Coreyography

A few more thoughts

Just looked back at my journal and realized I omitted several key points about Myanmar.  I'll go bullet 'cause I know you've got a life:

• Dudes in skirts - the first thing I noticed off the plane was the prevalence of men wearing longyi.  It took me a couple of days to shake the notion that all the guys were just getting out of the shower.
• Two wheelin' no bueno - Along with early rising, bike riding does not come naturally to me.  My "explanation" (as one of my exes used to say in lieu of "excuse") is that I did not learn to ride a bike until I was 12. In fact am terrified of being on two wheels, this fact made all the more pussified by the fact that my Mom owns and rides a Honda Shadow.  Regardless, I have taken a few different bicycle rides on my trip, the most harrowing of which took place in Bagan.  Approx. 15 minutes into my 6-hour ordeal I realized I was in trouble.  Sweaty palms and a weak command of the road made for a terrifying day.  But stubbornness is another natural trait and I persevered.  Between worrying about potholes (or "trip-enders" as I call them) and dodging others on the road, I saw little of the natural beauty around me.  The bikes available for hire were also completely beat up and had no gears.  Thus even the most gentle grade turned into a test of strength.  I'm told bikes are a good way to see Angkor Wat and I don't plan on mounting up before then.
• Doggies - there are many dogs in Myanmar and they all look alike and none of them are on leashes.  Looks: flat coat, big ears, smallish, brown or black.  I think we could see a breed standard in a few years.
• Repressive Juntaville - I saw little evidence of the government situation in Myanmar, but in the same way it is conspicuous because of its absence.  No one talks about politics and locals by and large do not engage with foreigners on the subject if they try (as recommended by Lonely Planet I didn't but saw others that did with no success).  Two different times locals asked me (after looking over their shoulders) what I thought of their government and I said I did not like it and they nodded.  The only other weird thing happened yesterday on the bus from Taungoo to Yangon.  The bus stopped at a checkpoint (normal) and military folks boarded the bus and started checking everyone's IDs (not normal).  I was the only foreigner on board and seated about 3/4 of the way towards the rear.  When the first military guy saw me he pointed me out to the other military guy and then pointed to the bus door and then they left without checking anyone else on board.  Yeah, I don't know.
• Go - I was highly conflicted about going to Myanmar given the political situation, but given my experience with the local people there (and feeling like I did more good than harm by directing my dollars thusward) I would highly recommend it to anyone.  And when you're there go see Mr. Moon in Meiktila!

Myanmar Wrap-Up

I alternately loved and loathed my last week and a half in Myanmar.  The people continued to be so wonderful and interesting.  The transportation situation, however, leaves much to be desired.  To wit: it took three days and 30 hours on forms of transport varying from horse carts to pickups (trucks outfitted with benches and a roof that people ride on top of) to buses of different sizes to travel 250 miles!  And regardless of transport it was always, always full.  And "Myanmar full" is quite different from "Western full" - we're talking bags of rice (or onions, or green beans) under your feet and people in every seat (they have fold-out seats for the aisles and child-size stools for aisle-sitting) PLUS people standing in the aisles and sitting on the roof and hanging off the back!  And everyone chewing betel nut and hawking voluminous streams of thick, red spit out the window or into little baggies (provided).  Not a scrap of toilet paper in the entire country, but spit bags on every seat (how's that for some Western-centric thinking?).  Drivers have their hands full navigating the wide-enough-for-one-car roads in addition to dealing with the continual potholes, hole-holes, dogs, people (with and without cows, waterbuffalo, etc.), trishaws and motorbikes among other hazards.  Top speeds approach 35 mph.  Horn management is also a big part of driving and attitudes towards honking are liberal.  There are honks for I'm passing you (frequent), get out of the way, no really - MOVE IT!, and just to say hello.   Bus attendants and really everyone were pretty understanding that foreigners were not quite up to this kind of travel, and I certainly got preferential treatment (the first seat on the bus in one case, and the front of the pickup in another).

Bagan and Inle Lake were fine, if a bit dusty and underwhelming.  I read on the Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forum that it was possible to volunteer in a monastery English class in Meiktila, so I headed that way.  My 6-hour drive in a pickup from Inle Lake to Meiktila took 9.5 hours and ended with a nail-biting 2 hours driving in the dark.  There are no streetlights of any kind in most of Myanmar and apparently no headlight aiming services either.  When vehicles approach, you are completely blinded.  I guess everyone knows the score, so both vehicles then turn off their headlights for a spell (I wish I had a picture of my face the first time this happened) then just flick headlights on and off as they approach culminating in the smaller vehicle going off the side of the road for the two vehicles to be able to pass.  The alternate blinding light to pitch black was a helpful background for my life flashing before my eyes.  My happiness in reaching Meiktila was short lived however - the one guesthouse in town able to house foreigners had only one room available and it had no aircon and smelled like pee.  I awoke in a foul mood and grumped my way around town until I found the monastery - from this point on things were fantastic.  First I met Mr. Moon (this is his nickname for Westerners, easier to remember he says than his real name of Sandarwara), a 24-year old monk who was very excited to talk with a native English speaker.  Mr. Moon is a very kind person who generously introduced me to many of his friends and took me all around town.  That afternoon I was the star attraction in the English class - I told the students about myself and then they asked me questions for the next hour and a half or so.  They asked about my trip and how I liked Myanmar and if I was rich and if I had ever been in love and if I thought Myanmar people were attractive.  After class they asked me to sign their English dictionaries and notebooks - it was bizarre and wonderful.  Mr. Moon took me for "traditional Myanmar frysnack" with some of his friends that evening and encouraged me to meet him at 4:30 a.m. for the Donation Ceremony the following morning.  As many of you know, getting up early is not one of my strong points.  I managed it, though, and am so glad I did.  I hope I never forget the thousands of monks lined up to get their morning meal as Burmese music plays loudly and an announcer talks over the whole deal like the ham biscuit guy at the State Fair.  It was really something else!  I wanted to take a day bus to Taungoo and several people around town told me this was not possible, but one of the monks went to the bus station for me and arranged it.  After the Donation Ceremony, the monks put me on the bus and they were so wonderful I was sorry to leave.

I am excited and nervous about heading into the jungle on Monday to live in a treehouse for three days.  Please send me lucky vibes and maybe I will get to hear Gibbons singing!

Myanmar Part I

I have had an eventful and interesting week here in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma.  Travel here is quite a bit more difficult than anywhere I've been so far, which initially put me off a bit.  The more I stay here, however, the more I like it.  First and foremost, the Myanmar people are just about the friendliest people I have ever met.  Many are keen to practice English and are curious about my life and experiences.  I have also seen some amazingly beautiful scenery in Yangon and Mandalay and I haven't even made it to the countryside yet.  Plus, the difficult travel circumstances make it quite rewarding when you actually accomplish something which was so simple in other places (like buying shampoo).

I spent several days in Yangon, the highlight of which was talking with the Baptists about my great, great grandfather, John McGuire.  I sent an email to a contact there before I left Thailand, but hadn't gotten word back from him by my last day there.  So, I decided to just head on over to the Myanmar Baptist Convention and see what I could see.  Despite me just dropping in I was able to talk at length with a very nice man, Saw Samsel, who showed me around and phoned up to the Myanmar Institute of Theology (formerly the Baptist college) in Insein where John McGuire taught.  I spoke with the current principal and he urged me to come on up to the school and have a look around.  So I did!  On the way, the taxi driver and I were looking for the entrance and a man on the street said he was going to the same place and he would show us the way, so he got into the cab.  Turned out he was a teacher at the college (he taught evangalism and "church planting" which I learned does not involve horticulture) and despite having a class to teach, he took me on a tour of the grounds.  Most of the people I met knew of John McGuire, and one of the professors said that McGuire was "his favorite missionary."  So that was neat.

Here in Mandalay I've been quite the busy-bee tourist and seen many, many pagodas!  I met a great German guy named David and he and I walked over 8 miles the other day all around town and up Mandalay Hill.  Yesterday I took what they call a blue taxi (sort of a mini-truck) to three ancient cities around the area.  I've even managed to take some pictures, and they are updated on Flickr.

Next up: the temple-laden city of Bagan, which Lonely Planet calls "a mini Angkor Wat" then chilling out at Inle Lake before heading to Laos and the Gibbon Experience.