The initial sights of Yangon are beautiful and refreshing.Taking the taxi from the airport the roads are wide and tree lined. We passed some cathedrals and the stunning gold covered Swedagon Pagoda. I felt like I was in an English city, which it was until 1948. The layout is not like other Asian cities. There were no motorbikes on the street, only cars. It has been suggested Yangon’s image is tightly controlled to give the impression of a tidy, orderly, untroubled city and thus nation. The government reputedly cleared out Yangon’s slums moving all the people to shantytowns out of the public eye. I met a local who thought these shantytowns would be a good tourist attraction and “would I like to go there for $5?”. I declined.
Whilst the city was delightful my accommodation was depressing. Daddy’s Home looked good for budget accommodation but was full. As with a lot of guest houses there was young boy of about 12yrs working there, he didn’t go to school. One thing you should ask of accommodation outside the main centres is “What time does the power go out?”
There are tea houses everywhere. They have little tiny tables and chairs, like a kids play set, lined out on the street where you can have tea and cake. Yes really.
Particularly in Yangon and Mandalay I was surprised to be approached by monks asking for money, I think this is against one of the 200 and something precepts (rules) they must follow.
I told U Ki I wanted to visit the NLD headquarters. He misunderstood me and took me instead to Aung San Suu Kyi house, or at least to the road where see lives. He wouldn’t accompany me down the road, nor would any local for that matter, such is the fear of the military junta. Anyhow there was a road block and I was turned back. Imagine having a road block and surveillance on the opposition party leader in New Zealand. It was quite incredulous.
Myanmar people will make anything into a pagoda, and when someone first came across a huge boulder balanced precariously on a cliff face, it was no exception. They painted it in gold, stuck an little crown on it and thus was born Kyaikhtiyo/ Golden Rock/ Balancing Boulder Pagoda. The boulder is supposedly kept in balance by a strand of the Buddha’s hair, and in balance it is. There are little wooden sticks planted under the boulder which contain money. If you push the boulder you can actually see the little sticks and money flex as the boulder moves otherwise imperceptibly from side to side.
Making a phone call in Kyaikhtiyo was a step back in time, here’s a picture:
Not only that but horse and cart are still used as transport, and a lot of people draw their water up from wells:
At the Golden Pagoda “base camp”, the little town at the bottom of the hill, I was able to witness a spirit dance. A small crowd had gathered around a dancing spirit medium. She danced first with an unpeeled banana in her mouth, then an orange and finally a cigarette. Apparently she was possessed by the spirit, and somehow the dance was meant to be a good thing. The music was interesting, mainly rhythmic.
