Monks command a lot of respect in Myanmar. An example of this occurred on the night bus ride from Kalaw to Mandalay.We hadn’t booked ahead and had to resort to grabbing a bus as it went by. Without a booking we would be resigned to the dreaded aisle seat – a chair that folds out into the aisle, with a really low back making it impossible to sleep. But the bus driver would not let U Ki sit here, to do so would be disrespectful. A discussion ensued and one of the other passengers diligently gave up his seat for the monk. Together, the volunteer and I would have to sit (we couldn’t sleep) out the next 8 hours of the night in this infamous chair.
Mandalay – a lot dirtier than Yangon. We took a boat ride to the ancient city of Mingun. Attractions included ancient ruins, a bell the size of several cars and an old persons home. The old people were very keen to show me their coins from “the good old days” (were they?) They also weren’t afraid to ask for pens, like some of the children you encounter in South East Asia.
From Mandalay we headed North East to Pyin Oo Lwin (POL), a very pretty country town that was once a colonial hill station. All the old colonial houses, as well as some new Western looking ones, are in the south quarter of the town and now inhabited mainly by wealthy Chinese. To the north are smaller, more typical Myanmar homes. The town is dominated by a large military training camp.
We visited the botanical gardens, created during colonial times. Now, as presumably it was then, it is tended to by the locals. It was refreshing to see people’s effort turned towards garden aesthetics – something more than just mere economic survival, a chance for creative expression other than statues of the Buddha.
Just outside of POL, near the village Anikasan are a series of nice waterfalls. You can get there by public transport and by foot. At the start of the hike a local girl joined us. She was carrying a chilli bin on her back. At first I thought she had joined us because she was heading to the waterfall. After sometime I realised she was following us, in the hope that we would buy a drink. I didn’t buy a drink, but she showed us the way and for that I gave her some money. She was never pushy. Afterwards I went and spoke to her and her group. They would go up and down the track, 45mins each way, following someone in hope of a purchase. It didn’t seem an easy way to make money and it wasn’t – they told me on a good day they might earn $1US. They were really nice people.
POL is home to many people of Indian & Nepali descent, and as a result the local movie theater showes Hindi films. So what has Bollywood to offer? Well I don’t think it was meant to be a comedy. Interspersed with music videos, the lead actors would be shown dancing to backdrops of mountains, rivers, fields, and a prison. I don’t know what it had to do with the story – probably nothing, but it sure took up a lot of time.
There are some interesting English speaking locals in POL. One is a monk at Paya Nguang Kan Gyi, he was very happy to answer questions about Buddhism. Another is Mr Bernard who runs a Indian restaurant. He alerted me to the fact that there was a New Zealander working on a farm outside of POL. The next day we planned to leave POL for Hsipaw. The farm was on the way, but a little hard to get to. A couple and their son came to the rescue, with a offer of a ride in their car to Hsipaw. Perhaps they could make a small detour? I asked.
Sure enough, the next day were able to go to Inwhy, a small congregation of land and houses some 20km outside POL on the road to Hsipaw. Here a New Zealander had acquired a plot of land and set about farming it in the “New Zealand Way”. He brought in big John Deere tractors and agricultural machines commonplace in developed nations, but unheard of in Myanmar. The son of the couple told me he had never seen such big tractors before. There were also some guest bungalows for visitors and a home decked out with a kitchen just like back in NZ! What a pleasant surprise! To add to all the pleasure, there was a big roaring waterfall nearby. If I had known earlier, I would have stayed here.
