Eyes of a Sojourner: Eleven Days through Myanmar
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Writing Wr iting has always been an introspective exercise for me. One completed work, and several stillborns, has clarified in me my photography style – why I shoot, what I capture & how I photograph. My photos attempt to record what I had encountered and recreate the feelings I had felt, in essence a recollection of all that I, a sojourner, had seen and experienced. The following pages present highlights of my journey through the golden land of Myanmar‌a sojourn so truly fascinating & magical.
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I: YANGON The Colonial City & Home of Shwedagon Pagoda
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Yangon Writing this, I now learn that the Our journey commences in Rangoon, Myanmar’s former capital under the British, nowadays known as Yangon. name ‘Yangon’ supposedly came about the same way as ‘Myanmar’ entered the dictionary, a name change effected by the military junta, ditching the colonial names for supposedly more ‘traditional’ names. One of our guides is blatantly anti junta and unafraid to utter ‘Burma’ when w referring to his country. It is a sign of the junta’s iron grip softly releasing, akin to Iran’s hardliner government, to vent out public frustration lest it boils over. The capital until the junta abruptly uprooted to Nay Pyi Taw Taw, Yangon is a city typical of a developing nation, where growth of vehicles outpaces development of roads, causing frustrating jams all around the city doubling travelling times between places. A peculiar law prohibiting motorcycles in Yangon accounts for the noticeable absence of this cheaper private transportation mode ubiquitous throughout developing countries, countries though in my humble opinion, this only exacerbates the traffic problem since cars are the only alternative to the inadequate public transport. transport What have yet to fully ully descend on this city are the complete destruction of old buildings and the senseless construction of new skyscrapers. The Th key word is yet. There have been little foreign investment and commercial growth due to decades of sanctions, and thus I figure there is not much need nor capital investment for new sparkling business towers and glitzy malls. In fact, there is this very curious sight I’m reminded of. The twilight lighting and lack of angle doesn’t capture this very well, but look carefully and notice ice the modern glass tower is actually rising up bizarrely from the middle of an older existing complex. Immediately to the left and right of this new tower, the original complex has been left pretty much intact. It beats me why they only tore down the mid middle portion and not the entire complex. Adding to the intrigue is that several floors in the old building has been stripped bare save for the pillars. No funds to tear everything down? Or only enough funds to build a more modest tower? Even then, why createe a Frankenstein by constructing a tower in the centre and not on either ends of the original complex? pg. 4
Sorry for digressing. But yes, now with the country opening up, on the outskirts of the old downtown, boarding has been erected around new construction sites advertising the respective ongoing project. There is a particularly ambitious one, Dagon, a large scale mixed use development covering huge swathes of land with little sign of activity, not too surprising since last I heard it is being ensnarled with concerns that the construction will damage the beloved Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon is changing. And with its transformation are calls to preserve its neglected colonial heritage. Unfortunately, schedule doesn’t permit me to locate and photograph several of the completely dilapidated colonial buildings that we passed by and which had been left completely untouched over the years. I only managed to squeeze out time to quickly photograph some buildings within the downtown, some decaying though in decent state & others much better preserved or being restored such as the one at the start of this section. To save space, I shall only feature a few photos here since most resembles India’s Mughal-Gothic/Indo-Saracenic style, albeit in Myanmar the façade is smoother with plaster covering the brickwork patterns and hardly any ornate decoration. Still, I did spot an odd style (bottom right) with a narrow porch in the front. Perhaps it might simply be a new building that copied the Roman pillars of the Classical style? Regrettably, I have no expert guide to enlighten me.
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What was more unique architecturally in Yangon is actually a number of the private houses located around the leafy outskirts of the downtown, which we drove by but hadn’t the time to stop. The styles are similar to Bogyoke Aung Sun’s former residence (today a museum dedicated to his life) and former office (now a restaurant), a localized adaptation of central Europe’s half timbered houses, which is not very common in South East Asia. In any case, architecture is but one of the many highlights of Yangon. The ageing circle train is interesting but a little boring after a few stops unless one is keen (and able) to strike up conversations with the locals. We also had a nice walk through fruits, vegetable & flower market, yet it is essentially a scaled up version of countless markets I have visited across Asia. What truly captivated me in this city is the Shwedagon Pagoda complex and also the fish ‘market’, both of which had been particularly memorable for how unique and overwhelming these places are, experiences I have not encountered elsewhere.
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Left: A quick snapshot of Bogyoke Aung San’s house Bottom: Not exactly the Indo-Saracenic style, but one is a shot from Mumbai and another is from Yangon, isn’t the colonial architecture relatively similar?
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SHWEDAGON PAGODA
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Regrettably, photos simply do immense injustice to the Shwedagon Pagoda.
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Photos compress the towering Shwedagon Pagoda into a frame, disabling casual viewers from truly perceiving how imposing this landmark is. It is only when one has visited the complex, walked its grounds and admired the piousness of the faithful that one truly realizes the scale of this massive pagoda. In fact, photos do a second injustice to the Shwedagon Pagoda complex. No doubt the central pagoda is the main draw, but the complex has far more than just a huge golden stupa. This highlight is ringed by dozens of smaller (though also not that small) pagodas, shrines and ornate prayer halls. So many it is impossible to capture them all in a frame, a photo merely captures a slice of it. Such is the limitation of photography, that I was amazed when I first lay my eyes on the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was way beyond the imagination created in my mind by the photos I have seen online, no photos can ever adequately conveyed how astounding the compound is – packed with numerous pagodas, stupas, shrines and prayer halls, all so lavishly decorated. I personally was impressed by many of the intricate teak wood carvings. There was also so much activity going on, the faithful sitting or kneeling in prayer, offering flowers and lighting candles, and even volunteering in groups to sweep the complex (which was honestly a bit humorous). Later, I learnt from the anti junta guide why the complex has avoided the tragic fate of pillaging even under junta dictatorship (as had befallen religious sites under dictators elsewhere). Turns out the military top brass were generally superstitious; hence even they donate to the building & renovating of Buddhist sites to earn merit.
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If only space wasn’t a constraint, then my mind won’t be strained to determine which photos best convey Shwedagon Pagoda complex. pg. 11
YANGON FISH MARKET
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Calling it a market is an understatement. Perhaps Perhaps “wholesale depot� is more accurate.
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Yangon’s fish market is a first for me. I always love the colours of local markets and I’ve seen many over Asia but never one solely dedicated to fish. And literally only fish – I never noticed any squid, prawn or other seafood. Furthermore, this is not the typical market housed under a huge building with rows of stalls. Yes, there are a few dimly lighted buildings with stalls displaying fish for sale and bosses sit on raised platforms seeming to be busy tabulating the day’s transactions. But it is much more than that. It resembles more a major wholesale depot where I presume the bulk of Burmese trawlers pull in to unload their catch and where workers hurry to process them for transportation to elsewhere in Yangon and Myanmar. Almost the entire catch seemed destined for businesses since there were only a small number of few fishes being randomly displayed by some stalls on the ground or atop a plastic container to any prospective individuals. As such, there were fishes of all kind everywhere in astonishing quantity, and all are fairly large sized. I don’t know how to identify fishes so I will not attempt to list the species we came across. Since photographers typically lag behind in the group, I don’t have the privilege of hearing if the guide pointed out what species of fish is available or explained how the market operated, but like the Shwedagon, it is such an immersive experience to be walking through the overwhelming fishy stench and observing the hive of activity going on (while trying not to be a hindrance to the busy workers when stopping to shoot). pg. 14
In fact, it only just struck me, is this place officially known as the fish market? Or is there actually another name for it? Apparently yes, a Google search for “Yangon fish market” yielded some results. Whatever the case, I was totally enthralled by the amount of fishes lying all around on the bare ground (not even inside a container!). I can’t recall any previous instance of being surrounded by so many fishes, all in pretty fine condition even after being flung all over the depot. Some are being sorted out into plastic baskets and containers, then weighed and presumably loaded onto a refrigerated truck. Others simply lay there waiting for further action. I always love how there is an unspoken order amidst the chaos. And witnessing the quantity and freshness of the day’s catch actually stirred a little temptation in my heart to purchase a fish to grill for lunch. A lingering question in my mind till date was why in most instances, the fishes were meticulously packed into neat rows onto the trucks, in contrast to other occasions when the fishes is just randomly loaded onto the lorry. My curiosity was also aroused by the sight of presumably the owners (or supervisors) avoiding the damp and dirty floors by sitting on high chairs and raised platforms to carry out whatever work they are doing. Couldn’t they just have tables for the purpose? Or maybe with platforms, there is additional storage space below plus more completely avoid the floors?
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What is the toughest part of climbing a pagoda? Searing hot bricks and tiny pebbles.
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The reward? A fine view of pagodas and stupas of all sizes with mountains as the backdrop. pg. 17
II: II: BAGAN
Amazing is the only word for the Bagan plains. Thousands of temples and stupas, ancient, renovated and ‘new’ dot the landscape. It may lack the intricate bas reliefs of Angkor; nevertheless I am somehow more captivated by Bagan. Perhaps the red bricks lend it a more vibrant look for ease of photography in contrast to dull grey stones. Perhaps it is because our touring is at a godlier hour thus the mind is more alert to appreciate the sites. Or purely because of the sites’ simplicity to be photographed and admired. Each of Angkor’s temples have so many different spots and angles to fully capture the site’s exterior and interior, whereas Bagan’s monuments doesn’t have the complexity of corridors, forecourts and inner courts or whatever not. A few shots do the job well and rest of the time is spent listening to the guide, & not having to hastily shoot the easiest angles and hurry after the guide. Whatever the reason may be, I’m sorry, Angkor, my heart prefers Bagan. Beyond and between temple explorations, two eye opening excursions further secured Bagan’s place in my heart – the authentic local villages our party had the privilege of peering within as well as Mt Popa, a site I had longed to visit though unfortunately the guide’s lack of knowledge left me sorely disappointed.
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TEMPLES OF BAGAN Since the story of the temples is best told in conjunction with the history of Bagan, below is a reference list of the monarchs who reigned here. Apparently, Bagan was founded by this King Thamudarit around AD 107, but it was only some 41 kings later, that the massive pagoda & temple building was kick started by King Anawrahta in AD 1044 and it was this king who founded the “first Myanmar Empire” after conquering the Mons. Therefore, I shall skip the first 41 kings who are not useful for our purpose here. 42. ANAWRAHTA
Son of Kunsaw Kyaunghpyu 1044-77
43. SAWLU
Son
1077-84
44. KYANZITTHA
Brother
1084-1113
45. ALAUNGSITHU
Grandson
1113-67
1113-1160?
46. NARATHU
Son
1167-70
1160-1165?
47. NARATHEINKHA
Son
1170-73
48. NARAPATISITHU
Brother
1174-1211
49. HTILOMINLO
Son
1211-34
50. KYASWA
Son -
1234-50
51. UZANA
Son
1250-55
52. NARATHIHAPATI
Son
1255-87
53. Kyawswa
Son
1287-98
54. Sawhnit
Son
1298-1325
55. Sawmunnit
Son
1325-69
*Taken from the comprehensive http://www.baganmyanmar.com/bagan-history/chronological-list-of-the-kings.html pg. 19
Shwesandaw Pagoda Built: AD 1057, renovated in AD 1957 Description: Five levels of terrace (three covered in stucco, two is original red brick) with stairs on all four sides The very first monument we visited for a great overview of the landscape as displayed in the photos opening this Bagan section. Only at the point of writing this did I realize it is one of the earliest big pagodas, built by King Anawrahta after his successful conquests of the Mons. Since we spent most of our time here atop it, there are more photos of the surrounding landscape than of the structure itself!
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Manuha Temple Built: 1059 by the captive Mon King Manuha Think it is scorching hot floor. I only have an odd shot of the exterior that doesn’t trigger any memories of how it looks. Think we had simply hopped and skipped across from our vehicle into the cool comfort of the interior. Our guide told us that the Mons far down in the south (rather selfishly) refused to share Buddhist scriptures with the Bagan kingdom, triggering a war in which they lost to Bagan King Anawrahta, who captured the Mon King Manuha, bringing him, his court and artisans to Bagan. Here, the vanquished king commissioned this simple yet poignant temple housing three Buddha statues uncomfortably confined in a space barely large enough for it, reflecting the subjugated melancholy of living under the shadow of Bagan. Well, serves him right for not being more generous. Yet, if not for his defeat, Bagan today might not have been this spectacular? Featured here is the humongous grimed face Buddha statue in the main hall. On the left and right are two smaller halls, each with a proportionately “smaller” statue that also barely fitted in, altogether conveying a very emotional message to all visitors. Nearby is supposedly King Manuha’s former residence, today known for the pillars bearing bas reliefs of Hindu gods reminiscent
of
Angkor
(unfortunately
vandalized by looters).
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Ananda Temple Built: AD 1091 by King Kyansittha, renovated after the great 1975 earthquake Description: The whitewashed exterior is beautifully decorated with reliefs and statues and adorned with a glided stupa while the interior features four halls of giant Buddha with several small niches lining the interior corridor. Ananda is an example of me being a more visual person – my feelings towards a site develops over having time to admire its beauty and less on a knowledgeable guide delivering a lengthy lecture on it. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the long discourse our expert guide delivered; in fact I grew a bit restless halfway (due to the midday heat & tiredness from the brief sleep the night before). I can recall about the glazed tiles (bottom right photo), and that the main stupa was cracked in the 1975 earthquake, revealing a number of treasures never seen before, which were sealed back during the renovation. The ground was exceedingly hot under the midday heat thus there were little opportunity to get up close to the exterior decorations and properly admire them. Nonetheless, I do agree that this is possibly the most beautiful of all Bagan temples, though not quite top on the list of my favourite temples.
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Minochantha Stupa Group Built: AD 1112 by King Kyansittha Description: A small tranquil complex on low elevated platform with seven “miniature� stupas with modern wooden structures Minochantha is an example of how one need not be the grandest to be the best. At least for me, the most elaborate and complex may be marvellous and awe inspiring, yet the most charming one is the one that is subtle, modest and not overly impressive. Minochantha fits the bill perfectly. Though the stupas here are rather ordinary, lacking the intricate beauty of Ananda, I thoroughly enjoyed the tranquil time spent here during the sunset hour. Interestingly, this post trip research revealed that this unassuming group of stupas were built by the same king behind Ananda.
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Nine relics brought as tribute from India is believed to have been enshrined in this group of stupas as King Kyansittha’s prayer for healing in his last years (ironically, research says the king died the following year). According to our guide, even one of the modern day junta generals came here to seek healing too and gifted a signboard now hanging over the wooden entrance. In my early days of photography, I was enamoured with sunrise and sunset shots. A few were great thanks to HDR; some were wer good and most were bad. Since it was so tough to capture a good shot truly representing what I was seeing, I have nowadays moved beyond needing to be somewhere with the setting/rising sun and colourful orange hues to be contented with just somewhere lovely and peaceful under the soft light of the golden hour. Again, Minochantha fits the bill,, where even though the low platform afforded no real panoramas, the clear blue sky, the peacefulness of the clean smooth tiled grounds and simplicity of the white ancient a stupas came together in such a captivating fashion. Previous page: notice the two pagodas on the right side were constructed with a small gilded pagoda in the middle while the two on the left has none Following page, top right: another other curious feature at Minochantha – a “random” pagoda built just behind the central stupa Following page, bottom: an evening football match before another stupa/monastic complex in front of Minochantha, spot the red robed monks squatting in the background watching the game, I love the sense that a stupa that enthrals a tourist is merely an everyday object in the locals’ backyard pg. 25
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Thatbinnyu Temple Built: AD 1144 by King Alaungsithu Description: White stucco building dominating the Bagan plain, the tallest pagod pagoda in fact at 60 metres While Ananda Temple is generally acknowledged as the most beautiful beautiful, Thatbinnyu is to me at least the most photogenic. Or simply that this is the temple we most often spot or pass by? First was from Shwesandaw followed by a photo st stop op thereafter, second was on horse cart and third was at sunrise. It is a “versatile” temple, in excellent lighting, it is magnificent and imposing, under darker skies it exudes a looming lo eerie feel. I figure this is because as compared to Ananda, it has a less “cleaned up” exterior with fine yet not too complicated details. Ironically, we never stepped step even one foot inside it!
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Dhammayangyi Temple Never Completed: Work halted in 1170 after King Narathu’s assassination Description: Bagan’s biggest temple commissioned by the brutal and overly ambitious King Narathu, remained standing even today due to the wisdom of the builders even after the king’s death Think the sweltering midday heat had overwhelmed me at this point, I have barely any photos of this imposing temple and they were all not quite good, yet the history was so memorable that it stuck to my mind. It is truly a marvel, though in retrospect, Mingun’s cracked temple is possibly more impressive. A project of King Narathu, he had demanded a temple similar to Ananda but on a grander scale, pressing ahead with an overly ambitious design against sound advice. A ruthless king, it is said he had killed his father, thereby usurping the throne, as well as his own brother, possibly to eliminate chance of being counter usurped. In the following photos, notice how tightly packed the bricks are laid in order to construct this temple. Another common belief is that if the king could stick a pin in between the bricks, the person responsible for the work will become a hand short. Well, this isn’t hard to believe, considering that locals believe he even executed his queen for offending him on some hygiene matters, foolishly bringing about his own violent death under the blade of assassins disguised as Brahmin priests sent by the queen’s father (presumably an Indian king) to exact revenge. After his death halted construction, the builders wisely filled the inner corridors with bricks to stabilize it, allowing it to survive largely intact even after the 1975 earthquake.
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Pyathatgyi Temple Built: First half of 13th century by King Kyawswa? Description: To be very honest, I simply snapped a few shots and followed my companions up – so all I know of the temple is from the photo on the following page This particular temple was one of the Bagan Dynasty’s last great temples. Hence, its architectural style is clearly distinct from the other Bagan temples, though as mentioned, there wasn’t much time to admire it and properly photograph the temple’s unique exterior…we simply arrived and proceeded to climb rather precariously up the temple. Now studying the photos, what struck me is how the temple didn’t seem to have any symmetrical designs, the left and the right, the front and the back, all appear to be different, plus the arches here are unlike those in the earlier temples. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the good fortune of excellent panoramic views from Pyathatgyi that day. The sky was cloudy and lacklustre, throwing little light on the glorious plains before us (& also hindering me from composing good shots of the temple itself). It was only now, zooming in the photo and referring to a comprehensive Bagan map that I can make out (circled from left to right) Dhammayangyi, Thatbinnyu, Ananda and Sulamuni (a glorious looking temple which we didn’t visit but passed by several times). Again, honestly, I don’t have much to say about this temple, apart from what the photos convey on the following page (clockwise from top left: exterior of the rear of Pyathatgyi; the climb up on the left of temple’s back – imagine missing a step; an unknown person whom I hope I didn’t disturb his meditation on the terrace on top of the front entrance porch; the smaller temple complex atop)
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MT POPA Even before this trip, Mt Popa has already stirred up my mind’s curiosity with how the animist ‘nats’ beliefs can fuse with Buddhism, and seeming to only be represented in this particular locality (no ‘nats’ elsewhere?). The intrigue begins at the foot of Mt Popa where there is a small temple with a row of colourfully dressed statues, each in a different style presumably related to each figure’s life story. Standing before these figurines, my mind wonders how the Burmese has chosen who to immortalize as a nat and the stories behind each of them. Sadly, our guide could only explain one or two of the stories – our party gave up grilling him on the rest as his answers were incomprehensive, barely coherent and hardly convincing. We proceeded then with ascending the hill via the steep steps (700 odd I recall? Didn’t bother to count.) From about halfway up, as with any religious sites in Myanmar, shoes are prohibited and we had to carry on the climb barefooted. Here’s where the challenge starts, not in fitness, but in mental alertness to spot and avoid monkey urine and guard against any potential aggression by the monkey residents. Awaiting us at the summit was a site so bizarre, it is tough to adequately describe the surreal feelings this place conjures. It is actually a little similar to Shwedagon in that it is not just one large building, but along the way up and on the flat hilltop is a complex of various shrines and halls and golden stupas. The gilded Buddha statues indicate this is indeed a Buddhist house of worship, yet alongside these Buddhas are enshrined nats who appear to be like worshippers, guardians or assistants of the Buddha. pg. 34
Therefore, the faithful not only worship Buddha here, gifts and donations are also brought to honour the nats, who are interestingly crafted to be as lifelike as possible. I remark on a few occasions to the rest of the party on how eerie yet enchanting a sight Mt Popa might be at night – it might even enhance the tour! Again, photos are the best story tellers to adequately describe this fascinating site: 1 & 2: Wonder how Mr Venning will feel to have donated money towards this complex but instead of being memorialized on one of the blue plagues lining the walls, his name is now on a rubbish bin? Or was this his original intention? 3: A pity our guide didn’t capitalize on the many story boards (& even a life sized display exhibit) around Mt Popa to rivet us with legends of the notable nats. ‘Reading’ the series of boards here, I gather it actually forms a story our guide shared about the most popular of nats whom memory says is a former queen and I cannot recall the rest of the story… 4, 5 & 6: An example of obviously Buddha shrines surrounded by different groups of nats. What was also fascinating are the gifts faithful brought for the nats, try see if you can spot the gigantic pair of slippers & the spectacles on the monks – how do the locals know what they need? 7: The reflective greenish tiles bear some semblance to Islamic shrines, doesn’t it? 8 & 9: The rocky hill of Mt Popa juts out in the middle of the wide plains, offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. 1 pg. 35
2
4
3
5 pg. 36
6
7 9
8 pg. 37
BAGAN VILLAGERS I have to confess I am not a good photographer when it comes to human shots as the most authentic ones are often candid but such shots by me were oftentimes misses. Thus, at the expense of embarrassment, I shall present here some scenes of a visit to some of the most authentic villages I have visited thus far in my travels. Here, no one hustles you to purchase something nor do children plead for sweets or chocolates, these are purely villages where residents carry on life with or without tourists. Don’t be fooled by his innocent smile, this is a dangerous boy. Hidden from view is a wooden rod he was swinging about earlier with his left hand, I had to watch out for any unprovoked attack! This shot is taken in a home ‘factory’ processing peanut oil? My memory refuses to surface the answer. Notice that the peanut shells are not wasted – these are used as fuel to slowly cook and distil the oil/sugar over a serious of laborious processes
involving
multiple
cooking
and
boiling. There is in fact, a huge, huge stack of peanut shells piled up right outside the shed being dried out to supply an inexhaustible source of natural fuel! pg. 38
Left: Women sifting plum (?) seeds in a manner that we fail to comprehend (and so how should I explain it here?). Let’s try. After sifting a little on one sieve, she’ll then toss a portion onto another sieve, then later on she will add a new portion onto the sift. Get it? Sorry, no video to illustrate. Right: Came across this heart warming brotherly scene where a boy carried and placed his baby brother onto the motorbike after buying some snacks/provisions, and thereafter riding off with the baby brother’s arms instinctively wrapped tightly around him – pardon the poorly framed shot, my mind was initially hesitant on whether to shoot or not.
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Walking down along the dusty path, we paused at this humble shelter to interact with this affable and warm hearted village barber who doesn’t speak English but is not shy to strike up conversations with us foreigners (through our guide) while he carries on his hair cuts. It is such impromptu encounters which leave a deep impression in our minds – the barber could have shooed us on, but no, he gladly invited us to talk and even had his grandson showed us his penmanship work.
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Shots at a pottery house that exemplify the team efforts of local families – one characteristic of the villages we toured were that the households generally divided up the job to work together. For example, here, a couple will be responsible for spinning the pots. We were initially puzzled at why the bottoms of the pots weren’t closed, and soon we realized that another woman was actually the one closing the pots and beating patterns onto them. Another man was chopping away at some fruits but paused to get his dog to sit down nicely for me to photograph (although my intention was to have shots of the lazing dog).
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Again, an example of the impromptu encounters we had. Amidst the midday scorch, we had requested for the palm sugar man to display his skill of climbing the palm tree to retrieve the palm sugar jars. His entire family unexpectedly came out to interact with us and even attempted to guide one of us how to climb the tree. It is rather evident they don’t encounter cameras often with the odd (& somewhat awkward) way they stood for a family photo, though they had such sweet & genuine smiles. We were all greatly moved by their generous parting gift of a big bag of palm sugar.
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Not far after departing from the palm sugar place, our two vehicle convoy was halted by a herd of oxen passing by in the opposite direction. What better way to wait it out than to wind down the windows and whip out cameras for some photos?
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Finally, a shot that doesn’t fit into any section, but as one of my proudest shot in Bagan, it deserves some space. The more I admire this shot, the more I really love it – the white oxen staring at me, this odd nuisance, with two pagodas in the back. Since I doubt they can build new ones here, the lighter one on the right is actually renovated while the one on the left hasn’t been restored. You can also spot my travel companions a distance away on the other side of the herd – much of the distance between me and the oxen is cropped out so the group is much further away than it seems. To make this shot, I had to actually swing around the oxen by treading lightly and keeping a distance to avoid startling any of them (honestly, I was quite worried of creating a stampede). Plus the ground is rather thorny so I had to watch my steps to avoid scraping my legs. All in all, tough work under the blazing afternoon sun but one excellent shot simply makes it worthwhile.
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III: III: MANDALAY Mandalay is a reflection of the conflict raging within when deciding what to include – it is impossible to write about every single shot or place, as such I sought to only write about the major highlights and the most memorable, but this proves a formidable challenge to determine which experiences qualify when every part of the trip has generally been positive and wonderful in dissimilar ways. It is tough deciding whether to write about Mandalay since this former royal capital is not particularly exceptional and our time was so tight and hurried with little time to connect to each site. However, there were indeed impressible moments on this brief stop that deserved some attention. While Mandalay may be our final stop after Inle Lake, I’m inserting this section here for a smoother ending to the project.
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Anyone familiar with Mandalay will probably think that the popular U Bein teak bridge will feature here‌but sorry no, the photo on the previous shall be the only shot. Besides that we arrived too late as the last colours of the day are fading away, we seem to have been on the wrong end of the bridge to achieve any good angles. Sunrise might have worked better at this end with the sun ascending on the other end of the bridge, and hence sunsets should be captured on that end. What I instead want to highlight here are the Mahamuni Pagoda, the Mingun cracked temple and the jade market. The Mahamuni is Mandalay’s most revered Buddhist site and is quite unlike about most other Buddhist temple I have encountered. In contrast to Buddha statues being typically displayed in plain view of all followers, the large golden Buddha centrepiece statue of Mahamuni is actually partially hidden inside an inner sanctuary with narrow and slightly deep entrances on all four sides, and also enshrined high on a tall ornate golden platform such that the statue extends above the entrances. Women are not permitted to even approach the entrance; a certain distance demarcated by the barriers has to be kept. That’s why TV screens are installed for those who cannot enter to have a glimpse of the entire statue. Together with the opulent gold plated walls, there is a special atmosphere of reverence for the sacred. Most of the pious sit meditatively at the entrances in prayer while a few will silently approach the statue to apply a small thin patch of gold leaf before kneeling in prayer. Temple guards maintained order on the narrow stairs and platform, silently moving curious tourists along to make space for devotees and avoid any disorganized jostling and hustling.
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Due to the popularity of pasting gold leaves, the statue has over the years acquired a lumpy and sticky texture. It should be quite a fascinating experience to witness the daily morning ceremony when devotees wipe and brush the statue. Besides the main prayer hall, Mahamuni features a few separate halls, one of which is a gallery of old paintings that had survived through turbulent decades which depicted the origin and building of the temple. It vaguely reminds me of Iran’s miniature paintings in terms of the richness of colours and the relatively detailed portrayal of each scene. Another small foyer houses bronze statues reportedly from Angkor, which is believed to cure diseases if one rubs the belly or foot of the statues (which paradoxically corrodes these ancient artefacts). pg. 47
What constitutes an architectural marvel? This is the question I ponder deep within when I wonder why this cracked temple of Mingun isn’t quite as famous as Bagan or Angkor Wat. Is it defined by the scale of the edifice, the intricacy of designs, or the complexity of construction? In terms of scale, I doubt the cracked temple of Mingun pales in comparison to Angkor Wat or even the Pyramids of Giza. Even though I had earlier spotted it from the river, my mind had somehow failed to grasp the monument’s sheer size until finally coming face to face with it, amazed and impressed. pg. 48
Yet if we evaluate by complexity, laying bricks together into a mega structure is perhaps less challenging than chiselling out large stone blocks, hauling them from far away quarries and stacking them up. Regardless, bricks or blocks, constructing such mega structures are no easy feat in an era without modern technology. Such is the social and economic costliness of this project that no king dared complete it. Furthermore, the fact it withstood a devastating earthquake largely intact is to me a testament that this wasn’t merely a pile of bricks. That those collapsed parts actually crumbled in quite an orderly (& beautiful) manner of large compact blocks are another proof of its engineering and architectural ingenuity. pg. 49
Why will one lay a pleasant and easy stairs with even a railing and place a red sign next to it advising thrill seekers not to climb to the top of the temple? At least erect the sign across the stairs as a feeble barricade. Lack of time denied me the opportunity to defy my guide’s advice and climb up to explore the collapsed corner in search of interesting photos.
pg. 50
Other than its massiveness, what also scored points for this unfinished temple are the two giant guardian statues erected in front of the temple (both collapsed & only one of the remnants is not covered by the vegetation) and the neatly constructed terraces around the temple, with even animal heads spouts to channel off water.
pg. 51
Mandalay’s jade market has potential to be as fascinating as Yangon’s fish market, if only we were able to arrive a little earlier and had more time to wander through the market and observe the ongoing activities like we did in Yangon. This is a true market, not a shopping arcade of proper & typically slightly touristy jewellery stores with air conditioning and neat displays with finished pieces. Yes, there were such shops, but like any fruit and vegetable bazaar, all one really needs to conduct business is a small table (plenty of them all over the market) to display a tray of tiny jade pieces, plastic stools to sit on and tools of the trade. Alas, we were late, and only a few stalls remained open for a glimpse of how the market might have operated, as well as simple
workshops
where
raw
jade
pieces are refined. Most
had
either
gone home for the day
or
were
lingering around to catch
up
with
friends and perhaps gamble.
pg. 52
pg. 53
Since I have a page to spare, a couple of photos of the Shwenandaw Monastery, the only surviving piece of the razed Royal Palace, spared the palace’s tragic fate as it was separated from the palace after a king passed away inside it. This is one of the finest examples of the intricate Burmese teak wood carving craft. Below are a couple of shots of a photogenic temple at Mingun (can’t recall the name), with interesting wavy designs.
pg. 54
To cap off this section, a couple of random shots from Mingun illustrating the ingenuity of the Burmese. On the left is the first time in my memory disembarking from a large barge onto a beach without a proper jetty. Beyond providing a wooden plank, these smart boatmen created a makeshift handrail from a humble pole (which was actually essential to get off safely). Below is an admirable effort of the locals to squeeze onto the pickup, maximizing all possible space and exhausting every mean to get on board. I have a little desire to have this printed out with a caption “Please move in & SQUEEZE� and pasted on all Singapore buses.
pg. 55
IV: IV: INLE LAKE Where life revolves around water, from the omnipresent stilt buildings lining the channels‌
pg. 56
To the long tail boats for transporting all manner of goods & even school kids and people‌ people‌
pg. 57
Hemmed in between verdant mountains is our third destination, the long and “narrow” Inle Lake. A perfect place to unwind the mind after an intense session of admiring the amazing Bagan temples as long travelling times provided a soothing respite amidst our hectic schedule of exploring a community living on the water. From residential homes to schools and even monasteries, there was nothing that cannot be built on stilts. Even the farmland floating on the water is tied together by the stilts. Yet Inle Lake is not solely about the lake communities and the cottage industries, our touring covered a number of land based attractions from the poorly managed Red Mountain winery to the average Shwe Yan Pyay monastery to the photogenic Indein Pagodas to my most favourite Burmese village with one of the most inspiring sceneries in Myanmar and also where I encountered a small boy whose English vocabulary seems limited only to the word ‘bye’.
pg. 58
INDEIN PAGODAS
pg. 59
pg. 60
The pagodas of Indein collectively are one of my favourite sites in Inle Lake. Thick lush green vegetation overgrowing the crumbling red brick pagodas packed in a small area are all reasons why this place is particularly photogenic. No restoration is done on this particular parcel of pagodas unlike the thousands further up which our guide said had been renovated and gilded (that we had no time for, so no photos). This lack of human intervention meant Indein exudes a distinct appeal from Bagan and Angkor – there is nothing huge and spectacular here, the beauty comes from the sense of wild adventure created by the close compactness of the pagodas and the vegetation freely growing on and around them. It is like a mini Bagan, though not just in terms of scale and size, but also in history. There isn’t much stories behind each and every pagoda, thus the focus here is to wander around like a true explorer and snap away without having to divert attention to facts and figures.
pg. 61
SHWE YAN PYAY
pg. 62
Managing expectation is an important aspect of my trade. When we arrived at Shwe Yan Pyay after a short drive from town, I was not very flattered that there was only two oval windows, the highlights of this monastery. While distinctive, the designs are not mindblowing, anyone can carve it though they apparently only did so here since I didn’t notice this design elsewhere (as if this is like the monastery’s sole copyright). Furthermore, almost all the Burmese monks I encountered are typically too shy to be photographed and the only times they glance out were moments of distraction from studying the scriptures. The shot on the previous page was purely a photo of blessing. Nonetheless, it is always surreal to observe the novices studying (or pretending to be) – as with any school/class, there is always a couple of not so serious kids who will either flunk their exams or ace it with a breeze. And ok, I actually kind of like the half moon wooden pieces that form the window panes. Thankfully, there was another little gem in the pagoda just next door. Carved onto the sides
of
the
hallways
surrounding the stupa are rows
of
numerous
small
niches each housing a tiny Buddha
statue.
The
entire
place was surprisingly in a rather unkempt state, with dust
&
cobwebs
covering
many niches and paint peeling off the walls. pg. 63
What was of interest here are scenes from Burmese folklore and history illustrated with both colourful and plain glass fragments. Some are even rather extensive and elaborate. Time didn’t permit us to delve deeper into the stories, and we quickly browsed through the figures in search for the figures depicting soldiers and cavalry of the British Empire, which appears slightly out of place yet are also not quite a sore thumb sticking out since the British colonization of Burma is too an integral part of the country’s history.
pg. 64
pg. 65
MINE THAUK FOREST MONASTERY Objectively speaking, I had zero expectations and idea of this monastery – truth be told, I hadn’t even heard of this place before our guide suggested it to us – that’s why I had a fairly positive impression of this tranquil retreat tucked away amidst thick forest atop a hill. The beauty lies in its simplicity. There isn’t any highlights, and our brief adventure here comprised of a few uncomplicated but meaningful experiences. On the way up the extremely steep slope (on foot after abandoning our bicycles halfway up), we came across a few young novices sitting and wandering around the forest. Entering into the main complex, we sat for a few moments in the hall where a handful of monks were studying – as at Shwe Yan Pyay, some didn’t seem too keen in the scriptures. I can’t decide if I am a distraction or a help to their studying while trying to tip toe around quietly to take photos. Some who seemed to be sleeping or dozing off appeared to be more focused in reading the text, one even broke out in loud chanting while some found in me a legitimate reason to be distracted. Often, I wonder how many of these children were actually interested in monastic lives or merely doing this because their religious parents had sent them here.
pg. 66
It is a peaceful & quiet monastic compound, in fact, it can be quite an appealing venue to cut off from the external world of materialism to meditate and comtemplate on life, a sharp contrast to the luxury resorts along the lake not too far away down the hill. After a while of observing them, we continued to roam around the monastery, where I spotted this interesting bare room where a series of cute cartoon figures decorate the wall. Not shown in my photo here are pictures of pandas, tigers and a senior monk teaching a group of novices, and what do these have to do with the Intha fisherman, Donald Duck (have I even encountered anything Disney elsewhere in the country?) and those other adorable creatures, & why are they inside this empty room? Again, no opportunity to ask my guide though, and furthermore not always do guides have all the anwers.
We soon came upon the rest of the monastic residents, who were actually laboring away with volunteer villagers hurling rocks into this big pit to construct a pond of sorts. The senior monk supervising the work briefly shared with us his vision to create here a nice pond and garden area for studying and meditation. When we arrived, they were about done with the morning’s (or perhaps session’s) work and preparing to wash up and proceed to other tasks of the day and thus we carried onto the two golden stupas located in this spread out grounds. One of which (if I remember correctly is the newer one) actually had pretty decent views of the Inle Lake’s West Bank which might be quite lovely during sunset. Had the weather been more favorable during our visit, I will have been able to better determine how excellent a spot this will be to chill out and reflect on the day, the trip and one’s life, albeit without aid of an alcoholic beverage. pg. 67
pg. 68
Our little adventure ended with a touch of morbidbity. On the descent back to our bicycles, we stumbled across this inconspicuous tiny shed in the middle of nowhere housing a human skeleton. Our guide told us the sign claims this to be the original remains of one of the monastery’s famous monks. The opinion of a friend who is relatively well acquainted with human bones is that the skeleton doesn’t look to be real. Very interesting why they didn’t laid him to a proper rest.
pg. 69
KYAUK DAING VILLAGE
pg. 70
Kyauk Daing reigns top of my favorite sites in Inle Lake alongside Indein. Sitting about halfway between the main Inle Lake and the Sagar region, this is actually a village sitting on solid land. In my non expert judgment, it boasts one of the region’s best sceneries, particularly at the golden hour which coincidentally was when we were departing back to Inle Lake proper. At this most delightful hour, the sun casts such a lovely glow onto the flat green fields stretching endlessly to the mountainous backdrop and this is as well the period the landscape happens to be punctuated by white oxen returning after a hard day’s work. So inspiring I was truly reluctant to leave for my luxury resort and my heart yearned to slowly savour this delightful moment of the picturesque countryside until the last ray of sunlight leaves the earth. However, this was impossible as it wouldn’t be safe to travel on the lake after sundown, and thus, I did honestly entertain seriously the thought of roughing it out that night – there are electrical cables running through the village, but it doesn’t supply any single watt to the village! Not to mention the houses here probably won’t have proper running water, no change of clothes and probably very simple food. Well, I am not that pampered, but travelling in a party means no last minute decisions at the whim! That’s really how humble and backward this village is. No proper paths and most houses are constructed from traditional materials. Pottery done in the most time-honoured way is the main livelihood, with pieces handmade in a dimly lit hut (remember no electricity?) before being fired in a mud kiln sealed & opened by hand. Even though I have little interest in pottery, it is always amazing to watch how something is created out of a lump of clay simply by the potter spinning the wheel and then shaping the clay according to the image in her mind. pg. 71
Yet, apart from the exceptional scenery sending me off from Kyauk Daing, my other unforgettable memory here in this rustic hamlet is this little boy. Kids in remote places almost always are excited to meet with and talk with tourists, but not this particular shy boy who repeatedly said ‘bye’ to me instead of ‘hello’ before scuttering away and reappearing shortly after – I couldn’t decide whether to feel amused or unwelcomed. Other than this boy, the locals here generally kept their distance, the Burmese in general can be a little shy towards foreign visitors (well, in a way, they have thankfully yet reached the stage of equating tourists as money trees).
pg. 72
pg. 73
A picture paints a thousand words –Kyauk Daing’s beauty, complemented with two oxen locking horns pg. 74
FIVE DAY ROTATING MARKET
pg. 75
I love both the physical structure and theoretical concept of Inle Lake’s five day rotating markets. Daily, apart from important religious festivals and holidays as well as full and new moon days, these markets will spring up at prefixed locations around the lake. The term ‘rotating’ might lead one to think all the hawkers move daily from site to site, which is not quite the case as the villagers living up in the hills cannot afford to undertake the admirable task of trekking hours down to the market (& then up) daily, though perhaps those merchants living along the lake might be able to do. Hence, it is more of an organized system whereby the various markets rotate to open on each of the days. The concept of the market is great in that it is a platform for the hill tribes to come down to buy items that are not available up in the mountains in just the quantity they need. One of my favorite stalls is the one peddling a messy array of both Western medicines and traditional remedies like a makeshift pharmacy, but I wonder if the seller possesses any specialized knowledge of each drug being sold? Probably only the generic usage of each drug. What if someone consumes the wrong medication or develops an allergic reaction? Nonetheless, despite the risks, I fully accept that in the absence of skilled doctors and proper healthcare facilities up in the mountains, some medicine might well be better than none. At the same time, the market is an avenue for these hill tribes to sell to the lake communities produce which presumably are not grown on the lake, thereby earning precious income to purchase the items they need, particularly those from the modern world that they are so far removed from. Villagers along the lake then also benefit with a greater variety of food items and an increased market size for their own produce.
pg. 76
We visited two of the markets over two mornings, and though we preferred the second one, both were without doubt very atmospheric places. While some of the bigger stalls had a proper table and roof, many sellers merely set up stall on the ground by laying out the few items they have available on leaves, gunny sacks or baskets. Hill tribes often descend on the markets in their ethnic costumes, adding onto the colour of the market. Being the main commerce centre for all the local communities, there is little surprise to the wide array of items on display, from the usual fruits, vegetables, meats and spices that is practically the ‘backbone’ of every market, to cooked snacks to household items such as detergents, washing liquid, soap, stationery, to even toys and (possibly pirated) VCD shows, rowing oars and yes, medicine. Complementing the market are tea shops for friends to have breakfast, tea and chit chat as well as even a blacksmith at the second market we visited.
pg. 77
LIVELIHOODS ON THE LAKE Inle Lake, or rather Myanmar, has thus far largely remained traditional in many aspects, a world away from urbanized Singapore. A sense of fascination never fails to swell up within me when immersed amidst ‘primitive’ lifestyles and livelihoods, a life with not too many modern conveniences and complications. I must say I enjoy the many visits to the cottage industries dotted round the lake and especially being able to briefly pause and ponder on the amazing motor coordination of Intha fishermen. These one legged Intha fishermen are the most unique and iconic of all occupations on the lake. As a person with questionable motor coordination skills, it is highly admirable, even enviable, how these fishermen can literally multitask by handling the nets with their hands and rowing with one leg while on the while standing and balancing on the other leg (hence their famous label “one legged fisherman”). Balance has to be perfect and I wonder how many times young aspirants had to fall over into the water while training on this delicate skill to perfect the right technique?
pg. 78
pg. 79
Photographing this fisherman is also almost as tough as learning how to balance on one leg (alright, that’s too much an exaggeration). Out of the dozens of shots, only the few featured here are presentable enough, and these are not even perfect even after post editing. One thing about Inle Lake is that while the sky over one end of the lake can be bright and clear, the sky on the other end can be brooding and overcast. And so, as one can observe from the above, my subject was mostly facing the brighter bank of the lake, forcing me to place him in a dark background, which is not too pretty a setting. Plus, he has an extremely dark skin tone, and with many pressing agendas to accomplish during the short time left of that particular afternoon, it was a great challenge and lesson learnt on settings and angles to utilize for human shoots. Regardless, even though the shots may not be flawless, at least these shots are proudly my own efforts and are authentic moments, not staged nor stolen from elsewhere. This was a fisherman who was purely fishing as usual but got ‘harassed’ by this passerby, there was no communication between us and there was no telling what his next move will be. My boatman simply manoeuvred our vessel round and round him as I attempted different settings and angles. Following are the occasions inspiring this dedicated shoot. Personally, I love these shots less for the fishermen and more for the picturesque background reminding me of the lake’s enchanting beauty – this vast flat wide body of water bordered by green rolling mountains on both ends.
pg. 80
pg. 81
Two cottage industries that are fairly unique to Inle Lake are the workshops churning out cheroots and textiles woven from lotus strands. The quaintness of both workshops appealed to me very much. One reason is that in most of Inle Lake, the interior of buildings are often not well lighted, generating a sense of stepping back into a time when electricity is a luxury good. Another factor is that in spite both workshops being presumably heavily visited by tourists in the peak season, the production process has remained rather traditional and manual without any fanciful touristy displays or exhibits around the workshop and shop front. In fact, one of the weaving machines is claimed by the workers to be over a hundred years old (or was it just decades?) and is still a functioning piece of equipment.
Right: All day long the women churn out hundreds of cigars in a straightforward process that is second nature to them: roll the leaf on a wooden stick, then glue the end before pouring the mix of tobacco and wood chips in and finally snip off the end with a pair of scissors.
pg. 82
The process of assembling a cheroot cigar is novel to me. Well, I don’t smoke so I never thought about what goes inside a cigarette stick. In a way, making a cheroot resembles cooking up a dish. Depending on the taste and flavour to be achieved, different blends of chopped tobacco leaves and fragrant wood chips are premixed before being hand rolled into a dried “tha nat phet� leaf. Apart from original flavours, many workshops, particularly in the Inle Lake region, are famous for producing special flavours such as banana, anise seed, mint etc.
Lotus weaving has a special fascination for me as admittedly I am at times an ignorant boor. When I first heard of lotus weaving, my mind was wondering how could a lotus be utilized in weaving? (My mind was equating lotus to the flower.) Yet without even this stupid misconception, that will have probably not diminished my fascination inside the workshop upon realizing that actually from cutting open a single lotus stalk strands and strands of lotus threads can be spun. It has never occurred to me that threads can be derived this way, and breaking the lotus stalk is merely step one of a lengthy and laborious process to transform these humble threads into a piece of expensive fabric.
pg. 83
pg. 84
GLIMPSES FROM THE WATER How can an Inle Lake section be completed without some shots taken while zipping around in a longtail boat? Furthermore, they are great summaries of what I love most about Inle Lake. First, the incredible sense of space from the relatively flatness of all that lies between the two mountain ranges lining Inle Lake.
pg. 85
pg. 86
Second is the uncomplexity of life, none of the fancifulness and glitziness of our modern world. Inle Lake is a reminder that happiness and contentment is often not found in the pursuit of materialism, but in just taking it easy and appreciate the simple parts of life. Truth be told, if not for the wanderlust lingering within me, I will seriously contemplate abandoning it all for either an unfettered monastic or farming life.
pg. 87
Won’t life be great if we can rid ourselves of material desires to live carefree and uncomplicated, content with the satisfaction of life’s most basic of needs?
pg. 88
Sorry for the abrupt end. Thank you, my dear reader.
pg. 89