Sout East Asia

[Justiceiro]

Part V- By Rail Across the Raj; Rangoon to Mandalay

The next destination we had in mind was the mystical city of Mandalay. I'm not sure why, but the name "Mandalay" has always exercised a sort of fascination for me, even before I had ever heard of Burma. I'm relatively sure it has nothing to do with Madalay Bay in Las Vegas. (By the way, Mandalay is nowhere near the ocean.)

Perhaps it was this;

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say;
"Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay;
Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', and it's there that I would be--
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
O the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

Travelling here certainly gives one a greater appreciation of Kipling.

But first we had to get there, and that is not as easy as one might imagine.


There are several ways to move about within Burma; by Bus, Train, or Plane. The locals recommend Planes, but we were down to $700 for the next 10 days, and I find flying an excellent way to get somewhere fast, but not necessarily to enjoy one's self.

Bus, I assumed, would be quite harrowing. Most of my foreign driving experience has been limited to Portugal , which has who I thought were the craziest drivers in the world. Once I reached China I was quickly disabused of this notion. Surely the Train would be faster, safer, and more in the style of a trip backwards in time, no?

Of course, locals reacted with horror when I tried to purchase a train ticket. They stoutly recommended the bus. Even the station agent tried to dissuade me, but I was not to be dissuaded!

So we bought a 6:30 scheduled overnight on the "15 up." (all Trains in Burma are "up" or "down." Up means North. The scheduled time of travel was 14 hours, with an early morning arrival in Mandalay.

This was, sadly, not to be.

We left the hotel laden with backpacks and photo gear at 6pm. My wife is, well, rather Iberian about time. This serves her quite well in Portugal (and in Burma too as it happens) but I am a bit more reminiscint of my scots-irish ancestors when it comes to being on time. So we are running through the streets toward the train station which, along with our unpararalleled foreignness, is making of us quite a spectacle. No one does anything quickly in Burma, much less travelling from place to place. This is due to the great heat and humidity. I guess the only reason to run is if the Tatmadaw or their secret police are chasing you. So we get to the train station with ten minutes to spare, followed by the alarmed gazes of the locals.


Rangoon Central Station in the Evening (well past 6:30)

At this point I am sweatier than I have ever been in my entire life. I could describe it to you, but you would never believe how much sweat a human body can produce. Fortunately, my wife documented the event.


No, this is not the result of a swimming pool incident

My better half, being mediterranean and having spent time living in Africa as a child, was better prepared than I through both genetics and experience; nevertheless, even she was showing some signs of excessive heat.


The Train pulled out of the station around two hours after the scheduled time. Really, the only accurate thing about the schedule was that the train was indeed going "up."

The Train itself was a delight, although decrepit. The floors were of hardwood, the cooling system consisted of electrical fans that were manufactured in the 1930s, as was indeed the train car itself. This was an old British train attached to a newer Diesel Engine.


There was a sleeping car, but it appeared to be reserved for government officials and tour groups. I don't beleive that there were any tour groups on board, but getting approval for a sleeping car ticket involved countless bribes and torturous navigation of the bureaucracy, so we contented ourselves with 1st class- which in Burma means your seats have a cushion. 2nd class means you sit on a hard teak bench, and third class means you ride in the chambers between the cars. People were stacked on the train like cordwood.


Burmese girl tends to her mothers hair en route to Mandalay

We managed to fall asleep, and woke with the dawns light to an eerily beautiful landscape.


Central Burma at Dawn

The trip from Rangoon travels North through the agricultural heart of Burma, along the Sittang river, with the mountains of the Shan state visible in the distance.



The route passes through Tuangoo and Thazi, and eventually ends up in Mandalay.



Along the way, the train stops briefly at a number of small settlements, where folks come out to sell refreshments to the passengers.



Along the way we pass several small Payas, many of which are covered in gold.

It's hard to overistimate the poverty of the Burmese. It's also easy to overstate. What I mean is that the Burmese have a paucity of material goods- and very little money.



the entire 20 hour journey to mandalay, through the rice paddies and such, we saw not a single agricultural machine. All work was done with water buffalo, oxen, or human hands.




But, as I said before, they are rarely destitute because the monestary will take care of them. But they are indeed poor. I asked someone why no one stole the gold from these payas in remote and unguarded places. He looked at me as if I had asked why he didn't sprout wings and fly away- apparently the thought had never occured to him. Folks in Burma are poor, but overwhelmingly honest. At least the civilians are.

Scattered amongst the Paya are a few christian villages, with (I presume) Baptist churches.



Travel by Train is actually a rather expensive endeavor for most Burmese. The most common mode of transport is by converted pickup truck. I once counted 42 people getting off one of these things.


Mass Transit

Around lunch time the Train passed through Thuangyi. Here is a typical Burmese house of that region, not the thatched walls that allow cool breezes to pass through the structure.



We retired to the dining car to have a meal of curry and Burmese Beer.







Around 3-4 pm, the Train finally pulled into Mandalay, which will be the next leg of our travelogue.

[Justiceiro]

Part VI- Mandalay

Mandalay is actually rather a young city. It was founded in 1859 by Mindon Min, the second to last King of Burma.

The The Third Burmese Empire and the Conflict with the British

In the early 1700s a young and vigorous Burmese monarch, Alaungpaya (1711-1760), ascended the throne of what was a country much reduced from its former glory of the 9th and 14th centuries. He would found the Konbyuang dynasty, whcih would rule the Burmese state until its extinction at the hands of the British in 1886.

Under King Pagan Min and his most famous General, Mahabandoola, Burma adopted an expansionist policy in the early 1800s, annexing Arakan, and carrying thier depredations as far afield as Chittagong and Assam. This brought them to the attention of the baleful eye of the British. Their previous experience with Europeans had been with fitful conflicts with the Portuguese (they do show up everywhere, don't they) some 300 years earlier.

the Portuguese presence in Burma was certainly eventful- in the 1500s the Portuguese had contributed ot the destruction of the 2nd Burmese Empire and in 1608 a certain Jose de Brito invaded Rangoon, sacked the Shwedagon, stole a 30 ton bell, lost it in a river, and was later impaled for the enormity of his crime (sacking a paya is about the worst imaginable thing in Burma). But the pasage of time lead the Konbyuang to fail to recognize that the British were a different, more organized, and far more threatening sort of European.

After the second Anglo-Burmese war (1852) the British annexed lower Burma, including Rangoon, with its ideologically important center of the Shwedagon Paya. King Mindon Min, shortly after deposing his older brother in order to bring the hostilities to an end and avoid the Kingdom's total ruination, decided to build an entirely new city, and move his capital there from nearby Amarapura. Thus Mandalay, though a center of Buddhism (consciously made so by Mindon to make up the loss of the Shwedagon) has a paucity off "ancient" things to see. It is about as modern a city as Rangoon, and is second only to Rangoon in population.

Sorry if I dwell overmuch on the details, let us have some pictures!


Zegye Market, Central Mandalay


Protestant Cathedral of Mandalay, from the roof of the Sabai Phyu

We got a hotel a few blocks from the Central Market, the Sabai Phyu Guesthouse. It's run by a very personable Gentleman who is more than happy to help you find things, such as longyi that will fit a westerner ("you need special fat man shop" he told me).

The guest house is relatively cheap (about $10 per person), clean, and has a lovely rooftop eating area. It is located at #58,81st St, between 25th And 26th St. Outside you might find a game of Chinlon being played. It's like volleyball, but played with a rattan sphere and your feet only.




Notice how quickly the longyi can be converted to shorts. Really amazing garment, that.

Mandalay is more useful as a base to explore the surrounding countryside than as a city in itself. It's nice, but new. It does, however, ahve a wonderful night market, and more than it's share of religious institutions, including the entire tripitaka written on giant marble slabs.

As I said before, the monasteries educate the bulk of the youth, this applies to girls as well as boys. During their training, which includes religious precepts as well as literacy, they must live as adult monks do. Every morning they travel through the city or village with a begging bowl or tray. They do not ask for goods to be placed on them, but the local people acquire merit by doing so, and their needs are provided for. These young monks and nuns are known as ko-yin.


Young nuns in the Mandalay market gathering alms

All manner of goods are available in these markets, from handicrafts, to foodstuffs, to bicycle and engine repair shops. Unlike Weinachtsmarkt type things in the west, these markets serve as one of the primary ways that the Burmese exchange goods and services. They are vibrant, and alive.


I told you Burmese Chicks were hot

As I was walking through the market, I was curiously examining some fried locusts for sale with my typical demeanor, which is half detached irony and the other half pompousness, when I was approached by a rather distinguished looking gentleman who spoke perfect english. Better english, in fact, than certain of my relatives who shall remain unnamed. He told me that I ought to partake of the locusts, as they were only available during this short season.

When I attempted to demure, he said "Do you eat these in your country"

"No," I said, "we don't have these insects in my country."

"well, then don't tell me that you are going to come all the way to Myanmar, and miss an opportunity such as this to sample this fine dish."

Seriously, despite the fact that this gentleman was speaking the Queen's English far better even than I could, I recognize what we call in Tennessee a Triple Dog Dare when I hear one. I had to do it in order to save face. The man knew it, the crowd knew it, and they all grinned, waiting for me to force down the locust, which I inevitably did.


The Author gains enormous face

Laughing heartily, and genuinely pleased that I appeared to like the locusts, (I'm not a terrible actor) the man bought me an entire bag of these delicacies.

As I said before, there are few folks that are desitute in Burma (at least in the parts we are allowed to see); but it was then I met the closest thing to a homeless man that I saw in that country- The market crazy guy. But he was crazy only in the sense that you can be in a country with good weather where people are generally nice to you and you always have enough to eat- only mildly so. I took the opportunity to gain great merit by performing an action in accordance with the eightfold path, and give spontaneous alms to this unfortunate man in the form of a bag of fried locusts slipped serriptitiously into his hand.


the Author gains great Merit

It's only now that I review this photo that I realize his shirt says "Big Johnson... every member has his place." I wonder where that came from?

As we wandered around the market, I began to feel it a bit odd that everyone was staring at me- and I mean everyone. I figured it couldn't be because of my foreign origin, Mandalay is far from a backwater and although they they don't get many visitors, they get a decent amount. Additionally, my wife was equally as foreign as me, and a great deal better looking to boot. Why weren't they staring at her?

After a while it dawned on me that it was because I was wearing shorts;

1- Burmese people find showing the legs to be a bit, well, shocking. They are actually quite conservative in these matters, and both male and female Longyi go all the way to the ankle. Bare arms are fine, bare legs- unseemly.

2- My lower legs are quite hairy, which is wierd to the burmese as they are generally not hairy in the slightest. I would imagine very few of them have to shave at all until they are quite advanced in age. My hair is also so white as to be almost invisible.

3- I am the whitest of all white men, with an albedo matched only by the surface of certain moons. As one of my friends put it, I am an outrageous example of cegenation. I don't believe that legs as pale as mine had been seen in mandalay in living memory.

This was getting rather irritating, so I decided to take my host's offer of help in finding a Fat Man Shop. So my wife and I flaged down a trishaw, and off we went. The Trishaw is sort of the Burmese version of the rickshaw or pedicab, as one might find in New York or Macau, except that here it is a serious mode of transport rather than a tourist attraction.


The Trishaw carries two passengers sitting back to back, in addition to the driver.

The trishaw driver explained, dissapointed, that our destination was only a few blocks away. He offered to take us anyway- when we declined, he said (in very good english) that he wouldn't charge us.

Now normally this is where my antenna go up. Free ride, my friend, just a little stop by my uncle's shop. anyone who has travelled anywhere from the Levant to China has heard this before. But they guy was sooo nice...

Actually, he was nice, he drove us slowly to our destination all of 400 ft. away, chatting about where we were from, etc. and then dropped us off. He chatted for a few more minutes, and he took off without payment. When I tried to give him some anyway, he absolutely refused.

I encountered this over and over again in Burma. I don't know what the root causes are- perhaps its the fact that there aren't enough tourists to support an industry or business method devoted to ripping them off, perhaps the Burmese are genuinely nicer folks than average, but all along our trip we experienced nothing but kindness from strangers.

Getting out of the City

We had set our sights on visiting two locations relatively near Mandalay- Amarapura and Mingun. so we set out to see Amarapura, the capitol that Mindon Min had abandoned in order to move to Mandalay.


Kids on bikes bid us a goodbye, and a safe return to Mandalay

Part VII- Amarapura

We caught a "minibus" a few blocks from our hotel, near the zegye market. Minibuses in Burma are actually converted pickup trucks with a covering over the bed and benches inside. On the back is a platform, as there is on the top, and iron bars are welded to the sides. The market was the beginning point of the minibus to Amarapura, and we discovered that it would cost us about $0.30 to get there. The minibus at that point being empty, we comfortably settled inside and prepared for a quick journey to amarapura.


A mini-bus, rather lightly peopled, like the one to Amarapura

As the truck began to move further and further down its route, it began to get more and more full. Soon I discovered the reason for the platforms ont he back. When women would alight, men would move towards the rear, then onto the platform, then on to the roof, and finally, start clinging to the iron bars attached to the sides. By the time we reached our destination, I counted how many people were on the pick up truck, includign myself and the driver- 42. I shudder to think what a Burmese traffic accident looks like. At one point I was standing on the back platform with the tips of my toes, my arms encompassing not one, but two other burmese men in my embrace in order to hold onto an iron bar and thus steady myself. This is how one gets about medium distances in Burma.

Amarapura showed little of the glory of what it had once been. Royal palaces were constructed of teak, and then broken apart and moved when the capital moved. Only the pagodas were permanent.

We were attempting also to find a village called Inwa, but our pidgin english directions only got us to a strange sort of fort, where we were supposed to catch some sort of ferry. We saw no ferry, but quite a bit of snaky grass. And, as snakes in Burma are no joke, And I had a skirt and sandals on, we decided to head directly towards Amarapura and give up on Inwa. Good thing that we did, becuase we almost didn't make it to the famous bridge.


Thebyedan Fortress and Snake Pit

The fort was built right before the 3rd Anglo-Burmese war, to keep the British out of Mandalay. It didn't work.

In Amarapura, a counciler to King Mindon Min had decided to put some of the teak of the royal palace to good use, and constructed U Bein's bridge (named after himself, of course). It is the world's longest teak bridge, at 1.2 kilometers.


U Bein's teak bridge

At dusk, hundreds of people cross it on their way across the river and lake at the end of the day. I was fortunate enough to be there at dusk, for some lovely shots.


Temple and Fisherman, Amarapura

The lake at Amarapura is a popular spot for fisherman, and many of them were just returning from the days work, so it was a hive of activity near the river.






These two girls are wearing traditional Burmese make-up, it is made from ground up tree bark, and serves as both moisturizer and sun screen.




Cylist crosses the Bridge

The ligth began to change dramatically within 10 minutes of arriving. I had feared we would miss sunset, and we were close. For those who wish to travel here, I would suggest leaving plenty of additional time, because there is only about 15 minutes or so of perfect light (Ahh, perfect light, what we all seek!).



Returning Fisherman



I would like to close with one of my favorite shots from Amarapura, from all Burma, and indeed from my entire Asia Trip:


Pescador e Ponte



Later this week- A trip down the Irrawaddy, Mingun, and (Jewel in the Crown) Bagan.

P.S. Could one of the mods change the title of this travelogue from "Sout East Asia" to "South East Asia"? I am afraid I am a horrible speller.

[gluwater]

This is such an awsome thread! Thank you for taking the time to put it together. I like that you have included the history of the areas visited, pictures of the people there and how you got from place to place. I have to ask though, did you know the history and names of all the places you visited before you left for your trip or did you keep a journal and look things up when you got back home. Your images compliment your writing wonderfully and I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your travels.

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by gluwater

This is such an awsome thread! Thank you for taking the time to put it together. I like that you have included the history of the areas visited, pictures of the people there and how you got from place to place. I have to ask though, did you know the history and names of all the places you visited before you left for your trip or did you keep a journal and look things up when you got back home. Your images compliment your writing wonderfully and I am looking forward to reading about the rest of your travels.

I planned the trip about 8 months in advance, so I pretty much knew where I was going to go, and read about everything I could get my hands on abotu Burma in English (which wasn't much). Over there I bought a copy of "The Burman" by Shwe Yoe (some english guy's psuedonymical book about Burmese culture from the early 1900s) and it was great. But I do occasionally hit the books again to remember stuff like dates.

[Antonio Correia]

I am amazed how you as American - I think your wife has an American passport - could travel freely.
May be you were followed all the time by secret agents ... No jocke.

Let me tell you that driving in Portugal is nothing compared to Sry Lanca's.
There, it is absolutelly crazy !

You had a lot of work with this diary because you tell the History of the country.
Very good work.

Is locust sea food ?
I looked in the available diccionary and could not find the translation ...
I have not eaten that. !
But I remember that my wife had left the reading glasses home and she bought a pair in the street, which were good enought for the travel.


Great job. Good photos. Good testemony.
And ... where is the next one ?

[Justiceiro]

Antonio, Locust is like gafonhoto, the one that comes out every 7 years or so.

[Antonio Correia]

Originally Posted by Justiceiro

Antonio, Locust is like gafonhoto, the one that comes out every 7 years or so.

Seafood ???
gafanhoto = locust = thank you

I learned grasshopper for gafanhoto.

[Justiceiro]

O "locust" e o primo do "grasshopper."

[ed_h]

Thanks for the taking the time to share your experience, particularly of Macau my favorite Asian destination.
Ed

[Antonio Correia]

Originally Posted by Justiceiro

O "locust" e o primo do "grasshopper."

You are amazing ...

Nice week end.

[Justiceiro]

Part VII- Mingun and the Irrawaddy

The time had come to leave Mandalay and head towards the last of our major destinations in Burma; Bagan, a city a few hundred kilometers south west of Mandalay which also lies ion the Irrawaddy (now named the Ayeyerwady) river. The Irrawady river starts in the extreme north of Burma, in Kachin state, and flows south by southwest to its nine armed delta in the Vicinity of Rangoon, where it empties into the Andaman Sea.

It is asia's longest undammed river, at 2170 km (1350 miles) and It is navigable by steamers to Bhamo (c.650 mi/1,050 km upstream) and by launches up to Myitkyina. (1300 km).

One of the most interesting ways of travelling upon the Irrawaddy is to take an old IFC (Irrawaddy Flotilla Company) steamer The Steam boats have all been converted to diesel, but look much the same as they did before the war.

Here is the plate I did for my photo book with the logo of the IFC and a little bit of info:



November is the end of the wet season, so the river was relatively high. During the dry season it is not unkown for boats to be stranded for several days upon a sandbar, so river travel in the summer months is not recommended. (there ain't no coast guard to pull you off the bar.)


We caught a taxi from our hotel near the Market to the port. From here one can can catch ships north towards Mykitkina, or south towards Rangoon.



The Port of Mandalay

The Irrawaddy is broad, but shallow.





There are very little in the way of wharves or docks outside of Rangoon, but as most of the boats have a draft of less than three feet (one meter) loading is not a problem. A plank or gangway is simply extended to the bank, and goods and people come aboard.


The Port itself is a hive of activity, with goods beign delivered in crafts large and small, fishermen, traders, etc. But, as I said, there are no obvious docks. Of course, we were obviosu foreigners, so someone was bound to point us in the right direction eventually. When we first arrived for the boat to Mingun, I was convinced we were in the wrong place. But eventualy some folks led us to a hut, where we bought tickets, gave them
our passport numbers and info (lest we were lost at sea) and boarded a small launch to Mingun.



Burmese Woman with Turban "poling" a boat


The boats were something like this:


Short Hual Irrawaddy Launch


The Irrawaddy is relatively free of dangerous marine life.


Burmses cooling off in the river


While travelling upon the river, its interesting to not the large volume of commercial traffic- not surprising for a country where roads are few and in poor condition, and rail is (at best) unreliable.


Boat transporting Teak to the Markets in Rangoon

What's amazing, not only about the boats but about the whole country, is the prevalance of teak. They build everything out of it- boats, furnitures, buildings, its a terribly common wood here. It's strange to see a huge cargo boat go sailing past you on the river, observe the economic station of the pilots, and then think how much they could get for the boat if the sailed it all the way to New York, broke it up, and sold it for the wood. Teak in the US is dreadfully expensive, and hard to find for any price. In burma, its just wood.


Old IFC steamer (diesel conversion) docking at Mingun


Mingun

Mingun is one of a plethora of ex-royal capitals that are now sleepy villages. Currently I think it contains 1500-200 inhabitants, but was once the site of the greatest construction project in Asia- the Mingun Stupa (incomplete).



Woman washing clothes in the river, Mingun

The trip to mingun is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Mandalay, an easy day trip- tickets to and back are about 6-8 USD per person. There is no accomodation in Mingun, so one must either returnt o Mandalay, or attempt to catch a boat to Sagaing. Boats other than launches to Mandalay are few and far between, however. It's better to return to Mandalay and then catch a boat to your next destination (as we did). Mingun is inaccesible by roadso if you miss the last boat, be prepared to camp out.

The first thing one encounters after the ladies greeting the boat at the shore are the lions that gurad the entrance to the Paya complex.




the great Stupa is relatively close to the shore, just inland from the lions. On the way one encounters the architectural model that was used as a guide in construction.



The construction of this stupa was begun in 1790 by King Bodawpaya, and had it been completed, it owuld have stood at 150 meters tall, the tallest in the world. Recall that the Shwedagon is 98 meters, and the worlds tallest stupa in Ayuthaya is 127 meters (although its not nearly as nice as shwedagon). What remains today is only the base of the stupa, all that was ever completed before it was struck by a massive earthquake int he 1800s.


the remaining base of the Mingun Stupa

To get some idea of the scale, compare the size of the people in the doorway to the size of the base, and then imagine if it had been completed to the same dimensions as the model. Unfortunately, Kign Bodawpaya ignored two implacable forces; earthquakes and the British. The dream of the tallest Stupa barely outlasted King Bodawpaya.


Human figures betokent he scale of the Mingun stupa base

The stupa can be climberd, and affords an excellent view of the Irrawaddy river and the surrounding countryside.

King Bodawpaya also had a massive bell cast for the complex (this guy thought big). At 90 tons, it is the worlds largest uncracked bell, and still resonates with a clear and vibrant tone. This is likely the example of the highest level of development of traditional bronzecasting in human history. Apparently the Great Bell of Dhammazedi was bigger (300 tons) but was lost in 1608 when the Portuguese Adventurer Jose de Brito lost it in the Irrawaddy in 1608, attempting to remove it from a temple he had sacked.


King Bodawpaya's Bell at Mingun

A bit down the road from the Mingun Stupa is the Myathein Paya. Built in 1816 by Bodawpaya's succesor, King Bagyidaw, in honor of hist belvoed wife, it represents the buddhist vision of a cosmology centered around Brahma. North Korean media states that the Fruit trees on Mt. Meru bloomed at the hour of Kim Jong Il's birth, despite the fact that it was winter. The news agencies declined, however, to give a physical location for Mt. Meru. The Paya was damaged by an earthquake, but restored by King Mindon Min.



the village of Mingun does not have a large population, but is religiously important, so there are more than a few monks around. Some of thema re quite young.


Happy young Ko-Yin at Mingun



The village itself basically lives off tourists, a few of whom are western and the bulk of whome are burmese pilgrims. One can wander freely about the village, and the locals are quite friendly. There are a number of places serving cheap but good curries between the ship landing (great stupa) and the village.


Burmese Kids playing a game with rules obscure to me


Horse Cart drivers and porters waiting for work

We returned to Mandalay in order to catch the boat to Bagan the next morning. There are onyl two or three a week, so we didn't want to miss it. The boat leaves well before morning light, and it gets loaded with freight and passangers. Some folks were selling the only live monkeys I saw in Burma at the docks at 4 AM. Off point, but I love monkeys. It was tood ark for a picture, and a flash in the face of monkeys could have drastic consequences, so you will have to picture it in your head.

It got light after a few hours on the river, and the full panoply of river life became apparent. Most of the villages on the river were accesible onyl by boat, and quite small.


Riverside village somewhere between Mandalay and Bagan

Other cities are more substantial.


No idea where this is. It's in Burma.

The Irrawady at this time of year is calm and placid, as it is almot all the time. It floods, but the floods are seasonal, and relatively regular. OVerall it is a kind and benevolent member of the local ecosystem.

The Boat contained just about every tourist in Upper Burma. There must have been 20 of us. At this point it was nice to speak english to some folks other than my wife. So we hung out, photographed in the wonderful life, drank some Tiger Beer (Brand name, not actually made from tigers, bit if this were china...) and occasionally used our own private bathroom.


I don't know if I should be insulted, or the Burmese Should


The boat occasionally stopped to pick up and disgorge passengers and freight, and there were impromptu mini-markets at each one of these moments, like here in Pakoku:







The variety of river transport was amazing, from nice Tatmadaw party barges (very rare) to sial craft, diesel, I think some steam, polecraft, rowing powered vessels, everything imaginable. I will close with some boat shots:


Sail Power




Boats in Drydock


One of my favorite boat shots


Finally, around 3 pm we reached our destination, Bagan, capitol of the first great Burmese Empire, home of over 2500 abandoned or semi-abandoned religious structures; Burma's answer to Angkor Wat.



Next Post: Bagan and the conclusion of our Journey.

Thanks for looking!

[Spagbag]

The photos are more fantastic as the journey goes on.

The aerial view of the fruit sellers, the young monk, the fisherman on the bridge... very nice.

[Justiceiro]

(drumroll) Le Grande Finale!

Part VII- Bagan (Pagan)


Bagan is analagous, in a sense, to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, although it does not have uninterrupted service as a major religious center, and it is a whole group of buldings and building complexes spread over 16 square miles. There are over 2,500 abandoned or semi-abandoned religious structures here.
In 1989 the name was changed to Bagan from Pagan, along with many other names in the country. Strangely, the name "Bagan" is used almost universally, even by groups that resist the term "Myanmar."

The city's formal name is(was) Arimaddanapura, which in Pali (the sacred language of Burmese buddhism) means "city of the enemy crusher."
Bagan was founded in the 2nd century AD by the Mon peoples, but was essentially a village until the Burmese moved into the area in the 9th century. Bagan rose to greatness in the 11th Century, when it was the center of the first Burmese empire established by Anawrahta, who overthrew the Mon empire, claimed their Pali Tripitaka from them, and established Therevada Buddhism as the state religion by importing members of the Sangha (Therevadan Clergy) from Sri Lanka. Anawrahta made Bagan the center of Therevada buddhism in south east asia, and began a building campaign which lasted until the violent destruction of the city at the hands of the Mongols in 1287 which ended the 1st Burmese Empire.


Sunset over the Irrawaddy, Bagan

We got to Bagan while it was still light, but had little time to take photos after arranging a hotel. We did, however, manage to get some sunset shots. The best place to take photos for sunset/sunrise is from the top of the Dhammayangyi Temple, the largest structure in Bagan. As you can see in the photo above, its a good idea to bring a polarizing filter.

The great thing about Bagan is that you can get right up in everything. I am sure this drives archeologists to distraction, but for photogs its magnificent. You can scurry about on top of and inside all the monuments, the only limitation being being your girth and your fear of snakes. This will last until some jack ass tourist leaves grafitti (this hasn't happened yet), as the locals regard all these sites as holy. They don't care if you climb on them, but you have to take your shoes off to do so (climbing with shoes is disrespectful.)




Here is a better shot of the Irrawaddy banks.


Prices in Bagan are cheap. The government socks you for a $10 fee as soon as you get off the boat for "reconstruction purposes" (they are planning to build a golf course and an observation tower) but then you catch a cheap cab to "New Bagan" The village everyone was forced to move to from "Old Bagan" a few years ago. The military gave them 24 hours notice.

The hotel was quite nice, it had teak floors, a teak bed, comfortable mattress, and a friendly english speaking staff- all for $14 a night. They also rent bicycles ( a grwat way to get around) for $1 per half-day, or you can get a horse cart and driver for $6/day. Airport Shuttles are available as well in an ancient truck.

The Best Curry I have ever had in my life was in New Bagan- I can't recall the name of the place, but its at the end of the strip that has about 6 restaurants on it (New Bagan is the size of a postage stamp, so you can't really miss it).

We hit the sack, and the next morning rented bikes to check out the ancient city.

The temples and religious structures vary in size a great deal. Some of them are tiny, and sit in the middle of active tomato fields.


Stupas and Tomatos


Buddha Stupas, Bagan

Others are huge, like the giant Thatbyinnyu temple, the highest in Bagan at 61 meters.


Thyatbyinnyu Paya at dusk


Another "Stupas in the Mist" shot

While many of the stupas are totally deserted, there is quite a lot of activity going on in Old Bagan. Many of the farmers return to tend their fields there:


Farming in the Ruins

And there are constant festivals and religious devotional activities at many of the sites, which are still quite active temples.

At the end of the rainy season they ahve what is called the "Kathina" the festival of new robes. The locals supply the monks, young and old, with new robes, money, and other presents to sustain them trhough the year. Everyone eats and drinks at these ceremonies, and if you see one you will have tea and sticky rice cakes forced upon you as well. Do not try to resist. 1st- it's terribly rude. 2nd- the tea is the best you can get for under $100 per lb. in the US.


Excited Young Monks at the Kathina festival

The money given to the monestaries is arranged in origami like decorations, and is all brand new. here is where you are likely to see those 5 Kyat notes we were talking about.




Two monks in front of Mon Style Pagoda

The most Active religious center in Bagan is the Ananda Pahto, built in 1105 by king Kyazintha. It is one of the few stupas with extensive internal spaces, dominated by 4 giant golden buddhas representing the 4 cardinal directions.


The Ananda Pahto at Night

the Buddhas inside are entirely covered with gold, and quite huge.





Inside the Ananda Pahto


Ananda Pahto Hallway



Some of the structures are quite well cleared away from debris, and accessible.




Others are more "jungly."





Another Major functioning religious structure is the Schwezigon Paya. It supposedly contains a tooth of the Buddha.


Shwezigon Courtyard







Shwezigon Stupa


Mad Chronic in the Shwizay to the Gizon. Even Biggy never spliffed up like this.

Well, thanks for taking a look at my little travelogue. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it.

Coming in septmber, Uzbekistan and the Fergana Valley!


the Author leaves you with an appropriately sentimential photo, referencing an exit.

[Antonio Correia]

It was a great work.
To photograph and make references for the photos ...
Myanmar: a place to visit (again).
I couldn't do such a work...
Saúde e dinheiro para viagens !!!

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

It was a great work.
To photograph and make references for the photos ...
Myanmar: a place to visit (again).
I couldn't do such a work...
Saúde e dinheiro para viagens !!!

E o dinheiro e o tempo que falta!

[Antonio Correia]

Originally Posted by Justiceiro

E o dinheiro e o tempo que falta!

We only lieve once, remember ?! ...
Saúde !