Hsipaw and Slovaks

Hsipaw, pronounced "see-paw," is a tiny farm town and trading post near the border of China in Shan State. Once considered part of the hinterland and controlled by the ethnic separatists, the Shan State Army, Hsipaw is firmly established stop on the "off the beaten path" path. When we were in Mae Sot, we both read a book entitled "Welcome to Burma... and Enjoy the Totalitarian Experience" by Timothy Syrota. He spent some time in Hsipaw and recommended it as a destination where one could get to know the "Real Burma." Though the book was written over ten years ago, the main attractions remain the same. The town has grown, benefiting from increased tourism, and to a larger degree, increased overland trade with China. This was the first place in Myanmar where we saw Western commodities and finished goods, such as Sprite being sold at almost every small road side store. Day and night, huge trucks trundled through town on the Lashio-Mandalay main road, which is one of the nicest and well-maintained in the country, largely because of the tolls imposed on large vehicles coming from China. Most people living in Hsipaw are ethnically Shan and speak the Shan language, which is more similar to Thai than Burmese. Our tiny knowledge of the Thai number system allowed us to understand prices for goods and rooms. There's not much to do in Hsipaw other than to catch up with community gossip (more on this below) and trek around the beautiful surrounding foothills. Unfortunately during our stay here, both of us managed to get very sick and once better, the monsoon's rains ruined our hiking plans. Enter Hsipaw:

Here is Max being led by a pair of children to the "Shan Palace." Both the Lonely Planet guidebook and the "Welcome to Burma" book had recommended a tour of the modest mansion that used to be home to the last Shan prince. When we arrived at the locked gate, surrounded by overgrown shrubs and weeds, we weren't sure that we were at the right place. The children yelled until a teenage boy came to meet us at the gate. He told us that his grandfather, Mr. Donald, who is the nephew of the last Shan prince and who had been the caretaker of this palace, was in jail and that the palace was closed until further notice. We later learned that while Mr. Donald was charged by the SPDC with giving false information to tourists, the real cause behind his arrest was his invitation to join a Shan State council that was thinking of contesting the upcoming elections. The Shan Palace in Hsipaw has since been closed so that the SPDC can not have another reason to arrest other members of the family for "speaking out" to tourists. His arrest was recent and tourists still come to see the Shan palace regularly, not knowing about Mr. Donald's 7-year jail sentence.

One of the few "musts" in Hsipaw is a walk up to... you guessed it... a pagoda! We walked a couple kilometers over this bridge to the mountain that houses a famous and quiet hillside stupa.

Of course it started raining when we arrived to the top, however the views of the surrounding Shan countryside were worth the trip. We walked back home in the rain and got lost in the small, un-lit villages leading back into town.

Over the next few days, we hiked to a waterfall, got lost in rice paddies, met another cool couple from Brooklyn traveling around the world, and ate lots of Shan noodle soup. Like we said, our movements were limited by the weather, general sickness, and the government. We are sorry to say that we really don't have any more pictures from Hsipaw, but you aren't missing too much. We have no regrets about coming here, but let's just say it wouldn't make our top ten list. Moving on from Hsipaw, we went on a marathon 24 hour bus trip, backtracking to Mandalay, (bus seen above) and then on to Inle Lake. The mountain scenery as we wound our way back to the plains, was a highlight of our trip to Hsipaw. After a long and exhausting journey, we arrived in ....

Inle Lake!
Inle Lake is touted as one of the most beautiful places in Myanmar. Considering that we can't see all of the country, we can't really argue. Inle Lake lies cupped between low hills in the center of Myanmar and is also the starting/ending point for many treks around local villages. Though the lake and villages surrounding it are in Shan state, the people who inhabit the area are largely Intha. The Intha people literally live ON the lake and have developed unique farming and fishing techniques to suit their environment. The clear blue water dissolves gradually into marsh land with no clear shoreline. We stayed in the village of Nyaung Shwe, which is the established tourist jumping off point for day tripping on the lake.

We stayed at a wonderful guest house called the Aquarius Inn. Lovely staff, massive orchid garden and best breakfast in the country. Stay there if you go to Inle Lake. The manager's son hooked us up with two other travelers who were planning on going on a boat trip the next day. He mentioned they were from Slovenia. Imagine our delight when we found out that they were actually Slovaks! (Just in case you don't know, Kara is always really excited to meet citizens of the small former Eastern block nation often mistaken for its phonetically similar Slavic state as her family is from Slovakia.) The next morning we got on a boat with the lovely Slovak sisters (Max is outnumbered 3 Slovaks to 1) and were off to see the lake. Seen above is Yarka.

Fisherman on the lake. We were surprised by the amount of traffic on the lake. Villagers from the surrounding areas use the many motorized long tail boats as ferries, lorries, and fishing vehicles.

The long tails also serve as kitchy tourist shops. Boats would paddle up to our long tail and would literally attach themselves to our vessel. These resourceful "pirates" sold anything from little Buddhas to Fanta.

You might be wondering what there is to do on the lake for 8 hours. Shopping. In all forms. For the first couple of hours of our trip, our boat guide took us from one workshop/showroom to another. On the lake itself are hundreds of bustling cottage industries, catering to the ever-growing tourist market. Each boat driver has their own network of shops they bring you to, as a large commission is given for each tourist delivered. We initially enjoyed seeing the different crafts being made as we wouldn't have gone to these shops otherwise. Seen above is Kara and Mirka talking in one of the silver shops. Inle Lake is known for its beautiful silver. Kara's minimal Slovak got quite a workout over the course of the day as the sisters would speak nothing else to her, encouraging her to get better in her family's tongue. Though Max didn't understand anything, he was all for it.

One of the unique fishing techniques mentioned above is "foot paddling." Though motors have replaced the paddle for long distance trips, local fishers and farmers use leg work instead of their arms to move themselves along the lake. The paddler stands on the back of the boat and wraps one leg around the paddle. Using their arm for leverage, they move the paddle through the water in one graceful dragging motion. Seen above is a foot paddler maneuvering through tomato plants. Tomato plants and other small vegetables are grown literally on the surface of the lake.

Our boat negotiates one of the small canals that penetrate the surrounding marshland.

Here are some traditional stilt houses. We were puzzled by the amount of effort expended bringing the land to the lake. Why don't these people just live on shore we asked ourselves. We still don't know. Tradition? For tourists? Is there some advantage we can't see? Regardless, very interesting.

This workshop made all sorts of fabrics, one specialty was made from the fiber of lotus root.

Though we were interested in seeing the process of spinning and weaving, the Slovaks were not as impressed and stated that they could find this in Slovakia in their grandmother's basement.

After seeing many workshops, we asked our boat driver to take us to a less commercial destination.

We arrived at a small village town and asked where the pagodas were. We can't remember the name of this place however it housed some of the oldest temples in Myanmar.

Just like in Pagan, this site is constantly being restored so that worshippers can come here to pray for the next thousands of years. Beautifully antiqued temples sat next to freshly painted pagodas in this space.

Our last stop for the day was at the famous Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, more commonly referred to as the "jumping cat monastery."

For some reason, the monks and caretakers of the monastery have trained the many cat inhabitants to jump through hoops. Some of them can jump very high. Weird and interesting. Besides the jumping cats, the monastery itself is in a serene setting and houses some exquisite Buddhist shrines.

Here a local farmer tends to her tomato plants. Watery beds of soil are held in place by bamboo poles on the surface of the lake. Maybe the hydroponics make for better tomatoes. For whatever reason, Inle Lake is the biggest tomato producing region in the country. The tomato curry we had on dry land was delicious.

Max and Kara on the boat at the end of the day.

The next day we chose to rent bikes (ouch, our asses) and ride out to get a view of the lake from above.

The road was really bumpy.

And it started to rain.

But 2 hours later, we made it to the top of the hill. What would a hill in Myanmar be without a pagoda? Max sounds the bell 6 times to announce we have arrived, in traditional Burmese fashion.

We spent another hour enjoying the view from above and talking about what we had learned the previous day and the questions we still had about the lake community.

Later that night we said goodbye to our Slovak friends. Also pictured is Kawtar, our friend from Morocco.

Before we left Nyaung Shwe, we decided to wander through the markets. We happened to be in town at the same time as thousands of monks, as there was a large "monk exam" going on. Festival markets had been set up in the streets surrounding the main temple. We met some monks and chatted secret politics with them. We also bought tanaka, seen above in its raw and natural form.

Here is the tanaka seller, crushing a sample for Kara to wear.

Inle Lake: We came.

We saw.

We laked.

After much debate about our next destination, we made the final decision to extend our time in Myanmar and head South. Check in next week as we visit more pagodas, more beautiful places, and attempt to cross into restricted teritory.

K and M

Moustaches in Mandalay

Mandalay. Mandalay is another stop on the tourist circuit in Myanmar. Located in the geographic center of the country, the surrounding area is home to several ancient capitals. The city itself was once a major center for the British empire in Myanmar and is now experiencing a flood of Chinese influence which can be seen in new buildings and cuisine. We decided to check it out.

We began our journey by bus from Pagan to Mandalay. The journey took about 8 hours and our bus only broke down once. Pictured above are some of our fellow passengers trying to cool the bus off.

Though Pagan was excruciatingly hot, Mandalay for some reason seemed even hotter. Here is Max sweating so much. We arrived in the afternoon and decided to grab some tea at a local tea shop. In Myanmar, tea shops are found everywhere and are a place for hanging out and passing the time for many unemployed men.

There are a couple of tourist guesthouses in Mandalay. This was the road to one. We learned that if a street is getting repaired in a city, it is usually the undertaking of the citizens who live on that block and not the government's responsibility. Apparently the inhabitants of this street had spent years saving money to rebuild their road and the project had just begun.

Here is Max with Par Par Lay of the famous "Moustache Brothers Comedy Troupe." The Moustache Brothers consist of a group of three brothers: U Par Par Lay, U Lu Zaw, and Lu Maw. Lay and Zaw were imprisoned for 7 years to a labor camp for their politically volatile routine performed at Aung Sung Suu Kyi's house in the lead up to the 1996 elections. According to the Lonely Planet, the Lady reportedly enjoyed the show and laughed uproariously at the famous screwball routine. The Moustache Brothers used to tour the country, performing their routine at weddings, festivals, and local ceremonies. Nowadays the government has confined their performances to their tiny house and it is only legal for foreigners to attend the nightly routine. And attend they do. The Moustache Brothers are a "must see" attraction in Mandalay.

A Photo of the Moustache Brothers and The Lady is proudly displayed on the wall of their home/performance space. Located in the southern quarter of Mandalay, The Moustache Brothers provide one of the few chances for tourists to see traditional Burmese dance and comedy in this once thriving theater district.

Par Par Lay was most recently arrested in 2007; it was rumored that he was involved in an antiques smuggling operation, but this is unconfirmed. The brothers simply state that he was arrested and most foreigners assume it was once again because of dissident political activity. Though we were initially really excited to see this performance because of their outstanding hype and the knowledge that they continue to speak out against the government, we came away with mixed reactions. First of all the show is painfully unfunny and very awkward to watch. Secondly, the show costs about 8000 Kyat each which is $8. The price doubled in 2 years, and before that the show used to be free. Though in the States an $8 show would be a steal, in Myanmar it is extremely expensive. We began to wonder whether or not the Moustache Brothers had to pay off the same government that they mock so openly. We were also really confused as to how the operation continues under the nose of the SPDC, considering the government has arrested these members many times and knows where they live and what they do. What is clear is that they are capitalizing on tourists' desire to help democracy activists for better or for worse.

Picture removed for subject's security

Our friend, who shall remain nameless just in case an SPDC member figures out how to use a computer. Our friend, who we will call Alex was a cycle rickshaw driver that Kara met at a tea shop the first morning we arrived to Mandalay. He struck up an interesting conversation and Kara and him clicked. He asked if we wanted to meet the next day to hang out and we agreed. It was the best decision we made in Mandalay, for he taught us so much from small Burmese phrases to the cost of rent for an average citizen. For example, Alex's rent is about $19/month. It increased by $5 in the last year which has been extremely difficult for him. He makes approximately $3/day on a good day. He can eat for about $2/day. He is also trying to put his daughter through school, and must support his grandfather who lives with him and is too old to work. His wife was not in Mandalay at the time that we became friends as she had returned to her village to ask her parents for a loan. Alex never asked us for anything and gave us all he could. He is also very open with how his life had been directly affected by the regime. Alex is a kind hearted and extremely intelligent person. Here we are after wandering around on our first day.

Alex took us to the riverfront which is essentially a shanty town. Goods are floated in from the northern states such as charcoal, timber and sugarcane.

These guys REALLY wanted Kara to take their picture. Here they are, moving barrels of raw sugarcane off the barge onto the main land.

When we first saw these barrels we thought it was sewage or something. Alex quickly explained to us that this is raw sugarcane.

Small street children and local kids living in the shanty towns collect over spilt sugarcane throughout the day from the ground. We assume they resell it or use it themselves for cooking.

Can you imagine eating this?

We did, but after it was thoroughly boiled. Alex lives in a sugarcane factory complex, which sounds very large but is actually just 2 big sheds. Alex took us back to his house and factory area where we saw what happens with the sugarcane after it leaves the barge. Seen above is the cooling process which takes place after the sugarcane is boiled.

Then a small assembly of workers, seen here, pull the cooled sugarcane into large, ropey bundles. The women cut and pack the sugarcane into the final product that is then sold to villages in the area.

Standing over the bridge near Alex's house, we looked down at the water (seen above) and found it difficult to take in the harsh reality of our new friend's life. He explained to us why he had become a cycle rickshaw driver. He used to work in a newspaper printing press back in the 80s, but then was fired along with the whole publication when the government (then known as the SLORC) banned independent publishing. He was unable to find another job for almost three years and finally resorted to the backbreaking and low paying work of cycle rickshawing. There are thousands of cycle rickshaw drivers in Mandalay with similar stories and equally grim challenges to face everyday. Competition is fierce and fares are very low. He used to be able to support his family and even make trips to Thailand less than 20 years before. He showed us pictures of a better time, when his face was full and healthy looking.

After lunch, Alex took us to Maxwell hill. Remember Maxwell hill in Malaysia? Same guy. The path up the hill is paved with steps and leads to a nice panorama of the city and countryside. Along the way are several giant Buddhas, each one larger than the last. Here is the final big Buddha.

More Buddhas. The next day we met Alex again to explore some more. This time we rented bikes and followed Alex's lead throughout the chaotic traffic This is the Mahamuni temple where Mandalay's most famous and most gold covered Buddha image resides. It has been gold leafed so many times that it's surface is no longer smooth but bubbly under a froth of devotional decoration. The image is particularly holy for Burmese from the Rohingya state. The temple also houses several statues that were stolen by the Khmers (Ancient Cambodians) and then stolen back by ambitious Burmese raiders several centuries later.

Outside the main viewing area of the Buddha lies a collection of images from a major SPDC visit to the shrine. Seen here is General Than Shwe, current dictator of this military junta. The generals are very conspicuous in their contributions, spending millions of kyat building and decorating temples throughout the country. As one article in the Irrawaddy opines they are following an ancient merit making tradition whereby Burmese kings built temples to atone for the wars and destruction they had caused. In addition to metaphysical motivations, the merit making goes a long way in securing political support from the devout population.

Later that day we rode out to the ancient capital of Amanpura, which ended up being a 15 km away. The scenery was beautiful riding out there; watching the city life slowly change into small villages lining the dirt road was a highlight of the trip. Kara stopped for a while to watch the water buffalo walking along the banks of the river while Max and Alex rode toward the oldest and longest teak bridge in the world.

We walked on the teak bridge along with monks, other tourists, and locals who all came to enjoy the sunset and serene view.

It was really hard saying goodbye to Alex. We will never forget him and hope to come back to visit him in different circumstances. We gave him a copy of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" to read in hopes of giving him inspiration that desperate labor conditions can, do, and indeed MUST change. If you are reading this and are thinking about going to Myanmar, we would like to get you in touch with Alex. He is one of the most amazing people we met during our time here.

We left Mandalay with a more complete picture of every day life of the Myanmar people and our hearts were all the more heavy for it.
To Alex, we will never stop thinking about you.
Kara and Max

Bagan: Forced Pilgrimage

Bagan. The most pagodas you will ever see in your life. Once the capital of the Burmese empire, Bagan's rulers were fanatic temple builders. It is probably the most visited tourist site in all of the country, and for a good reason. It rivals Angkor in its scale and architectural grandeur. Although the golden era of the Burmese kings was short lived, these monuments have stood the test of time. In stark ideological contrast to Angkor, the temples of Bagan are constantly being repaired and rebuilt. This has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, these temples are active places of worship and the repairs allow them to remain so. Also, the visitor gets to see the temples in how they were "meant to be seen." Conversely, it takes away from the mystique and romance of falling apart, unmaintained buildings. We loved it both ways. Welcome to Bagan, where all you can do is see temples.

Getting to Bagan from Yangon is a pretty straightforward route. It was the nicest road in the country for the first 12 hours. The brand new highway has been routed to restrict tourist interaction with locals to the bare minimum required. We saw no villages, a few people for the majority of the drive. The last 3 hours was perhaps the bumpiest of our tour in Myanmar. We guess the government hasn't gotten to the last section yet.

On the way our bus broke down, naturally. An hour into our two hour delay, we learned that it was the A.C. unit that was causing the trouble. The foreigners were more than happy to open the windows and get on the road, but the locals who had paid extra for the A.C. were willing to wait for it to get fixed. Needless to say, we ended up with windows after the third break down. Along the way we saw this snake farm. Thousands of snakes are packaged in tarp lined wooden crates and sent to China for god knows what purpose. Here the proprietor sorts the larger ones from an open crate.

Soda! In a bag! Soda in a bag. That's right, why buy a bottle when a bag is twice as fun and almost free.

We arrived in Bagan at like 4:30 am. At the bus station there was a group of horse and buggies waiting to take people to their next destinations. Kara didn't want to take the horse because she's Kara and doesn't like to see animals working. After realizing we would have to walk very far with our packs to our hotel, we got in the buggy. Here is the town around 5am. Burmese wake up early.

We slept the whole day and did some other sightseeing with obnoxious Euro centric Canadians and Germans who don't deserve to be on the blog. However, we did end up seeing these people throughout the rest of our journey in Myanmar. Oh well. What we did with them, if you are curious, is ride up a mountain to go see a large Buddha. The next day, we woke up and rented bikes, prepared to ride around the Bagan Archaeological Heritage Site. Here is Kara in front of the first temple that we saw on our ride out. We can't remember the name but it is one of the oldest in Bagan and the archetype for the majority of the pagodas in Myanmar including Shwedagon in Yangon. (see last post)

The landscape for as many kilometers as the eye can see is dotted with temples. It is estimated that there are over 4,000 temples, pagodas, stupas and monasteries in the Bagan area dating back to the 9th century, though the majority of the temples were built during 1000-1200 AD. Knowing our tendency to linger at historic sites and religious monuments, we tried to be timely so we could see as much as possible. We only probably made it to about 10 or 15 monuments the first day.

Kara riding away from Dhammayangi Temple, the most massive temple in Bagan, built in 1165. By the way, its SO hot. You can't really imagine how hot it is, but maybe go sit in a sauna for a while. A dry one.

Max and Kara couldn't find each other at this stupa. In a notable architectural quirk, the base of the stupa is shaped like a pentagon instead of a traditional square or octagon. Maybe this contributed to the confusion.

Max looking out.

Inside Htilominlo. Outside all significant monuments you will find a group of children selling either George Orwell's "Burmese Days" or asking you for foreign currency to trade. The most popular temples are surrounded by small market places with sand paintings, crafts, and cold drinks. It was at Htilominlo that we struck up a conversation with one of the painters there. We were initially concerned that he would eventually end our chat with asking us to buy some of his paintings, but it turns out he just wanted to talk. After touring around the temple that he works at together, he asked if it would be ok to follow us to some other temples on his bike. After some hesitation about his intentions, we agreed. On this trip many people pretend to be our friends and then end up asking us to buy something or give them money. Our friend, who we will call John for his protection, was not like this at all. He was stellar, sweet, and also knew the best temples to check out. We later learned after hanging with him for some days that we were the first tourists that he had ever approached as friends.

John and Max at Ananada temple, which is considered to be the most beautiful in Bagan. The design of the larger temples was clearly intended to make the best use of the natural light, creating serenely lit passages and prayer spaces with surprising skill and subtlety.

Sitting in the corridors of one temple, John sheepishly approached the subject of politics by pulling out some discontinued currency, pictured above. The old Kyat used to feature portraits of Boygoye Aung Sun, the father of Aung Sung Suu Kyi and leader of the revolutionary independence movement. Although he is still officially considered a hero by the SPDC and democracy activists alike, the current regime apparently felt it unwise to keep his face on the national currency.

The day continued on like that: lots of temples and pagodas and a little hushed politics in between. Here is outside Ananada Temple. To walk in any Buddhist temple, you must remove your shoes. This was no surprise to us, but the Burmese are particularly gung-ho on shoe removal way before entering the temple complex. Thus, at Ananada in the scorching heat, we felt our feet might burn off.

Seeking shade under this tree, we found various Buddhas dedicated to days of the week.

Picture removed for subject's security

John said he knew a great temple to watch the sun set, so we followed him to one nameless temple. We decided we all liked each other a lot and would meet the next day for dinner. Or sunset. There was a little bit of a language problem, more on this confusion later....

After schlepping around on our bikes the whole first day in 100+ heat, Max decided that a horse and carriage was in order. The night before we had eaten at a vegetarian restaurant outside of Anananda temple. The owner of the restaurant was a kind hearted and outspoken vegetarian who we felt would treat his horse well. The next day we arranged for him to take us to the far away temples of Bagan.

That horse ride was shaky and so are many of Kara's photos. The large temple in the middle is Htilominlo (where we met John.)

Bagan is some flat land. In between temples you can find fields still being cultivated by the local population. The major crop here is peanuts, which we loved. Above, a farmer herds his cows through the dry heat to his farmland. Unlike Yangon, the rains hadn't hit Bagan yet. We were there just before the monsoon, when the farmers were preparing the harsh, clay-like terrain for the coming shower.

Walking up through a passage to the top of a temple. Many of the temples came with full rooftop access, allowing for beautiful views. Max loved walking through these passages, feeling a sense of excitement as they seem to be secret tunnels from a time forgotten.

Demon like creature protecting the inner sanctum.

We really liked this rooftop and did some "hot" yoga here. Take that, Bikram.

Along the way we stopped in a small village community who sells most of their handwoven clothes to various parts of the country. Here Kara learned how to spin cotton into thread. Later this old lady pulled out the largest cigar we have ever seen and smoked it. She gave one to Kara. We later learned that old women traditionally smoke these "cigars." These huge cornhusked wrapped things are said to be very mild, but we aren't sure what that's in comparison to.

Big Buddha Hand.

So, the day before we had arranged to meet John for dinner or temple sunset-watching. We missed the part about the sunset and he had been waiting for us at his temple for a long time before giving up and going home. Finally we learned that he had left after speaking with some people at the temple and we rode the 1.5 hr bike ride to his house, nervous that we had committed a serious faux-pas. To our delight, John and his lovely family were understanding of the communication issue and welcomed us into their house with open arms. John's wife prepared the best meal we had in Myanmar, completely vegetarian and delicious. Though it was painfully obvious that they have hardly any money to live, the helpings were extremely generous and they treated us like family. Though the majority of the conversation was in strained English/Burmese, we understood each other perfectly well. John's brother caught word, along with the rest of the village, that we had arrived. He came over after dinner and drilled us for information about the outside world. He spoke very good English and seemed to be very informed about his own government and its doings. Many people listen to BBC Radio at nighttime and are very proud to tell us about it, including John and his family. The BBC Radio is broadcast in Burmese and has a basic English teaching program as well. Obviously this activity is illegal but surprisingly wide spread.

After dinner, John's wife noticed that Kara was still sweating, even though it had been hours since the sun had set. Here she is, applying Kara's first Tanaka. Tanaka is a mix between facepaint (makeup) and sunscreen. It serves to keep you cool in the daytime, keeping your skin free from prickly heat and zits. It also absorbs your sweat and makes your skin so smooth. In addition, tanaka is applied as temporary body art/makeup. The designs can get quite intricate, however a standard tanaka look is two circles or squares on the cheeks. Tanaka is made from the bark of a special tree. Some women choose to use the bark itself, which must be ground on a special stone with water. Others use a "ready made" tanaka/sandlewood mix which requires less effort and is available in a soap-like block. Kara and Max are convinced this is the best makeup ever. Kara bought dozens to bring home and is setting up a Tanaka camp for Burning Man next year.

Picture removed for subject's security

The entire family, consisting of 5 people eat, sleep and relax in the small space on which we are seated. A quarter of their very humble house is dedicated to a shrine honoring their ancestors and the Buddha. While we would use this space to put someone else for sleeping, they hold it sacred to the gods. We left that night very late from their house, tummies full and hearts happy. Later on the trip we met some cool Brooklynites who we sent to meet John's family. We were delighted to learn that their meeting was also a successful one. We hope to meet them again when we return to Myanmar one day. We have the telephone number of Htilominlo temple...all we are supposed to do is ask for "John." If anyone is heading that way, please contact us. Apparently this system works.

After three days of temple-ling, we were ready to move on. It is perfectly possible to fly into Bagan, stay in a 5-star hotel, and tour the temples by taxi learning much about Myanmar's past and nothing about its present. But as we learned, Bagan is more than just an ancient capital; it is a thriving community with people who are very concerned with Myanmar's future.

P.S. a note on the title: Forced Pilgrimage. We didn't realize it at this point in our trip, but in order to go anywhere or see virtually anything in Myanmar, we must visit a temple, pagoda, shrine, or stupa. This is because every natural phenomenon, beautiful place, or city has at least one, if not 10,000 Buddhist shrines. Hence, even though we did not intend to, we ended up on a serious Buddhist Pilgrimage for about 6 weeks. We guess we must have made a lot of merit.

Signing off for now,
Max and Kara