InDepth (MYANMORE) - Volume 19, June Issue by MYANMORE

No. 19, June 2016

IN THE GUISE OF A VILLAIN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR THAR NYI MORE ART MORE MUSIC MORE TRAVEL MORE LIFESTYLE MORE DRIVE

CONTENTS

TEAM MANAGING DIRECTOR Andreas Sigurdsson andreas@myanmore.com

EDITOR Ben Hopkins ben@myanmore.com

CONTRIBUTORS Aung So Min Charles Turner Gwan Ho Tong Ben Hopkins Sondang Grace Jessica Muddit Mimi Wu Joe Cummings San Lin Tun Claudia Franzen Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Gerhard Jörén www.gerhardjoren.com

PHOTOGRAPHY The Pictureman Hong Sar

ART & PRODUCTION Kyaw Kyaw Tun

PUBLISHER U Myo Aung (Permanent No. 00315) InDepth MYANMORE Magazine 1st Floor, Annex Building, Strand Hotel, 92 Strand Road, Yangon

PRINTER Shwe Naing Ngan Press Permit No.: 00296/00371 No. 90(C), Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd., Bahan Tsp., Yangon

SALES

20 8

ARTS

BUSINESS

HERITAGE

Artist Ko Ko Naing captures the spirit of old Rangoon in pen and paint.

In conversation with Mike Than Tun Win, founder and CEO of Flymya, Myanmar’s first fare-compare and travel package booking website.

A look into the making of Relics of Rangoon – the most comprehensive book on Yangon’s colonial buildings.

MUSIC

The same raw energy that brought together the punk rock band No U-Turn in 2002 continues to drive them forward.

TRAVEL

Your guide to New York in 72 hours.

Sailing the Mergui Archipelago.

BISTRONOMY

TRANSLATION

On set with Director and Actor Thar Nyi.

An original San Shar story – the Burmese Sherlock Holmes – A Murder on Pansodan Street.

COVER STORY

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE A focus on lives transformed by Helping Hands, Flame Tree and White Lotus.

sales@myanmore.com 01 375 680

DRIVE ADVENTURE Test driving the Mercedes CLS 550 from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw.

BEYOND MYANMAR

New chef, new menu at The Savoy.

HOROSCOPE Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing predicts your fortune for June.

DISCLAIMER No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the Managing Director. All details are deemed correct at the time of print. The editor, employees and contributors cannot be held responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions that might occur.

ABOUT MYANMORE MYANMORE® is a registered brand, produced by Lychee Ventures (Myanmar) Limited and the leading lifestyle platform in Yangon. In addition to InDepth®, MYANMORE® provides www. myanmore.com, city maps, a privilege card, the Weekly Guide, EnjoyIt® and KnowIt®. The mission is to create great content and experiences for visitors and residents of Yangon.

DISTRIBUTION Find InDepth at Jasper House, Manhattan Fish Market, Chatime, Yoogane (Pearl Condo), Yangon Bakehouse, Summit Parkview Hotel, Pun Hlaing Golf Estate, Harley´s and many more places in Yangon and hotels around Myanmar. Contact us at indepth@myanmore.com to have a copy distributed to your doorstep every month.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 3

WHAT'S ON

8TH JUNE EVENT

Toastmasters Meeting: Practise Your Public Speaking Become an accoplished public speaker with Toastmasters. Members and non-members welcome! You’ll need to confirm attendance through a form at yangontoastmasters@googlegroups. com. Once you are signed up for the meeting, please bring ID for entrance to the British Embassy Club. Call 09795406284 for more information. British Embassy Club - 46 Gyo Byu Road, Yangon | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

11TH JUNE 2016 ACTIVITY

Bago Day Tour ($40 per pax) You will be collected from your residence in Yangon around 7:30 AM. On the way out of Yangon, you will visit the war memorial cemetery at Htaukyant before heading off to Shwe Pyi Resort where you’ll explore a reconstruction of the Royal Palace (Kanbawza Thadi Golden Palace). The trip ends with a visit to the prominent pagodas in Bago such as Shwe Thalyaung, Shwe Mawdaw and Kyite Pun. $40 per pax (minimum 2 people for reservation). Hotel pick up, transportation, lunch and a tour leader. Entrance fees $10 is not included. Call 0973 218 031, 09 781 1 83 493 Bago Day Tour - 127, Baho Road, Hledan | All Day

9TH JUNE 2016 ART

The Ash ( 1970) The series of mix media canvases speak to the concept of a family album as being both a personal and a communal memory that envelops the past within the present. Myanm/art - 98, Third Floor, Bogalay Zay Street, Yangon | From 5:00 PM

MUSIC

Live On Fire With "L'N'R" Band Every Thursday, the coolest band in Yangon return to MOJO for a great live night. From folk to reggae, oldies to recent tunes, Left ‘N’ Right Band will light up your night. Free Entry! MOJO - 135, Inya Road, Bahan | 9:00 PM - 10:30 PM

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12TH JUNE 2016 EVENT

Myanmar Traditional Snack Fair Enjoy Myanmar traditional snacks and tea while learning Burmese with native speakers. Free event. RSVP mmwisdom.edu@ gmail.com by June 7th. Myanmar Multicultural Wisdom 17, University Avenue Road, Yangon | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

EDUCATION

Admissions Seminar International School Admissions Fair. Parents and children are invited to join Dulwich College Yangon to launch admissions for their schools here in Yangon. Meet the teachers, view the facilities

and learn about the difference Dulwich can make to your child. Learn about the Dulwich College Yangon curriculum and admissions procedures. Classroom activities available for children, presentations in English and Myanmar language. Registered guests will be entered into a lucky draw, register below for your chance to win. For Registration (+95) 01 687701. Sule Shangri-La, Yangon 223, Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Study Abroad Education Road Show 2016 Students from Myanmar who want to study abroad should attend this show. On this day, they will present information on how to access Universities in UK, USA, and Singapore. For Registration call (09) 5151 008, 73 242 404 Novotel Yangon Max 459 Pyay Road, Kamayut | 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM

14TH JUNE 2016 ART

Exhibition by HansChristian Schink Hans-Christian Schink, one of the most important photographers in Germany presents an overview of his extensive body of work in Myanmar. His motifs - the pagodas of Bagan, the bridges of Yangon and completely random villages and landscapes of the provinces. Goethe-Villa. Goethe-Villa - Yangon | From 7 PM

14TH - 19TH JUNE 2016 ACTIVITY

Human Rights Tattoo Want to devote 1cm of your skin to human rights? To underline the importance of Human Rights, they are going to tattoo the Universal Declaration of Human Rights all 6773 letters of it - on 6773 individuals worldwide. Get 1 tattoo of the 6773 letters and be part of it! 120 letters on 120 people from Myanmar. Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival 14-19 June, 2016.

16TH JUNE 2016 EVENT

Myanmar Summit 2016 One hundred days into the new government’s term, The Economist Events will convene its second Myanmar Summit, where the nation’s decision-makers, advocates, entrepreneurs and investors will discuss how to build and maintain the country's development path. Enjoy 20% off as The Economist followers to attend Myanmar Summit 2016. Contect http://econ. st/1WhU7gg Yangon, Myanmar | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

18TH - 19TH JUNE 2016 EVENT

Marketing - The Most powerful weapon for your business Learn how to build a brand and boost your sales and profits. The course will be delivered by experienced and skilled lecturers.

WHAT'S ON

Guest Speaker: DAN SORNMANI. Course fee: 200 USD. Apply now until 10th June 2016 via 09799600600, 09799700700 or info@mib-edu.com Myanmar Institute of Business - MIB at Myanmar Plaza, Kabaraye Pagoda Road, Yankin | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

21ST JUNE 2016 MUSIC

Music Day Fête de la musique. Music day celebration with local bands and an open stage for everyone! Institut Français de Birmanie 340, Pyay Road, Sanchaung | From 7:00 PM

23RD JUNE 2016

Register before June 11th. Info: courses.ifb@gmail.com www.institutfrancais-birmanie.com Institut Français de Birmanie 340, Pyay Road, Sanchaung

EVENT

Property Report Congress Myanmar 2016 Myanmar's forum for real estate leaders, VIPs, and experts to discuss how to continue driving growth and excellence in one of the region's rapidly growing real estate market. Industry experts from Southeast Asia and beyond will join the forum.

Thursday, June 9, 7:30 am Game 3 Saturday, June 11, 7:30 am Game 4 Tuesday, June 14, 7:30 am Game 5 (If Necessary) Friday, June 17, 7:30 am Game 6 (If Necessary) Monday, June 20, 6:30 am Game 7 (If Necessary)

National Theater - Yangon | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

50th Street Bar - 9/13, 50th Street, Botataung

Burmese Classes throughout June and July. Three Paces - 6 Levels from Beginner to Advanced.

Ladies Night Out Night with live music. Free Entry and Free One Cocktail for all ladies. Piano Bar Yangon - 2, Parami Road, Mayangone | 6:00 PM 9:00 PM

11TH JUNE

MOVIE GUIDE - - - - - -

Take Me Home X-Men Apolcalypse Warcarft Conjuring - 2 Professor Dr. Sate Phwar Kya Naw Kya Ma Yout Kyar Bite Kyi Thal

19TH JUNE 2016 Happy Father’s Day Dinner Treat your father to dinner at the following restaurants on this special day. Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant – Chinese A La Carte Buffet Dinner (USD 26 nett per person) Kohaku Japanese Restaurant – Japanese Buffet Dinner (USD 40 nett per person) The Emporia Restaurant – Brazilian BBQ Buffet Dinner (USD 30 nett per person) All meals include a complimentary a glass of soft drink or wine, gift card, 1lb cake and an instant family photo. Dine 5 Get 1 Complimentary. RSVP 01-544 500.

NBA Finals screening at 50th Street Bar

The Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation proudly present a dance and theatre performance “Restaurant of many orders” directed by Hiroshi Koike. This is a play, and also, a dance. The actors on stage are human, and at the same time, animals in the forest. It is a comedy, and at the same time, a tragedy. Free Entry.

ACTIVITY

Ladies Night

SPORT GUIDE

The Restaurant of Many Orders - Dance & Theatre Performance

30TH JUNE 2016

8 TH JUNE

Sule Shangri-La, Yangon 223, Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

It's official! The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Golden State Warriors once again in the NBA Finals, and yes, we WILL be opening our doors early. Come on down to 50th Street. Brunch menu will be available.

ART AND STAGE

PROMOTIONS

Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon - 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe | All Day

Karl Ross, DJ at Gekko Free Entry, Tiger Beer from 4,000 Kyats, House Wine and Special Cocktails from 5,000 Kyats. Gekko - 535, Merchant Road, Yangon - From 9:00 PM

Illumination Glow Art Party Party with DJ entertainment and enjoy free UV face painting. 1 bottle House Spirit for $60. Entry Ticket 15,000 Ks include 1 drink. Purchase your ticket at H9045-FB4@accor.com or 09798932908

24TH JUNE 2016 The First European Food Festival in Myanmar Enjoy the various tastes of Europe. 28 European countries will present their traditional dishes and you have the unique chance to taste all of them. The famous European Restaurants are teaming up to provide Europe’s most exciting dishes. Entry fee: 15,000 Ks including food and drinks and lottery. All proceeds benefit the Myittar Yaung Chi orphanages. Mahlzeit - 84, Pann Hlaing Street, Yangon | From 3:00 PM

Studio Bar, Novotel Yangon Max 459, Pyay Road, Yangon | From 8:00 PM

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 5

PROMOTIONS

26TH JUNE 2016 Dim Sum Brunch Sedona Yangon This event is open to all Singaporeans, PRs and SAM members. You are welcome to bring your friends even if they are not Singaporean. Sedona Hotel, Yangon Kabaaye pagoda road, Yangon | 12:00 PM - 2:00 P

THROUGHOUT JUNE Boutique Brunch Yangon’s First Boutique Brunch. Enjoy the most coziest brunch at Savoy Hotel Yangon. Try their new a la carte brunch including the most famous items from menus and new creations from their creative kitchen team. USD 33 per person for unlimited brunch menu items including free flow of drinks (wine, beer, softies, coffee). Please call 01526289, 526298, 526305 Savoy Hotel Yangon - 129, Dhammazedi Road, Yangon - 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Hi Tea @ Lobby Lounge Sweeten up your afternoon with our Hi Tea special @ Lobby Lounge. US$ 15.00 nett (A set for 2 persons). Available everyday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm

Now until 30th June 2016. Dine at any restaurants and win fabulous prizes! The Emporia Restaurant, Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant, Kohaku Japanese Restaurant. Prizes include dinner for two, a bottle of wine, hi-tea for two and many more. Winner will be announced in July 2016 Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon - 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe

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Feast on Mexican cuisine throughout June and July (Dine in only, higher priced items are chargeable).

Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon 40, Natmauk Road, Tamwe

Also, Happy Hour Prices (just 3,500 Kyat) on all margaritas every Monday night.

Thirsty Thursdays

Tin Tin Pop-Up Restaurant - 116118, Bogalayzay Street (Middle Block), Botahtaung | All Day

Happy hour prices on margaritas, beers and wine by the glass all night Thursday. Tin Tin - Bogalazay street | From 5:00 PM -10:00 PM

Australia on The Menu from 1st until 30th June Dine in June for a chance to win a trip to Australia, courtesy of Austrade and Singapore Airlines. Enjoy featured Australian dishes at any one of the following restaurants to win a weekly dining prize or grand prize. The Basement, The Brunch Society, Café Caesar, Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, Café Dibar, Fish & Co, Harry’s, Mahlzeit Restaurant, Marketplace by City Mart, Parami Pizza @ Sayar San Rd, Rose Garden Hotel, Savoy Hotel Yangon, Sky Bistro, Tony Roma’s, Union Bar & Grill, The West, John Dee’s Steak House.

Sushi Sundays Dine & Win!

Buy One Get One Free on All Burritos and Tacos

Enjoy two hours of free-flow sushi, maki, yakitori, edamame and miso for $25 or $35 with two hours of free-flow beer every Sunday. Gekko - 535, Merchant Road, Kyauktada

Roll On Mondays

Rose Garden Hotel Waffles A waffle so fresh, so rich, that it orchestrates some sort of European symphony in your mouth as you consume it, biteby-bite, in all its caramelized, corrugated beauty. Ah, the Belgian Liège waffle. 50% discount on all cakes after 5.00 pm. It’s a more satisfying waffle experience, everyday! Rose Garden Hotel 171, Upper Pansodan Road, Yangon | 6:30 AM - 10:00 PM

Try your luck at Union every Monday in June, just roll the dice when you ask for your bill for a chance to win dinner on us! Buy one get one free on burgers - Every Tuesday from 3pm-10pm (dine in only, higher priced menu item is chargeable, wagyu burger and seafood burger not Included). Union Bar and Grill - 42, Strand Road, Botahtaung

The Playzone and Buy One Get One Free at Parami Pizza Enjoy an extra serving of pizza and pasta every Tuesday – Thursday (dine in only, lobster linguine not included, the higher priced menu item will be chargeable). Also, stuck for ideas on how to entertain your kids in the rain? The Parami Playzone is complimentary for all children (under 1.2metres). Sit back, relax and let us look after the kids while you enjoy a relaxing meal. Parami Pizza - 56, Sayar San Road (Above SP Bakery), Bahan

Girls Night Out Free cocktail every Wednesday for the ladies from 9 PM to 10 PM! Also, Happy Hour every day from 5 PM to 7 PM, 2 for 1 on all drinks! MOJO - 135, Inya Road, Bahan

Promotion at Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel Pasta Promotion at 10,000 Ks Mango Promotion - Mocktails, Cocktails at 5,000 Ks Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel 6, Botahaung Jetty, Seikken

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ARTS

THE WALKING SKETCHES OF KO KO NAING Aung So Min, owner of Pansodan Gallery, walks the streets of Downtown Yangon with artist Ko Ko Naing, capturing the essence of old Yangon in paintings and photographs. By Ko Aung

ecently, I embarked on a project with the artist Ko Ko Naing, sketching and photographing Yangon’s street scenes. Ko Ko Naing, renowned for his illustrations, is able to show beautifully that which has not yet disappeared from Yangon’s spirit. The moment we saw the first glimpse of morning sun we set out onto the streets of Yangon, with sketchbook and camera in hand. Ko Ko Naing made sketches of all the old buildings that he liked while I took the photographs. Focusing hard on his subject and sketching frantically, he made as many sketches as he could and kept those images that he could not sketch firmly in his mind, as reference for when he would start to paint later. We believed that combining photos, paintings and sketches would result in an impressive body of work. By the time the sun was high in the sky, it was late afternoon and we were pretty satisfied with the work we’d accomplished and the information we’d collected, so we happily decided to head back to Pansodan Gallery. On the way back, Ko Ko Naing expressed his satisfaction that he’d managed to get all the sketches he wanted while I was equally excited to look back on the photographs that I’d taken that day. Ko Ko Naing said that the reason he paints old buildings is because he admires the architecture of the time. He finds that new buildings may reflect a modern time and a modern style but old buildings are thick and strong, withstanding the test of time. They are calm, giving us a feeling of significance and of history, and they are poetic like

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Crows gather in front of the former High Court Building on Mahabandoola Park Road

art. He reminisced of a time when he found a lot of pleasure walking underneath the patios of old buildings. “I miss that time”, he said. “But now, as the streets are so busy, we cannot walk and admire the buildings as we did before.

Artist Ko Ko Naing in action

ARTS

Although we cannot experience this anymore, these experiences are irreplaceable”. He went on to explain how he finds the old buildings on Pansodan Street, Strand Road, 38th Street and 46th Street to be beautiful and to hold much significance to our history and past. “The main characters in my paintings are these old buildings”, he said.

“The main characters in my paintings are these old buildings”

“I usually don’t paint people or cars. If I do paint other objects I paint crows and umbrellas but these are not the centrepiece to my paintings”. A while ago he would paint only crows and pigeons, then he moved on to painting a mixture of new and old buildings, bringing to life the contrasts between now and then. As Ko Ko Naing makes clear, he believes we should value and preserve these old buildings as they carry with them Myanmar’s history and culture. They are also a source of research, study and admiration as evidenced by the growing number of tourists and researchers from all

colonial buildings should be forgotten and replaced as they are the remains of the colonial period”, he said.

The timeless grace of an old building in Downtown Yangon

over the world who visit Myanmar, fascinated by these buildings and their history. Other cities also have heritage buildings that they protect and preserve because they make up a huge part of their history.

So like these other cities, our old buildings are also a big part of Yangon's essence and therefore should also be preserved. “Some people think that these

“But I think that this is only narrowminded nationalism and that Myanmar’s spirit is living inside these buildings. We should not forget this truth and we should not forget our history”. www.facebook.com/pansodan www.pansodan.com

Where the old meets the new in central Yangon

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 9

MUSIC

NO U-TURN STAYS PUNK The same raw energy that brought together the four-piece band No U-Turn in 2002 continues to drive them forward irrespective of current trends. By Charlie Michio Turner & Gwan Ho Tong

imilar to other countries, 'punk' was a phase for many in Myanmar, according to Eaiddhi, the guitarist of the punk rock band No U-Turn. He recalls old friends who donned massive red mohawks with elaborate tongue piercings until the era ended and they started corporate jobs with nuclear families.

But no one from No U-Turn uses the term 'sell out', or whatever the Burmese equivalent may be. While they were surprised to see some of their fellow punks go straight-laced, they see it as another reassurance that they are exactly where they should be. "We have regular jobs, but we know we're not meant for

normal lives", says Eaiddhi before handing over a copy of their new album Human War. The cover shows the lead singer, Ye Ngwe Soe, with a blonde wig, a black handlebar moustache and a bottle of Jägermeister. “Many punk bands come up and

Members of No U-Turn (from left to right) bassist Yazor, vocalist Ye Ngwe Soe, guitarist Eaiddhi and drummer Hein Htet Aung

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then leave quickly. For some people punk music is just a trend. If the trend changes, those people change too. Not many musicians stick to one genre,” said Eaiddhi. “If I were to give advice to young musicians who want to start up a band, I would tell them to just continue playing no matter what. It is very

MUSIC

important to keep playing and not to quit.” It was indeed a different world for punk-rock bands when No U-Turn came together in 2002. While decades of repression offered plenty of material for counter culture bands, the time period also pushed any musician with a flair of individuality or non-conformity into the label 'underground music', regardless of their aspirations. The category of 'underground music' spans multiple genres and has lacked a concrete definition since it was popularized in the 1970's.

All geared up and ready to roll

"I always put a message in my songs to give power to young people" Vocalist Ye Ngwe Soe

Ye Ngwe Soe

Ye Ngwe Soe sees no confusion of terms, however, stating that it refers to any music that is "not in the mainstream". This definition worked perfectly when the government controlled which songs were fit for public consumption, but now excludes groups like Side Effect and Y.A.K. who have ascended from local underground cult heroes to prominent figures in the Myanmar music scene. Is 'underground' a gritty aesthetic with a controversial message, or simply a starting point that some bands can grow out of?

but are committed to representing underground music on a grassroots level. While they support the recent democratic measure the group is less interested in political messages and more focused on lyrics that motivate youths to take control of their lives. “I always put a message in my songs to give power to young people,” says Ye Ngwe Soe, “You have to take things into your own hands and do it.”

Whatever the definition may be, No U-Turn has no intention of changing with the times. The fourmember band welcomes new fans

Ye Ngwe Soe believes in what he calls a D.I.Y. approach to music, meaning that he or Eaiddhi, the guitarist, write all of their songs.

A major distinction between mainstream and underground music in Myanmar is originality, with many popular songs simply Burmese translations of western hits. "A lot of mainstream Burmese musicians tend to use the melodies and beats of foreign artists", says Eaiddhi. "We make sure to mention if we got outside help for music arrangements". After all, there is little reason to plagiarize music when you are not interested in the fame or money that comes from a hit song. Members of No U-Turn have identified with hardcore punk culture from a young age which includes shunning the world of commercialized music. Eaiddhi first dipped his toes into the alternative waters with Nirvana and Blur. He "knew it was something [he] wanted to be a part of" once he watched the film SLC Punk! He later began to see the same raw energy that pulled him towards punk life in other types of music that bucked mainstream trends. Eventually he started Jam It!, an events organization that features underground acts around Myanmar.

Jam It! has put on several shows over the past three years, many with diverse line ups ranging from hip-hop to thrash metal. As the country's media landscape opens up, however, individual genres are beginning to build their own identities, no longer needing a broad collation to attract an audience. The events company Youk $hi, for example, recently drew near a thousand people before Thingyan with an exclusively hip-hop line up. The punk community in Myanmar may change itself as young people have more access to new music and new audiences than ever before. Myanmar punk scene has largely stuck with the sound and look synonymous with the genre during the 1990s, yet bands like Side Effect have found success by playing indie rock, something closer to what is current in the western world. The members of No U-Turn are hardly anxious about new trends Myanmar music, they're excited to see change, they're just not sure if they will.

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COVER STORY

IN THE GUISE OF A VILLAIN Ben Hopkins spends an afternoon on set with actor and director, Thar Nyi.

he rain is bouncing off the driveway as we pull up to the lobby of a large, suburban house 20 minutes from Downtown Yangon. It’s here that Thar Nyi is directing his latest film, Ah Mone Tway Khout Htar Lite, roughly translated as, Leave Your Hatred Behind. The comedy drama, destined for cinema release in July, revolves around a familiar theme: slapstick humour portraying family relationships and a love triangle gone wrong. An all-male film crew of 40 plus are setting lights and cameras in place while a personal assistant fixes up the lead actress, played by Moe Hay Ko. The camera gear is pushed manually along a steel and wood trolley past a generator on standby for the inevitable power cuts. Finally, everyone is silenced as the broad shouldered and boyish looking Thar Nyi hollers, “Five, four, three, two, one …shoot.” At 38 years, Thar Nyi has enjoyed success as both an actor and director, cramming in so much work he’s lost count of the number of films he’s directed and appeared in. “My last film took seven days to make, this one has to be finished in 20 days,” he says, “that’s quite long for making a Burmese film”.

Thar Nyi at work

Photos by The Pictureman

He declines to say what the budget is but explains that most Myanmar films are funded by private individuals who want quick results that’ll appeal to popular demand and fly off the video stalls, regardless of quality. Time is money. In between shoots Thar Nyi moves fast, directing actors and technicians with short, direct instructions and keeping

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people on their toes. Everyone I speak to on set comments on the director’s ability to energize, unite and focus people from all walks of life, creating a spirit of comradery amongst the crew members. “He makes everyone feel like a friend”, says Nay Toe, playing the lead role and renowned across the nation as Myanmar’s most famous actor. Thar Nyi credits his gregarious

"The villain is free, the villain is powerful, I love the villain"

COVER STORY

“He was my guiding light, every success I have I owe to him. He’s always with me and always will be”. His brother, Dway, considered one of the finest actors of his generation, tragically died of a heart attack aged only 42 in 2007.

Changing guise As is often the case in Myanmar, actors turn to directing as they grow older but Thar Nyi still likes to mix the two disciplines. He’s played characters in a cross section of genres, successfully juggling his tough guy image with the victim and the clown. However, he admits he struggles with playing the funny guy. “Comedy is the most difficult role”, he says. By far his favourite character is the villain. “The villain is free, the villain is powerful”, he says, warming to the theme with an expression of mock evil and a burst of laughter, “I love the villain”. Mercifully, he doesn’t take the role

home with him, where he lives with his wife and seven-year-old son. “In films I’ve played the psycho killer, the rapist, the murderer and the ghost,” he says, adding at home he’s more likely to play guitar and listen to his son singing, cook for his family, buy flowers for his wife …“and rings and clothes and everything,” he says, proving the villain within is nothing more than a guise before dashing back to the camera for the next scene. “Five, four, three, two, one …shoot”. What follows in front of the camera is a torrent of ear piercing shrieks of excitement immediately followed by a comedy bust up between the leading male and female actors. When Thar Nyi shouts “cut”, a crew member spits a jet stream of red betel juice through an open window, another lights a cheroot cigar, while everyone else seems relieved that the shoot was successful. During the course of the day I learn that

'Studying footage with cameraman (left) and Nay Toe (centre)

nature to his nomadic upbringing. His father was a soldier, always on the move with his family in tow, setting up home in different states, forcing the young Thar Nyi to adapt and make new friends in unfamiliar environments. “This is why I understand people from different backgrounds”, he says, “and can work well with them”. By contrast, he considers his entry

into the world of cinema to be accidental. At college he studied geology, adding with a burst of laughter, “I don’t remember a thing, I was a bad student”. His first break as an actor came at the age of 22, following in the footsteps of his older brother and uncle who were both famous actors. “My brother was my greatest influence,” he says, before adding,

The leading players: Nay Toe (left), Thar Nyi (centre) and Moe Hay Ko (right)

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COVER STORY

Thar Nyi, grinning and bearing the workload

Photo by The Pictureman

comedy is core to contemporary Myanmar cinema and seems to find its way into every genre, especially horror. When I ask Thar Nyi why comedy is so prevalent he says, “Because for so long the government have suppressed people’s thinking, comedy is their only way to free the mind”. Immediately, several other crew members join in the debate, nearly everyone agreeing it’s all about escapism. One crew member says, life in Myanmar is difficult, we need comedy to relax, another argues Myanmar cinema gave up on serious topics decades ago.

Myanmar cinema’s golden age In the decades spanning the 1920s to the 1960s the Myanmar film industry, spearheaded by the Burma Film Co. grew to become the envy of Southeast Asia. Low budget but often thought provoking movies packed out the nation’s stand-alone cinemas that peaked at 244. Then came the 1962 coup, cinemas were nationalised and so called

"In films I’ve played the psycho killer, the rapist, the murderer and the ghost" unacceptable topics were squeezed, leading to what Thar Nyi referred to as suppression of the people’s minds. The army had to be depicted gloriously on film and taboos were imposed that included no actors in tight pants, no drunken women fornicating with men, and no people living in bamboo huts – only poor people live in bamboo huts and propaganda of the time insisted there are no poor people in Myanmar. Through the ‘60s and much of the ‘70s film makers pushed against the censorship but eventually became tired of fighting while many others

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were forced out of business. After the 1988 clampdown on protest the sensor’s screw was turned tighter, even “The Simpsons Movie” was blocked after authorities decided to ban, for reasons unclear, the colours red and yellow in movies!

Fast forward Today, with the loosening of censorship laws there are signs that Myanmar cinema is gaining confidence and exploring a wider range of subjects. However, according to Thar Nyi there is some way to go. Not least the absence of libel laws and the rise of social media, making it easier than ever to steal and copy an artist’s original work, circulating videos for free or selling them at a fraction of their intended cost. There is hope that laws will be written and imposed to protect artists creative work but it could take some time arriving. His other hope for the future is one of cultural liberalisation. “The people are very conservative” he says, “if two people kiss on screen, the audience don’t like it”. He believes with more freedom of

expression the movie-goers taste will mature and movie content will improve. When I ask him what movie he’d most like to make, he talks of making a film that explores an individual’s willpower and ability to change, adapt and survive depending on circumstance, citing Tom Hanks Castaway as inspiration. As for young people with ambition to enter the world of film his advice packs the punch of brevity, “Be honest, act like a human …that’s all”. The film crew are only on day three of filming but from the perspective of an outsider everyone seems to know their drill and the energy levels are high. As the afternoon wears on there’s a break in the clouds as a beam of sunlight falls through the window onto the setting, one that Thar Nyi is keen to take advantage of. Then suddenly, the sky darkens and the rain comes sweeping in. The monsoon season has arrived. With the timing of a natural actor, Thar Nyi turns to me, throws his arms in the air and says, “You wanna to know the biggest challenge to filming in Burma? The weather”.

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June 2016 / InDepth Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;15

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

MAKING A DIFFERENCE, ONE LIFE AT A TIME

Sondang Grace talks with the people who have seen their lives empowered through the daily grind of sustaining and growing social enterprises.

A young carpenter at work with Helping Hands

n a kitchen steaming with the enticing aromas of garlic, red chilies and turmeric, the main ingredients of a typical Burmese curry, Myint Zsu is busy stirring and occasionally looking out of the window and into the yard, where several young carpenters are sanding and polishing furniture. It’s almost lunchtime. Today’s menu in Myint Zsu’s kitchen will be chicken, mutton and vegetable curries. With sixty-five mouths to feed, the cook doesn’t have much time on her hands. But still, the whole operation looks plain effortless. Soon enough, a host of sweaty young men walk in to get their share of the day’s meal, followed

by the women. On each plate is a pile of rice curries with fresh vegetables on the side. The setting is Helping Hands, a place that many underprivileged men and women of this country have called home, or workplace, for the past few years. “The carpenters are mostly from outside of Yangon”, says project manager Ba Thaw. “When they heard about our place, they came here. But the boys, some of them were living on the streets before they came here. They’re mostly interested in sanding and polishing, but we’ve also provided them with other skills and education. They’re also welcome to stay here”.

16 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

A seamstress with White Lotus

Established in 2008 as a social project in the aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Nargis, Helping Hands has progressed from producing reconditioned teak wood furniture to inspiring a range of other socially responsible businesses, from employing mostly men to involving dozens of women.

Flame Tree and White Lotus Also housed near Kandawgyi Lake in the same compound are the production workshops for Flame Tree, which churns out home décor items and children’s clothing, and White Lotus, which makes women’s

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

clothing. It is through these two initiatives that many impoverished and marginalized women have come to make a fair living wage, enjoy medical benefits and get their hands on life skills courses. Forty-year-old Sag Kitto was a housekeeper-turned-nanny when she first joined the community five years ago. “My dream, since fourth grade, was that I’ve always wanted to be a professional seamstress and a business owner. But I kept telling myself that can’t happen because I’m not good enough, my education is not high enough, how can I get there? I’m only a nanny. I will never get there,” recalled Sag, who also goes by the name Sabrina. Sabrina’s education might have been cut short to eighth grade, but not her path. After a wide range of intensive trainings in sewing techniques, business and management, Sabrina now pretty much runs the business at Flame Tree, managing 24 other women while taking care of matters concerning budget and accounting. Between caring for her 11-year-old daughter and taking emergency midnight calls from team members, purchasing logistics and commanding meetings, Sabrina has found a new world. The soft-spoken woman who once thought she would never escape the endlessly long hours and low wages common among domestic workers here, is finally embracing a brighter future. “I feel I’m a different person now in many ways. I’m learning things I never knew before. I’m learning and I’m changing. If I can change, that means other women can change too. I share with the women here what I have learned, that if I can change, they have to change too. If I step up, they have to step up too,” she contemplates, tears of pride building up in her eyes. Sitting next to Sabrina is Kzin Nwe, a 24-year-old mother and seamstress working for the White Lotus project. Tears are also welling up in her eyes, as she nods in concurrence.

Churning out home decor items with Flame Tree

“I was once lost and didn’t know what I wanted. But now I know what I like and what I’m going to be in the future. Now I trust myself. My life has changed a lot since I joined White Lotus, and I will keep learning,” she says. Sabrina and Kzin Nwe are real examples of how, provided the right push, underprivileged women can rise to become leaders and successful figures able to strengthen their families and societies. In the end, it is through successful mobilization of its women that a country will be able to accelerate its progress. “We kind of have the same path, Sabrina and I. I didn’t know I could design. We started together and then we got interested in it. This daily process of discovery and empowerment made us grow as a family and provide support to each other,” says Valeria Turrisi, lead designer for Flame Tree. Hailing from Italy, Valeria had trained as a photographer but found a cause worth fighting for when she first learned about the women. “The potential of women in Myanmar is huge. It just needs to be given an opportunity. What it’s missing, sometimes, is self-esteem,” she says. Indeed, self-esteem wasn’t exactly something the women at Flame Tree or White Lotus had heard of before they started working there. Most of them had been unemployed, poor, single mothers with young children. Some were

"I was once lost and didn’t know what I wanted. But now I know what I like and what I’m going to be in the future." Kzin Nwe also HIV positive. Their lives had been marked with poor education, poor nutrition, vulnerable to unemployment and not to mention gender discrimination. It is against such settings that social enterprises are often run, often in an attempt to empower women. At this particular community though, women will also find more than life skills. They’re also bound for life transformations and a new social safety net as they find in each other a similar background and high hopes for the future. For all their hard work, Sabrina and her fellow women could be well on their way to spawning a new era of women’s freedom in Myanmar. But for now, it has to start with the daily grind of sustaining and growing business.

Helping Hands “Social business isn’t the answer to everything, but it’s a good model,” says Helping Hands founder Annie Bell. “We’ve had our challenges. It’s always a bit of a tension, isn’t it, business and social. If you get the business too tight, you don’t do the social. And if you have the social, you don’t have the money. But there’s tension in every bit of life, between that balance.” In order to succeed, much like for any other social enterprise, there are social goals and financial constraints that Sabrina and her colleagues will have to manage. For the time being, Flame Tree and White Lotus products are marketed at the small-scale craft store called Pomelo, in downtown Yangon, Inle Heritage House and a few other select outlets abroad. As for Helping Hands, some of their furniture is on display at Pomelo, but for the most part is sold directly at the production compound. With two major production seasons every year, work is always in full gear at Flame Tree and White Lotus headquarters. These days Valeria and her team are busy preparing a catalogue. As for the women, there’s also a four-month training program with a French fashion designer. “They will need support to grow. What we’re trying to do now is to go and visit some small factories to see how they’re organized and what they’re going to need to scale up. It’s all still very new in Myanmar,” says Valeria.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 17

BUSINESS

TECHNICALLY TERRIFIC Jessica Muddit talks with Mike Than Tun Win, founder and CEO of Flymya, the one-stop travel portal that serves as Myanmar’s first fare-compare and travel package booking website.

Mike Than Tun Win describes the opening of Myanmar's travel market

18 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

Photos by The Pictureman

BUSINESS

urmese entrepreneur Mike Than Tun Win saw the allure of e-commerce at an early age: when he was 17, he began selling gem stones on eBay from his home in Singapore. “Direct sales from websites weren’t common at the time. Ninety percent of my customers were American, as they were the only ones comfortable with e-commerce,” he told InDepth. Mike set up an office with his sister’s help and later hired two of his classmates to help him run his start-up business.

the dong in 2009, times got tough for the expatriate businessman. “I was young and trusted people easily – I gave out credit and didn’t get the money back,” he said. Fortunately for Mike, Myanmar’s political and economic situation had recently started to take a turn for the better and he returned to his homeland in 2010 after almost

"I think technology will change my country and I want to be part of it."

“I started out with a terrible web page and low-end items. But I subsequently got my programmer friends to design web templates and did a course to become a certified gemologist.” eBay works on a review system and as Mike’s ‘power seller’ rank moved up, so did his prices and clientele. His most valuable stones sold for almost US$8,000 and he used the profits to self-fund his studies at business school. However, after graduation, Mike realised that he couldn’t compete with the plethora of Thai companies also selling gems from Myanmar, so he started working at a bank while continuing to sell USB sticks and the like on the side on eBay. “The later businesses on eBay weren’t as successful, so I decided to pack my suitcase and go to Vietnam – where I didn’t know anyone. I wanted to give myself challenges.” Although Vietnam had recently become a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and had an abundant market for lubricants among its millions of scooter users – a sales opportunity Mike seized upon – he ultimately came to realise that the one-party Communist state’s tentacles reached into many aspects of industry. “I stayed there a year but it didn’t end up very well,” he said with a good-natured laugh. “It’s one of the most difficult places to do business in Southeast Asia.” When a currency devaluation hit

“For local companies, we offer zero commission. We want to encourage Burmese people to go online. The problem with Facebook travel packages is that you cannot open a browser to compare prices and anyone can review a company without a transaction having been made.” Flymya seeks to encourage travel operators to deliver better services by promoting transparency through its tried and tested review system. Later this year, a six-storey call centre will open in the popular Yaw Min Gyi area of Yangon to up the operation’s ante. Mike said that ease of use is one of the biggest constraints among a population that has jumped to an 80 percent connectivity rate with smart-phones. “There shouldn’t be a high barrier for Burmese businesses to go online,” he said. His latest venture is Inmya, a tech news and reviews website, which launched in early June. “For many Burmese, their first ICT product is a smartphones and it can be a big portion of their income – it can be two months’ salary.”

Fueling the transit from past to present

two decades away. He’d left for Singapore with his family when he was just eight years old. He said that the challenges he faced in Vietnam taught him many valuable lessons as an entrepreneur. “I learnt things I wasn’t taught in business school,” he said, while reminiscing about many sleepless nights fraught with stress. “If you want to be an entrepreneur you will be alone at the end of the day – that means you have to be 100 percent accountable for your decisions. You are pushed to your limits. But I believe that every startup will lead you that place,” he said before adding, “If I didn’t have that failure in Vietnam, I wouldn’t have been as successful in Myanmar.” Nowadays, Mike’s goal is to aid the growth of grassroots, smaller-scale tourism businesses in Myanmar. He continues to trade in lubricant oils and has done business with mega-suppliers such as Shell, which provides a steady income and thereby allows him to “take risks” on Myanmar’s emerging tech scene. “I think technology will change my country and I want to be part of it.

It’s not just about making a profit but helping smaller companies to grow. Technology makes the world a better place. Look at how technology has changed other countries. In the past, a person would ask the travel agent to recommend the best hotel. The big ones succeeded as a result. But today, smaller hotels and restaurants can charge the same amount if they offer the same experience,” he explained.

Inmya helps to equip readers with the knowledge they need to make the smartest choice about an important purchase. Four full-time editors edit international and local content, as well as producing inhouse reviews. “We aim to be the most up-to-date. We publish unbiased reviews – there are no advertorials.”

Last November, Mike launched Flymya, a one-stop travel portal that serves as a fare-compare and travel package booking website. It is the first website to eliminate the need for travellers to visit travel agencies in Myanmar, where Visa card and Mastercard are largely unaccepted, but in no way is it competing with local agencies themselves.

And while Mike believes that most local shoppers are savvy, he believes that listing prices will foster transparency in the retail industry.

“Flymya has two objectives – one is of course to grow. The second is to build tourism in Myanmar.” Mike said that unleashing grassroots entrepreneurship is key to unlocking Myanmar’s future economic growth.

This year, Mike will open a hundreddesk tech-incubator program in downtown Yangon. In addition to seed funding, participants will take part in a holistic business course that includes finance, legal issues and marketing. It may not include everything that Mike learnt while hustling the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but it will no doubt come close.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 19

TRAVEL

FOR A MOMENT IN THE MERGUI ARCHIPELAGO Exploring the remote and uninhabited Mergui Archipelago, eight friends jumped aboard the Schooner Dallinghoo for an epic adventure. By Mimi Wu

The timeless beauty of the Mergui Archipelago

20â&#x20AC;&#x201A;InDepth Magazine / June 2016

TRAVEL

June 2016 / InDepth Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;21

TRAVEL

ucky the tide is low today, I thought, as I snorkeled through a narrow slit between bobbing sea and jagged limestone ceiling. After clearing Cocks Comb Island’s only underpass, I pulled off my mask and paused as the heart-shaped lagoon came into full view. Entirely enclosed within tall, rocky walls, my seven friends and I left the Andaman Sea for shallower waters where just below the surface, fish darted in and out of the protected coral reef and a minefield of sea urchin gathered. The bright sky and silence filled us. In that moment, this was the entire world, and we were the only ones in it. Cocks Comb Island is one of 800 islands that make up the virtually uninhabited and untouched Mergui Archipelago. Scattered along Myanmar’s southernmost tip in the Andaman Sea, it boasts a rich diversity of aquatic flora and fauna, including megafauna such as whale sharks and manta rays.

devoid of development and people. With limited accommodation – only two lodges are available in the middle of the archipelago – and limited yachting licenses, fewer than 2,500 tourists visited the site last year according to official records. The only consistent evidence of human existence while at sea is the rarely sighted Moken (sea gypsies) and the nightly green glow of squid boats. Prohibitive pricing and inconvenient navigability throughout Myanmar further keep tourist figures low and thus, powdery white sand beaches empty. It’s this seclusion multiplied across hundreds of islands that makes the Mergui Archipelago an unparalleled paradise.

Virgin Territory

However, as Myanmar further opens to tourism and expands its industries, whispers of development and continuous overfishing will undoubtedly change this virgin territory. Come now, while the sea still feels completely your own.

Despite opening to foreigners 20 years ago, the islands are shockingly

That was the impetus behind our decision to charter the elegant and

Come now, while the sea still feels completely your own

22 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

Tangerine skies over the Mergui Archipelago

luxurious Schooner Dallinghoo super yacht this April. Together with three friendly crewmates, a Thai-born Italy-raised chef, the captain who doubled as a marine biology professor, and the captain’s fiancé and resident baker, we explored seven islands by boat, kayak, paddleboard, and snorkel gear.

The Journey A journey into the Mergui Archipelago begins in the sleepy town of Kawthaung, Myanmar. Small and scrappy, Kawthaung is spectacularly unexceptional, though the jetty’s two-block radius

supplied important items: wellpriced liquor, soda and tonic waters, wet bags, and preventative motion sickness medicine, which I bought for my overly sensitive inner ear but soon stowed away once the sea revealed its calmness. Setting sail from Kawthaung, the cacophony of the world on land quickly melted away. Shoes were dumped into a wicker basket and lay abandoned. With no schedule or Internet connectivity, time was forgotten, punctuated instead by a dolphin pod sighting, clever sentences in a book, and bravely jumping from 60-feet cliffs.

TRAVEL Getting There

The Schooner Dallinghoo set down her anchor that first day with a little blue left in the sky. Surrounded by massive limestone rocks and miles long islands, the sea beckoned. I took a running leap off the boat and plunged into the crisp water. Friends joined on paddle boards and kayaks, as wahoo from that day’s catch was cured into Ceviche and grilled for dinner. All that mattered was the sun and the sea. Here in the Mergui Archipelago, alone with these elements, inhibition was blissfully shed. Rising early the next morning when fish are active, I sprayed defogging “sauce” (a baby shampoo and water mixture) into my snorkel mask and swam closer to shore. Schools of Moorish idols slid gracefully around foot-long iridescent purple clams, and – with a brief jolt of fear – a ballet pink jellyfish one meter in diameter pulsated just below. I floated, watching smaller fish hitchhike in its bell. Never had my partner nor I seen such a tremendous jellyfish despite decades of snorkeling and diving around the world. Many mornings and, frankly, afternoons, took similar shape, but to add variety, we took shelter on our third day among Macleod Island’s dense foliage behind Andaman Resort. Guided through the ten million year old rainforest, we clambered over rock and root to its three peaks. “Breath-taking” took on a literal meaning, but the view of blue sky seamlessly meeting Datai Bay’s blue water made us glad we had persevered to the top. Sweat pouring from our faces, we turned and headed back, delighted by sections so steep, ropes were used to rappel down. A quick jump in the sea refreshed us, though truth be told, I didn’t want to leave. Reluctantly, I did tear myself away from reef and island, returning slightly exhausted with pruned fingers. Tucking into a large breakfast or lunch, the anchor would be raised and a new course set. The few hours between islands were spent languidly dozing on deck cushions with a cool drink. But every white sand beach we

From Yangon, Myanmar, take a two-hour flight to Kawthaung. Alternatively, fly from Bangkok to Ranong, Thailand or take a taxi from Phuket to Ranong. From Ranong, take a 30-minute long tail boat across the Pakchan River to Kawthaung. Online tourist visas are available for many countries. Visas are not required for ASEAN passport holders.

When to Go The waters are best between November and early February, but the season continues through April with calm seas. For the rest of the year, it is monsoon season.

Accommodation

Chilling out on the Schooner Dallinghoo

passed tempted me to abandon ship and while I much preferred our comfortable cruise to a crowded speedboat, the pace was personally agonizing after the second day. I was eager for our many hours in the water with alien-looking cuttlefish and colorful Christmas tree worms bound to coral.

As the week progressed, the sea rewarded us with ever-clearer waters and livelier reef, until finally, it was our last night. Sitting around a bonfire, gazing up to the stars, we bid a silent farewell. But, as we barely scratched the surface of the Mergui Archipelago’s 800 islands, we had already begun planning our return to claim another beach as our own, if only for a moment in time.

Schooner Dallinghoo (private charter for €2,900/ night, max. 8 people): www.dallinghoo.com Burma Boating (private charter starts at €2,200/ night, max. 8 people or book a cabin for €2,150/ pp for five days): www. burmaboating.com If visiting many islands in a limited time is more interesting, speedboats are available from Ranong. However, solitude and time to explore the islands are compromised, as groups of 30 or more leave sites as quickly as they arrive, all buoyed by neon life jackets. Better to charter a sailboat or live aboard diving boat lent flexibility.

What to Take Camera, sunscreen, swimsuits and rash guard, sunglasses, games/books/ iPod, sneakers if you want to hike.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 23

TRANSLATION

A MURDER ON PANSODAN STREET U SAN SHAR - THE BURMESE SHERLOCK HOLMES

Episode Four: San Lin Tun takes us into the world of the famous detective U San Shar in 1930s Rangoon, with his translation of an original Shwe U-Daung story – Pan So Tan Lu That Mu - A Murder on Pansodan Street. The story so far:

"Where did they get the rope?"

Te Wah Ri, a wealthy Bangladeshi man meets Dr. Sanneal in Rangoon and offers the doctor new premises on Pansodan Street.

"Te Wah Ri was terrified of fire. His rope would be his means of escape should a fire break out downstairs and disable the ladder, he kept the rope in his room." U San Shar said to himself, "What good thinking!", and continued. "Well, in the evening I think that the case will be unveiled well. That photo is Te Wah Ri's, isn't it? I'll take it with me for a while."

A few months later, two mysterious Bangladeshi men posing as father and son visit Dr. Sanneal seeking his famous cure for epilepsy. When Dr. Sanneal enters his room to find the medicine the two Bangladeshi men disappear, prompting Te Wah Ri to ask for the services of the renowned detective, San Shar. On San Shar’s second visit he finds Te Wah Ri hanging by a rope in his bedroom. U San Shar is busy examining the evidence as Ko Thein Maung (San Shar’s Dr. Watson) takes up the story. Saying this, U San Shar went into the room to examine the lock carefully, taking out the dangling key and inspecting it properly. After thorough examination of Te Wah Ri's body, rope, bed, carpet, chairs and tables we dislodged the rope from the body. As usual, we dispatched it to the hospital.

Dr. Sanneal asked him, "Can't we know something right now?" U San Shar replied, "As far as I know right now, this scheme is done by three persons. One is quite young, the other is quite old. As for the third, I can't tell you much at this moment." "You may think that the first two are the ones who came to you with epilepsy. To accomplish their scheme there was someone inside who helped them”. At this point he turned to the Burmese inspector. “Well, Ko Tun Tin, let me give you a suggestion. I think you'd better arrest the gatekeeper." At this point, Dr Sanneal stepped in, "As soon as the morning came, this chap disappeared."

Then, U San Shar asked Dr. Sanneal,

U San Shar studies Te Wah Ri’s lifeless body and rope

24 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

U San Shar: "In this case this chap is quite important. When they tiptoed upstairs,

Wah Ri would be looking at them, eyes wide with fear. They’d already planned to hang Te Wah Ri. They’d even brought screws and a screwdriver for setting up the rope. But, after seeing the lamp hook, they decided it would be more convenient to hang the rope from that, so they discarded the screws. When they’d finally executed Te Wah Ri they took the same route back. When they left the building, the third one locked the door as usual." U San Shar

the older one led the way, the youth was in the middle, and the third one was the last. There’s no confusion with this, the footprints are quite conspicuous. When they reached upstairs, they found that the door was locked, so they forced it open with an iron bar which they’d brought with them. Don't you see the scratches here? You don't need a magnifying glass. And, on entering the room, imagine what they did. First, they gagged Te Wah Ri with cloth to silent him. And then they tied his arms and legs, and it seemed that they held a discussion. It seemed that it took time." "Because at that meeting the elder one sat in that yonder chair, smoking a cheroot with filter tip. The younger one sat in the other chair over there, also smoking a cheroot and brushing the ash off the table. The third one was pacing to and fro. During this time, Te

U San Shar discerned things which were inconspicuous to our eyes, and related to us fact after fact. We, agape, listened to them. At the end of the elucidation, Inspector Ko Tun Tin, Take out to look for the gatekeeper. And we went back home to have lunch. After having food, U San Shar said, "I'll be back before 5 p.m.. Dr. Sanneal and Ko Tun Tin will come too. You need to come back as soon as your job is done. When I come back, the case should have been ironed out." Having these things, U San Shar left and I set out for the office. The inspector and Dr. Sanneal were waiting at home when I got back from work. Half an hour later, U San Shar walked upstairs. On seeing the inspector, U San Shar asked him, "What's news, Ko Tun Tin? Anything new?"

TRANSLATION

was trembling because he heard they were released from jail. Yes, that's it."

men harboured a great deal of animosity against Ta Wi Ri. They had tried three times to kill him. Only this time, they accomplished their goal. Well, are we all clear now?"

U San Shar: "Exactly. When he heard the break in happened in Eastern Rangoon he knew it was a lie."

Dr. Sanneal: "Very clear. Ah, now I see it. That day when Te Wah Ri

Dr. Sanneal: "Then, why didn't he say so?"

"First, they gagged Te Wah Ri with cloth to silent him. And, then they tied his arms and legs" U San Shar

U San Shar: "Well, he changed his name, and came to live in Rangoon, hoping that he’d be free and safe. He felt shame relating his past experience. So, he was silent and planned to talk about it when he felt safer. Alas, now gone another foolish man. Though he was foolish, we have our own duty to catch the guilty men." A week later on Sunday, three Indian men attempted to cross the border north of Myitkyina into China and were stopped by the police. They were the three guys who killed Te Wah Ri, brought to justice through the brilliant work of U San Shar.

When they tiptoed upstairs, the older one led the way, the youth was in the middle, and the third one was the last.

Ko Tun Tin: "I've got the gatekeeper."

criminal list well. You have a good memory. Excellent."

U San Shar: "Really? I have also found out who the two men are."

Ko Tun Tin: "Ah, I see. Now it seems crystal clear." While they were conversing, Dr Sanneal and I looked at their faces with incomprehension.

We felt surprised by this. U San Shar continued, "Yes, I've found out all about them. They are famous. You might know them. Gu Tar, Mo Han, and Goot. These are the men." Ko Tun Tin: "Ah! I see. They the guys who broke into Bangalar Bank about seven years ago, aren't they?" U San Shar: "True. They are." Ko Tun Tin: "Then, Te Wah Ri is in their group. I suppose Te Wah Ri might be Ba Ru Wah." U San Shar: "Yes, you know the

Then, U San Shar said, "About seven years ago, a break-in in a Calcutta bank was carried out by these same men. The dead man Te Wah Ri, the present gatekeeper, those two people who pretended to be father and son. All four of them. They took more than $100,000 but were later caught. Though they were arrested, insufficient evidence almost set them free. At that time, Te Wah Ri acted as a government witness so he was also released while the other three guys got seven years imprisonment on Te Wah Ri’s evidence. Naturally, the condemned

A week later on Sunday, three Indians attempted to cross the border north of Myitkyina into China and were stopped by the police.

Illustrations by Ben Hopkins

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 25

DRIVE ADVENTURE

FOUR HOURS, TWO CENTURIES As Yangon sinks beneath a traffic tsunami, Nay Pyi Taw offers higher ground. By Joe Cummings Photos by Dustin Main

26â&#x20AC;&#x201A;InDepth Magazine / June 2016

DRIVE ADVENTURE

urtling down the highway at 140 kilometres per hour, I swivel in my seat to peer through the polished windows of the Mercedes CLS 550. The flat terrain offers long, uninterrupted views of the tarmac behind and ahead. There are virtually no other vehicles on the road. It’s uncanny. Is this really Myanmar? The scrubland flanking the highway likewise shows little activity for the most part. And we haven’t even yet reached Nay Pyi Taw, the new capital, which western writers tend to describe as a ‘ghost town’ or as The Guardian

hyperbolised, ‘a super-sized slice of post-apocalypse.’ The contrast with the city we had left less than two hours ago couldn’t be stronger. In Yangon it took our 400-horsepower sedan five minutes to move six meters, on average, along city streets. One afternoon while DRIVE editor Cameron Cooper waited patiently behind the wheel for the gridlock to break loose, I had time to jump out, have a biryani vendor box up two orders to go and get back in the car well before our ride moved out of sight.

In Yangon, the stress of driving across the city was so great that we left the pleasantly distracting front-seat lumbar massagers on constantly. But out on the open highway we’re blessed with clear skies, clear lanes and a feeling I haven’t felt since driving through the American Southwest.

The Road to Somewhere When I first visited Myanmar in 1986, there was no viable road between Yangon and Mandalay. You took the train, and if you were lucky it arrived in less than 20 hours.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 27

DRIVE ADVENTURE

A few years later, just after ‘Rangoon’ and ‘Burma’ lost their official status in favour of Yangon and Myanmar, National Highway 1 made it possible for all manner of vehicles to travel between the former British colonial capital and Myanmar’s last royal capital. Eventually the modest roadway became so bogged down with intercity buses and heavy trucks that nowadays it takes longer to drive between Yangon and Mandalay on Hwy 1 than it did 15 years ago. The new modern Yangon-Mandalay Expressway we’re driving on, stretching 587 kilometres from south to north, was completed in 2009, just three years after the latest capital changeover in 200 years. We’re still far from Nay Pyi Taw, the new purpose-built national capital, but so far this ribbon of cement carving its way through the belly of the nation feels like it belongs in Nevada rather than Myanmar. I spot a sign that reads “Life is a Journey. Complete it.” But after gridlocked Yangon, none of us is in a hurry to complete anything. We’re pleasantly sealed off from the hot plains in an air-conditioned leatherlined metal carriage, watching the world whizz soundlessly by. Even astronauts have to eat, so at Mile 115, we pull into a sprawling highway rest stop called Feel Express. Several different food vendors are lined up behind a lengthy row of tables and carts heaped with fragrant – in some cases, pungent – local dishes. Photographer Dustin Main has been in Myanmar a few weeks already, and, wearing a longyi knotted tightly at the waist, has gone convincingly native, so Cameron and I allow him to suggest our lunch menu. He points to a countertop filled with noodle dishes, and soon we’re gulping down chilli-laden pasta that rivals that of Shan 999, Yangon’s legendary downtown noodle joint. Then we’re back in the car, speeding towards the Emerald City of Oz and congratulating ourselves on how easy it all is.

Midday rush hour in 'downtown' Nay Pyi Taw

As it turns out, the main obstacle to driving one’s self to Nay Pyi Taw is leaving Yangon. In the time it had taken Cameron and I to drive from Yangon airport to Strand Road, we had driven more than halfway to the new capital, over 150 kilometres away. Before the Shan noodles fully digest, we’re through the Nay Pyi Taw toll gate and driving along what seem to an extension of our splendid expressway.

Awaiting the Parade The broad avenues of Nay Pyi Taw take centre stage in most articles published on the capital so far. With widths running between four and 10 lanes – one article cites a 20-lane roadway, but I don’t recall seeing one of that size – the presumption seems to be they’re all about making a grand statement. Or might it be they were designed to handle whatever future traffic might develop over the next two decades? When English author Charles Dickens visited the artificial capital of Washington, DC in 1842 – 30 years after its initial construction – his comments could have been intended for Nay Pyi Taw today: “Spacious avenues that begin in nothing and lead nowhere; streets a mile long that only want houses, roads, and inhabitants; public buildings that need only a public to be complete.”

28 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

To this latter-day Dickens, these multiple Champs-Élysées, radiating out from huge Parisian-style roundabouts decorated with flowers and fountains, look as if they’re waiting for a massive parade that has yet to arrive. Hence the descriptive phrase I’ve seen duplicated in at least two different newspaper articles on Nay Pyi Taw already, “The only thing missing is people.” Except that Nay Pyi Taw is not nearly as unpopulated as many critics have painted it. Any time of day or night people are moving around the city in cars, buses and trucks, and – unlike in Yangon, where anything on two wheels is banned – on bicycles and motorcycles. Thousands of government servants are here, working in offices and sleeping in new multi-storey residential complexes that, from the outside at least, appear to be more inhabitable than their crumbling counterparts in

Yangon.

The Seat of Power Picks Up The new Parliament has already convened at the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, and its most legendary elected member, Aung San Suu Kyi, began renting a house in Nay Pyi Taw immediately after winning her historic seat. In March 2016 a new ruling held its first meeting here. The Asian Development Bank and World Bank moved their main local offices to Nay Pyi Taw even before the recent democratic elections. Barack Obama and David Cameron have both paid official visits, and in 2013 the 27th Southeast Asian Games were held in Nay Pyi Taw’s Wunna Theikdi and Zayarthiri sports complexes. That same year the World Economic Forum on East Asia took place at the huge Myanmar International Convention Centre. This was followed by

DRIVE ADVENTURE

perhaps the biggest international vote of confidence for Nay Pyi Taw so far, the hosting of the 25th ASEAN summit in 2014. Many foreign trade offices, reluctant to relocate during the previous administration, are now considering a transfer from Yangon so that they can stay closer to the centre of power. It is in the capital city’s sheer scale, relative to its current population, where you begin to sense something surreal. One source I come across claims it covers 4,800 square kilometres, a figure which would make Nay Pyi Taw six times the size of Manhattan. A full decade after it was officially opened, the new capital is surprisingly functional, falling neatly and quietly into the plan its designers provided. The city is divided into strict zones across five townships. The Ministry Zone in Zabu Thiri Township contains the headquarters for all of Myanmar’s government ministries and departments, the most visually impressive of which is the massive parliamentary complex known as Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. Extending over 800 acres, its 31 separate buildings – believed by some to represent the 31 planes of existence in Buddhist cosmology – are surrounded by tall fences and a deep moat. Alongside is the 100room Presidential Palace. On our first day in town, we drive up to one of the imposing, ornate steel gates of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, where we are met by a surprisingly friendly phalanx of security guards. After we explain that we just want to take photos, instead of turning us away, they allow us to drive our car inside the gates for a better angle from which to photograph. We aren’t permitted to bridge the moat, but the proportions of the parliamentary buildings are so huge that even from a distance they fill the camera lens. Every building in the Ministry Zone is topped by red roofs. I’ve seen the architecture described as ‘brutal’ and ‘Stalinist’, but with the upper

walls tapering inward, my overall impression is that Greek or even Tibetan models are just as likely. If pressed, I’ll settle for ‘grand civic’ or ‘bureaucratic nouveau’ as descriptions. We drive the entire perimeter of the complex, stopping at various points to grab photos. Although we are keenly observed by guards spaced out along the fences, no one attempts to prevent Dustin from setting up his camera gear and shooting.

Getting in the Zone Other zones are dedicated to commercial (shopping and dining), hotel, residential, recreational and military use. Over the two days and nights we stay in Nay Pyi Taw, I come to realise that a noticeable downside of this zoning is that carrying on one’s daily life means driving 15 to 30 minutes every time you want to move between where you stay, where you work and where you shop. In fact, we spend far more time in the car than we do walking around. When we need batteries for the car’s remote, we drive half an hour, past miles of undeveloped lots, to a shopping centre in the Commercial Zone. Feeling a bit peckish? Back in the car to hunt down Capital Hypermarket, where a branch of YKKO, Yangon’s famed kay owe (Burmese hotpot) café, is found.

The myth that Nay Pyi Taw is ‘in the middle of nowhere’ is defeated when we motor into the adjacent village of Laeway or township of Pyinmana, both of which have thrived for centuries. These are places where we feel ‘normal’ – Myanmar normal, that is – again. Finding Nay Pyi Taw’s vaunted 612-acre zoo and adjacent 300-acre safari garden in the Recreational Zone turns into a very long drive along unsigned roads. By the time we reach the zoo’s main gate, the midday sun is as discouraging as the US$20 entry fee, so we decide to skip it. We do make it into the Gems Museum and Emporium, guarded by a pair of dancing white elephant statues. Stones from Myanmar are known for their high quality, and the emporium attracts gem merchants from all over the world. Or so we’re told. On the afternoon we visit, we’re among fewer than a dozen visitors perusing the long rows of glass cabinets filled with gleaming sapphires, rubies and jade. We become well acquainted with the Hotel Zone, or at least with one nicely landscaped corner of the zone. Our temporary home, the Lake Garden Nay Pyi Taw, is owned by a Yangon tycoon and elegantly managed by Accor’s M Gallery. The quality of facilities and service rival that of any five-star property in Bangkok.

One evening in the hotel bar we meet Zaw Min Yu, a 63-year-old photographer who, after a 24-year career abroad in Australia, Asia and Europe, returned to his native land with a French wife and daughter. Zaw has been commissioned by the Lake Garden’s owner to photograph the resort for advertising and promotion. Over glasses of iced bourbon, I ask the smiling, pony-tailed artist what he thinks lies in store for Nay Pyi Taw. “With the new government in power, much more attention is focusing here now,” he says. “Foreign embassies which declined to relocate here from Yangon 10 years ago, under the last administration, are now seriously considering the move. “It’s inevitable. Yangon is so congested. Here they can accommodate. Besides, most of the government offices back in Yangon are now being used for something else. We can't move back. We can only go forward. And what a relief it is to get away from the traffic.” This article first appeared in Issue #1 of DRIVEMagazine, Myanmar’s first magazine dedicated to celebrating the passion for driving.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 29

HERITAGE

RELICS OF RANGOON American Author Philip Heijmans talks to InDepth about the work and inspiration behind Relics of Rangoon, an illustrated book of photographs capturing the historic buildings of Yangon at a time they are in danger of disappearing forever.

The Secretariat building in Downtown Yangon

alking through the throttled and vibrant streets of downtown Yangon it’s impossible not to be struck by the crumbling relics of a city that was once the heartbeat of the British Empire. Some of these buildings are tucked away down narrow side streets, cloaked in shades of green mold and ferns while others tower above the city skyline. All of them are historical landmarks, a window into the past that if transformed to their former glory have the potential of making

Downtown Yangon the envy of Southeast Asia. “Yangon’s heritage buildings are the city’s main historical attraction,” says Phil from a modern bistro in the heart of Downtown Yangon. “My hope is that this book, along with a soon to be online library featuring 8,000 photos, will serve future developers and conservation groups in maintaining these buildings”.

30 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

Outside the hot dry air is thick with dust and exhaust fumes, filling the cracks and crevices that eat their way into these buildings; any day now the rains will return, encouraging the moss and weeds to take root, speeding the decay and erasing the history that lives within these stately relics. Phil began his project over three years ago, taking leave from his job as Editor for Myanmar Times Business Section to trawl the

"Yangon’s heritage buildings are the city’s main historical attraction." Philip Heijmans

HERITAGE

The High Court: one of the most iconic buildings in Yangon, located in the heart of downtown and opened in 1911

streets of Downtown Yangon with camera in hand, regularly putting in eight hours a day under an unrelenting sun. After the first 12 months he’d accumulated over 6,000 photos of Yangon’s colonial buildings. Still to research were the human stories behind the crumbling facades of up to 200 buildings deemed historical landmarks by the Yangon Heritage Trust. Shelving the project for a further 12 months he returned with a team of researchers and began sourcing the archives that told the story of Yangon’s British colonial buildings. “When the Japanese took over Rangoon (1943) the British left with all the archives,” he says. Many of the documents found their way into the vaults of financial institutions such as Lloyds of London. Gaining access to the historical documents must have been a feat in itself, and the information locked

away for generations proved to be invaluable. Equally invaluable were the insights gained through knocking on doors and talking to elderly people in downtown Yangon, most of whom had spent their lives amidst these much-admired buildings. Many of the abandoned government halls, dispensaries, cinemas and hotels now serve as makeshift homes for families and business. Others have been all but forgotten under military rule that isolated the country for over twenty years. “Almost all the people I talked to were positive about Yangon’s heritage and happy to open up.” Phil hopes to see the day when downtown traffic is replaced by tram lines, freeing up space for markets and business to function without the headache of gridlock, encouraging tourism and making life more tolerable for the people

Downtown housing in Yangon

who live and work in the heart of Yangon. That could be 20 years or more down the line, the challenge for now is to earmark the city’s historical landmarks, unravel the bureaucratic

gridlock within government and private bodies, and get to work on transforming the relics of Rangoon to their former glory. http://www.relicsofrangoon.com

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 31

BEYOND MYANMAR

Downtown view, the Freedom Tower and site of 9/11 Memorial

Williamsburg Hipsters

32â&#x20AC;&#x201A;InDepth Magazine / June 2016

Fifth Avenue Tiffany & Company

BEYOND MYANMAR “We have to cultivate what is best in us; that is ...the philosophy of live and let live, a desire to understand the other person’s point of view.” U Thant, former UN Secretary-General

NEW YORK CITY IN 72 HOURS By Claudia Franzen "One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." Tom Wolfe, New York author

shopping here.

NYC is best done on foot but the subway lines and famous yellow taxis can also deliver you everywhere.

And if this is not enough luxe, cut across the bobbing midtown crowds to Barney’s on Madison Avenue and 61st Street — OK, the OTHER New York luxury destination for ultrachic fashion.

ew York City, home to 8 million people and 800 languages, that some call the capital of the world, is the place for everyone. Mixed cultures and ethnicities thrive here and we take you on a high-octane tour of Manhattan, uptown and downtown, with a little bit of Brooklyn too. We show you shopping, culture and eats guaranteed to inspire.

Welcome to the City — your city.

DAY ONE

United Nations Headquarters

Jamming on Union Square 14th Street Subway, L train Platform

10 AM – Fifth Avenue, heart of Manhattan’s shopping Start with Breakfast at Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. You know the movie, now experience New York’s most famous jeweler for yourself. You will find their collections, newly stylized, to be fanciful, sophisticated and in-the-know just like a true New Yorker. Tiffany’s iconic diamond engagement rings are on 2 where brilliant sparkles beckon from every corner. Note that the United States does not charge VAT like European Union countries do. Although you are not refunded the 8.875% NYC sales tax, you mostly come out ahead

Kiddy corner is Bergdorf Goodman, THE New York luxury destination for ready-to-wear, couture and accessories from high-end designers all over the world. The shoe salon on 2 is crawling with styles from 70 brands alone. Your feet will be forever grateful.

12 PM – Lunch Hi-Society or Lo-Society For Hi-So, join Madison Avenue’s taste makers at Fred’s at Barney’s on 9, a scenie place with ladies who lunch tethered to their pocket dogs. Lo-So, buy a gyro or souvlaki at Tony Dragon’s Grill — one of Midtown’s favorite food trucks for zesty Greek fare. Find him north on Madison Avenue and 62nd Street, then head west to Central Park with your lunch. 2 PM – Central Park Walk or a Diplomat’s Walk Find a bench at The Pond in Central Park’s southeast corner or walk north ten minutes to the Sheep Meadow lawn and sink your feet into the plush grass overlooking Midtown’s power skyline.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 33

BEYOND MYANMAR

spray-painted on a building’s facade. Welcome to John Fluevog Shoes on Mulberry. Fluevog sees himself as an artist who ended up in the shoe business. He wants everyone to be themselves and his styles fly in the face of classic shoe design from pearlescent Mary Janes to shimmering purple brogues. John Fluevog delivers the ultimate twist on the Classic shoe. Head up to Union Square 14th Street subway and take the L train a few stops over to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Get off at Bedford Avenue. Times Square

Myanmar is no stranger to the United Nations’ peacemaking efforts. Take a taxi to UN headquarters for a guided tour. Visit where Myanmar’s distinguished diplomat, U Thant, served as Secretary-General in the '60s. As a champion of peace, tolerance and social harmony, U Thant truly embodied what is NYC and its own philosophy of live and let live. 8 PM – Broadway Show The big buzz on Broadway? Hamilton. This hip, historical, rap musical won a Grammy for best musical. It’s the story of one of the nation’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, who after the British were defeated helped shape policy for the new United States. Only lottery tickets are available for this show at this time so try your luck. Have pre- or post-theater dinner at Bar Americain, created by NYC’s own Chef Bobby Flay who is revered for his upscale and flavorpacked Southwest American eats. Try their skate with smoked chili butter and super moist corn cake. Midnight – Times Square Stroll The city that never sleeps. Take a midnight stroll through Times Square’s valley of dazzling billboards, signs and marquees or sail through it, down Broadway, in a clear roofed yellow taxi and take in the digital light show above.

DAY TWO 10 AM – 9/11 Memorial & Museum Head downtown to honor those who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11 in 2001. Dramatic waterfalls plunge into reflecting pools where the original Twin Towers stood. The memorial is a testament to the magnitude of the loss and to the resilience of New Yorkers. Free, but book tickets online in advance. 12 PM – Lunch at Shake Shack Walk ten minutes north, past the new Freedom Tower, to Murray Street at Battery Park City. Restaurateur Danny Meyer’s popular Shake Shack has some of the best, all natural hamburgers and hot dogs in town. The long lines will be forgiven once you are one with your juicy Shack Burger and handspun Peanut Butter shake. Take in the Hudson River view plus the Statue of Liberty down at the tip of the island.

Love urban streetwear? Stop by Supreme on Lafayette and bring home NYC’s downtown street culture with its skate, hip-hop and art scenes. Pharell Williams and Kanye West are big fans. Looks perfect for Yangon? Know You’re Weird reads a sign, cradled by a mural of buttercups

Brooklyn Denim

1 PM – Nolita Nolita stands for North of Little Italy and Soho stands for South of Houston. Both areas are go-to spots for smaller, edgier fashion brands. For contemporary women’s clothing with a plum following, including actress Tilda Swinton, stop by Zero + Maria Cornejo on Bleecker. With her modern take on luxury, Maria Cornejo combines simple lines with striking intrigue. You know you are wearing something special. Mulberry Sreet John Fluevog Shoes

34 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

4 PM – Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is Manhattan’s alter ego. Manhattan can feel cramped while Williamsburg feels open with its mix of brownstones, low warehouses and few skyscrapers. You can actually see sky here. Brooklyn experienced gentrification in the past few years and Williamsburg in particular is fueled by an industrious community of artists, designers and musicians

BEYOND MYANMAR

with plenty of hipster chic to go around. Recharge at Toby’s, a connoisseur's coffee house on 6th Street and Berry, a block away from the subway. Stroll south to 3rd Street and Wythe and stop in Brooklyn Denim, a retail concept showcasing over 50 brands of denim, bolts of raw denim, plus an onsite denim tailor to make a look just for you. Head west on 3rd Street to the Williamsburg Waterfront and take in the spectacular views of the East River and Manhattan. Walk north along the waterfront and on Saturdays, drop by Smorgasburg, on Kent and 7th Street, the seasonal outdoor food market that features hundreds of foods from local sellers around the area. Try Kyle’s Kimchi, handcrafted slaw for a quick snack! If you still haven’t shopped enough you can head east on 7th Street to Artists & Fleas, a weekend indoor flea market with all things craft, curio and vintage. 6 PM – Sunset Cocktails at Ides Bar A few blocks north on 11th Street and Wythe you’ll find the Ides Bar — a rooftop sensation at the stylish Wythe Hotel. Wind down with a classic cocktail in this bright and airy spot. There is an intimate outdoor space, where you can take in cinematic views of the Empire State Building and the full Manhattan skyline in all its splendor. 8 PM – Dinner and Live Music at St. Mazie Enjoy dinner with live music at St. Mazie’s Supper Club. Order oysters on the half shell or a slow-cooked short rib and tune in to sets of Harlem jazz, New Orleans jazz, southern gospel, waltz and even a swing dance! 11 PM – Salsa If you want to dance salsa, NYC’s own searing Latin sound from the barrio, head back to Manhattan to Subrosa on Gansevoort (Saturday nights), or check salsanewyork.com for salsa parties for every night of the week.

Ides Bar at Wythe Hotel

DAY THREE Sleep in but not too late and head to the charmed Gramercy Park, a historic enclave with a 2-acre garden that only residents can enter and have a key. It is located between the beginning of Lexington Avenue and the end of Irving Place. 11 AM - Brunch at Maialino Another Danny Meyer culinary must, Maialino is an Italian restaurant at the foot of the Gramercy Park Hotel. Perfect spot for brunch with non-pretentious, elegant interiors flooded with light and windows of green peering into the park. They make a beautiful Aperol Spritz and classic brunch fare with sides of salsiccia and pancetta to die for, who’s counting calories? 1 PM – The Whitney Must see the new home of the Whitney Museum, the authority of modern American art. Take a taxi west to Gansevoort Street and Greenwich in the Meat Packing district. The distinguished structure was designed by architect Renzo Piano and is a jigsaw of stateof-the-art indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces surrounded by views of the High Line and the Hudson River. 5 PM – High Line Stroll Go for a late day stroll on the High Line, a set of abandoned railway tracks converted into an aerial public park stretching from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street

The High Line

More jamming by the Whitney Museum

All photos by Claudia Franzen

along the Hudson River. Pass by old rail tracks, embedded seating areas, art installations, music acts and sculpted shrubs tucked into the mix. Get a suntan if weather permits and check out the High Line’s seasonal cultural programs too. 7 PM – Dinner at Cafe Mingala Missing home yet? NYC’s got that

too. Wind down your three days with some well-earned Burmese food. Take a taxi uptown to Cafe Mingala on the Upper East Side for some Shan noodles and home-style curries. Kaun ba de. Done.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 35

BISTRONOMY

NEW CHEF, NEW MENU AT THE SAVOY By Charlie Michio Turner

avoy Hotel has a new head man in the kitchen, Florian Eberhardt, who has kept the popular menu items from his predecessor while adding several choices of his own. The classically trained German chef has worked for hotels throughout Southeast Asia before relocating to Yangon about two months ago. The foreigner favourite burger menu is still intact with a few welcome additions for appreciators of dairy and massive portions. A good time to try one of the eight burgers is on Wednesdays when you can get a free bottle of Tuborg with your order. Burgers aside, their business lunch is probably the best value, offering a three course meal going for $19. The historically-preserved decor and layout of the Savoy is the same. Customers are opting to sit poolside now that the climate isn’t devastating, a beautiful patio area that begins to quiet down after the noon lunch hour. The main changes, besides the menu, are how they want more nonguests to visit the hotel. The new General Manager is committed to making the bar a more lively area which starts with putting on EuroCup starting on 10 June. It would have felt wrong to eat at the Savoy without trying one of the new burgers, the Mexican ($18) and the New Yorker ($19) being the recommended choice of Chef Eberhardt. Burgers are not usually featured as the entree for the business lunches but are a solid order either way. You better

36 InDepth Magazine / June 2016

be hungry though… grunting and growling hungry. The New Yorker is a towering structure of starch and meat that is correctly named after an American city, but Charlotte, Houston or another Southern hub may have been more fitting. The angus beef patty, cooked to the customer’s liking, and in-house made buns are delicious constants that come with any Savoy burger. The crisped balls of mac & cheese, melted cheddar and smoked bacon is what made this meal its own animal. This salty, creamy and extremely hardy meal is perfect for those who are famished, not calorie conscious or possibly hungover. The chicken cordon bleu ($20) was another recommendation from the chef, an item which is consistently available on the regular menu. Crispy flakes, cheesy and with extra ham, this was an extra hardy take on the classic french dish. It is accompanied with a side salad, baby potatoes and sprouts as a garnish. The new Savoy lunch menu is not a small plate tapas experience, but a proper meal that won’t leave you hungry. Colleagues who want to enjoy a long lunch in an upscale environment should come for the two or three course business deal. Old friends should come and grab one of the large burgers and a beer. Wednesdays are recommended.

129, Dhammazedi Road

REAL ESTATE

YANGON PROPERTY MARKET TOP 10 PREDICTIONS FOR 2016 INDUSTRIAL MARKET WILL FLOURISH “The successful launch of Thilawa Special Economic Zone boosts the overall investors’ confidence. More manufacturing firms will become more persistent with their site search and selection process. However, most will have to contend with a very nascent market.” ALL-TIME HIGH OCCUPANCY FOR SERVICED APARTMENTS TO PERSIST This year’s 321 additional keys is meager as opposed to the increasing corporate housing requirements; a longer wait list especially for well-sought residences is expected, while demand for limited or non-serviced apartments will become more evident.

UPPER-SCALE HOTEL MARKET TO FACE STRONGER HEADWINDS A further decline in ADR will occur this year as majority of the upperscale hotels continue to receive lowering occupancy rates. MORE FINANCING NEEDS AND CHANNELS FOR DEVELOPMENTS The rising costs of construction for international quality projects means both local and international players require financing which is likely to be more pronounced in 2016. CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPERS TO RETHINK STRATEGIES The lackluster market performance over the last two years will drive condominium developers to redesign their product offerings – integrating commercial components (e.g. office, serviced apartments,

demand for new residential havens in more breathable spaces, such as in the outer city zone, will become more noticeable.

retail) will most likely be the case. LANDLORDS TO OFFER OFFICE RENTAL RATES AT COMPETITIVE LEVELS A competitive playing field is anticipated given the surge in new office supply. YANKIN TO EMERGE AS A NEW COMMERCIAL & BUSINESS HUB HAGL’s Myanmar Centre strengthens the already rising commercial activity in Yankin. More developments are underway paving the rise of a new commercial hub. STRONGER INTEREST FOR GATED AND EXCLUSIVE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES The rise in construction activity suggests restricting space for landed residences in the future. The

FLIGHT TO BETTER QUALITY OFFICE BUILDINGS WILL BECOME MORE EVIDENT Both incoming market entrants and existing tenants will start to move to newer and better quality office buildings. HOLIDAY RESIDENCES TO BECOME A NEW INVESTMENT OPTION Leisure destinations such as Ngapali and Ngwe Saung will open up new investment opportunities.

June 2016 / InDepth Magazine 37

HOROSCOPE

MYANMAR HOROSCOPE Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has a Science Degree Major in Mathematics from Yangon University. Currently, he is writing articles and horoscopes for monthly magazines and weekly journals in Myanmar. In Myanmar astrology, star signs are determined by which day you were born.

SUNDAY ▪▪ Happy Time You could be in luck, unexpected income is foreseen, perhaps as the result of an inheritance or prize. But don’t count on receiving such money is not wise and if it arrives use it wisely.

Love - Your love of material things sometimes makes you rather pretty. Business - You will be an outstanding worker and many exhibit admirable powers of concentration. Lucky number - 2, 5, 0 Lucky color - White

MONDAY ▪▪ Quiet and Problems Time Research and study are favoured this quiet month. Problems that arise may stump you, but not for long. Consider making one solution before making a firm decision. This is not a particularly favourable month for travel but is good for viewing a museum exhibit or sports event.

Love - Your lover is a cool but kind and sympathetic person. Your love life will show definite improvement. Business - Deal with people who are in charge. Valuable contracts can be signed and negotiations concluded. Important people will go out of their way to help you get a deserved promotion. Government officials will also cooperate, especially regarding tax matters. Consider a plan for a future move with your mate or

partner. Lucky number - 1, 4, 7 Lucky color - Dark, Violet

much as you get. Lucky number - 2, 4, 7 Lucky color - Brown

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

▪▪ Teamwork-Love You will be kind and patient. This is a good month for attempts to achieve mutual cooperation through teamwork. Remain positive even though you have some secret doubts. Distant contacts are not reliable now.

Love - A pleasant month for those of you who are in love. An ongoing relationship can be strengthened through shared activities. Business - Self-confidence will be the key to getting ahead, whether you are employed or in business for yourself. Sharpening current skills and developing new ones should be a major goal in this month. Lucky number - 3, 6, 8 Lucky color - Strawberry

WEDNESDAY ▪▪ Pleasure Time Self-confidence will be the key to getting ahead, whether you are employed or in business for yourself. Sharpening current skills and developing new ones should be a major goal in this month.

Love - You will delay any marriage plans, experience disappointment in love affairs and a duality in your affections. Business - Financially, it should be a fortunate time, though you will probably be spending as

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▪▪ Concentrate Time It is useless now worrying about the past. Instead, concentrate on getting fresh undertakings under way as quickly as possible. If documents have to be signed or contracts drawn out, it would be wise to concentrate on these details in the last fortnight of the month. You will make numerous trips during this month.

Love - If married, some attempt to conciliate your marriage and establish harmonious conditions would be worth making in the earlier part of the month. A gesture made before the 15th would avert a good deal of trouble later. Business - You will probably be quite fortunate in partnership transactions and associations with progressive practical organizations that encourage innovation and invention. Lucky number - 4, 7, 0 Lucky color - Deep Gold

FRIDAY ▪▪ Careful Time Beware of the rival. The rival will watch your actions. The rival looks like a poisonous snake and plans to revenge you. In this month, your life style isn't comfortable. You can face challenging problems. But everything will be OK by the end of the month. You should take exercise in the morning to stay healthy and

fresh.

Love - You will find a rightful partner for your long life. Your lover has an elegant fashion style. Your lover will be thoughtful and serious. Business - In business, you will benefit from buying and selling commodities. You will be introduced to important business men. Lucky number - 1, 4, 7 Lucky color - Strawberry Red

SATURDAY ▪▪ Comfortable Time Everybody will admire your comfortable life style. If you are well-contented, everything will be OK. You will visit local places. During this time, you will attend IT education to get more knowledge. You will make sacrifices for family members. You will manage to get elegance positions for your family members. You should eat fresh vegetables and milk for your health.

Love - Your love story will be innocent. A well-educated lover will propose marriage. You will be fond of your pretty lover. Business - You will wait nervously for a business opportunity. You will promise money to your partner, competing with rivals to achieve your aims. Lucky number - 1, 4, 7, 9 Lucky color - Indigo, Red, Black

Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has practiced astrology and Burmese traditional medicine for 40 years. Contact: 095012767

Organisations in Partnership with the MYANMORE Card:

MYANMORE CARD 00000001

RESTAURANT 999 SHAN NOODLE HOUSE - 10% off on total bill - Valid on weekends only, 1 person per card BULGOGI BROTHERS - 10% off on total bill. - Free Flow Coke, Sprite & Max Orange - No room charge and no corkage fee - Valid everyday. CORIANDER LEAF - 15 % off total bill - Valid everyday. COUSINS BAR & GRILL - 20% off total bill - Valid everyday, 10 people per card DIVINO - 10% off total bill for lunch and dinner - Valid everyday, booking required, maximum 4 people per card - (Not Valid for set menu ,Business lunch and promotions) EDO ZUSHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT - 10% off total bill, - Valid everyday, 1 group per card, advanced booking required. ELIQ RESTAURANT - 10% discount on total bill - Valid everyday,1person per card - Advanced booking required. GREEN ELEPHANT RESTAURANT(YGN,MDL,BGN) - 5% discount on total amount - Valid everyday HARLEY’S - Buy a regular set meal menu and upsize it for free. - Valid everyday, 2 people per card L’OPERA ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR - 10% off the A La Carte bill (not valid for set menu, business lunch and promotions) - 10% off “Romantic” packages (for couples) - Valid everyday, for cash payment only, for up to 8 people. LA CAROVANA - 10% off total bill - Valid everyday (closed on Mondays) 6pm - 11pm MAHLZEIT - Get a Free Dessert for any main dish purchased. - Valid per 1 Person per Card, - Cash payment only and booking required. MOJO - Free glass of house wine, beer or soft drink with dinner - Valid Sun to Thurs,minimum order of 1 main course per person, for 2 people maximum per card. MONSOON RESTAURANT AND BAR - 10% off à la carte bill - Valid ever!yday, 4 people per card ORCHID HOTEL - 10% off for Restaurant Charges. - Free fruit tray upon arrival - Valid everyday, 1 person per card

PADONMAR RESTAURANT - 10% off total Food bill for a minimum order of 2 dishes per person. - Not valid on Set Menu. - Valid everyday, 4 people per card

VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL - 15% off food and drinks - Valid everyday, for 10 people!

PARKROYAL

CLUB 5 @ PARKROYAL - 15% off bottles of wine and hard liquor. - Valid Monday to Friday, not valid for loose drinks

LOBBY BAR - 10% off food and drinks, except Happy hours - Valid Monday to Friday. SPICE BRASSERIE - 10% off food and drinks - Valid Monday to Friday, booking required SI CHUAN DOU HUA - 10% off food and drinks - Valid Monday to Friday, booking required SHIKI TEI - 10% off food and drinks - Valid Monday to Friday, booking required CHATRIUM -

THE EMPORIA RESTAURANT 10% saving on daily rate Valid all days Advance booking is required 2 persons per card TIGER HILL CHINESE RESTAURANT 15 % saving on Dim Sum Lunch ( minimum order for 2 person ) Valid all days Advance booking is required 4 persons per card KOHAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT 15 % saving on A La Carte Menu or Set Menu for Lunch Valid all days Advance booking is required 4 persons per card

PORT AUTONOMY - 10% off total bill except Happy Hour - Valid everyday (closed on Monday) PORTICO RESTAURANT @ ROSE GARDEN HOTEL - 10% off daily Business lunch - Valid on food items only, on weekdays, 1 person per card. TAING YIN THAR - 10% off total food bill - Valid everyday, 15 people per card. THE MANHATTAN FISH MARKET - 30% off desserts for any main dish purchased - 50% off desserts for hot or cold drink purchased between 2pm and 6pm - Valid everyday up to 12 people per card THE MYTHS BAR & RESTAURANT - 10% off total bill - Valid everyday THE PIZZA COMPANY – 10% discount ( All Days) *This promotion cannot be used with other promotions* - Valid for 1 person per card - The deals are applicable to the outlets Dagon Centre 1Myaynigone Ocean Shwe Gon DaingTamwe Junction Junction Maw Tin Myanmar Plaza

BAR & CLUB

CLUB RIZZOLI @ CHATRIUM HOTEL - 20% off on total bill from 10pm onwards - Valid Saturdays and Sundays, up to 6 people per card. SPACE BAR - 10 % off total bill - Valid from Monday to Thursday THE NEW BORIS - 10% off all drinks - Valid everyday, 4pm till late VERANDA BAR @ ROSE GARDEN HOTEL - Buy one Cocktail of the day, get one free (from 4pm to 6:30 pm) - Valid everyday,1 person per card. RETRO BAR @ HOTEL 63 - Last tequila every Friday and Saturday - Gets a round of Carvino tequila Shot - 10% Discount on food - Valid for only Friday and Saturday - Valid for 1-5 persons per card

CAFE D BISTRO - 15% off on all types of coffee before 12am (on weekdays only) - 10% off on total bill - Valid everyday, 1 person per card GUSTO CAFE - 10% off on total bill - Valid everyday, 1 person per card MERINGUE CAFE - 30% Off from your total bill between 2:00PM - 5:00PM on every Monday! - Promotion is for dine in customers only. - Terms & Condition Applied. NERVIN CAFE AND BISTRO - 15% off on all beverages - Valid on weekdays, 1 bill per card - (Can not be combined with other discounts and promotions) WTC - World Training Center - 10% off entire selection of coffees - Valid everyday, for 2 people.

DESSERT SNOW FACTORY - 10 % off Snow Flake Menu - 10% off Coffee menus - Valid everyday, 2 people per card. SWENSEN’S - 10% discount ( All Days) *This promotion cannot be used with other promotions* - Valid for 1 person per card - The deals are applicable to

outlets Dagon Centre 1Myaynigone Ocean Shwe Gon DaingTamwe Junction Junction Maw Tin Myanmar Plaza

WELLBEING CALIFORNIA SKIN SPA - 20% off selected facial and full body treatments - Valid everyday, advance booking required, 2 people per card D SPA - 15% off total bill for 1 person - 20% off total bill when 2 people - Valid from Monday to Thursday, from 11 a.m to 3 pm, booking recommended - 10% off total bill for 1 person - 15% off total bill when 2 people - Valid on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, booking recommended FIRST THAI SPA - 10% off total bill for 1 person - 20% off total bill for 2 people - Valid from Monday to Friday, 2 people per card INYA DAY SPA - 15%discount on all spa services1 - 10%discount on Thai Body Massage(anytime) - Valid everyday,1 person per card PARKROYAL Fitness & Spa - 15% off spa treatments, except Happy Hours. - Valid Monday to Friday, booking required. REVEAL - EMINENCE HAIR REMOVAL - 20% off one waxing service per bill - 10% off one I2PL (SHR IPL) service per bill - Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advanced booking required. SPA ELEMENTS - 15 % off - JAMU pre- and post-natal care packages - 10% off - Face, body and foot spa // Mani-Pedis // Hair // Waxing and scrub - Valid on Wednesday & Monday, 1 person per card. THE BODYGUARD - This hair salon and massage parlour had been designed by men and for men only. - 15% off from 10:30am to 5:30 pm - Valid everyday, 2 people per card VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL - 10% off all SPA treatments - Valid everyday, for up to 10 people!, Advanced booking recommended. YANGON HAIR & BEAUTY CENTER - 20% off any single treatment - 10% off packages - Valid weekdays, one person per card YVES ROCHER SPA - 10% off total bill - Valid everyday, one person per card SAPEL SPA @ HOTEL 63 - Two Beers or Cocktails after

DEALS

spa treatment - Valid for all days - Valid for 1-5 persons per card

GYM BALANCE FITNESS - 15% off 6 months or 1 year membership contract - Discount cannot be used with other promotions - Valid everyday, 1 person per card. CHATRIUM HEALTH CLUB - 10 % saving rate - Valid all days - Advance Booking is required - 2 persons per card

SHOPPING DAILY MART - Free delivery for order less than 30,000 Ks - 5% discount in total bill for order above 30,000 Ks - (minimum delivery: Ks10,000) - Valid everyday ( 9am to 5 Pm only),1 person per card MONUMENT BOOKS - This bookstore is known for its wide selection of English language books. - 15% off on weekdays - 10% off on weekends - Valid everyday,1 person per card PATRICK ROBERT THE GALLERY - 10% discount in all showroom items. Export orders and credit card payments not included. - Valid everyday (closed Sundays), one person per card SELECT BOUTIQUE THE THIRIPYITSAYA - 10% off all Jewelry - Valid everyday (closed on Tuesdays) THE WAREHOUSE - 15 off total bill - Valid everyday, 1 person per card VESTIGE MERCANTILE & RELICS - 10% off total bill. - Valid everyday at: . Vestige Flagship Store, Yangon . Vestige Kiosk, Avenue 64 Hotel. . Vestige Flagship Store, Nay Pyi Taw - Valid everyday, 1 person per card YVES ROCHER - 10% off all products - Valid everyday, 1 person per card

ACTIVITY WTC - WORLD TRAINING CENTER - 5% off Barista & Bakery classes - Valid everyday, 1 person per class.

HOTEL AMATA HOTELS MY BAGAN RESIDENCE - 5 % off room - 10 % off food - 10% off Spa Treatments at Nibbana Spa - Booking required, 2 people per card AMATA HOTELS RIVERSIDE HSIPAW RESORT - 5 % off room - 10 % off food

- 10% off Spa Treatments at Nibbana Spa - Booking required, 2 people per card GOLDEN SILK ROAD HOTEL - 5% Discount on Room Charges Monday to Friday - 1 Card per two persons GRAND LAUREL HOTEL - 10% off on published room rates for all room types - Free welcome drink - Free use of hotel gym during stay HOTEL 51 - 15% off on all room types. - Valid everyday, 1 person per card HOTEL 63 - Be local, 39000 compulsory rooms without breakfast ( C/i 12pm- C/o 12pm ) - From Monday to Thursday - Email reservation is required - Valid for 1-5 persons per card HOTEL RED CANAL - 10% off Spa treatments (ladies only) - 10% off total bill at the Garden Restaurant - Booking required, 2 people per card INLE LOTUS HOTEL - 20% off total bill, incl Ticketing, Rentals, Trekking. - Valid everyday, 3 rooms per card, booking required ORCHID HOTEL - 10% off on all published room rates - 10 % off restaurant charges - Free fruit tray upon arrival - Valid Sunday to Thursday, 1 person per card, advance booking required PLATINUM HOTELS - 20% off on all published room rates - Valid everyday, one room per card, at Hotel Platinum Tamwe, Mini Platinum Guesthouse Bahan, Platinum Riverview Hotel Dagon, Royal Platinum Hotel Bahan SUMMIT PARKVIEW HOTEL - 10 % Discount on Food and Beverage at Cafe, Dagon Bar & Pastry Counter - Valid for all days - Advance Booking is required - Valid for 5 pax per card THAHARA (www.thahara.com) - 5% off on the published rates for all package booking from Oct to April - 10% off on the published rates for all package booking from May to September - Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advance booking required. VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL - 10% off all room rates - Valid everyday.

SERVICES HINTHA BUSINESS CENTRES - One hour free wifi + a cup of Gourmet coffee once a month. - 10% off Meeting room rentals - 10% off Hot Desk packages (Daily, weekly, monthly) - 2 for 1 on hourly Hot Desk rental - Valid everyday, 1person per card, advance booking recommended