For a country that was practically closed to foreigners until as recently as five years ago, Myanmar has undergone considerable modernisation. This transformation is due solely to the stewardship of President Aung Sang Suu Kyi, whose fragile physique belies her political stature. Toni Farrugia reports.
As Myanmar is in its infancy of development, transport has some way to go before it meets international standards (the new airport in Yangon was opened six months ago). The trains have known better days in colonial times (the country became independent in 1948), but the Japanese are moving in with their bullet trains, while the bus service is unreliable beyond hope.
The only alternative was to travel by air from one place to another, which is not the ideal way to see a country, but given the limited time available I had no choice. I wanted to see the country as it is and not as it will be and all things being considered, I think I made a good trade-off.
Yangon was the capital until the military government decided to build a new capital in Naypyitaw. Nobody wants to go and live there, and by all accounts it is a ghost town especially on weekends when the civil servants go back to their homes. The main attraction in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda with its golden stupa. It is believed to be 2,500 years old and the central stupa is surrounded by dozens of intricately decorated temples and shrines.
It is a very lively place. It was fascinating to watch the people praying and making offerings and the monks and nuns chanting. In Myanmar, entrance to a pagoda complex is by four entrances (one for each direction of the wind) and each of the four sides of the pagodas is dedicated to one of the four reincarnations of Buddha.
Bagan was one of the ancient capitals and is famous for the 3,000 (originally there were 7,000) red brick temples and pagodas scattered on a large plain beside the Ayeyarwady river. They were built from 1057 to 1287 AD in honour of the royal Buddhist faith and are the great legacy of the kings of Bagan.
The heart of Bagan, and indeed of all Myanmar, is the Shwezigon Pagoda a huge gilded temple built in the early 11th century. Pilgrims from all over the country flock to this pagoda. They were all dressed in their best attire and were taking photos and selfies all over the complex. You did not have to be a rocket scientist to deduce that it was their big day.
Bagan is also renowned for its lacquer products - usually containers of all sorts and sizes. The market place is a lively place but it is not for the squeamish (no need to go into details here). I was amused to learn by first-hand experience that in Myanmar the money received from the first sale is considered to be “lucky money” – some of the various products on sale are then touched by this “lucky money” to bring good luck for the rest of the day.
The highlight of my stay in Mandalay was the visit to the main monastery to watch its 1,300 monks queuing for lunch
Mandalay was another ancient capital and its main boast to fame is that it is home to the largest book in the world - each of the 1,458 pages of the tipitaka (the Buddhist bible) were chiselled on blocks of marble and housed in miniature pagoda like structures.
The highlight of my stay in Mandalay was the visit to the main monastery to watch its 1,300 monks queuing for lunch. Early in the morning Buddhist monks go out with their alms bowls into town to collect a spoonful of rice or curry from households for their lunch. Alternatively, a family (an extended one and obviously well to do) may pay for and cook the lunch on a pre-arranged day for the whole monastery. The cooked food is then served by the family members to the monks. I was very lucky that on this particular day, a family had made such an arrangement and so I could witness Buddhist generosity at its best. This generosity takes place on a daily basis all over the country.
The highlight of the whole visit was undoubtedly the stay on the Inle Lake (“inle” means “small”). It measures 22.6 km by 10.5km and is the home of 150,000 people who live in 30 villages built in the lake itself. The houses are built on stilts (including the post office and the school) and communication between each village is by boat. It is the Venice of Myanmar if you like.
Each village specialises in a specific trade – a village for fishermen (the fishermen row standing with one leg wrapped around a single oar in order to keep their hands free), a village for farmers (their “fields” are built on bamboo are in effect floating vegetable gardens), while intricate weaving is done all over the place (including cloth made from lotus fibres which I was told is good for asthma sufferers).
The place is a magnet for tourists and different ethnic groups, like the padaung (the long necked people) and the paoh (the people of the mountains), descend onto the area in order to sell their wares.
Definitely a mind broadening experience. My advice is go before mass tourism arrives.
