I arrived to my final destination in Burma, and of my 3 month South East Asia tour, in the bitter cold around 530am. Suddenly I was in Yangon, Burma. Burma's capital. The night before I had been chatting with two curious monks on the bus, and I'm pretty sure that when they tried talking to me in the freezing morning once we arrived I was crabby towards them! Not cool, Emily...bad karma!!
It was December 31st, and my flight back to Bangkok left at 8am on January 1, 2013. Figuring that I would be out celebrating all night, I decided that I didn't want to spend the money on a hotel room. So, I needed to find a safe location to ditch my backpack for the day, and then go out adventuring! My only real priority in Yangon was to see the famously remarkable "Shwedagon Pagoda." Hilariously, I opted to take a songtaew (a covered local pick-up truck...about 10 cents/ ride) instead of a more expensive taxi, because I didn't have enough kyat left to pay for the taxi! The man collecting money on the songtaew helped tell me where to get off, and several of the people riding helped "get" me and my backpack off as it was so packed in there!!! Amazingly, when I went into a bank to try and exchange some crisp USD for kyat, the bank teller helping me said that there is no money exchange nearby, and that I would need to take a taxi; I told her that I would walk because I only had dollars, and she still hailed a taxi for me. I said, "It's okay, I don't have enough kyat" (It would have been about 2000 kyat or $2.50) She said "It's okay...I pay for you!" I was so touched! Unbelievable kindness and generosity.
I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda. I left my backpack at a reception desk after paying my ill-maintained $5 foreigner fee, rode an elevator up 4 flights, and suddenly I was basking in the glory of the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was a beautiful day, and the sky was so blue against the gold of the pagoda. There were many people walking around the pagoda, locals praying, Thais praying. It was amazing to be there at 8am. However, I knew that if I wanted to explore for the day I needed to find a safe place to leave my bag, and to freshen up a bit. I took a little walk away from Shwedagon down a little winding downhill alley. Suddenly I was on a main road again, and there was a big sign on a rather fancy-looking building that said "Yuwana Hotel." As I waited in line to speak with reception, I watched a Korean guest's two $100 bills be turned down because they had a slight crease in them from the man's wallet (intense!) The people at reception let me keep my backpack behind the front desk, and I used their lobby bathroom to freshen up. Perfect :) I grabbed my sunglasses, pocketbook, and camera, and I was off again! I wanted to go to a local crafts market (because Burma has amazingg handmade things!) and the reception wrote down the name of the "market" for me in Burmese. Suddenly, I was at a shopping mall. I walked around, exchanged some more money, and then took yet another walk through downtown Yangon. To many Westerners, Yangon would not seem like a city. There are no skyscrapers, the roads have potholes, and many of the buildings are outdated and in crumbling condition. I though about Yangon even 2 years ago, and how it must have felt quite similar but the government was much stronger. (It is still mind boggling to me...the concept of an oppressive military regime in such a staunch Buddhist country!) As I walked along a main road, I got many stares, and many smiles. Outside of the Shwedagon Pagoda, I only saw 2 other foreigners in my entire full day in Yangon.
Fun random fact that I want to remember: The toilet paper in Burma is the equivalent texture/ material of party streamers in the USA!
In one of the shopping malls I spotted a farang man wearing a longhi. I thought to myself, "Now this looks like a man who knows a thing or two about Burma! Maybe he will know where to direct me to go searching for some Burmese crafts. Sure enough, he was a German man married to a Burmese woman. The two of them were opening up a hotel 2 hours north of Yangon. She knew exactly where to send me, and she wrote it down for me in Burmese. I hopped in a taxi, and drove for about 15 minutes, only to find that the craft area had moved. My taxi driver parked the car and went to ask some of the construction workers around if they knew where everyone moved. After some banter that I didn't understand, we got back in the car and were off to a new location. I remember having a moment in the taxi thinking, "Wow, I am in Burma by myself, in a taxi in Yangon by myself, going on an adventure quest to god knows where, and I am totally comfortable. Life is crazy, amazing, wonderful sometimes!"
We found a wholesale shop on a small bustling narrow alley. I paid my driver and got out. There were lots of beautiful paintings and art to hang on walls, but the teak and mother of pearl salad tongs that I'd been hoping to find were nowhere to be found. I was a bit discouraged. However, the woman working at the shop showed me a little bin of treasures: mother of pearl carved miniature spoons! The more I looked at them, the more I liked them and my now flexible mind started to shift gears. The spoons were little lion-fish designs (Singapore style) but the mother of pearl material and carving work came from Burma. In Singapore, each spoon was sold for $25 (at least that's what she said). I paid $3 :) I ended up buying about 20 little spoons from the jumbled bin, and having so much fun talking to the women who worked in this small shop. One of the women asked me what my religion was, or if I was from Israel. I told her I was American but Jewish. She was so proud of herself and goes, "I knew it! I could see it in your face...I am married to an Israeli man who is much older than me!" I get such a kick out of conversations like that one :)
Very happy, I headed back to Yuwana Hotel after a few hours in that shop. For New Year's Eve, I headed back up to the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was all lit up at night, and there were hundreds of candles everywhere. It was out of this world. While I was wandering around alone, two seated monks (in their late 20s and early 30s) asked me where I was from. I stopped and sat with them for a while. We shared stories of our backgrounds and countries. Then they took me on a "walking tour" around the pagoda. They pointed out things around me that I never would have known the meaning- or that they even were significant- on my own. Then we walked around the pagoda to see the 76 karat diamond at the top of the pagoda sparkle in different vibrant colors, depending on where you were standing...exactly! I was absolutely intrigued, enamored with this...I could not believe how vibrantly that diamond sparkled. It really did change from orange to green to pink! Amazing...
Around 10pm the pagoda closed, so me and my two new monk friends went for some late night tea. (Don't forget, monks only eat once a day...at breakfast). They took me to their favorite tea shop, where we sat down and had delicious sweet tea. My friends asked me about Apple products, and they told me I looked like Kate Winslet (that's a first!) We traded gmail's :)! When it was time to leave, they told me that they got their tea for free, but that mine would be 200 kyat (about 25 cents). I gave the little boy serving me 1000kyat and he lit up. I told him "Happy New Year." Everyone smiled.
They walked me back to the Yuwana Hotel, which was very near their monastery. I thanked them and we said goodnight. There was still an hour until midnight. People were in the streets late, but there was no screaming, heavy drinking or debauchery. There was just an excited "energy." I spent the rest of the night taking a small nap on one of the hotel's couches, and chatting with a nice Vietnamese man from Saigon about his family. He was a contractor in Burma, and he was waiting for the internet to work so that he could call his family back in Vietnam. He told me that only 30,000 people at one time in Yangon can be on the internet at once, at any time. Wow. I showed him pictures from my trip to Vietnam and he said that they made him kind of sad, because he misses home. He showed me pictures of his one college-aged daughter- she was clearly his pride and joy. Around 130am, when there still was no internet. He went to sleep. I took a small nap, only to wake up around 4am to head to the airport for my flight back to Thailand. It had been a great trip, but I was ready. I was able to share a bus ride with a group of Vietnamese tourists that passed right by the airport. It was perfect, and I gave the kind bellboy at Yuwana Hotel all of my extra kyat :)
At the airport, everyone was waiting in line around 6am to check in. Then when the teller changed counters a lot of people ran to be the first in line in the new line. A young student from Tufts and myself had been the two first people in line. When a huge THAI man and his wife tried to budge everyone (including us) a kind Middle-eastern man behind us told the couple to "keep their place in line." Well, the huge Thai man was not too thrilled that someone was telling him what to do, even though it was the right thing to do! He aggressively could be heard telling this man, "You want to mess with me?! I am in the Thai Police force. I will have you arrested!!!" It was nasty. And unnecessary. In Thailand, Thais hate the police. They will often express that they are very corrupt. This encounter just added fuel to the fire of a a bad stereotype and "feeling" I have with Thai police. It was ridiculous. Later in customs, I went over the the nice man who was being harassed and thanked him, telling him that he did the right thing, and laughing at the absurdity that this Thai creep threatened to have him arrested for telling him to not cut the line hahaha. People.
The next day, back in Thailand, I heard that last night's New Year's Eve was the first time in over 50 years that the Burmese could openly celebrate. Wow...
Burma was an amazing, difficult, magical trip. I am so glad that I saw it now instead of 10 years from now. It is already changing every minute...
It was December 31st, and my flight back to Bangkok left at 8am on January 1, 2013. Figuring that I would be out celebrating all night, I decided that I didn't want to spend the money on a hotel room. So, I needed to find a safe location to ditch my backpack for the day, and then go out adventuring! My only real priority in Yangon was to see the famously remarkable "Shwedagon Pagoda." Hilariously, I opted to take a songtaew (a covered local pick-up truck...about 10 cents/ ride) instead of a more expensive taxi, because I didn't have enough kyat left to pay for the taxi! The man collecting money on the songtaew helped tell me where to get off, and several of the people riding helped "get" me and my backpack off as it was so packed in there!!! Amazingly, when I went into a bank to try and exchange some crisp USD for kyat, the bank teller helping me said that there is no money exchange nearby, and that I would need to take a taxi; I told her that I would walk because I only had dollars, and she still hailed a taxi for me. I said, "It's okay, I don't have enough kyat" (It would have been about 2000 kyat or $2.50) She said "It's okay...I pay for you!" I was so touched! Unbelievable kindness and generosity.
I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda. I left my backpack at a reception desk after paying my ill-maintained $5 foreigner fee, rode an elevator up 4 flights, and suddenly I was basking in the glory of the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was a beautiful day, and the sky was so blue against the gold of the pagoda. There were many people walking around the pagoda, locals praying, Thais praying. It was amazing to be there at 8am. However, I knew that if I wanted to explore for the day I needed to find a safe place to leave my bag, and to freshen up a bit. I took a little walk away from Shwedagon down a little winding downhill alley. Suddenly I was on a main road again, and there was a big sign on a rather fancy-looking building that said "Yuwana Hotel." As I waited in line to speak with reception, I watched a Korean guest's two $100 bills be turned down because they had a slight crease in them from the man's wallet (intense!) The people at reception let me keep my backpack behind the front desk, and I used their lobby bathroom to freshen up. Perfect :) I grabbed my sunglasses, pocketbook, and camera, and I was off again! I wanted to go to a local crafts market (because Burma has amazingg handmade things!) and the reception wrote down the name of the "market" for me in Burmese. Suddenly, I was at a shopping mall. I walked around, exchanged some more money, and then took yet another walk through downtown Yangon. To many Westerners, Yangon would not seem like a city. There are no skyscrapers, the roads have potholes, and many of the buildings are outdated and in crumbling condition. I though about Yangon even 2 years ago, and how it must have felt quite similar but the government was much stronger. (It is still mind boggling to me...the concept of an oppressive military regime in such a staunch Buddhist country!) As I walked along a main road, I got many stares, and many smiles. Outside of the Shwedagon Pagoda, I only saw 2 other foreigners in my entire full day in Yangon.
Fun random fact that I want to remember: The toilet paper in Burma is the equivalent texture/ material of party streamers in the USA!
In one of the shopping malls I spotted a farang man wearing a longhi. I thought to myself, "Now this looks like a man who knows a thing or two about Burma! Maybe he will know where to direct me to go searching for some Burmese crafts. Sure enough, he was a German man married to a Burmese woman. The two of them were opening up a hotel 2 hours north of Yangon. She knew exactly where to send me, and she wrote it down for me in Burmese. I hopped in a taxi, and drove for about 15 minutes, only to find that the craft area had moved. My taxi driver parked the car and went to ask some of the construction workers around if they knew where everyone moved. After some banter that I didn't understand, we got back in the car and were off to a new location. I remember having a moment in the taxi thinking, "Wow, I am in Burma by myself, in a taxi in Yangon by myself, going on an adventure quest to god knows where, and I am totally comfortable. Life is crazy, amazing, wonderful sometimes!"
We found a wholesale shop on a small bustling narrow alley. I paid my driver and got out. There were lots of beautiful paintings and art to hang on walls, but the teak and mother of pearl salad tongs that I'd been hoping to find were nowhere to be found. I was a bit discouraged. However, the woman working at the shop showed me a little bin of treasures: mother of pearl carved miniature spoons! The more I looked at them, the more I liked them and my now flexible mind started to shift gears. The spoons were little lion-fish designs (Singapore style) but the mother of pearl material and carving work came from Burma. In Singapore, each spoon was sold for $25 (at least that's what she said). I paid $3 :) I ended up buying about 20 little spoons from the jumbled bin, and having so much fun talking to the women who worked in this small shop. One of the women asked me what my religion was, or if I was from Israel. I told her I was American but Jewish. She was so proud of herself and goes, "I knew it! I could see it in your face...I am married to an Israeli man who is much older than me!" I get such a kick out of conversations like that one :)
Very happy, I headed back to Yuwana Hotel after a few hours in that shop. For New Year's Eve, I headed back up to the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was all lit up at night, and there were hundreds of candles everywhere. It was out of this world. While I was wandering around alone, two seated monks (in their late 20s and early 30s) asked me where I was from. I stopped and sat with them for a while. We shared stories of our backgrounds and countries. Then they took me on a "walking tour" around the pagoda. They pointed out things around me that I never would have known the meaning- or that they even were significant- on my own. Then we walked around the pagoda to see the 76 karat diamond at the top of the pagoda sparkle in different vibrant colors, depending on where you were standing...exactly! I was absolutely intrigued, enamored with this...I could not believe how vibrantly that diamond sparkled. It really did change from orange to green to pink! Amazing...
Around 10pm the pagoda closed, so me and my two new monk friends went for some late night tea. (Don't forget, monks only eat once a day...at breakfast). They took me to their favorite tea shop, where we sat down and had delicious sweet tea. My friends asked me about Apple products, and they told me I looked like Kate Winslet (that's a first!) We traded gmail's :)! When it was time to leave, they told me that they got their tea for free, but that mine would be 200 kyat (about 25 cents). I gave the little boy serving me 1000kyat and he lit up. I told him "Happy New Year." Everyone smiled.
They walked me back to the Yuwana Hotel, which was very near their monastery. I thanked them and we said goodnight. There was still an hour until midnight. People were in the streets late, but there was no screaming, heavy drinking or debauchery. There was just an excited "energy." I spent the rest of the night taking a small nap on one of the hotel's couches, and chatting with a nice Vietnamese man from Saigon about his family. He was a contractor in Burma, and he was waiting for the internet to work so that he could call his family back in Vietnam. He told me that only 30,000 people at one time in Yangon can be on the internet at once, at any time. Wow. I showed him pictures from my trip to Vietnam and he said that they made him kind of sad, because he misses home. He showed me pictures of his one college-aged daughter- she was clearly his pride and joy. Around 130am, when there still was no internet. He went to sleep. I took a small nap, only to wake up around 4am to head to the airport for my flight back to Thailand. It had been a great trip, but I was ready. I was able to share a bus ride with a group of Vietnamese tourists that passed right by the airport. It was perfect, and I gave the kind bellboy at Yuwana Hotel all of my extra kyat :)
At the airport, everyone was waiting in line around 6am to check in. Then when the teller changed counters a lot of people ran to be the first in line in the new line. A young student from Tufts and myself had been the two first people in line. When a huge THAI man and his wife tried to budge everyone (including us) a kind Middle-eastern man behind us told the couple to "keep their place in line." Well, the huge Thai man was not too thrilled that someone was telling him what to do, even though it was the right thing to do! He aggressively could be heard telling this man, "You want to mess with me?! I am in the Thai Police force. I will have you arrested!!!" It was nasty. And unnecessary. In Thailand, Thais hate the police. They will often express that they are very corrupt. This encounter just added fuel to the fire of a a bad stereotype and "feeling" I have with Thai police. It was ridiculous. Later in customs, I went over the the nice man who was being harassed and thanked him, telling him that he did the right thing, and laughing at the absurdity that this Thai creep threatened to have him arrested for telling him to not cut the line hahaha. People.
The next day, back in Thailand, I heard that last night's New Year's Eve was the first time in over 50 years that the Burmese could openly celebrate. Wow...
Burma was an amazing, difficult, magical trip. I am so glad that I saw it now instead of 10 years from now. It is already changing every minute...
My last-ever bus ride in Southeast Asia. I had a moment.
Hilarious: Burmese love to do Burmese-language covers
of American classics...On the TV screen someone is singing
the Justin Bieber song "Baby" in Burmese!!!
My DELICIOUS sweet and sour chicken bus-stop food.
I ate with a Chinese couple (the wife was originally born
in Burma) who had helped me earlier find the right bus :)
Waiting for the songtaew in a very local area.
The monks in Burma still walk in bare feet (right)
Shwedagon Pagoda
A woman praying inside the pagoda
A Buddha within Shwedagon
The blue sky against gold....Eye candy.
Locals chilling out :)
This was really cool to see. I am not sure what these people
were doing, but they were alternating pouring some sort of
holy water on themselves and each other. It was cool to watch.
Images depicting Siddartha (later Buddha's) story
The holy water...
Shwedagon Pagoda is HUGE!
Next to Yuwana Hotel: Window cleaners
clean the windows using a bamboo rope!!!
I'm not in Chicago anymore...
The sign in front of the crafts warehouse that moved.
How beautiful is Burmese writing?!
For 15 months I have wanted to capture a picture of a
knockoff 7/11 store. On my last day, mission accomplished.
New Year's Eve in Yangon
(Shwedagon Pagoda)
Peace!
Candles everywhere...
My monk friends later told me that these candles are
lit every night, not just because it was NYE.
Groups of people praying. Ugh :)
I absolutely love this photograph.
Glistening golden pillars
Do you see the yellow top-most sparkle?
That is the famous 76 karat diamond that changes
colors depending on where you stand!
Me with my two new monk friends!
Much better :)
A photograph of the top of the pagoda, up close.
So many jewels!!! Can't believe that...
You saw it against the blue sky,
here it is against a black sky!!!
Love this one.
(They loved looking at the pictures too!)
I remember the Burmese man who we asked to take this
photo had never before taken a photograph on
a camera before, and the first one didn't really come
out. He was clearly nervous about
messing it up again, but I was very kind about it.
He should be a photographer!
Do you see the moon?!
Sometimes images are so picturesque that it seems like they aren't real.
Many Buddhas
There is that moon again!
New Year's Eve tea :)
He told me, jokingly, that he's always hungry haha
At the Yangon airport, very interesting cities chosen to show time zones :)
From left: Bangkok, Tokyo, Myanmar, Hong Kong/ Kuala Lumpur/
Kumming/ Singapore, Kolkata, U.T.C. (don't know what this is) and Doha.
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