the pagodas.
Last night we watched a National Geographic film about the fisher folk who live on their boats off the islands to the South coast. It was filmed in 2004 when they were resisting forced resettlement into govt developed villages which were rife with disease and cocaine use. There were not many left then so I fear they may have lost the battle.
Friday 24 November 2017
Myanmar Day 7 Magwe
We sailed down river all morning. One of our three guides gave us a very informative talk on the geography, history and industry of the Ayarwaddy River in particular. This really encompassed all of Myanmar. Irrawaddy is the British interpretation of Ayarwaddy and the name has now officially reverted to the original except for the convenience of tourists.
After lunch we walked on a tour up to the main market of Magwe where everyone was encouraged to make a purchase of the longi (sarong) worn by men and women. We have a cultural night soon and everyone is encouraged to participate. I have a women's longi loaned by a friend. Bob bought one in the supermarket in Mandalay for $25. With my encouragement he bought a really posh Executive one because i thought it would convert to a nice table cloth. Now we have found that we could have bought one for $6 in the markets and I have been reminded every time we see one.
The rest of the tour was done on local long distance buses instead of tourist coaches just to broaden our experience. They were qite comfortable except that the some of the seats reclined without instruction and we wouldn't have been as comfortable if we had to use the seats that folded down into the aisle in order to fit more people. I can imagine the chaos if someone was trying to get off a bus that had all the fold down seats occupied.
We then visited a park with the statue od Aung San the father of Su Who began the independance process. Our guide also explained how the military retains firm control. All Local Government positions are held by retired generals. The Mya Tha Lun Pagoda was our last stop. This Pagoda is important because it is linked to local astrology. Before we arrived we were shown calendars which showed which day of the week we were born. Then in the temple surrounds there was a structure which displayed all the days of the week with it's speccific animal and planet symbol. Bob was a Garuda but has forgtten his planet. I am an elephant under Mercury. The planet influence can change as you age but it is very complicated. Around the pagoda there are the appropriate places for you to make your prayers in accordance with your sign.
Within the compound there was the first reclining Buddha that we have seen. This version was in the resting pose, not the death pose.
Last night there was a quiz night but we opted out. We remain well although this is not the case for all the passengers.
After lunch we walked on a tour up to the main market of Magwe where everyone was encouraged to make a purchase of the longi (sarong) worn by men and women. We have a cultural night soon and everyone is encouraged to participate. I have a women's longi loaned by a friend. Bob bought one in the supermarket in Mandalay for $25. With my encouragement he bought a really posh Executive one because i thought it would convert to a nice table cloth. Now we have found that we could have bought one for $6 in the markets and I have been reminded every time we see one.
The rest of the tour was done on local long distance buses instead of tourist coaches just to broaden our experience. They were qite comfortable except that the some of the seats reclined without instruction and we wouldn't have been as comfortable if we had to use the seats that folded down into the aisle in order to fit more people. I can imagine the chaos if someone was trying to get off a bus that had all the fold down seats occupied.
We then visited a park with the statue od Aung San the father of Su Who began the independance process. Our guide also explained how the military retains firm control. All Local Government positions are held by retired generals. The Mya Tha Lun Pagoda was our last stop. This Pagoda is important because it is linked to local astrology. Before we arrived we were shown calendars which showed which day of the week we were born. Then in the temple surrounds there was a structure which displayed all the days of the week with it's speccific animal and planet symbol. Bob was a Garuda but has forgtten his planet. I am an elephant under Mercury. The planet influence can change as you age but it is very complicated. Around the pagoda there are the appropriate places for you to make your prayers in accordance with your sign.
Within the compound there was the first reclining Buddha that we have seen. This version was in the resting pose, not the death pose.
Last night there was a quiz night but we opted out. We remain well although this is not the case for all the passengers.
Thursday 23 November 2017
Myanmar Day 6 Thant Kyi Hillfi
Our mode of transport changed yesterday from coaches to mini buses. This was because the Panhwar tied up to the river bank at a small village that had a long, narrow, dusty access across to the bitumen road. We were taken past quite a lot of light industry on the way which we found out was a government petroleum drilling set up. As well we saw some small tripods on the hillsides which were private small scale drilling rigs. The villagers on this side of the river are poor because they have rocky hills instead of alluvial flats and can grow very little. So they drill the oil which is only about 20 metres down and produces betwen 20 and 45 gallons per day. There is only very crude processing available to them from which they extract poor qality diesel for local use and wax which they send to Yangon to make candles for the temples. Even the government has outdated technology to process the oil so it is shipped out of the country for processing and then they have to buy fuel. Our guide made a case for engineers to invest in the industry here so they can process the oil themselves.
We eventually reached the bitumen road to the temple at the top of the hill. The view was spectacular in both directions; over the river and into the hilly heartland which is desert. How they managed to transport the materials for this rich temple up here was difficult to imagine. The story is that Buddha visited this place and foretold the development of the city of Bagan across the river. There is a statue of Buddha pointing toward Bagan. Then a king returning from the conquest of Ayruthia (wrong spelling) in Thailand riding a white elephant said he would settle where ever the elephant chose. And he chose this hill top overlooking Bagan. The rest is history as they say.
In the afternoon we tied up at the village of Salay for a walking tour. This naturally included stops at a temple and an old monastery which is now a museum. Along the way though we saw lots of colonial buildings because this was a centre for the British Burma Oil Company. Many of them have faded beauty now but this village is still quite prosperous. The temple, Shinbin Maha Paya, has a laquerware Buhdda which apparently was washed down river to this village in the monsoon floods. It is huge and has been dated to 14th Century. The story goes that the villagers tried to drag it up onto dry land but couldn't manage. Then a rich woman whispered into the Buddha's ear that if it allowed them to take him from the river she would build a temple over him. And so it happened . The plinth of the seated statue has been recently beautifully decorated with cut glass mosaic. We were able to peer into a trap door in the base to see up into the hollow bamboo construction of the statue. Defitiely unique because although there are smaller lacquer Buddhas this one is huge. This was also the first opportunity we had to see native turtles which were in a pond in the temple grounds.
Last night was the 2nd half of the film "The Lady". Very sad, well acted depiction of her years of house arrest and the emotional struggle when her husband was dying of cancer and she knew that if she left to go to him in England she would never be allowed back. It was clear that he shared her vision for Burma and supported her throughout.
We eventually reached the bitumen road to the temple at the top of the hill. The view was spectacular in both directions; over the river and into the hilly heartland which is desert. How they managed to transport the materials for this rich temple up here was difficult to imagine. The story is that Buddha visited this place and foretold the development of the city of Bagan across the river. There is a statue of Buddha pointing toward Bagan. Then a king returning from the conquest of Ayruthia (wrong spelling) in Thailand riding a white elephant said he would settle where ever the elephant chose. And he chose this hill top overlooking Bagan. The rest is history as they say.
In the afternoon we tied up at the village of Salay for a walking tour. This naturally included stops at a temple and an old monastery which is now a museum. Along the way though we saw lots of colonial buildings because this was a centre for the British Burma Oil Company. Many of them have faded beauty now but this village is still quite prosperous. The temple, Shinbin Maha Paya, has a laquerware Buhdda which apparently was washed down river to this village in the monsoon floods. It is huge and has been dated to 14th Century. The story goes that the villagers tried to drag it up onto dry land but couldn't manage. Then a rich woman whispered into the Buddha's ear that if it allowed them to take him from the river she would build a temple over him. And so it happened . The plinth of the seated statue has been recently beautifully decorated with cut glass mosaic. We were able to peer into a trap door in the base to see up into the hollow bamboo construction of the statue. Defitiely unique because although there are smaller lacquer Buddhas this one is huge. This was also the first opportunity we had to see native turtles which were in a pond in the temple grounds.
Last night was the 2nd half of the film "The Lady". Very sad, well acted depiction of her years of house arrest and the emotional struggle when her husband was dying of cancer and she knew that if she left to go to him in England she would never be allowed back. It was clear that he shared her vision for Burma and supported her throughout.
Wednesday 22 November 2017
Photos Bagan
Since we seem to have reasonable internet speed and it is too early for much competition I will try posting a couple of photos. Gail
Myanmar: Bagan Day 5
Yesterday was a big day because we were in Bagan famous for it's history and 2,400 temples. This is just half the number that were here before a major earhquake in the 1970's. Our group began with a visit to the local market. Here we walked through a huge array of locally grown vegetables, spices, chicken, pork and fish. The fish were most notable for the HUGE catfish which drooped off either side of the large scales being used to weigh them. There was quite a variety of fish all caught in the Irrawaddy and some pond bred fish and prawns.
From there we wandered through the fabrics section with very little pressure to buy. However once an interest was shown the stall holder did their utmost to produce something that met our requirements.
Then began a finely coordinated visit to four different pagodas which had been chosen to display particular features of the 11th to 13th Century architectural style. This region has been settled since the 2nd Century because it is a slightly elevated plateau on a stable limestone base. The 10 hundreds began a particularly stable period with the unification of 19 villages into a city state. From there it developed peacefully for three hundred years until invasion by the Mon. This is my rough recall of the information from the efforts of our guides to educate us.
The style of the stupas or central solid "spine" of the pagoda showed the significant changes in design from single story, simple round cones to those supported on two story bases with increasingly complex decorative features and more elegant elongate outlines. The features of the Buddhas within also evolved from Indian heritage features to Burmese. The area of Bagan is a well recognised Archialogical precinct but during the period of strict military regime prior to 2010 there was no outside expertise permitted and some ineffective repair work to the earthquake damage was undertaken. Since the intercession of Baraq Obama and Hilary Clinton in 2010 UNESCO has become re involved and gradually restoration is being undertaken. We first went to a temple built in 1120 which was huge and elaborate with gold paint and surrounding complex. Here we saw a group of women who had brought lunch to the monks sitting in the cloister area and being rehearsed by a monk in the 8 princliples of Buddhist rules for living.
From there we went to an older temple to see wall frescos which had been restored after being painted over with limestone wash. We also saw the evidence of where a German tourist had made repeated visits to remove some of these small detailed pictures of the Buddha's life. Imterestingly during WW 2 the Japanesse and the Allies had an embargo on bombing Bagan because of the significance of the area. This resulted in some unintended damage to the interior of the temples because the people from strife torn areas moved into them and smoke from their cooking fires damaged the walls.
The next pagoda was middle era and demonstrated the increasingly sophistocated internal architecture. Here the design incorporated sound baffles to reduce echos, through flow currents of air for coolness and careful imtroduction of natural light including windows to shine light on the Buddha's face at midday. Also the external use of locking cornerstones of limstone which held the building firmly and minimised shaking damage during quakes.
The grand finale was the Ananda Temple which is the first one to be completely restored under UNESCO supevision. It has had the natural limestone and brick render cleaned and minor quake damage repaired. It is significant for the limited use of gold paint also. We could clearly see the value of the locking style of construction in this huge complex where quake damage had been limited to one small part of the roof which was easily repaired. Possibly the most impressive feature inside were the huge teak doors weighing 2-3 tons which can still pivot but which have been secured to remove risk of getting tourists toes amputated.
The afternoon involved a visit to a laquerware factory which was fascinating and gave increased respect for the means of making these products. Then on to a specially constructed mound designed to give sunset viewing of the Bagan skyline. This was a bit of a phizzer because the mound was not very high and clouds from a hurricane over Yangon obscured the sunset. We happily went back early to our welcome berth and dinner. After dinner we saw tthe first half of an excellant movie on the development of Aung Sun Suchi's political career. It was hilarious when the crew had obviously decided how late we should be watching and turned the film off mid point after an hour to loud protests from the audience. We will be back tonight to see the 2nd half.
From there we wandered through the fabrics section with very little pressure to buy. However once an interest was shown the stall holder did their utmost to produce something that met our requirements.
Then began a finely coordinated visit to four different pagodas which had been chosen to display particular features of the 11th to 13th Century architectural style. This region has been settled since the 2nd Century because it is a slightly elevated plateau on a stable limestone base. The 10 hundreds began a particularly stable period with the unification of 19 villages into a city state. From there it developed peacefully for three hundred years until invasion by the Mon. This is my rough recall of the information from the efforts of our guides to educate us.
The style of the stupas or central solid "spine" of the pagoda showed the significant changes in design from single story, simple round cones to those supported on two story bases with increasingly complex decorative features and more elegant elongate outlines. The features of the Buddhas within also evolved from Indian heritage features to Burmese. The area of Bagan is a well recognised Archialogical precinct but during the period of strict military regime prior to 2010 there was no outside expertise permitted and some ineffective repair work to the earthquake damage was undertaken. Since the intercession of Baraq Obama and Hilary Clinton in 2010 UNESCO has become re involved and gradually restoration is being undertaken. We first went to a temple built in 1120 which was huge and elaborate with gold paint and surrounding complex. Here we saw a group of women who had brought lunch to the monks sitting in the cloister area and being rehearsed by a monk in the 8 princliples of Buddhist rules for living.
From there we went to an older temple to see wall frescos which had been restored after being painted over with limestone wash. We also saw the evidence of where a German tourist had made repeated visits to remove some of these small detailed pictures of the Buddha's life. Imterestingly during WW 2 the Japanesse and the Allies had an embargo on bombing Bagan because of the significance of the area. This resulted in some unintended damage to the interior of the temples because the people from strife torn areas moved into them and smoke from their cooking fires damaged the walls.
The next pagoda was middle era and demonstrated the increasingly sophistocated internal architecture. Here the design incorporated sound baffles to reduce echos, through flow currents of air for coolness and careful imtroduction of natural light including windows to shine light on the Buddha's face at midday. Also the external use of locking cornerstones of limstone which held the building firmly and minimised shaking damage during quakes.
The grand finale was the Ananda Temple which is the first one to be completely restored under UNESCO supevision. It has had the natural limestone and brick render cleaned and minor quake damage repaired. It is significant for the limited use of gold paint also. We could clearly see the value of the locking style of construction in this huge complex where quake damage had been limited to one small part of the roof which was easily repaired. Possibly the most impressive feature inside were the huge teak doors weighing 2-3 tons which can still pivot but which have been secured to remove risk of getting tourists toes amputated.
The afternoon involved a visit to a laquerware factory which was fascinating and gave increased respect for the means of making these products. Then on to a specially constructed mound designed to give sunset viewing of the Bagan skyline. This was a bit of a phizzer because the mound was not very high and clouds from a hurricane over Yangon obscured the sunset. We happily went back early to our welcome berth and dinner. After dinner we saw tthe first half of an excellant movie on the development of Aung Sun Suchi's political career. It was hilarious when the crew had obviously decided how late we should be watching and turned the film off mid point after an hour to loud protests from the audience. We will be back tonight to see the 2nd half.
Tuesday 21 November 2017
Myanmar Day 4 : Yandabo
This morning we tied up to the river bank and spent the morning in the "village" of Yandabo which is famous for its pottery. The population is about 10,000 including the surrounding rural area. Approximately 50% of the community, 78 families, derive their income from making functional pots and the remaining population are farmers. The pots are primarily water carriers but they also make steamers for cooking, terracotta fire stands for resting their cooking pots on and garden pots. They are make from the clay and sand of the riverbank and from yucky grey colour become a beatiful terracotta colour. They are stacked on the riverbank when they are completed and wholesalers buy them and distribute them on boats up and down the river. We saw the entire process as we meandered through the village from mixing the clay and sand and forming it into large balls with their feet to forming the pots on a pottery wheel. The women are extremely skillful potters and make about 100 per 10 hour day. They are very proud of their product which is strong enough when dry to stand on even before firing. They are all decorated with patterns which are applied using a wooden mallet. They are fired in huge rakku style kilns built to hold between 1500 and 2000 pots at a time. These are one use only kilns built on a bed of wood and damped down with ash from previous firings. They can be 15 feet high and the men stand and lie on the lower layers to build the upper levels as the women throw the pots up to them. We saw a couple being prepared and one actually firing. It was a lot of work for a return of $1 Australian per pot but it gives them a good living.
We were assured by a crew member that it would be a nice shady walk but discovered that some main streets had had the trees cut down in preparation for the installation of power lines. I am sure the locals will think it worthwhile when it does arrive as they currently rely on photovoltaic panels for power. Not very convenient during the 3 month rainy season.
We also visited the school and delivered pens, pencils and stationary as suggested because these things are expensive and the schools are minimally funded. Teachers salaries only. The children were charming and sang for us. I guess the disruption of our visit was worthwhile for the goodies it provided.
We were also entertained by watching some of the local men trying to start a crank handle ignition diesal engine truck known locally as "Chinese Buffalos". The three men who had driven it to the sand pile had no idea how to crank it and the two trying took off in all directions as the motor fired and they didn't know how to release it. Eventually a knowledgeable man walked up, handed his child to one of the men and cranked it competantly to cheers from the onlookers.
This afternoon we have traveĺed down river to the ancient city of Bagan which was in the height of its development between 900 and 1300 with 5000 pagodas built. Walking tour tomorrow.
We were assured by a crew member that it would be a nice shady walk but discovered that some main streets had had the trees cut down in preparation for the installation of power lines. I am sure the locals will think it worthwhile when it does arrive as they currently rely on photovoltaic panels for power. Not very convenient during the 3 month rainy season.
We also visited the school and delivered pens, pencils and stationary as suggested because these things are expensive and the schools are minimally funded. Teachers salaries only. The children were charming and sang for us. I guess the disruption of our visit was worthwhile for the goodies it provided.
We were also entertained by watching some of the local men trying to start a crank handle ignition diesal engine truck known locally as "Chinese Buffalos". The three men who had driven it to the sand pile had no idea how to crank it and the two trying took off in all directions as the motor fired and they didn't know how to release it. Eventually a knowledgeable man walked up, handed his child to one of the men and cranked it competantly to cheers from the onlookers.
This afternoon we have traveĺed down river to the ancient city of Bagan which was in the height of its development between 900 and 1300 with 5000 pagodas built. Walking tour tomorrow.
Monday 20 November 2017
Myanmar Day 2-3
Our transfer to the Princess Panhwar went seamlessly. We had time to look around the Mandalay Hill Resort which is a gracious Raj era hotel. Might have to try and stay there if we ever come back.
The boat is very comfortable with all mod cons. Only three seasons old and very well designed. The crew are fantastic and the food superb. We are trying to be disciplined with how much we eat but it is all very tempting. Fortunately most of it is pretty healthy food and we are eating the Asian food options frequently which I don't think are fattening.
On Sunday we didn't move from the quay until the evening and spent the day touring the important sights in Mandalay. We first went to the workshop which makes the gold leaf for the temples. This is a labour intensive 7 day process per batch and it transforms small gold ingots to gold leaf which is finer than paper - fly away thickness. From there we went to the most revered pagoda, the Mahamuni Buddha. This statue is believed to be an actual representation of Buddha but his face has been covered with 2 tons of glod leaf over the centuries so it has reduced his features somewhat. People (men only) were queuing to add their piece of gold leaf while we were there. Also there was an initiation ceremony for novice monks and nuns -7 year olds who must spend time in the monastery at least twice in their formative years to ensure that they understand Buddhist principles for living. They and their families were beautifully and ornately dressed. Our guide was very excited that we were able to see this parade as it is not a regular occurrence.
From there we went on to a wood carving and a silk workshop where we contributed to the country's economy. The tourist trade and the flow on to businesses is very important to those employed below the level of the military and I was happy to help! We then visited the Kuthodaw Pagoda where the teachings of Buddha were first written out in Myanmar. Previously they had been handed down by word of mouth but in 1836 they were carved into marble slabs in sanscrit which is very intricate. There are 729 slabs standing at least a metre hgh each with it's own little protective house. Shwenandaw Monastery was the last stop over before lunch and the third round of shoe removal. Why didn't I pack those slip on shoes? We did go back to the boat for lunch and a bit of a rest. Then in the late afternoon we went to a large lake which for many years could only be traversed by boat. Then a very long foot bridge of tall Teak poles was built and people had easy access to the city. It is still in operation and there were crowds of people there to stroll along it and to watch the sun set. We were taken out onto the lake in sampans to watch the sunset and it was beautiful.
Today we are just a little way down river at the town of Sagaing. Population 200,000. We drove to the top of Sagaing Hill to visit the Pagoda and take in the view. We overlooked the Irrawaddy and hundreds of small temples. This is primarily a religious comunity with many monasteries. We stopped off at another stupa to photograph the different style which was influenced by the Sri Lankan Buddhists.
We then tackled a horse drawn cart ride to a teak constructed Monastery. They were ponies really and we had our first view if rice paddies. The monastery had the most amazing pillars holding up it's 9 tiered roof. The logs were 60 feet tall and between 3 and 4 feet in circumference. All the walls were intricately carved and there was quite a story about the first monks to occupy the building. This was the first time we were harrassed by women wanting to sell souveniers. They were persistant and innovative. When we didn't buy first up some of them hopped on their scooters and followed us to the monastery waiting for us to re emerge.
This afternoon has been free time and it was nice to relax. Now it is time for a shower and to saunter down to dinner.
The boat is very comfortable with all mod cons. Only three seasons old and very well designed. The crew are fantastic and the food superb. We are trying to be disciplined with how much we eat but it is all very tempting. Fortunately most of it is pretty healthy food and we are eating the Asian food options frequently which I don't think are fattening.
On Sunday we didn't move from the quay until the evening and spent the day touring the important sights in Mandalay. We first went to the workshop which makes the gold leaf for the temples. This is a labour intensive 7 day process per batch and it transforms small gold ingots to gold leaf which is finer than paper - fly away thickness. From there we went to the most revered pagoda, the Mahamuni Buddha. This statue is believed to be an actual representation of Buddha but his face has been covered with 2 tons of glod leaf over the centuries so it has reduced his features somewhat. People (men only) were queuing to add their piece of gold leaf while we were there. Also there was an initiation ceremony for novice monks and nuns -7 year olds who must spend time in the monastery at least twice in their formative years to ensure that they understand Buddhist principles for living. They and their families were beautifully and ornately dressed. Our guide was very excited that we were able to see this parade as it is not a regular occurrence.
From there we went on to a wood carving and a silk workshop where we contributed to the country's economy. The tourist trade and the flow on to businesses is very important to those employed below the level of the military and I was happy to help! We then visited the Kuthodaw Pagoda where the teachings of Buddha were first written out in Myanmar. Previously they had been handed down by word of mouth but in 1836 they were carved into marble slabs in sanscrit which is very intricate. There are 729 slabs standing at least a metre hgh each with it's own little protective house. Shwenandaw Monastery was the last stop over before lunch and the third round of shoe removal. Why didn't I pack those slip on shoes? We did go back to the boat for lunch and a bit of a rest. Then in the late afternoon we went to a large lake which for many years could only be traversed by boat. Then a very long foot bridge of tall Teak poles was built and people had easy access to the city. It is still in operation and there were crowds of people there to stroll along it and to watch the sun set. We were taken out onto the lake in sampans to watch the sunset and it was beautiful.
Today we are just a little way down river at the town of Sagaing. Population 200,000. We drove to the top of Sagaing Hill to visit the Pagoda and take in the view. We overlooked the Irrawaddy and hundreds of small temples. This is primarily a religious comunity with many monasteries. We stopped off at another stupa to photograph the different style which was influenced by the Sri Lankan Buddhists.
We then tackled a horse drawn cart ride to a teak constructed Monastery. They were ponies really and we had our first view if rice paddies. The monastery had the most amazing pillars holding up it's 9 tiered roof. The logs were 60 feet tall and between 3 and 4 feet in circumference. All the walls were intricately carved and there was quite a story about the first monks to occupy the building. This was the first time we were harrassed by women wanting to sell souveniers. They were persistant and innovative. When we didn't buy first up some of them hopped on their scooters and followed us to the monastery waiting for us to re emerge.
This afternoon has been free time and it was nice to relax. Now it is time for a shower and to saunter down to dinner.
Friday 17 November 2017
Myanmar Nov 2017: Off to Mandalay
The departure time 0f 1:10 am was made less of a pain by having a delicious meal with Ingrid at her house close to the airport the evening of departure. It was still boring waiting the two plus hours before take off but that is not to be avoided. It was interesting watching for the Singapore aircraft and wondering if we would be late leaving because it did not arrive until about 45 minutes before we were due to leave. However they were very efficient fueling up and getting us all on board and we left exactly on time. A tiny Aisan couple of mother and daughter did their best to sabotage this smooth process. They each had a huge suitcase to lift into the overhead lockers and which were too heavy for them to lift by themselves especially as they weren't tall enough to lever them in over the lip of the locker. Then somehow a neck cushion filled with tiny polstyrene beads was broken in the struggle and rained down over everyone below. The case was so heavy that even the stewardess had trouble trying to get it out of the way and the inflow of passengers seized up. Eventually there were three airline staff trying to sort out the log jamb with urgent public announcements telling everyone to take their seats. We still took off on time -just.
We had a five hour stop over in Changi Airport so the fact that it is huge with lots to look at and lots of restaurants to choose from helped. The flight from Singapore to Mandalay was longer than it appeared because there was a 1.5 hour time adjustment backwards which meant we were in the air for over 3 hours. We were lucky because the flight was going on the Yangon afterwards and we were glad the route wasn't the other was around.
Our hotel is down town which we wanted and let me just say we are pleased that they have given us the best room in the hotel. Mandalay reminds us of Bangkok when we first went there in the early 1980's. However the pavements may be broken up but they are swept clean and hosed down every evening or morning. Many peple will return a smile when we are out walking and we have not once been hustled to buy something. The taxi drivers are keen for the work but accept a brief shake of the head. We spent this morning walking down to the Jade Market by the river. This was fascinating with hundreds of people milling around the market showing their little pieces of stone to the buyers and hoping for a sale. There also were hundreds of sellers of sometimes tiny pieces of polished jade looking to make a sale. We then found the more salubrious downtown area which had traffic lights with walk signs and a couple of large emporiums. One was quite new and only really occupied on the lower part of it's five floors. This afternoon we have relaxed to recover from our overnight flight and a strenuous morning. Tomorrow morning we join the cruise.
We had a five hour stop over in Changi Airport so the fact that it is huge with lots to look at and lots of restaurants to choose from helped. The flight from Singapore to Mandalay was longer than it appeared because there was a 1.5 hour time adjustment backwards which meant we were in the air for over 3 hours. We were lucky because the flight was going on the Yangon afterwards and we were glad the route wasn't the other was around.
Our hotel is down town which we wanted and let me just say we are pleased that they have given us the best room in the hotel. Mandalay reminds us of Bangkok when we first went there in the early 1980's. However the pavements may be broken up but they are swept clean and hosed down every evening or morning. Many peple will return a smile when we are out walking and we have not once been hustled to buy something. The taxi drivers are keen for the work but accept a brief shake of the head. We spent this morning walking down to the Jade Market by the river. This was fascinating with hundreds of people milling around the market showing their little pieces of stone to the buyers and hoping for a sale. There also were hundreds of sellers of sometimes tiny pieces of polished jade looking to make a sale. We then found the more salubrious downtown area which had traffic lights with walk signs and a couple of large emporiums. One was quite new and only really occupied on the lower part of it's five floors. This afternoon we have relaxed to recover from our overnight flight and a strenuous morning. Tomorrow morning we join the cruise.
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