Yangon- Myanmar

We are in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar and a population of 5.2 million. It has a totally different 'feel' of a city compared to both Mandalay and Bagan. It's definitely more cosmopolitan but it is still rich in old customs. One of the practices is releasing 'free' birds:

                                 

There are vendors who have birds for sale for 1,000 Kyats (about $1) and as a buddhist custom, you can 'free' the bird as a good omen and fortune. We've seen in other places where you could 'free' fish, birds, etc as buddhists love all things living.

Also, we found a lot of people in this city wearing the thanaka powder in daily life, actually more so than other parts of the country:

As well, when we've visited the pagodas here in Yangon, the prayers and meditation that we've seen people engage in is quite extraordinary:

There is a huge temple complex in Yangon called the Shwedagon Pagoda and there are hundreds of shrines and stupas; it's Yangon’s most famous landmark:

The massive 99 meter high gold plated pagoda in the middle has a diamond studded spire (actually 4531 diamonds; the largest of which is a 72 carat diamond) set on top:

Built over 2500 years ago and many shrines added throughout the years, it's also Myanmar’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage site. At night, it's lit up with spotlights and can be seen around the city.

According to their ancient history, in 588 BC, 8 strands of Buddha's hair were given to two merchants as blessings and they were enshrined with relics from two other buddhas. There is also a shrine with Buddha's sacred tooth relic (like Sri Lanka) which is revered here. 

It's been estimated that the umbrella atop the Shwedagon Pagoda is worth nearly US$3 billion. Its main stupa alone is plated with nearly 22,000 solid gold bars, and estimates of the pagoda’s total gold range from 9 to 60 tonnes. Its main spire boasts 2300 rubies, sapphires, and other gems, and 4000 golden bells. And none of this includes the gold, jewels, and 21st-century LED displays that swirl around many of the Buddhas and hundreds of other buildings on the pagoda platform:

It's said that the Pagoda complex has more gold than all the vaults in England and it absolutely dazzles your eyes and imagination in having so much gold in a religious complex like this.

We also visited the home of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's current Prime Minister elect (April 2016) who was under house arrest for 15 of the last 20 odd years:

                                

She was elected in 1990 as the Prime Minister of Burma but the governing military, since 1962, did not let her political party, the National League for Democracy join the government. After elections in Burma in 2010, she was released from house arrest in November 2010 but she was not allowed to take part in the 2010 election as the government banned anyone who had been arrested. That is why she has the title of Prime Minister elect.

There is a President for Myanmar and theoretically he is to institute the direction and strategy of "Mother Suu" as affectionately known by her people. There is mixed reviews, however, on how autonomous she can be and the recent 'agreements' with the military is raising some eyebrows internationally.

Next up- Vietnam

Earthquake Impact on Bagan- Myanmar

When I told my friend Tom that we were going to Bagan which was in the epicenter of the earthquake in Myanmar the day after it hit, he emailed back saying:

 "Heading to the epicenter. So your IQ remains unchanged by the shock"... 

You got to love your friends, right? Just so you know, we're not complete quackerjacks! We checked the news at our hotel about after shocks, etc. and Bagan wasn't hit nearly as hard as Italy so we decided to go. 

When the earthquake hit Myanmar, we were in our hotel in Mandalay and the whole building was moving back and forth, a surreal experience. We went downstairs and out to the road but you could still feel the earth moving and there's very little you can do except pray until it stops. Thankfully, nothing collapsed in Mandalay. Bagan is another story- it WAS in the epicenter and there is visible damage (but again nothing like Italy). 

Some history on Bagan, this is an old city and has a spectacular landscape of more than 2,200 pagodas, temples and monasteries all built between the 11th and 13th centuries. So these buildings are 700- 900 years old.

Our guide in Bagan was actually on a tour that day and said it was like jumping up and down except the earth was doing the moving! The most major damage was at the Sulamani temple. Here's a shot from the Internet of what it looked like before the quake and then our shot when we arrived:

There was also damage to other temples and stupas:

Thank goodness most of the pagodas remain standing. It was kind of an eerie feeling walking into some of the buildings though. There were some buildings completely closed with police around to ensure you wouldn't go in. And you couldn't climb any of the temples and police patrolled all of those. Still for some, it just didn't feel safe and we avoided going in. But the beauty is awesome:

On our tour, the last temple we went to was called the Ananda Phay which is a spectacular renovated buddhist temple from 1090 A.D.:

There are 4 remarkable buddhas made of wood (single trees) and measuring 30 feet high, one each representing the north, south, east and west entrance:

The pictures might not show the incredible beauty of these masterpieces. Just thinking how the artists could figure out the lighting (when there was no electricity) and show the beauty of these statues, it just boggles the mind!

Mandalay- Myanmar

We are in Myanmar (it used to be called Burma), a country of 53 million people and located to the west of Thailand. We came here primarily because the travel blogs spoke about an untapped market and they're right!

Our first stop is Mandalay, in the north. Some aspects of this city are amazing. I was initially surprised at the longhis worn by men (around 80% of them- business and casual attire):

Also, the women (and men) wear a makeup called thanaka, a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark:

In addition to cosmetic beauty, thanaka also gives a cooling sensation and provides protection from sunburn. People here also believe it helps remove acne and promote smooth skin.   

In Mandalay, a population of 1.2 million, there are pagodas golore:

If the pagoda is big in design and you can go inside, it is called a temple and there is usually a buddha statue inside for prayer. If there is no inner temple it's called a stupa and there are usually things of value (like books, jewelry, combs) that are buried inside the structure. Families who own land and almost all Myanmar people will provide money to build and maintain these pagodas.

We visited one famous Buddha figure at the Mahamuni temple:

This temple is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. To pay respect to the Buddha image, male devotees apply an actual gold leaf to the image (this gold has been hammered for hours and is thinner than thin paper, about the size of a large postage stamp):

We were told by our guide that women are not allowed to participate, simply stated and no discussion given. Over the years, the buddha has grown to over 15 cm thick. In gold alone it is worth about $300 million U.S. but it is considered a priceless religious figure.

Another tradition we saw on our tour is the feeding of monks at the Mahagandhayon Monastery which houses over 1,000 monks. This is a centuries old tradition for lay people to support the buddhist monks with food daily:

Here, the monks and novices (in white and extremely young) line up for food.

A tourist attraction we visited just outside the city is the longest teak bridge in the world:

The fascinating thing about this 'bridge' is that during their hot season (March- May) there is NO WATER and the bridge stands about 30 feet high over farm land!! Hard to believe with the size of the lake we walked across.

I was super amazed at two things- almost everyone has a cell phone and a motorbike. Thanks to the Chinese, they sell smartphones for as low as $30 brand new:

This one, a Smart10 from ZTE is unlocked, runs Android 5.1 and has camera, video and music capability.

And you can buy a Chinese motorbike brand new for $300- $500 and it will last about 5 to 6 years (then pitch). This is the mode of transport for about 90% of the people in Mandalay:

There are stands by the side of the road with entrepreneurs bottling gasoline in used 1 litre water bottles for $1 or you can buy it at a gas station for 70 cents a litre.

The one downside of what we saw and discussed were the low wages of workers here. Our guide graduated after 4 years of university as a metallurgical engineer but couldn't find a job except in mines up north for $150/ month. So she got a job in a hotel for $90/ month for two years and she studied to be a travel guide. She is now making $120/ month and lives in the city with her aunt and uncle. It's common for 5- 6 university educated professionals making $100- $150 per month (or about 65- 95 cents an hour) to live together and pay $200 rent total for a two room flat. 

With 30 years of military rule and self imposed isolation until 2007- Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in Asia and they have a long way to go. The people we've spoken with are very optimistic about their future!

Chiang Mai- Thailand

We flew up to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand with a population of 1.4 million for it's history and 'off the beaten track' atmosphere. It was founded in 1296 and has over 300 temples or 'wats' (buddhist temples):

We never tire of the beauty of these temples and all seem to have their own unique characteristics. Some date back to the 13th and 14th century. What amazed us was the reverence buddhists have and show when they visit these temples.

When we were at Wat Chedi Luang, we went over to the 'Monks Corner' where you could meet and talk with an actual monk. We did even better, meeting up with a fellow named Karen who just two months ago gave up being a monk after 12 years:

He joined as a novice when he was 14 and became a full fledged monk when he was twenty. For his 12 years in the monastery, he was not allowed to own anything nor go to movies, couldn't drink alcohol and really couldn't do anything 'for pleasure'. But he was allowed to visit his family twice a year and he received an excellent education. He knew when he became a monk that he wanted to teach some day (he felt it was his vocation) but as a monk, you could not have a career. So two months ago, he left and is studying for his 3 day exams set for next month. If he passes, he can teach elementary school anywhere in Thailand. It was interesting to hear him talk about the 'competitiveness' of these exams as he never had this type of pressure before. It was great to meet up with him. 

We also saw in Chiang Mai (and in Bangkok) 'Spirit Houses', a bit bigger than a doll house that are 2- 4 stories high. I had to look these up on the Internet to understand what these signified:

You see these everywhere- outside a business, in front of a hotel, in the corner garden area of a restaurant, etc. The purpose of the Spirit House is to provide an appealing shelter for the spirits, or celestial beings, who would otherwise reside in the heavens. According to folklore, the spirits themselves are either good or evil, but most are just finicky and mischievous, demanding respect from humans and capable of disastrous interferences if they don't get their way. These have become tradition for the Thais and an integral part of their culture. The style and construction of these houses may be as simple as a typical Thai-style shelter or as elaborate as a Thai palace. Interesting indeed!

For me and Thailand- one thing for sure, I'm done with Thai massages! We did another one here- Cathy for feet and myself for back, neck and head. Let's just say that Cathy had a small, petit Thai lady whereas I had a Big Bertha. Here are the tables they use:

They're larger than in North America because you and the therapist are on it together a lot. Cathy did fine with the lady doing reflexology on her feet. But with Big Bertha and I, she'd be on all fours sometimes walking her fists up my back and other times using elbow joints to make sure my ribs were separated enough. One time I thought the earth crushed my back and prayed for her to get off so my lungs could start breathing again. It's fair to say Thai is not my favourite type of massage. I swear she either cracked or bruised one of my ribs!

Next up- Myanmar

Thai Cooking

Who would have thought we would be doing actual Thai cooking in Bangkok!

Cathy read in the Toronto Star a few weeks ago about someone who was in Thailand and took a day cooking course so it was natural to try it out, right? Bottom line- it was an incredible day of learning how Thai people prepare their food and what ingredients they use:

We went to Amita's Cooking Class by boat to her small compound where she grows most of her spices just outside her open kitchen class. Guess what the favourite base for Thai dishes are?... coconut milk, coconut oil, sugar and salt. It's the mixture that gives it that kind of sweet taste. There were a total of 4 dishes that we made:

Coconut Rice and Papaya Salad. You peel the papaya and then shred/ grate and mix with garlic, cherry tomatoes, dried shrimps and long beans with a dressing of lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind paste

Barbecued Satay with spicy peanut sauce. We used sliver pork (advice- best to freeze the pork loin for an hour first to slice real thin!) but you could use chicken or beef. You grind together coriander, cumin, palm sugar and garlic and along with coconut milk you baste while barbecuing

Green curry chicken in coconut milk. You start with green curry paste, then coconut milk to cook the chicken, adding fish sauce and palm sugar for seasoning; then pea eggplants (didn't like them though), chilies and sweet basil leaves

We finished off with a Mango Sticky Rice dessert which was amazing.

It certainly helped that she taught us each of the dishes first and then had all the ingredients measured and ready for us to barbecue and cook using a wok when it was our turn. By taking the time in understanding how the base of each dish was put together, you appreciate the healthy aspect of Thai food. Even I was impressed with the taste of the food and really pleased we didn't have to clean up afterwards!