Now sitting in my flat in Edinburgh,
Scotland, about ten days removed from my journey, I thought this would be the
ideal time to reflect on my time in Burma, as well as tie up some loose ends.
In my month there, I traveled
countless hundreds of miles through five Burmese states by foot, car, train,
airplane, bus, and elephant- to be totally inclusive. I saw more pagodas than I
could possibly count, and got thoroughly used to speaking loudly in English
with the expectation that no one around me would understand. There were a
couple of things I wanted to see but was unable to, but these will forever be
overshadowed in my memory by the things I did
see. Bagan, Inle Lake, the Shwedagon, Mount Popa: so indescribably,
breathtakingly beautiful, thinking of them now makes me miss my time in Burma
desperately, and also makes me hungry to do and experience more when
opportunity calls.
I tried to post in this blog as
much as possible, but I obviously didn’t have the time nor energy to write
about everything. For one reason or another the following things were left out
of my accounts, but I think that mentioning them is worthwhile in order to
paint a more comprehensive picture of the trip and share a bit more before this
chapter of my life is closed.
Scott
Market
The Bogyoke Aung San Market was
named such in 1948 when Burma gained independence. After over 60 years, its
colonial moniker is still widely used (at lease in my experience in Yangon).
The market is massive and quite easy to get lost in as there are many stalls
that sell similar products, notably textiles. Built in 1926, the colonial
architecture is well preserved as are the cobblestone inner streets. This was
the first place I visited when I got to Yangon, and I stopped again shortly
before leaving to grab some last-minute souvenirs.
SEA
Games
The Southeast Asia Games take
place every two years, and for the first time in quite a while Myanmar has been
deemed stable enough to play host. When in Yangon or any other major city I
found it hard to miss the ads for the games, with their inspiring motto of
“Green, Clean, and Friendship.” What could be more eloquent? In Naypyidaw I got
to see where all the action would take place- a couple of newly built stadiums
in the middle of nowhere. All kidding aside the games should provide a good
chance for the country to showcase some of the positive change happening
presently. I’ll be rooting for the Burmese to win big.
Circular Train
The circular train is one of
those ‘authentic experience’ types of tourist destinations. It’s a rickety old
train that runs in a circle around the city, and I’ve heard it is used by
Yangonites to commute into work. The experience is supposed to be authentic
because you are taken through places that you would not normally see sticking
to a sight-seeing itinerary, getting a glimpse at the conditions in which
average Burmese people live. Having already gotten a healthy dose of this
elsewhere, I didn’t see anything mind-boggling, and since it was raining for
the majority of the ride I didn’t have all that much fun. Nevertheless, it was
worth checking out.
8888
Rally
On August 8th, 1988,
key events amidst months of protesting and strikes led the entire ordeal to be
names the 8888 Uprising. Notable for bringing Aung San Suu Kyi into the
international spotlight, the uprising was an important turning point in Burma’s
perpetual struggle for democracy. Low and behold I was in Yangon for the 25th
anniversary of the uprising, and was able to attend an event commemorating
occasion. Thousands of people were crammed into a relatively large auditorium,
with scores more outside watching via projector screen. You can tell that the
country has progressed just by the face that an event like this openly took
place.
Bago
Located
about an hour outside of Yangon, Bago was the imperial capital of Burma in the
16th century. Sporting a reconstructed palace, a large, shiny
pagoda, and several enormous Buddha statues, Bago was a solid day trip. Also of
note was the enormous Burmese python kept drugged out by monks at a nearby
monastery for visitors’ viewing pleasure.
National
Races Village
For most of Burma’s independence,
the government has been embroiled in a bloody civil war with various ethnic
groups in the mountainous North of the country, among other places. The
violence has mostly subsided at this point, and the government is definitely on
a mission to make the various minorities feel included. Enter the National
Races Village, a large park on the city’s eastern edge that showcases
traditional homes, clothing, and lifestyles of the major minorities that reside
in the country. If I didn’t already mention this, the Bamar are the majority
group and inspired the British to call the country Burma. The name was changed
to Myanmar to reflect the diversity of the country.
Chinatown
Not a whole lot to say about
Chinatown. It’s not very big but it’s an excellent place to grab a bite and
experience the kind of gritty inner-Yangon atmosphere that I actually came to
appreciate and enjoy by the end of my journey. Also, cheap drinks. Enough said.
National
Museum
This museum is five stories in
height if I remember correctly, and covers many facets of Burmese history. A
good number of the exhibits have to do with Burma’s ruling dynasties, and
showcase artifacts from the various palaces not carried off by the British or
burned by the British or, well you get the idea. The museum also showcases
Burmese art and natural history. Most interesting object: a moon rock brought
back to earth by one of the Apollo missions, presented to the people of Burma
by the Richard Nixon in the name of
international cooperation and friendship. What a diplomat.
St.
Mary’s Church
This is the largest church in
Burma and was completed in 1899. There isn’t anything expecially remarkable
about it to my knowledge, it simply stuck out to me as a rare bastion of
Christianity in a decidedly Buddhist place. The interior was very pleasant, the
tile work unlike anything I’d seen a church before.
Karaweik
Palace
Also known as the symbol of
Myanmar Beer, a national institution, this ‘palace’ is actually a floating restaurant.
I was told that it used to belong to the emperor and has since been rebuilt and
refurbished several times, however I could find no evidence for that. Wikipedia
says it was built in 1974, but goes into no detail. Maybe the truth is a mix of
the two… At any rate I just had to see the image that graces every bottle of
Myanma in person.
Traditional
Dance
While in Mandalay I got to go to
a show of Burmese traditional dance. It’s really hard for me to describe the
dancing because I don’t know the terminology for the costumes or the names of
the instruments that provided the music, but suffice to say that I really
enjoyed it. Music was a mix of wind and procession, the melody provided by this
vaguely oboe-looking thing that could have almost sounded like a jazz trumpet
if played differently. The dancers wore intricate, brightly colored garments
and each dance told a story that was choreographed with the music. This was one
of the times I really felt I was getting a glimpse of authentic Burmese culture.
Inya
Lake
North of the city, this lake is a
great place to take a walk, and is notorious as a destination for young couples
attempting to escape the disapproving eyes of their families. What they do is
bring an umbrella along, find a nice spot in the grass next to the lake, or
near a tree, and huddle up under it to escape any wondering glances. Two
umbrellas for maximum privacy, as Anna phrased it.
Taste
of North Korea
The restaurant wasn’t actually
called that… but yes there is a North Korean restaurant in Yangon with real
North Korean women working there. In what I can only imagine is some strange
attempt at cultural exchange with other wayward countries, the North Koreans run
this place and send women to work there, alternating the staff every couple of
years. The workers aren’t allowed to leave the compound or associate with
locals, so as to not get any ideas about trying to escape the lovely DPRK. I
heard this all second hand so don’t believe any of it. I was there though. The
food was ok but overpriced. At 8pm all the waitresses stop and perform songs. The
highlight was when they manned instruments for a stirring rendition of John
Denver’s Country Roads. Funny thing is, the singer probably really meant it
when she pleaded for West Virginia to take her.
With a semester of hard work
ahead of me at Edinburgh, I miss my time in Burma. I miss the warm weather, the
flip-flops, and the excitement of seeing and doing new things every day. I miss
the cheap chewing gum, Myanmar Beer, bootleg dvds, and driving around Yangon
with the windows down blasting Burmese hip-hop music. Most of all I miss Anna.
This trip was the experience of my life thus far, and I won’t soon forget it.
I want to thank a couple of
people who helped me a great deal: Anna’s family, particularly her grandmother
for graciously welcoming me into her home, and Anna’s mother for her
hospitality as well as arranging all of the travel. Also my mom for
unexpectedly fronting half of my plane ticket, and both of my parents for being
happy and excited at what I was doing, rather than worried and apprehensive. My
biggest thank you goes to Anna, who gave up an entire month of her summer,
sacrificing time with her family and friends, to give me the time of my life. I
can never repay her for that.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do
with this blog from here. I might just end with this post, or rename it
something else and go on posting about my experiences in Scotland and elsewhere.
At any rate, if you have read this blog and followed me this far, I thank you
and hope that you enjoyed sharing Burma with me. Cheers.
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