Photos Yangon Day 14

Tour Director San talking to novice monks at Shwedagon Pagoda.

Shwedagon Stupa and surrounds Yangon.

Buddha Images in surrounds of Shwedagon Pagoda.

Myanmar Day 13 Yangon

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!

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.

Photos

Local take away restaurant

Welcoming Committee

Traditional house. Bamboo panels for coolness. Need to be replaced every 5 years. Wood still preferred but now very expensive as teak forestry is managed to avoid exploitation.

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.

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.

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.