InDepth (MYANMORE) - Volume 3

InDepth No 3, Jan 2015

you can rule my heart aung la Rock star with a mission

more more more more

art music travel lifestyle

January 2015 / InDepth

CONTENTS 3 22

adventure

24

travel

26

business

29

health

Aung La discussing rock, romance and keeping it real and original

Thet Ka Tho Soe Moe Naing shares some Burmese homeopathic remedies using Turmeric

12

30

expat advice

TEAM

Cycling through northern Thailand and into the heart of the Golden Triangle

MANAGING DIRECTOR Andreas Sigurdsson

EDITOR IN CHIEF Andreas Sigurdsson

EDITORS Leena Salim Bob Percival Ben Hopkins

CONTRIBUTORS Ben Hopkins, Bob Percival Tet Ka Tho Soe Moe Naing Mimi Wu Manny Maung Simon Lewis Borbala Kalman Yuko Maskay

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streets of yangon

37th Street - renowned for its bookshops, the best tea shop in town plus some very good local snacks

14 motor

COVER PHOTO

Fiesta, Focus, and EcoSport, three best-selling global models from Ford

Gerhard Joren www.gerhardjoren.com

PHOTOGRAPHY The Pictureman Seth Coleman

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, Myanmar

PRINTER Shwe Naing Ngan Press Permit No: 05745 No.90(C), Kabar Aye Pagoda Rd., Bahan Tsp., Yangon.

SALES Aung Pyae Phyo sales@myanmore.com 01 375 680 Contact us on indepth@myanmore.com

ABOUT MYANMORE

8

Myanmar’s biggest lake, Indawgyi, in Kachin State, a serene getaway inhabited by a vast array of winged life

Htet Myet Oo on tea shop culture, his hands off approach to management, and why mohinga is great for date nights

art

Mobile Library, a small-scale contemporary art project that runs until March 2015

10 cover story

chef profile

Mya Sandar Tun, chef de partie at Savoy hotel, shares how it is being a woman in a male dominated industry

MYANMORE is a registered brand under Lychee Ventures (Myanmar) Limited that manage the leading lifestyle and entertainment website www.myanmore.com. On top of InDepth, MYANMORE also provides city maps, a privilege card, a weekly guide and two quarterly guides - EnjoyIt and KnowIt. The mission is to give visitors and residents of Yangon more to enjoy and explore.

DISTRIBUTION

16

impressions

Bob Percival evokes the thoughts of Somerset Maugham on his final day in Rangoon

18 photo essay

Swedish photographer Gerhard Joren: Subject matter is everything

InDepth can be found in hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, business centres and embassies etc in Yangon. It is also distributed locally inside International New York Times, Nikkei, Bangkok Post, Nation, Straits Times, Business Times and Zaobao. Subscribe to any of these and get InDepth delivered every month. For more info contact successinternational2007@gmail.com.

Mimi Wu presents a five step plan to help improve your overall wellbeing while living in Yangon

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 can not be held responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions that might occur.

January 2015 / InDepth

4 WHAT’S ON Social Tuesday 6

Myanmar Foreign Correspondents’ Club drinks

Salsa night @ Union Bar Photo by The Pictureman

Party Saturday 24th

DJ MISS KT Saturday Local Yangon DJ Miss KT holds a night of House, Electronic & Hip Hop beats at Union Bar & Grill from 10 pm this night. There will be complimentary HOUSE shots on the hour.

Miss KT was born and raised in UK and is no stranger to the funky vibes of the underground London dance scene.

Heavily influenced by blues, jazz and classical tunes infused with alternative grunge and Latin music, her love for dancing and curiosity of understanding beats from a different perspective led her to hit the decks in no time. With her eclectic taste in music, ranging from minimal, deep, tech house to progressive and 80’s Chicago house, Miss KT takes the room for a flirty spin with her infectious dance grooves. “Its all about the feel-good atmosphere and maybe imagining everyone a little naked.”

Some of her favorite artists are Booka Shade, David August, Eats Everything, Julio Bashmore, Marco Carola, Maya Jane Coles, Richie Hawtin and Uner.

10pm / Union Bar & Grill / 42 Strand Rd

Stage Sunday 25th

CHERRY FM 4TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH IRON CROSS BAND The 4th year anniversary of Cherry FM will be celebrated with a live perfor-

mance of the Iron Cross Band, Burma’s longest-running and best-loved rock group.

Cherry FM Yangon can be listened to on 89.3 MHz. Broadcasted from Shan State it also uses Shan language sometimes.

Iron Cross, also called “IC”, was formed in 1991. Starting out playing mostly covers of hits by bands like Van Halen and Aerosmith, it later started to produce their own hits.

6:00 PM to 11:00 PM / Myaw Sin Island, Kandawgyi Lake / Tickets can be bought at site

Business 22nd - 29th

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2015 @ Nay Pyi Taw This is the first ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) held in Myanmar since its inauguration in 1981. The theme ‘ASEAN – Tourism Towards Peace, Prosperity and Partnership’ is in line with the theme of Myanmar’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2014, based on the three pillars of building the ASEAN Community – peace, prosperity and unity.

Myanmar Foreign Correspondents’ Club is open to visiting foreign journalists and those permanently based in Myanmar. Local journalists are also very welcome to attend. They hold monthly drinks meet-ups on the first Tuesday of each month at Kaung Myat beer station on 19th Street in Chinatown, from 6.30pm. This initiative is not to be confused with Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Myanmar, which is a group for Myanmar nationals writing for foreign news outlets 6.30pm / Ko San 19th Street

PARTY Saturday 31st

MYANMORE Awards 2015 Don’t miss the 2nd MYANMORE Awards Event. The best restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs will take the scene and get recognition for their hard work.

For three weeks public voting has been done on nominated venues and on the event we will present the People’s Choice in several different categories.

It will be a cocktail party with an awards ceremony and after-party at Club Rizzoli.

6pm to 10pm / Poolside, Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon / Dress Code: National Costume or Lounge Suite

social January 31st

HAWAIIAN LUAU NIGHT

The event is hosted by the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, organised by the Myanmar Tourism Federation and managed by MP Singapore and the Myanmar Ventures Group.

An evening of fun for the whole family.

Join at 6:00 p.m. for music, food, and fun! Bring the whole family and enjoy the serenity of island life.

Find all info at http://www.atf-2015. com/

For more information contact Kay Thi Naing on NaingKT@state.gov American Club / 27 Malikha Road

promotionS

Sule Shangri La Hotel Jumbo Burger promotion Don’t curb that crave! A Jumbo Burger promotion for the whole month of January at Gallery Bar. If you can finish the whole Jumbo Burger, you get a pitcher on the house!

Strawberry specials in Gourmet Shop and in the Peacock Lounge Weekly Myanmar night in Cafe Sule from Tuesday 13 January onwards for USD 33 per person Duck and Dine, special duck dishes in Summer Palace every day for lunch and dinner

Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Business Set Menus US$ 10.00 Nett Per Person The Emporia Restaurant / Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant / Kohaku Japanese Restaurant Lobby Lounge & Sunset Terrace Highlights Tea Time at Lobby Lounge (Daily - 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm) Happy Hour (Daily) – 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Club Rizzoli Highlights Every Friday – Latin Spirit, dance the night away with Latin expert dancer Gisbert (Free dance lesson) and Music by DJ Bay Tar. All Night Buy 1 Get 1 Free on domestic Draught Beer

Organisations in Partnership with the MYANMORE Card:

MYANMORE CARD

DEALS

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RESTAURANT -

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TOBA RESTAURANT & CAFE

Night Birds Promotion!!!

30% discount on normal menu price of total bill Offer is valid from 12 am to 5 am Monday to Thursday Only!

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PORT AUTONOMY

20% off on your food bill. Free alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink when ordering food.

(Small print) Limited to one drink per person.Excludes wine. Minimum of one dish per person.

EDO ZUSHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT Enjoy 20% Off on total bill between 11 AM to 5 PM Every day at Edo Zushi Japanese Restaurant & You can get 5% off on dinner seating.

THE MANHATTAN FISH MARKET Enjoy Free serving of “Garlic Herb Mussels” with minimum spending of 50,000 Kyats.Maximum party size of 4.

Not valid on Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays.

LA MAISON 20

Enjoy 20% off your total bill @ La Maison 20 This deal is valid for the cardholder and up to 8 pax only.

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Enjoy a free dessert upon presentation of the card. No conditions. 1 card per person per day. Choose among desserts like Gulab Jamun, Kulfi and Halwa.

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PEPERONI PIZZERIA

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GOLDEN KITCHEN TORI

Enjoy 2 for 1 drinks from 6 to 8, every day.

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999 SHAN NOODLE HOUSE

Enjoy 10% off of total bill and Get one dish of myanmar salad or seasonal fruit for 4 people and above.

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HOUSE OF SINGAPURA

Enjoy 10% off on total bill Monday-Friday dinner (from 5pm) and 20% off on food Saturday-Sunday all day.

VINO DE ZANOTTI

Enjoy 15% off total bill for lunch A la carte, food and beverage.

ORZO ITALIAN RESTAURANT @ SEDONA HOTEL Enjoy 15% off in all outlets (restaurants, lobby and ice-bar) excluding cover charge and deli + festive promotion.

DUFU CHINESE RESTAURANT @ SEDONA HOTEL

Enjoy 15% off in all outlets (restaurants, lobby and ice-bar) excluding cover charge and deli + festive promotion.

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LOBBY LOUNGE @ SEDONA HOTEL

Enjoy 15% off in all outlets (restaurants, lobby and ice-bar) excluding cover charge and deli + festive promotion.

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GINZA TEPPAN-YAKI @ OCEAN SHWE GONE DINE Enjoy 20% off your total bill on Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

15% saving on international buffet dinner at The Emporia Restaurant in Chatrium hotel.

Advance Booking Required/Monday to Sundays/4 persons per card.

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15% saving on A La Carte Menu at Chatrium Hills Chinese Restaurant, Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant.

Minimum order 2 person.

Mon – Thurs Advance Booking required 4 people / card

KOHAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT, CHATRIUM HOTEL

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1 free cocktail or long drink from the menu for at least 1 european main dish ordered at this bright restaurant and bar with outdoor seating by the pool.

Deal is valid everyday.

Only valid for cardholder.

L’ALCHIMISTE FRENCH RESTAURANT Enjoy discounts every day at this French dining restaurant which is located at the bank of Inya lake. It’s a great place to eat and celebrate birthday party and dinner party.

Mon, Tue: 25% Wed, Thu: 15% Fri to Sun: 10% All discounts on total bill 4 people / card

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PARKVIEW CAFE’ @ SUMMIT PARKVIEW HOTEL

Enjoy 5% discount on Food and Beverage @ Parkview Cafe’.

Not including outside catering.

Not valid for promotions and set lunch/ dinner.

No discount for cakes.

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Free glass of wine or beer with lunch or dinner.

Must order a minimum of two main dishes per person. Not valid on Set Menu.

Two person per card.

UNION BAR AND GRILL

Get 20% off lunch time, 11am to 4pm, at Union Bar & Grill, a popular and relaxed spot in downtown.

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50TH STREET BAR

20% off on total bill between 11am to 3pm every day at this institution amongst locals, expats and tourists.

You will also get 10% on main course for dinner servings.

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OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

10% off all drinks anytime at this Café/ Bar in downtown Yangon, created for independent travelers to meet and exchange updated information on traveling in Myanmar One person per card.

No booking required.

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Enjoy 2 for 1 drinks from 2 to 7, every day and 2 for 1 on all food items on Sunday, all day.

Enjoy 15% off in all outlets (restaurants, lobby and ice-bar) excluding cover charge and deli + festive promotion.

KIPLING BAR @BELMOND GOVERNORS RESIDENCE

2 for 1 on drinks at the Bar from 18:00 – 22:00 during the week.

CLUB RIZZOLI

20% saving on total bill from 10pm onwards in the bar of Chatrium Hotel.

Saturday and Sunday. Up to six people.

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15% off total bill at this pioneering Cafe & Bistro Chain with outlet at Kandawgyi Lake.

Cannot be combined with other discounts or promos.

Monday to Friday. No booking required.

Up to four people on each card

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EASY CAFE & RESTAURANT

10% off total bill with a minimum spending of 6,000 Kyats in a single receipt.

Only applicable from 5 pm onwards.

10% Discount for one person. 20% Discount for two person for facial treatment only.

Wednesday & Tuesday a week & 2 person per card Please kindly book the session.

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HOTEL

CALIFORNIA SKIN SPA

Enjoy 20% off any treatment and services. Max 3 persons per card.

THAYA DAY SPA

15% off SPA SERVICES or 10% off THAI FULL BODY MASSAGE. Mon – Fri, 1 person / card

D’LAX SPA

10% discount for 1 person and 15% discount for 2 person visit (at least 1 card holder) on Weekdays happy hours ( 1100-1500 on Mon-Thu) For Weekends: Fri-Sun – 5% discount for 1 person and 10% discount for 2 person visit (at least 1 card holder) Advance Booking required.

INYA DAY SPA

15% off SPA SERVICES or 10% off THAI FULL BODY MASSAGE. Mon – Fri.1 person / card

THAHARA

A. 5% off the published rates (www. thahara.com) for all package booking in high season ( Oct to April) B. 10% off the published rates (www. thahara.com) for all package booking in Green season (May to September), please note that all the properties are closed in annual renovation and maintenance.

BUSINESS ALLIANCE HOTEL

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15% off on any room type at this hotel, strategically located in the heart of Yangon City and the ideal place for your business and leisure needs.

ORCHID HOTEL

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15% off on all published room rates Applicable from Sundays to Thursday Only Advance booking required One person per card

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SERVICES

BALANCE FITNESS

15% discount for: 6 months or a one year membership contract Monthly package for classes of $120 for 10 classes Discount apply to Silver, Gold or Platinum membership Discount cannot be added with other promotions

K & H TRAVELS CO.,LTD

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Buy one get 10$ off second guest on any mini getaway tour.

HINTHA BUSINESS CENTRES

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One hour free wifi + a cup of coffee once a month per card.

CHATRIUM HEALTH CLUB

10% saving on daily rate/Mon – Sun

BUY YOUR MYANMORE CARD HERE!

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PATRICK ROBERT THE GALLERY Enjoy 10% discount on any product

VESTIGE MERCANTILE & RELICS

Get 10% discount on total bill.

Discounts can only be claimed at: Vestige Flagship Store, Yangon ( coming soon) Vestige Flagship Store, Nay Pyi Taw Vestige Kiosk, Avenue 64 Hotel.

SEVEN FRIDAY SWISS WATCHES

For each purchase of a watch you get a Food voucher worth 20,000 ks to be used at House of Singapura, Peperoni and Ya Kun.

ELEGANT GEMS JEWELLERY & SOUVENIR

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16/2, Inya Rd, Yangon 1 537 907

Padonmar Restaurant

HOLA

Enjoy 10% discount on any WSET wine courses

150, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Township, Yangon

Inya Day Spa

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MWS BEVERAGE ACADEMY

64 (G), Kyaik Wine Pagoda Road,Yangon 01 656 916

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ACTIVITY

TRAINING/EDUCATION

9/13, 50th Street, Botahtaung Township 1-397 060

Balance Fitness (Avenue 64 Hotel)

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FROZEE

1st Floor, Annex Bld, Strand Hotel, 92 Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp 01-375680

50TH STREET BAR -

15% off on selected items Excluding Pearl, Jade, Loose gems and 18 K Gold

DESSERT

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MYANMORE Office -

MONUMENT BOOKS

10% discount on any purchased superior to 50,000 ks,Mon – Fri,1 people / card

Enjoy 15% discount on F&B when doing a private event at Hola Bar & 15 min private lesson sampling or 1 hour group lesson trial

Monday - Friday (Opening Till 6 pm) Buy 1 Get 1 Free (80g gelato cup/160g gelato cup)

Enjoy 30% Off on Project Management Professional (PMP) courses open on 15th January,2015.

Admission Deadline : 10th January, 2015.

1 person per card and anytime 9 am to 6:30 pm (Monday to Sunday)

SHOPPING

NERVIN CAFE AND BISTRO

- 10% off of total bill at the exclusive seller of Lavazza brand coffee in Myanmar. Available every day.

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ICE BAR @ SEDONA HOTEL

BARISTA LAVAZZA

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MOJO BAR

CAFE -

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LITHAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

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PHOENIX SPA

GYM

BAR & CLUB

GEKKO

Enjoy 20% off on Lunch 11 to 4pm Monday to Saturday and Sunday’s all day at Gekko.

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CHATRIUM LOBBY LOUNGE

20% saving on Hi Tea Special from 3pm to 5pm at Chatrium Lobby lounge.Mon to Sun

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PADONMAR RESTAURANT

- Enjoy 40% off the total food bill and 10% on the drinks between 11am and 6pm during the whole week.

- This offer can be used together with the 2-4-1 beer offer on Sundays.

ELIQ RESTAURANT

KOKINE BAR & RESTAURANT

Enjoy 5% discount on Food and Beverage @ Dagon Lounge.

Not including outside catering.

Not valid for promotions and set lunch/ dinner.

No discount for cakes.

ESCAPE GASTRO BAR

15% saving on A La Carte Menu at Chatrium Hotel’s Japanese Restaurant Minimum 2 people Mon to Thu Booking required.

10% discount on total bill anytime.

Cannot be used with other promotions.

Unlimited number of people.

Booking required.

SPA

DAGON LOUNGE @ SUMMIT PARKVIEW HOTEL

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TIGER HILL CHINESE RESTAURANT AT CHATRIUM HOTEL

- Enjoy multiple discounts at this southeast asian restaurant located in a colonial building.

- Food & Drink: Total Bill 10% off (Mon – Fri: 10am – 5pm) - Afternoon Tea Set: 9,000ks ++ , 15% off, 2pm – 5 pm, 4 pax - Cooking Class: 50,000ks / person, 15% off, 2 days advance booking (everyday except Tuesday)

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THE EMPORIA RESTAURANT AT CHATRIUM HOTEL

MONSOON RESTAURANT AND BAR YANGON

BRASSERIE @ SEDONA HOTEL

Enjoy 15% off in all outlets (restaurants, lobby and ice-bar) excluding cover charge and deli + festive promotion.

Enjoy 10% discount on the a la carte bill (not valid for set menu, business lunch, and promotions), valid only for cash payments.

Maximum of 8 pax Valid Monday – Sunday, for Lunch or Dinner

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TITUS INDIAN BANANA LEAF

10% off on total bill. Everyday.

L’OPERA ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR

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No.105/107, Kha-Yae-Bin Road, Dagon Township, Yangon Between Pyin Daung Su Yeik Tha (Halpin Road) and Manawhari Road/Ahlone Road.

Tel/Fax : +95 1 538895, +95 9 73029973, 73108606

Orchid Hotel -

91, Anawrahta Road, Pazundaung Township, Yangon 01-399930, 01-704740

6 STREETS OF YANGON

January 2015 / InDepth

One of many street book stalls, mainly with Burmese literature Photo by Yuko Maskay

37 Street th

Bob Percival walks 37th Street in downtown Yangon and explores its renowned bookshops, and uncovers the best tea shop in town plus some very good local snacks. Photos by Seth Coleman

Aye Min & Twe Twe’s sugar cane

U Kyaw Shwe’s “egg flower” garden

A colourful local abode

January 2015 / InDepth

STREETS OF YANGON 7

T

here is a cool breeze blowing up from the river. This is the time of year everyone waits for, the Yangon winter, a time when one can finally pull up a blanket and sleep in, if only for a few hours.

Today my friend, Chit Phue, is helping to explore 37th Street, famous for its bookstalls and bookshops. We start at the Lower Block on the famous Strand Road, which now features a recently opened footbridge. It was a contentious construction due to its siting adjacent to the historic 1928 Port Authority and Burmah Trading Company buildings. The presence of escalators has made the overhead bridge hugely popular with Dalah locals, and will no doubt save many lives from pedestrian fatalities; the bridge also acts as an excellent breezeway and viewing point for Strand Road and its historic buildings, as well as the bustling Rangoon River. Modernity has some benefits it seems.

We start with a juice at Aye Min & Twe Twe’s sugarcane stand (300 kyat), or you can try lemon-orange syrup with ice, and of course the true delicacy of Yangon streets, a fresh avocado juice. The sugarcane comes from Kyaung Kone, down on the Delta. You follow this with a great Mohinga from Wa Toat’s stall, right next door (again only 300 kyat); also try her wonderful Rhakine rice mont di. The feast continues with Daw Yee Maw’s Myanmar food stall, offering curries of chicken, squid, eggplant, bean curd, fish (nga tha louk), beef and pork (500-700 kyat). Next up is Elizabeth’s cakes and sweets, of durian, coconut, bean, pineapple, sticky rice (kyauk hyin & shwe-kyi), and the sugar pink sweet darr hlee mont; delicious! Across the street you can finish with some traditional lahpet at Kaung Mha Kaung’s street teashop. If you are up to it, you can weigh nearby at Hla Mg portable scales for a very reasonable 50 kyat. To satisfy all your senses you can take in some art at the River Gallery, situated in the historic Chindwin Chambers building. We walk further towards Merchant Street and to our surprise we come across Sarpay Beikman Children’s Library in ground floor of the old Burmese Translation Society building. There are thousands of children’s illustrated books, in both Burmese and English (donated by the Myanmar Book Centre). Everybody is welcome from 10.00am-4.00pm. An even lovelier surprise is the Sarpay Beikman Public Library (on the first floor from an entrance just a bit further up the street); it is like stepping back into the 1950s, with beautiful wooden furniture, card catalogues and a very extensive collection of fiction and non-fiction English books, which you can actually borrow once you join for the princely sum of 3200 kyat. There must be some real treasures to be found here!

Across Mahabandoola Road is Upper Middle Block.

Here there are two excellent eateries ideal for a budget lunch; the Aung Pyae Phyo Indian with its delicious mutton curry at only 2000kyat, and the Nam Khan Family Shan Restaurant with excellent dishes at around 1500 to 2500 kyat. The wonder in this block is U Kyaw Shwe’s marvelous ‘egg flower’ garden, his collection of pot-plants topped with empty eggshells, a truly eccentric Myanmar touch and a permanent Easter celebration. We walk up by the old Ensign Motors Ltd. Workshop, and on to Mg Oo’s pop-up (or pop-out) repair shop, for everything electrical - maximum use of minimum space!

We cross Merchant Street into the Lower Bottom Block. Here there are row upon row of street bookstalls, mainly Burmese literature, with some good English books as well, especially biology, engineering and medical, and the occasional classic English novel; all politically correct of course. The first of the two major bookshops on 37th is O.S. (Ohn Saw) Book Shop, open from 8.00am to 7.00pm. It is a rambling, overstocked shop, with the odd original first edition travel book that is so difficult to locate these days.

I find a copy of Francis Kingdon-Ward’s fabulous Burma’s Icy Mountains, heavily underlined in biro,

Chit Phue assures me that in the Upper Block we will find the shop of master tea-merchant, U Kyaw Min. There it is, halfway up the block on the left. The shop is overflowing with large sacks of both green and black tea. All the tea for sale here comes from northern Shan State, near the town of Namsan. This is the best Myanmar tea. A visiting Malaysian buyer tells me that we are very fortunate, as presently the local growers cannot afford to buy pesticides, so everything we are buying is pure organic tea, and at a very low price. He assures us this situation won’t last and to buy up now. The black tea, crushed to a fine grain

Mohinga from Wa Toat’s stall Photo by Seth Coleman

and Maurice Collis’s The Grand Peregrination, with original burrow holes from a very persistent bookworm, now dead I hope; I buy the two for a reasonable US$50. The next bookshop is Bagan Book House run by the very amiable U Htay Aung. Here you can find an invaluable collection of hardback photocopied originals of every conceivable book written on the wonderlust of Burma, priced from 7000-8000 kyats.

The shop is air-conditioned, so relax for a while and browse through the history of colonial Burma, and have another cup of lahpet across the road in the very popular Shwe Wel Tun.

The wonder in this block is U Kyaw Shwe’s marvelous ‘egg flower’ garden, his collection of pot-plants topped with empty eggshells, a truly eccentric Myanmar touch and a permanent Easter celebration.

to be used in local teashops is 2800 kyat per pound, and green tea (loose leaf) is 15000 kyat vizz weight, around 1.6 pounds. We buy as much as we need. The cool breeze has dropped and the streets are starting to heat up. It could be summer anywhere else. Laden with tea, we reach top corner where there is a wooden structure that I have often admired. We are told that it is a thein or sima, an ordination hall for Buddhist monks. When someone is to be ordained, the candidates are allowed to sit in the thein to perform the Buddhist rite to become a Buddhist monk. It is a sacred place that is traditionally used only by monks. It is now in disrepair, abandoned in the grounds of what is now a school - another hidden wonder belonging to the streets of Yangon. g

Bob Percival is based in Myanmar, after spending four years in China. He is completing his Creative Writing PhD from Southern Cross University in Australia. Bob leads regular walking tours of Yangon and can be reached on 0925-011-6543 or projectsdada@ mac.com

January 2015 / InDepth

8 ART

MOBILIZING THE MYANMAR ART SCENE

By Borbála Kálmán

The simplest things sometimes produce the biggest changes. A book that commonly lies on the table unnoticed for ages may be vital regarding the culture of a country. Books are different in the quality and information they carry, hence what counts is to have access to the books that matter.

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n November 2014, spaces dedicated to art in Yangon saw a series of well-designed, fresh looking posters hung on walls promoting the Open Edit: Mobile Library, a small-scale but outstandingly subtle project that runs until March 2015. Unlike Aung San Suu Kyi’s project for her mobile library, this one hasn’t had massive publicity, yet it holds the ability to make an impressive difference on the Myanmar contemporary art scene. The roots of the Mobile Library are in Hong Kong: Asia Art Archive (AAA), the organization behind it, is today one of the biggest archives in the world for Asian contemporary art. When launched in 2000, its main concern was ‘to document and secure the multiple recent histories of contemporary art in the region’. Today, through its (online) collection, public programmes and research platform, AAA has become an essential engine for the contemporary scene in Asia. AAA had the idea in 2011 to create an international project involving local partners in different countries: through co-organized events, the plan was to enable the circulation of a selected amount of printed material on art to engage with ‘art’ as a form of knowledge; to connect with a large audience and invite people to read and interact with the material in unconventional ways – that was the conception.

In Myanmar, the lack of infrastructure for contemporary art creates a huge gap between the emerging art scene and the international art community. Artists have difficult access to quality knowledge on modern and contemporary art. “The inspiration for bringing the Mobile Library project to Yangon was

the artists who I’ve spoken to for years about what could be done in Myanmar at large to improve the flow of knowledge and art education. Everyone said ‘We would need more books’,” remembers Nathalie Johnston, co-director with artists Zoncy and Kin Zaw Latt of Myanmar Art Resource Centre and Archive, a young initiative started in 2013 with the aim to become the largest bilingual digital resource on the history and current state of Myanmar arts. It is not mere coincidence therefore that AAA partnered with MARCA to make their project happen in Myanmar.

Changing perspectives It is an unusual day at the National University of Arts and Culture in Yangon. The past ten days were quite exceptional, ever since the ceremonial opening of the Mobile Library was held on a hot November morning, bringing a fresh breeze to the institution’s campus. It’s rare at the University to see international programs unfold. Set up in one of the quiet buildings, a mobile shelf-installation holds hundreds of recent publications on art. Myanmar artist PoPo designed the shelves. During the whole creative process he kept in mind one thing, to diffuse the idea of openness. The visual rhyme of the design implicates the thought of reaching out to knowledge that is not guarded, public and free to use for everyone.

As part of the Mobile Library project, students are about to attend an educational workshop lead by Thamotharampillai Shanaathanan Ph.D., a senior lecturer from the University of Jaffna (Sri Lanka) and former coordinator of the Mobile Library project. The next

day, he will share his experience with the teachers of the NUAC’s Painting Department on how books have changed the whole artistic vision of some of his students. The University of Jaffna faced recently similar matters as Yangon’s NUAC. Its curriculum wasn’t updated and it had a lack of material. Not that these universities haven’t enough books to offer. It is the type of books. Few focus on Asian and South-East Asian art, creating a huge issue: without appropriate material to teach the history and evolution of the domestic and regional art scene, updating the curriculum and articulating it around a more adapted context becomes quite difficult. An out-dated structure does not allow

January 2015 / InDepth

ART 9

Students discovering the Mobile Library books at the National University of Arts and Culture in Yangon in November 2014 Photo by Flux Kit

the fresh graduates to cope with the requirements of the international contemporary art world, enlarging the already existing gap. But how to update the curriculum without having funds? Hosting the Mobile Library for a few months gave the Jaffna institution the possibility to discover new perspectives, create special programmes involving the books and encourage further research. The students encountered techniques and trends never seen before, or perceived relevant to connections within the region. They gained the courage to step out of the burden created by the intensive use of traditional visual language and dared to forge their own approach. The young Yangon audience is

carefully listening and highly enthusiastic.

The list of the November programmes is long. It includes a digital archiving workshop as well as panel discussions on the importance of documentation and archiving. The future Goethe Insitute in Yangon proceeds the University as a host for the books. in December. Mr Franz Xaver Augustin, head of the institution organized a whole series of events around the project, inviting renown academics to speak. One of the young students confessed that many of his classmates hadn’t heard of some major Myanmar contemporary artists and were not aware of the presence of performance art

on the local scene. “I think the biggest impact of this project is on the NUAC students. It was an amazing opportunity to host the Mobile Library at the University,” says Ms Johnston. The Myanmar contemporary art scene is facing major issues, but the actors who have made the Mobile Library project happen in Myanmar, organizers and hosts together, have created an exemplary co-operation. Books becoming mediators for the artists, a source of inspiration for hundreds of students and a tool to help revive the Myanmar contemporary art scene. Mandalay is the next stop for the project. g

January 2015 / InDepth

10 COVER STORY

“Music is in my blood” Photo by Gerhard Joren

YOU CAN RULE MY HEART Rock star with a mission

Yuko Maskay meets up with Aung La to discuss rock, romance and most important of all, keeping it real and original.

I

n 2002, with a guitar and a spunky, no-nonsense attitude, a 17-year-old embarked on the streets of Yangon on Kyaudmyaung Street, known for its underground musicians looking to get their start. He sang there, day in and day out, his vocals and lyrical dexterity attracting a crowd eager to get a glimpse of this talented and bold rock vocalist.

And it paid off.

That year, Aung La, now 29, was approached by a local band who was looking for a vocalist. “I was excited. I’ve wanted to be a musician since I was little,” he says.

Born and raised in Yangon, Aung La is the lead vocalist of Reason, a Myanmar rock band that formed 7 years ago. Reason is mostly well-known for its melodic rock, but this year, they have introduced a more driving, rhythmic sound.

He got his professional start earlier in 2003 with his first band, NC-13, which split up due to disagreements over the band’s future. He maintains that the band didn’t want to go mainstream, yet he wanted to reach a larger crowd.

That may come as a surprise. In person, Aung La is quiet and reserved, and comes off as an introvert. “I still get stage fright, but once I sing, I forget everything,” he says. You’d never guess that from his stage

January 2015 / InDepth

presence with his powerful vocals and an extraordinary ability to rouse the crowd.

Perhaps it’s to be expected since music runs in his family. His mother was a pop singer in the 70s and his dad a recording engineer who taught him how to play the guitar. An only child, he found solace in music.

“Music is in my blood. When I am lonely, rock music is my friend. In my little room, I can explore inside my mind,” says Aung La. And after 10th grade, he decided to focus on a music career, abandoning all notions of a higher education, which wasn’t his strong suit.

COVER STORY 11 “It’s already popular in the world, so, of course, it will be popular in Myanmar,” he comments, adding that he understands that he can’t expect to make much return from his music, but he does it because he loves it so much. He hopes that this will change but he doesn’t see it happening anytime soon since even the Myanmar Music Association, the only nation-wide musicorganization, allows it.

So, unlike his 2010 first album Mar Ti Kar (Content), which is mostly about love and heartbreak, his second album, Pin Lal Hte Ka Myit Mar (Rivers of the Sea), launched in April of this year, is purely hard metal and he sings more about the realities of life. But he doesn’t expect his second album to become a commercial hit; he finds it simply rewarding that he can compose and play music for the sake of it. His wish is that more people will realize the power of music to “change our lives.”

And his songs reflect that. One of his most popular English songs, My Home Paradise, is dedicated to Moe Nge. With a catchy melody, the lyrics are quite romantic and go something like this: There’s a lot that I can’t do, but I wanna be with you...Maybe you could rule my heart…I’m gonna make you my own paradise to take you home.

There’s also his other inspiration, the American rock band Incubus, who he says shares a “common ground” with him. “The group has gone through a lot, but they are still standing,” he says, pointing to his gauged earlobes, impersonating Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus.

He can relate. He is a caretaker, both financially and mentally, to his father who had a stroke 10 years ago at the age of 47. “He was too young,” say Aung La, his face suddenly looking melancholy. He says that most of the money that he makes from the band goes to his father’s care. “It’s very hard,” he adds, his voice breaking down.

What adds to the struggle is that it is very difficult for musicians to make profits in Myanmar where piracy and copyright infringement are so common. Aung La says that many bands here make profits during concerts by singing popular foreign songs in Myanmar and sometimes even change the lyrics.

“We are against piracy and stealing copyright. We are original,” says Aung La, adding that he wants to be remembered by his fans as a hard worker who was able to “shake the fan’s hearts.”

Reason likes to keep evolving with the times. When he started out, Aung La wasn’t married and garnered more female fans who loved his soft style of rock, but he is now venturing out to hard metal. “When I was started, many parents didn’t want their children to listen to heavy metal so I also played softer music for my fans. But now things are changing and parents are okay,” he says.

But like most music careers, it wasn’t easy. Money was hard to come by and it was and is still difficult to make it in an industry that prefers profit over authenticity. Aung La says he has been fortunate because of his wife, Moe Nge, whom he met on Friendster, a now defunct online social networking site, six years ago while she was in Australia. Married for less than a year, she has been his biggest supporter. “Without her I would be nowhere,” says Aung La.

Then there’s Taungbantal (Begging You), his most popular song to date, which was No. 1 for one year in 2012 on various radio shows, about a guy begging for forgiveness for cheating on his girlfriend. This boyishly charming rock star isn’t afraid to admit that the song is dedicated to his wife, although he reiterates that he didn’t really cheat on her. “I almost cheated,” he says, giggling, “and she forgave me.” Reason went on to receive three music awards in 2012 for this song—Most Popular Male Singer, Most Famous Band and Most Progressive Online Song.

of four independent rock bands—Reason, Big Boy, Idiots and Wanted—they support each other in their musical endeavors, ensuring that they keep their integrity. Well-known among Myanmar youth for their hard metal style of rock, you will find many fans with the tattoo, “S.I.R. Rebirth,” symbolizing their allegiance to the band.

Photo by James ThxaBu Photography

“We are against piracy and stealing copyright. We are original,” says Aung La, adding that he wants to be remembered by his fans as a hard worker who was able to “shake the fan’s hearts.”

This means that Reason has a loyal following of fans who appreciate them for not selling out. Aung La knows that if he chose to sing foreign cover songs, he could make more money and perhaps become widely known commercially, but he refuses to do so. He also makes sure he never sings without all his band members, although this may seem like a given.

“A lot of event organizers want you to sing without your original band. They don’t want to spend a lot of money for the whole band so they only choose certain people from the band to sing copyrighted songs,” explains Aung La. That is one of the reasons how the very popular band S.I.R. or Skull in Ribcage was conceived. Consisting

Thus, he sees globalization as a positive move for Myanmar and its music industry. He enjoys international tours, with the most memorable one being in 2012 at the Middlesex Theater in London with a sound system he had “never heard before”. He says it was also rewarding because it was for a good cause—a charity concert for Myanmar orphanage. He hopes his band will get more international recognition and tap into both Myanmar and foreign audiences abroad.

“I think it would be good for our country to open up more. I see this as a good thing,” he says.

Reason has big plans for 2015—a concert on 21 February at the national stadium and a production of a “musical video”, the likes of Moulin Rouge, with a script that combines both theatrical performance and original sound.

“No one has ever produced a musical video in Myanmar. I want to do it because it’s different,” says Aung La, who has starred in two Myanmar movies, Baung (Frame) in 2012 where he plays the main character and Achit Ye Ta Goe Myar Power of Love in 2013 where he plays the villain, although he says he is not that interested in acting.

This versatile rock star doesn’t seem to be slowing down. From his first concert at a small nightclub in Yangon where he recalls an audience of 10-15 people to now attracting over 3,000 to his concerts, his fan base is growing every year.

When asked why his fans love him so much, he says he has “no idea,” but then pauses and adds, “It’s because of my music, of course.”

G

12 CHEF PROFILE

January 2015 / InDepth

leading by example Photo by The Pictureman

Myo Sandar Tun cuts a diminutive figure. She’s soft spoken and genteel in her manner and is gracious in the way of hospitable Myanmar custom. It’s hard to imagine her commandeering the chaotic and unnerving world of high-end hotel kitchens, but at the Savoy Hotel in Yangon, this tiny chef de partie is the boss of the production line. She speaks to Manny Maung about her experiences as a woman in a male dominated industry.

W

ith an impressive portfolio behind her, Chef Myo Sandar Tun started her career as a kitchen hand when she was 17. Gradually, she moved into food preparation at establishments across Yangon ranging from casual dining at Cafe Di Bar to silver service at Acacia Salon.

“My family don’t really approve of me working,” she says. “They don’t understand why I work so hard.”

Originally hailing from the Ayerwaddy Region, Myo Sandar Tun moved with her parents and four siblings to Yangon when she was still young. Her parents ran a small snack business of sweet bun sandwiches where she would help take inventory and collect the income.

Myo Sandar Tun says her mother wasn’t fond of the idea of one of her daughters working in a professional realm dominated by men. It was her father (who has since passed away), who supported his daughter’s wish to follow her passion for food, as well as claiming independence.

“It’s really hard to be a woman in this industry, but put it into a Myanmar context and it’s even harder,” Myo Sandar Tun tells me. “My colleagues respect me and I think I’ve proven my commitment and ability but not everyone supports my decision to work like this.”

Myo Sandar Tun reflects how in Myanmar, it’s traditional at her age to start thinking about settling down and perhaps taking dominion over the family kitchen – not a five star hotel’s.

Entering a training course at Kandawgyi Palace Hotel in 2007, Myo Sandar Tun began her craft of cooking Asian and European cuisine.

“I see a lot of my friends are now settling down and choosing to step out of work so their husbands can provide for them while they look after the children or the family,” Myo Sandar Tun says. “I’m not quite ready for that yet.”

Now aged 24, she’s already won several bronze and silver medals from the Food Hotel Myanmar 2014 awards and the Myanmar Culinary Arts Challenge 2014.

Her ambition is evident. She works six days a week and on her one day off, she studies hotels and gastronomy as part of a Swiss training course at an institute in Yangon.

It’s not an easy commute for Myo Sandar Tun from North Okkalapa township into work everyday. She lives with her aunt, catching a bus in for her long shifts from about 3pm until midnight most nights.

“But I like to come in early and start around 2pm,” she explains. “Otherwise I can’t build up a rhythm.”

On the day of the interview, Myo Sandar Tun has met me early before her shift starts, but she tells me she’ll head back home to finish up some study and chores before she heads back in again.

“Yes, I suppose I am busy,” she laughs when asked if she ever gets tired.

“It’s unusual for women in Myanmar to work these hours but I love my job. My family have been trying to persuade me to find a more demure job for years, but they’ve finally given up.”

Myo Sandar Tun says she’s finally reached her dream to work in the hotelier industry and practice English.

Although she’s not confident speaking English, she says there’s no problem communicating with her head chef or other foreigners in the kitchen.

“We speak a different language in there,” Myo Sandar Tun says with a hint of pride. “We can look at each other and understand what needs to be done; it comes with time but I think I’ve got it now.”

What more would she like to do?

“I think it’s important to let young women know they can achieve whatever they want. I want to continue raising the bar so that I can show them and then maybe they will believe they can do it too.” g

14 MOTOR

January 2015 / InDepth

Ford Focus and

Ford EcoSport

By Mimi Wu EcoMode: Get coached on fuel-efficient driving tips to help save money Safety: Gain greater driving control with Ford’s three braking technology systems Hands-free entertainment: SYNC voice-activated control and connectivity technology make driving safer and more pleasurable

Ford Focus in hot red

January 2015 / InDepth

MOTOR 15 Safety Feeling safe in Yangon’s traffic is a non-negotiable and as a frequent driver, I know it’s not always how careful you are as it is dodging the many inexperienced drivers.

Ford takes safety seriously. Both cars are equipped with Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), an Anti-locking Braking System (ABS), and an Electronic Stability Program (ESP). EBA increases braking pressure in emergency situations, while ESP automatically detects loss of steering control and applies brakes. ABS prevents tires from locking and skidding when employing EBA and ESP. The responsive brakes may take some getting used to, but rest assured that you’ll have greater control, even when your reflexes fall slightly short as a bus suddenly veers into your lane.

F

A classy interior

iesta, Focus, and EcoSport: Ford’s three best-selling global models are set to become a household name. Recently released in Myanmar, I test drove the Focus and EcoSport on Yangon’s streets to review how well each car meets Ford’s objectives of having good fuel economy; a smart, contemporary design; and safety features.

Design and Ride The Ford Focus is a medium-sized family car with a “kinetic” design that gives the car an appearance of motion even when parked. Its deep trunk is useful for running errands and is capable of fitting 316 liters to 1,148 liters (with seats down). Inside, I immediately notice the console’s wide array of buttons and the car’s sporty, circular instrument cluster. I start the engine, which is quieter than I expected, and give the acceleration a good push to get it going.

First test: I drove straight over the curb while exiting the lot and was pleased the car didn’t bottom out and recovered easily. I also wasn’t shy about hitting as many potholes and unsmooth patches as possible; the car remained composed over Yangon’s common road features.

The Ford EcoSport, a small SUV/crossover, feels slightly larger. Right-sized for navigating narrow gaps in Yangon’s traffic and parking in tight spaces, it has enough presence to dominate obnoxious taxis.

EcoSport’s high ground clearance is a notable feature for flood-prone Yangon. Its height also makes entry and exit easy without crouching down, a plus for taller people or those with infant car seats.

EcoSport is practical with 20 storage compartments, such as a cooled glove box that can fit six drink cans to a drawer beneath the passenger seat. The adventurous will appreciate the roof rack. The trunk, while seemingly short, offers 705 liters of luggage space, enough for a sizeable washing machine. Part of this deception is the door’s interior design, which is concavely curved, providing extra hidden space. The trunk door opens and closes seamlessly without force, and it opens all the way out to the side for easy loading of large and wide items.

While Yangon is relatively flat, drivers believe in leaving as little room between cars as possible – suffocating at best, dangerous at worst. Luckily, the EcoSport employs Hill Launch Assist, which prevents your car from rolling back on an incline as your foot switches from the brakes to the accelerator.

Another cool, convenient safety feature is the handsfree Ford SYNC. The technology enables drivers in both models to quickly connect their phones and other music devices for voice-activated phone calls and music control. The sound is clear, and the EcoSport particularly is easy to navigate.

Fuel Economy For two practical cars, gas mileage is a major consideration; particularly as we Yangon drivers spend an increasing amount of time in traffic. Performing like a manual transmission in an automatic car, Ford’s six-speed PowerShift transmission offers improved fuel economy and lowers emissions. The EcoSport’s lighter frame (1.28 T total car weight) also contributes to its better fuel economy.

If you’re an interactive learner, Focus’ EcoMode is a handy application that evaluates the driver’s fuel-efficient driving skills. The software aims to develop money-saving driving habits and rewards drivers with encouraging words displayed in the electronic instrument cluster.

With good safety options and maneuverability around densely trafficked Yangon, both Ford models are great choices. g

Test drive your own Ford Focus or EcoSport at: Capital Automotive Ltd. No. 3, Ward 12, Insein Road, Hlaing Tsp 01 521 959 www.ford-myanmar.com

Price (Starting) Engine

Focus EcoSport 34.7m Ks

34.6m Ks

1.6L Ti-VCT Duratec 1.5L Ti-VCT Duratec

Fuel Economy City: 10.8 km/L City: 9 km/L

Highway:20.8 km/L

Highway:18.5 km/L

Power

125 HP

110 HP

Torque

117 lb.ft

103 lb.ft

January 2015 / InDepth

16 IMPRESSIONS

HOPE IN THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL Somerset Maugham, famous playwright and novelist, came to Burma with his companion and lover Gerald Haxton, as a respite from fame and attention in his British homeland. Bob Percival evokes the thoughts of Maugham on his final day in Rangoon as the author contemplates what it is to be a writer and traveller in the fading light of a once great British Empire

R

ANGOON, Burma, December 1922 — Somerset Maugham sits at the large wooden table in the centre of the dining room. It is early morning, the air is cool and there is a quietness in this rambling teak house that he’s grown to love the short time he has been here. It is nothing like London.

There is no dreariness of having to write so that one is not forgotten. Today he will leave for up north, catching the steamer to Mandalay, a train to Taunggyi, a mule ride to the border, then a car to Bangkok. He knows he is a bad traveller, nothing surprises him ... it seems so obvious for the Burman to wear a coloured paso … it seems just as natural to ride in a rickshaw as in a car, and to sit on the floor as on a chair. He knows that he needs to leave himself behind if he is going to be a good traveller. He needs to change himself, if only a little.

He pours a glass of champagne from a half-drunken bottle that has been left behind. He takes a long sip, then lights an Egyptian Vafiadis that he bought yesterday at the Sofaer’s Building on Merchant Street. He takes a long slow draw … he is ‘the gentleman in the parlour’, no longer seeking for applause and meeting with contempt.

There is enough time for a short walk. Gerald is still asleep. Probably still drunk from knocking down too many whiskey sours at the club the night before.

Maugham dresses. He steps out into the glaring sunlight and lurid colours of Burma; he would rather be in the grey, damp mist of England, or some golf course where they have proper greens. He crosses Nat Mauk Street and walks down through the tall grass to the edge of Royal Lakes. He adjusts his topee against the sun. It was only yesterday that he’d bought it, and an endless list of supplies, at Rowe & Co.; lamps, folding chairs and table, and even a few bottles of Martini vermouth. On the lake a small rowboat is plying its way along the shoreline. A glint of light catches

fog and smoke. He walked that long stairway of the pagoda two nights ago. Gerald had convinced him to go at some ungodly hour. He’d made the special arrangements of course. He could talk his way into any place, at any time. All Maugham could do was stutter and hesitate. Gerald was a raconteur and a drunk, a husband of sorts; eighteen years younger but certainly destined to leave the world before this old gray-cat.

Sule Pagoda

Maugham’s eye. He turns … Shwedagon rises superb as on that first morning it had risen, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul of which the mystics write, glistening against the

Maugham returns to the house. The carts are being loaded up with the supplies, and would meet them later at the quay. Their amiable host had consigned a brand new Pierce-Arrow to drive them down to the jetty, the car’s headlights cowled into the front fenders and its polished wooden spokes set off by white-walled tires.

They head toward the city along the broad tree-lined avenues, driving past Sule Pagoda into the darkness of downtown … along the narrow streets, a rabbit

January 2015 / InDepth

IMPRESSIONS 17

Mahabandoola Road

warren of intersecting alleys; here lived the Chinese, and there the Burmans. It was here on his first night in Rangoon that Maugham had wanted to steal himself off to the opium dens to discover the transcendental.

Would he have been too drugged to even grasp it … now he was to travel a thousand miles to experience the joy of Ken Tung, on the recommendation of an old man he had met on a boat … if I could plunge into the enigmatic life and lose myself in it, as a cup of water thrown overboard is lost in the Irrawaddy. Would he find in this long journey some solution to the mystery of existence, could he finally leave himself behind.

Gerald lets out a shout and demands the driver to stop the car. He steps out onto the pavement. A tram lumbers past, down Strand Road … a rout of passengers fill the seats and gangways and cling thickly to the footboard like flies clustered upon a over-ripe mango.

Here is the Sit Teik Tong clan house they had been told about the night before, by Chan Thong, a businessman who was building the kongsi to honour his descendants. Maugham walks up to the entrance. Before him is an exquisite white marble staircase lined with green tiles, and a teak handrail stretching up to the first floor. Chan Thong had told him that beautiful decorations would be built here, ascending to a high verandah where one could see the broad expanse of Rangoon River and its forests of masts …here, your spirit is carried back to the scenery of the old rustic village. Maugham could only imagine the green pastures of Sussex, and the putrid Thames of old London.

They return to the car and drive to the wharf. Maugham has seen enough of Rangoon. Now he just wants to be a traveller. He no longer wants to hear the … imperial platitudes that fall so trippingly from the mouth of

those who make it their business to govern empires.

He only wants to see the inconsequential, the mundane and ordinary, the marvelous and the wondrous.

He wants to lose himself in the everyday, the steamer making its way up the Irrawaddy, the train winding its way through the hilltop stations, the mules stubbornly working their way towards Siam.

The car pulls up at the quay and Maugham and Gerald make their way up the steamer’s gangplank.

Maugham knows he will write only for himself, ignoring those that want something more … it’s his life … he is a writer, not some social commentator. He knows that there are clouds on the not very distant horizon; he also knows that … the British Empire will have been in the world’s history a moment not without grandeur. g

18 PHOTO ESSAY

January 2015 / InDepth

Human-powered Ferris Wheel at Taung Byone Nat Festival, Taung Byone village near Mandalay, Myanmar

January 2015 / InDepth

PHOTO ESSAY 19

A TRAVELLER WITH A CAMERA For Swedish photographer Gerhard Joren, subject matter is everything. “I don’t chase famous people or collect continents, it’s always about the work, the subject, not who I am,” he tells Ben Hopkins during a recent trip to Yangon.

S

etting out from Sweden’s west coast city of Gothenburg in the early 1980’s, equipped with a pocket sized camera and not much else, Gerhard’s travels have spanned the decades and continents to capture life in front of the lens; from slum dwellers to presidents, world champion boxers to street kids kicking a ball around. “The beautiful thing

about this job is I can talk to a Prime Minister the same as I would anyone else,” he says. “In other words, the camera is a great way to meet people and break down barriers.”

contacts or mood might lead. “I’ve never owned a TV”, he explains, “for me, reality is much more interesting, even when nothing is happening. In this way, I’m always observing life around me.”

Currently based in Bangkok, much of Gerhard’s time is spent on the road, pursuing stories wherever his

On the road As a young man he recalls hitch hiking through Eu-

Swedish model Sofia Wallin pose with Alexander Medin, a Norwegian yoga teacher. He perform a yoga pose (mukta hasta sirsasana), controlling his breath for 5 minutes while standing on his head on Shek O Beach, Hong Kong

20 PHOTO ESSAY

January 2015 / InDepth

Man raises his daughter in September 1989, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the day before the Vietnamese troops leave after 10 years occupation

rope, the Caribbean and the States, living frugally and observing the world around him. “It’s in those situations that you challenge yourself” he says. “I remember sleeping on a beach in the Caribbean, waking up 25 times for the first few nights before getting used to it and sleeping the whole night through.”

Back then there was very little information for the independent traveller who’d be forced to stay sharp and find their own way. But for Gerhard, part of the excitement of travel is not knowing exactly where you’re going or who you’re going to meet. “This helps to keep you sharp and attentive” he says. “On those travels, (before internet) communication with home was limited. I’d arrive in new places not knowing if there’d be a postcard or letter waiting in the post office. Other times I’d wait maybe a month or more between getting a hug from someone I knew.

“Before I travelled to South Africa in 1992, I read novels instead of guidebooks to understand the country and the character of the people. I’m not looking

“Passion is most important in photography, not study. Learn about life and understand yourself, who you are, your strengths and capabilities”

down on today’s travellers” he stresses “but today we have information overload on every level, with everything booked and mapped out beforehand. This can take away our original way of seeing things, turning us into copy cats’ and followers.” He adds, however, that Myanmar remains virgin territory for the independent traveller, not yet saturated with information overload and homogenous people.

perience life and understand what I am doing on this planet…” he says before laughing, “but I still don’t have an answer to that one.” g

See more from Gerhard on www.gerhardjoren.com and www.jorenfilms.com

So what advice would he have for today’s aspiring photographer, someone keen to rise above the naval gazing habit of posting foodies and selfies on social networks?

“Passion is most important in photography, not study.

Learn about life and understand yourself, who you are, your strengths and capabilities,” he says. “Whatever your budget, grab a camera and study the instructions.

Learning to use it is like learning to ride a bicycle, it’s a hammer, a tool. More important is building a trust with the people you’re photographing. Standing at a distance with a long lens will get you an image, but remember, they’re humans, not props for your success.”

Understanding that is a step in the right direction, but what about the fear factor, not everyone has the courage or circumstance to travel and make it on their own.

“Of course, I have fear like anyone else, but this is something you have to conquer yourself. And remember, life is not forever, I took up photography to ex-

Manny Pacquiao, aged 17, train at LM Gym in 1996, Manila, Philippines. He made 20 USD per fight, today he gets 20 million USD per fight.

January 2015 / InDepth

ADVERTISEMENT 21

22 ADVENTURE

January 2015 / InDepth

CYCLING THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE Ben Hopkins cycles through northern Thailand and into the heart of The Golden Triangle, where opium plantations have been replaced by tea and tourism drives the local economy.

M

y wake-up call comes courtesy of a loud American who hollers through the shutters of my guest house window, “Hey, what are ya doin’ here man? Come down to breakfast!”

I’m in the hilltop village of Mae Salong, midway through a 10 day cycle tour of Thailand’s northernmost province of Chiang Rai that borders Laos and Myanmar. My new buddy introduces himself with a bone-crushing handshake as Rambo and warns me of the dangers that he imagines lurk in the hills of Chiang Rai. “The government wants you to believe it’s safe up here, but it’s not.”

“What’s not safe?” I ask.

“God damn it man, ya don’t know? They’re still growing poppies and shooting anyone who goes near.

Nothing’s changed since ‘79. Everyone knows it but no one dares speak out. They’re all in business with them drug lords. You’d better just stick to the road.”

Opium eradication The village of Mae Salong, where Rambo and I enjoy breakfast, straddles an 18 hundred metre high mountain amidst a landscape of verdant hills rich with tea and fruit plantations. The village itself was founded by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) soldiers led by general Tuan Shiwen from southern China who refused to surrender when the communists finally gained power in 1949. Originally on their way to Burma, these KMT soldiers and their families were forced across the border into Thailand in 1961 by a Burmese government eager to appease their Chinese neighbours to the north. Many of them settled in Mae Salong and formed a Yunnanese community in the Thai kingdom.

There are no signs of the dangers that Rambo speaks of. The opium trade has long been replaced with high grade tea plantations while the Chinese community, now citizens of Thailand, enjoy the fruits of their labour. The cool climate and dramatic surroundings complement the relaxed atmosphere of a relatively prosperous looking village. Shops are well stocked with local produce such as oolong tea, fresh coffee, dried mushrooms and fruit wrapped in fancy packaging. Old men with wispy beards sit in front of shop houses sipping tea while the women serve up Chinese cuisine and kids march off to school.

The journey My previous four days cycling led me out of Chiang Rai and along the forest tracks that wind their way through a mountainous terrain peppered with hilltribe villages and challenging conditions. For the first three nights my sleepovers were in semi nomadic Akha and Lisu hill tribe settlements with next to zero electricity, so Mae Salong comes as a welcome respite after several days of roughing it.

When I finally bid farewell to Rambo I find myself climbing over some of the steepest roads I’ve ever cycled, many of them mapped out by Japanese soldiers on their march across Thailand during WWII. The searing heat and challenging terrain make for hard work on the 70km ride north to the Thai/Myanmar border town of Mae Sai where a continuous stream of clothes, gems, electrical gizmos, alcohol and cigarettes pass under the dull gaze of border guards to be sold at rock bottom prices in markets heaving with activity.

After finding a cheap room I take an early evening stroll down a back alley and up to the river’s edge where I focus my camera on a canoeist, making the short journey from Myanmar into Thailand. Before

I have a chance to click I’m grabbed by a Thai and told to clear off. According to local wisdom, the spot where I attempted to take the photo is where smugglers continue to trade illicit goods, despite the easing of border restrictions in 2011.

Cycling the Golden Triangle

January 2015 / InDepth

ADVENTURE 23

Sunset over the Golden Triangle

The town of Mae Sai, colourful and alive with activity during the day, takes on an eerie silence once night descends. People stay indoors; most of the bars and restaurants close while the streets become the domain of the reputed smugglers. The only places that appear to be busy are the massage-parlours that service them.

The Golden Triangle The following day, under a blistering sun I pull up in a small village called Sop Ruak, the official centre of the Golden Triangle, where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand merge at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. Tempting as it is to invent sightings of bandits boiling vats of opium, the sad truth is the adventure quota here is next to zero.

Tourism has replaced opium as the local source of gold. There’s the Golden Triangle Souvenir Shop and the Golden Triangle Restaurant servicing bus-loads of tourists. Many of them are here for the garish casinos that sit in no man’s land between Lao, Myanmar and Thailand while others are drawn by the beautiful scenery, cultural depth, colourful markets and luxury resorts that Chiang Rai offers.

Journey’s end The final days of the tour have me cycling away from the heart of the Golden Triangle and back to the town of Chiang Rai where I began my journey; through

villages where temple remains date back to the 7th century and into plantations where lychee trees fill the air with the scent of mellow fruit. The mist shrouded mountains of Chiang Rai offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole of Southeast Asia so I’m almost sorry when the journey comes to an end in Chiang Rai.

laos chiang rai

The following evening, sore from sunburn, I’m refuelling on pizza and beer in an outdoor restaurant when suddenly someone wallops me on the shoulder.

“Hey man, ya made it back in one piece!”

It’s Rambo, who pretty much followed the same route I took, only where I saw old ladies picking tea and busloads of tourists taking selfies, he saw heavily-armed outlaws leading convoys of smugglers through the forests to the border.

“So then, did ya see ‘em?” he asks.

“See who?”

“God damn it man, are you blind, the opium farmers, the gunmen, the traders.”

In the end we agree to disagree, share a pizza and toast our respective adventures like couple of old veterans from a land that time forgot. g

Yangon

thailand

24 TRAVEL

January 2015 / InDepth

on the water Simon Lewis visits Myanmar’s biggest lake, Indawgyi, in Kachin State, and discovers a serene getaway inhabited by a vast array of winged life.

Indawgyi lake  Photo by Simon Lewis

January 2015 / InDepth

TRAVEL 25

A

s we crest the mountain range that isolates Myanmar’s biggest lake, Indawgyi, my motorcycle taxi driver pulls over and points out his home village, a small ethnic Shan settlement on the southern shore of the lake.

We descend into the valley, avoiding workers putting a new road together piece by piece—a giant jigsaw puzzle of a snake. As we pull up to his village, a young boy is herding cattle along the side of the road.

He directs his charges while steering his motorcycle with one hand, wielding a whip in the other.

We arrive at his home, a wooden home on stilts above a neat vegetable garden, and the driver delivers to his wife a bag of oranges fresh in from the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina.

Idyllic pastoral scenes are the norm here, and life can appear frozen in time. Farmers plough mostly with buffalo rather than tractors, there are few cars. The untouched feeling is perhaps unsurprising given that this is a remote valley in the remote north of a country largely cut off from the world until recently.

The lake and the area around it has been designated the Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary since 1999 and has attracted bird watching tourists for a while.

But it is not east to reach—from Myitkyina it takes about four hours by bus or train to Hopin, the nearest town to the lake, plus at least two hours to get over the mountains. More adventurous travellers are beginning to include the lake in an itinerary that involves looping north from Mandalay to Katha, the Sagaing Region town in which George Orwell once lived.

Those willing to make the trip are treated to a serene getaway—in contrast to the increasingly busy Inle lake—and an array of wildlife.

Foreign nationals are only permitted to stay at two guesthouse, both in Lonton village. One is Indaw Ma Har, a strange-looking blue structure that sits right out on the marshy coast of the lake.

The other is apparently army-owned and is overlooked by a medieval looking military stockade, surrounded by a wall of sharpened bamboo sticks apparently designed to repel the Kachin Independence Army. The rebels are active in the hinterlands, but the lake itself has not been closed to tourists at any stage during the current conflict, which began in 2011.

The accommodations are basic, but both guesthouses are right on the late. Guests wake up, as I did on a chilly December morning, to be greeted by impressive views. Clouds hung low over the water and in the valley, slowly rising as a boat ride took me out into the flat water.

Motor boats can be hired from locals at a fairly steep cost of about 60,000 kyat a day.

But a group of local young people known as Lovers of Indawgyi are also hiring out kayaks and bicycles.

There are also some options for trekking—the surrounding area is populated by wildlife including gibbons, bears and wild cats.

View of the lake Photo by Simon Lewis

Those willing to make the trip are treated to a serene getaway—in contrast to the increasingly busy Inle lake—and an array of wildlife.

The mountain road currently being constructed will make access to the lake much easier, and could bring more tourists—both a potential boon to locals, and a threat to their way of life, and the lake’s fragile ecosystem.

Global wildlife NGO Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has a project on the lake working to conserve the habitat while helping local communities. FFI Myanmar Programme Director Frank Momberg said the organization was supporting Lovers of Indawgyi.

“If it’s responsible tourism, it will bring benefits to local communities, but we would prefer bed and breakfast, homestay-type tourism, rather than big investors coming in to build big hotels,” he said.

“We don’t want to have the situation, like in Inle lake, where most of the people benefiting are coming from outside.”

On the lake itself, there are gorgeous flooded forests, wetlands, fishing villages and the Shwe Mitzu Pagoda to visit. At each stop the visual highlight tends to be the lake’s magnificent winged life.

bill from his oriental pied hornbill (both are found here, apparently).

The lake has been placed on the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) tentative list to become recognized as a site of outstanding universal value. A number of the bird, fish, turtle and plant species found at Indawgyi are endemic or endangered.

But the site’s environment could come under threat from increased use of motor boats, by farmers using more pesticides and by gold mining taking place on rivers that feed into the lake.

Mr. Momberg said unregulated, small-scale miners were causing sediment to run into the river, and were also using mercury in their operations. Researchers have noted a decline in fish stocks already at the lake, despite the government taking action to limit commercial fishing.

With the ethnic Kachin armed group apparently involved in the mining activities, the government has been unable to stop the mining, making full UNESCO recognition doubtful as long as peace remains elusive in Kachin State.

As things stand, the fact that the two guesthouses offer a total of only about a dozen rooms keeps things quiet.

The lake hosts migratory geese and duck species that fly south to summer here, escaping the colds of Siberi, as well as a number of resident species.

Without too many activities on offer, many of the tourists who had made it to Lonton when I was there were taking the opportunity to bury themselves in a good book. At night, everyone dined at a row of restaurants offering Burmese, Shan and Kachin fare, serving fish from the lake as well as some of the freshest vegetables I’ve tasted in the country.

The birds are undeniably impressive even for an amateur ornithologist, like me, who doesn’t own a pair of binoculars and couldn’t tell his northern brown horn-

For now, Indawgyi’s waters remain mostly undisturbed. On its shores, ethnic Kachin and Shan villages quietly prosper in the plenty offered by the lake. g

January 2015 / InDepth

26 BUSINESS

Photo by The Pictureman

Traditional Tastes for a Global Market Rangoon Tea House is one of Yangon’s newest culinary additions. Focusing on healthier versions of Myanmar teashop classics and using high quality ingredients, the restaurant attracts both locals and foreigners to its contemporary, open space. Mimi Wu chatted with co-owner Htet Myet Oo on tea shop culture, his hands off approach to management, and why mohinga is great for date nights.

What inspired you to open Rangoon Tea House?

When I was a kid [growing up in the UK], we could only afford to go on holiday every two years, so until the age of fourteen my only holiday was to Burma. My happiest memories were here. On top of that, my mom used to make really great Burmese food. My mom is fairly health conscious, and she would make every dish healthier and make it taste just as good as in Burma, if not better. Her dream was always to open a mohinga restaurant, so that’s where the idea stared. The idea snowballed, and my partners and I decided to do a modern Burmese tea house. I guess it coincides with the fact that Burma’s getting more well known. We expect that Burmese cuisine

will be the next Southeast Asian cuisine to explode, and we want to be at the forefront of it.

What uniquely Myanmar ingredient or flavour do you want the world to know about?

First of all, we don’t make Burmese food here; we make tea shop food. Burmese food is associated with rice and curry. Tea shop food – because tea shops started back when Burma was a part of India – has a lot of influence from India, like the samosas and parathas and naan; the Chinese influence with the steamed buns; and the slightly more Burmese Muslim influence with the lamb kebabs. The great thing is we could easily stick a burger on the menu, and it

wouldn’t look out of place. So rather than an ingredient or maybe just one flavour, it’s the tea shop culture where all different cultures come together and meet in one place.

Yeah, we just came back from Ho Chi Minh and there, you hardly see any Starbucks because people are so proud of their own coffee. Bangkok has all these amazing places, but still at the heart of it is Thai food. With Burmese food, someone had to make it healthier and cleaner. I wouldn’t say that roadside places lack flavour, but I think because of tight budgets, shops can’t afford the best ingredients. You have to make a lot of short cuts, like using MSG and

January 2015 / InDepth

BUSINESS 27

using ingredients that aren’t as fresh.

growth of a lot of people, giving them a different way out.

Is there a specific dish that always brings you back to childhood?

Mohinga. In Yangon, mohinga is made with catfish. It differs around the country. At Rangoon Tea House we use butterfish because it’s easier on the palate, there are fewer bones, and it’s fleshy. We want not only the flavour but also the texture to be perfect. My mom used to make it with sea bass back in the UK.

We have a girl who’s a dishwasher. She had never been to Yangon before she worked here. She grew up on a farm, so you could say she did hard labour, and she came and couldn’t speak much and stuttered. She’s only been here a month, and you can tell how quickly she’s picked up on things. We don’t treat her any different than anyone else and because of that, she’s more talkative and lively. She had that in her before, but nobody really brought that out of her.

So tell me about the tea. There are sixteen tea variations on the menu!

The staff can come and be in a very independent environment, where I leave them to decide their own schedules and think on their own, and I’m there just to support, to push them in the right direction.

Instead of hiring staff who have worked or studied abroad, we decided to take local tea shop staff and train them up ourselves. The great part is that they come with all this information that they’ve logged in their minds but have never written down. And the tea menu is one of these things. We made tea scientific.

They knew roughly how many teaspoons of this, this, and this was needed; we wrote it down and tried them over and over again to make sure that every single tea tastes different, even if it’s only one teaspoon different. Each cup of tea also has to be made consistently.

Which one’s your favourite?

I used to be like everyone else around the country.

Even locals, they really only know pon man, pawt saint, pawt kya, but I really like pawt ker. No one seems to know what pawt ker is; they’ve never heard of it. For example, pawt saint doesn’t have a lot of tea or condensed milk but has more evaporated milk. People like this because there’s less sugar, less calories, and not much caffeine. Pawt ker is made with very little condensed milk and more black tea. It’s like a caffeine kick in the morning.

Is that what you always drink when you need a caffeine boost?

Yeah, though it depends on what time of the day it is.

Tell me about the design of your restaurant.

One of our other partners, Mya, she’s an interior designer, and she used to work and live in San Francisco.; because I used to live in London, we have an eclectic mix. San Francisco is laid back and casual; in London, you have that scene, too, but it’s very classy and grand. When you put these two together, you get what we have here, which is a casual experience in a nicer, grand setting. Which is exactly what we want. I could easily tell somebody this is modern Burmese cuisine, but it’s actually more of a throwback to when people in Yangon could afford better ingredients. It’s more of a reincarnation of what we imagine to be a really old tea shop.

I love all the accents, and you have really high ceilings, creating an open and beautiful space.

Yeah, I think it’s fairly rare. You go to a lot of places around town, and they’re dividing the space into two floors. We decided to keep the high ceilings to give people a different option. And it’s part of the whole scene. Who’s to say you can’t go on a date and have mohinga, that you can’t pair mohinga with wine or

You don’t always see that a lot in of business cultures and in Myanmar, there’s often a top-down system.

Photo by The Pictureman

Burmese chefs want to cook foreign food, not Burmese food. But that means that the ones here are really passionate about it.

ice cream? We want to promote the idea that Burmese food isn’t only home cooked, cozy food, which it is, but that it’s also slightly more refined, and it’s appropriate for intimate occasions. For example, if you want to go on a diet, not many people think you can’t have Burmese food and go on a diet, but you can. So we want to promote all these different things to show people that you can achieve anything you want with Burmese food, whether it’s comfort food or whether it’s healthy, and you can have it at Rangoon Tea House.

What’s your favourite part of working here at the restaurant?

Definitely the staff; because I come from a totally different background and this is my first restaurant, they teach me as many things as I try to teach them. They’re very grateful that they can come to work in a place like this, but I’m also very grateful to have them. They work very hard. The great thing is when they first came – because they were from traditional tea shops –they didn’t buy my idea that people would pay this much for mohinga or that we could really improve tea so much. But now that people are coming and appreciate what we do, they buy the idea, and now they’re trying to push the boundaries, too. I no longer have to go up to them and say I want this new recipe; they’re already doing it. Just seeing the

They have a hard time adjusting. I tell them, ‘This is how many senior and junior wait staff I need at this time. You guys talk amongst yourselves and decide which days and what times you want to come in.’

When they come up with that schedule, I look over it and make a few adjustments. Obviously at the beginning, they didn’t like that they didn’t have much structure, but now they’re getting used to the idea of making their own decisions.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of running the restaurant?

Burmese chefs want to cook foreign food, not Burmese food. But that means that the ones here are really passionate about it.

When you’re not eating Myanmar cuisine, what do you crave?

Pizza, and I’m a big desserts guy. I won’t just eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut. I’ll cut it in half, spread Nutella on it, and sprinkle peanuts, and then I’ll eat it. So I definitely have a sweet tooth. In Yangon, I get Sharky’s ice cream.

Any goals for the new year?

I have a general goal to reach out. One of the things I’ve been happy about in the first two weeks is that half of our customers are Burmese. These are the customers we thought would be the hardest to attract not because we didn’t think our food was worthwhile but because it’s harder to convince people on our pricing. We’ve had Burmese come in here and gawk at the price, but they eat and come back again. They appreciate it.

In the new year, I want to reach out to more locals and also maybe host more community events, like a mohinga night; events to promote the Burmese cuisine. In January, we’re having a cookbook author come in and do a cooking demonstration. g

77 Pansodan Rd., (Lower Middle Block) 1st Floor, Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar Tel: 095178329 Opens daily 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM

January 2015 / InDepth

28 HOROSCOPE

Myanmar

Horoscope Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has a Degree in Science, majoring first in Mathematics and then Applied Psychology, both at the Yangon University. He cures patients with Myanmar traditional medicine and writes articles and prediction horoscopes in monthly magazines and weekly journals.

DAY

DIRECTION

PLANET

ANIMAL

Sunday

Northeast

Sun

Garuda

Monday

East

Moon

Tiger

Tuesday

Southeast

Mars

Lion

Wednesday

morning

South

Elephant

Thursday

West

Jupiter

Rat

Friday

North

Venus

Guinea pig

Saturday

Southwest

Saturn

Naga

Business – New business project received this month should be investigated carefully. Good opportunity is present if you can make the right choices. Keep longrange goals in mind.

Lucky number - 1.4.0 Lucky color - Green, Orange

Conquered Time.

You will be staid, serious and firm. Your account will be in good order. You have never use bad language in your life. You love travelling. Short-distance travel can be important and profitable until 9th. You will do a lot of moving about in connection and personal affairs. Friendship will be important throughout the month.

Love – Your affection for your lover is deeply rooted.

Your lover is popular.

Business – You will decide to conquer your rival at business. Carefully planning your moves is also most important. You will enjoy an easy month at business environment.

Lucky number - 2.5.7 Lucky color - Red, Black

TUESDAY

Research and study are favored this quiet month.

Problems that arise may stump you, but not for long.

Consider make one solution before making a firm decision. Not a particularly favorable month for travel.

Good for viewing a museum exhibit or sports event.

Love –Your lover is 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. Higher-ups will go out of their way to help you get a deserved promotion. Government official will also cooperate, especially regarding taxes matters. Consider plan for a future move with your mate or partner.

Lucky number - 1.4.7 Lucky color - Dark, Violet

WEDNESDAY MONDAY Healthy Time.

You are always punctual. There is room for improvement in your job. Health will improve if you get more exercise. Good month to walk rather ride. Your negative frame of mind could me affecting your physical well-being. Overtime will lead to useful extra income.

Travel is highly favored.

Love –Your lover and you are opposite types of people. Sometimes your lover and you are quarrelling.

THURSDAY Worrisome Time.

Spend some time considering long-range goals and how to achieve them. Other people will seem to have more self-confidence than you do. Building up a wider circle of friends will help you achieve a secret wish. Local travel should prove worth- while, but a long trip is not favored. Good for obtaining medical advice. Health may be worrisome due to recent strain and stress.

Love – Lucky month for love. You always remember your lover. You love your lover more than everything.

Business – Good month for financial planning. Teamwork is the favored method in business matters. Joint effort will be much more productive than anything you could accomplish on your own. Profits can be increased if you expend more time and energy on advertising.

Lucky number - 3.5.7 Lucky color - Jadegreen, maroon

FRIDAY Quiet and Problems Time.

SUNDAY

Lucky number - 2.5.6 Lucky color - Yellow, Ivory

Extra Effort Time.

Put more effort into everything that you are asked to do this month. Even ordinary projects will benefit from a dose of imagination. Avoid overdoing, however. Plans must be realistic. People at a distance could misunderstand your intention. Legal aid may be required.

Love – Your lover is young and very beautiful. Soon you will plan your wedding.

Business – Fine month for heart-to-heart talk with business colleague who has been opposing you.

Challenging Time.

A fast –paced , challenging month. Changes will have to be made of on the spur of moment. Advice from experienced people should be heeded. Combine realism with your natural optimism. Avoid stubbornly insisting on your own ideas if shown why they have not worked in the past.

Love – You lover betray you. You will suffer for love.

Misunderstanding will appear between your lover and you. If you want to happy, you forget love.

Business – Perfect month for new starts. Business aim is high. You are capable of much more than you now image. Take a chance, results will amaze you.

Lucky number - 2.5.4 Lucky color - Purple, Lightgreen

SATURDAY Lucky Time.

Someone to whom you are introduced by a friend may become important in your future plans. The accomplishments of your child or another family member will fill you with pride. Catch up with minor repair jobs around the house. Be more understanding with family members.

Love – You will find love. You will get valuable present from your lover. Your lover and you will travel in this month.

Business – A Lucky month. A well-educated gamble could pay off handsomely. Good for new investments, including real estate. Look into earning more interest on your savings.

Lucky number - 1.2.3 Lucky color - White, Strawberry

January 2015 / InDepth

HEALTH 29

THE GOLDEN INGREDIENT Used throughout Asia in food, Turmeric also has a rich history of medicinal use. Traditional medicine practitioner Thet Ka Tho Soe Moe Naing shares some Burmese homeopathic remedies using Turmeric History of Turmeric Also known as “Indian Saffron,” Medicinal Turmeric use dates back nearly 4000 years. In Southeast Asia, turmeric is used not only as a spice but also as a component in religious ceremonies because of its brilliant yellow color. Modern medicine has begun to recognize its importance. Over 3000 publications dealing with turmeric have came out within the last 25 years that elaborate on its positive effects on the human body.

The earliest use of turmeric can be traced to the Vedic culture in India, where it was used as a culinary spice and had some religious significance. It probably reached China by 700AD, then East Africa by 800AD, West Africa by 1200AD, and Jamaica in the eighteenth century.

Modern studies have revealed that turmeric is a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic,

antimicrobial, and anticancer agent.

Burmese use of Turmeric Turmeric is one of the most essential ingredients in Burmese cuisine. Burmese have relied upon turmeric when making traditional medicine from era to era since remedies can be made easily, the ingredients are within at arm’s reach, it is affordable, and there are few side effects.

In the past, elders used to cure scratches on skin with its powder. Pregnant women could be seen covered in yellow after applying turmeric liquid after giving birth. It won’t be wrong to say that these actions are distinctive Myanmar ways of using Turmeric.

Self-medication for someone suffering from stomach disease Slice Turmeric root into thin pieces, dry them, and dip them into honey and drink it.

The Usefulness of Turmeric in medicine and curable diseases Take 1 teaspoon of Turmeric powder twice a day. It can cure any kind of illness.

For those over 40 years old Mix the Turmeric powder with honey and take it every morning.

(If constipated, put salt and take it every night) Mix the Turmeric powder with honey and make it into small balls. Take 3 times a day to relieve: - High blood pressure - Diabetes - Paralyze - Cold Clammy Skin - Urinary Tract Obstruction - Diseases, which make difficult to urinate can also be cured.

For healthy skin Wear the mixed Turmeric- turmeric and water- after taking a bath in the evening. By cleansing the dirt in the body through sweat holes, it’ll moisturize the skin and make it pure and shine.

To promote healthy liver function Some researches have discovered that Turmeric can protect Hepatic activities resulted by alcohol and other toxins.

To fight off a cold In the jungles and forest, illness can occur very often due to the cold. Toast 48 grams of Turmeric with 16 grams of salt in a mud pot and make them 0.14 gram size small balls. For adults take 5 pills, for children take 2 pills daily. This can protect from the cold by warming up the body. g

January 2015 / InDepth

30 EXPAT ADVICE

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Health expert Mimi Wu presents a five step plan to help improve your overall wellbeing while living in Yangon

A

s we navigate our way through holiday roasts, cocktails, and desserts towards the New Year, our resolve on losing weight and being healthy increases proportionally to our growing waistlines. Come January 1st, it’s unsurprising that exercising and detoxes are in full swing.

While diving head first shows initiative (but can cause serious injury), somehow, whether slowly or abruptly, the majority of us give in to excuses: Gyms are too expensive, it’s raining, it’s hot, I’m tired, I’m busy, I don’t want to diet (and frankly, nobody should diet)…

Unfortunately, there are no sustainable, long-lasting, healthy ways to lose 10 pounds in one week. Fitness and health are lifestyle choices, not fads, but they don’t have to be hard, restrictive, or boring. To jump start your year, I’ve written an easy five-step plan to help improve your overall wellbeing while living in Yangon.

Follow the guide as we stop making “resolutions” – mere intentions and desires – and start making goals with concrete milestones and plans. This year, let’s meet the new you!

1. Set Realistic Goals The first step is honestly assessing your current fitness and nutrition states, and then setting realistic goals.

Sadly, your legs won’t grow an inch, but you can make them appear longer and leaner through exercise.

Realistic goals help you avoid anxiety, disappointment, and eventual apathy. Goals may include a specific weight target, such as losing or even gaining 20 pounds, or reaching a fitness level, such as being able to complete 15 pull-ups. Nutrition goals may include cutting sugar intake and adding two more servings of vegetables to your diet per day. Breaking these larger goals into smaller monthly milestones will make them easier to achieve.

Do know that adults can safely lose only one to two pounds per week (a 500 calorie per day reduction).

Men should consume at least 1,800 calories per day, and women should consume at least 1,200 calories.

Pro-tip: Set your goals as facts, rather than aspirations. For example, say, “I will be 150 pounds by June 2015,” instead of “I will lose 15 pounds by June 2015.”

2. Plan Ahead We’re human; we’re prone to error. You’ll want to skip a workout or overindulge at dinner. Plan ahead how you will deal with the temptation, such as calling a friend or pre-plating your meal, rather than eating family-style as we often do in Yangon.

Pro-tip: Be persistent and patient! Experts say that new activities take roughly 21 days before becoming habits and six months before entrenching themselves into your personality.

3. Fitness Fun Exercise is important to aid weight loss, and it alone will help you develop strength and muscle tone.

To the exercise adverse, know that exercise doesn’t have to be work. Some of my students love the euphoric feeling after a zumba class, while others couldn’t run faster from dancing! Experiment until you find fun and challenging exercises you enjoy (cycling or dancing, pilates or weight lifting, solo or group), otherwise you’ll have no problem finding excuses to run laps at the bar.

The most effective fitness regimen will include a cardio workout and strength training, but the frequency of each depends on your fitness goals. Cardio reduces body fat and improves heart, lung, and blood vessel functions. Strength training creates the toned look with lean muscles that increase your metabolism and thus reduce body fat. Strength training also improves bone, muscle, joint, and connective tissue health.

Admittedly, we aren’t spoilt for choice in Yangon, but there are plenty of options if a gym membership is out of your price range. First, know that you can join gym classes individually without becoming a full member.

Many group classes, such as yoga, and clubs, such as the biweekly cycling group or the Australian Rules Football club, are also available. Additionally, you can use the tennis courts near Yangon University or walk around Inya Lake. Strength training is easier in Yangon; free weights are affordable from Ocean or Maw Tin Center. Alternatively, use your own body weight against itself.

Pro-tip: You don’t have to be a workout monster to reach your goals. Consistency is the key, but take at least one full day off from working out to avoid physical and mental fatigue.

4. Eat Well and Often We tend to focus solely on fitness, but nutrition plays a whooping 80% role in health and fat loss, whether it be eating better or eating less.

er plates to trick your brain into eating less.

On the flip side, stop dieting and skipping meals.

They’ll cause you to binge on restricted items after the diet, as well as eat and excessively snack more than you would have if you weren’t starving. Plus, starving causes your body to store the next meal almost entirely as fat. Keep a consistent schedule, and eat every three to four hours.

Pro-tip: Drink more water; your body will love you.

5. Track Your Progress Keep track of each small success to stay motivated.

Weigh yourself and measure your waistline at the same time once a week. Muscle weighs more than fat but is more compact, so you may see a weight gain as you slim down and tone up.

Another good metric is recording your fitness level each month. For example, can you do more repetitions, run longer or faster, or finally reach your toes?

Once you achieve these small goals, increase the difficulty to challenge yourself and get the results you want. If you’re having difficulty, make sure the goals are realistic, then reassess your plan.

Pro-tip: Slow and steady wins the race. It can take up to a month before you notice major body changes and up to two months before your friends notice.

Keep coming back to these five steps when you’ve hit an apathy patch. Being fit is 100% mental, so if you have a resolve to have better wellbeing and better health this year, make a plan, stay committed, and get there!

Here are five easy exercises to get you started this year, no equipment needed: Plank. Twice a day for one minute each Good for: Core, abs, energy transference between the upper and lower body, posture Chair dips. As many as you can, and increase each week.

Good for: Arms, abs, chest, strength building Squats. As many as you can, and increase each week.

Good for: Upper and lower leg muscles, butt, spine muscles

The best workout for your overall nutritional health is five sets of stopping-eat-so-much-CRAP (Carbonated drinks, Refined sugars, Artificial food, Processed food)! Luckily, Yangon has a large variety of fresh, cheap produce and lean proteins readily available.

and balance

Does that mean free reign over lettuce? Not quite. A calorie from vegetables is still a calorie, so don’t get carried away eating too much of anything. Use small-

Stretch. Do not overlook this before and after working out.

Brisk walk. 20 minutes or more Good for: Fat reduction, heart strengthening, blood circulation and cholesterol

Good for: Greater range of motion, injury risk reduction, creating long and lean muscles

January 2015 / InDepth

myanmore awards

EXPAT ADVICE 31 2015 nominees

Best Myanmar Restaurant - Feel Myanmar Food - Minn Lan Rakhine Seafood - Padonmar Restaurant - Shan Yoe Yar - Green Elephant - Rangoon Teahouse - House of Memories

Best Teppanyaki, Yakitori, or Yakiniku Restaurant - Kobeya - Haru Yakiniku - Nagasaki Tei - Manpuku - Hokaido

Best Thai Restaurant

Best Southeast Asian Restaurant

- Chew Q - Green Gallery - Legacy Thai Restaurant - Sabai Sabai - Le Nacha - Mai Thai - Pattaya Thai Restaurant - Thai Kitchen

- Monsoon Restaurant - House of Singapura - Toba Restaurant & Café - Vietnam Kitchen - Ya Kun Coffee & Toast - Singapore Kitchen - Crustacean

Best Indian Restaurant - Coriander Leaf - Nepali Food House - Ingyin Restaurant - Titu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant - Golden City Chetty Restaurant Best Chinese Restaurant - Golden Duck - Golden Crab - Summer Palace @ Sule Shangri-La - Si Chuan Dou Hua @ Parkroyal - Kou Fu - First House - Fook Mun Lau - Royal Garden Restaurant - The Muses Best Korean Restaurant - Dae Won Gak - Arirang Restaurant - KPC Korean Food - Yoogane - Hanil Kwan, Mr. Kim Korean Restaurant - Han Kook Kwan Korean BBQ Best General Japanese Restaurant - Yhet’s Sushi & Soba - Maru - Anaimo - Yamagoya Ramen - Katsu - Kohaku Japanese Restaurant @ Chatrium - Shiki-Tei @ Parkroyal - Ichiban Kan

Best Western Restaurant - Cousins Grill - Sharky’s - 50th Street Café Restaurant Bar - Union Bar & Grill - Peppers Diner - Onyx - Acacia Tea Salon Best Italian Restaurant - L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar - Vino di Zanotti - Orzo @ Sedona - Aux Saisons - Café Dibar - Café Napoli Best French Restaurant - L’Alchimiste - Le Planteur - Le Bistrot @ Savoy - Agnes @ Kandawgyi Palace Hotel - Shwe Sa Bwe Best Fine Dining - Vino di Zanotti - Le Planteur - Shwe Sa Bwe - Water Library - L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar - L’Alchimiste - Acacia Tea Salon - The Strand Grill @ Strand Hotel - Belmond Governor’s Residence Best Café - Ya Kun Coffee & Toast - Bar Boon - Coffee Club - Coffee Circles - Easy Café - Nervin Café & Bistro

6pm, 31st January 2015 at Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake

Best Bakery - Parisian Cake & Coffee - Il Fornaio Bakery @ L’Opera - Sharky’s - Yangon Bake House - La Tartine - Acacia Tea Salon Best Tapas - The Lab - Bonanza - The Blind Tiger - Gekko - Escape Gastro Bar Best Burger - Union Bar & Grill - The Strand Grill @ The Strand Hotel - Savoy Hotel - The Blind Tiger - 50th Street Café Restaurant Bar - Fatman Steak & Bistro Best Pizza - Peperoni Pizzeria - Parami Pizza - 50th Street Café Restaurant Bar - Union Bar & Grill - Vino di Zanotti - L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar Best Outdoor Dining - Padonmar Restaurant - L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar - L’Alchimiste - Belmond Governor’s Residence - Vino Di Zanotti - Shwe Sa Bwe - Signature Restaurant - Alamanda Inn - Agnes @ Kandawgyi Palace Hotel Best Service - Vino di Zanotti - Belmond Governor’s Residence (Restaurants) - Le Planteur - L’Alchimiste - Sule Shangri La (Restaurants) - L’Opera Italian Restaurant & Bar - The Strand Hotel (Grill & Bar) Best Hotel Nightlife - Gallery Bar @ Sule Shangri La - Club Rizzoli @ Chatrium - Club 5 @ Park Royal - The Strand Bar - Ice Bar @ Sedona

Best Sunday Brunch - Port Autonomy - Kipling’s Restaurant @ Savoy Hotel - Sedona Hotel - Café Sule @ Sule Shangri La - Orchid Restaurant @ Inya Lake Hotel - Union Bar & Grill - Agnes @ Kandawgyi Palace Hotel - Spice Brasserie @ Park Royal Hotel - Acacia Tea Salon Best Bar - 50th Street Café Restaurant Bar - MOJO - Union Bar & Grill - Escape Gastro Bar - The Lab - Cask 81 - The Blind Tiger - Gekko Best Nightclub - Pioneer Club - Café Liberal - GTR - DJ Bar - MOJO Best Karaoke - M3 - Family KTV - Music Box - Relax Karaoke - Utopia Family KTV - G6 Best Weekly / Monthly Social Event - Pansodan Tuesdays @ Pansodan Art Gallery - Fab Party by YG Events - French Love Friday @ Institut Français de Birmanie - Monday Pub Quiz @ 50th Street Café Restaurant Bar - Boat Party by Yangon Boat Party - Jam It! - Mojito Night @ The Lab - Monday Blues @ MOJO Best Newcomer - The Lab - The Blind Tiger - Port Autonomy - Rangoon Teahouse

Learn more about the awards on www.myanmore.com/yangon/awards-2015/