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.