Exploring Myanmar: Golden Rock

Back in November, a friend's friend making his way through Asia stopped in Myanmar. This was the perfect excuse for me to play tourist in this country which is fast becoming home. Even with less than four months here (back then), the details of the day to day and the comfort of routine had begun to settle in so this was an ideal opportunity to get out of Yangon and see some more of the Golden Land.

In order to maximize what we could do and see, I worked with a travel agent to design an itinerary and we hired a driver. This is pretty common here and definitely affordable. He picked us up at 7am Saturday morning and we were off - road trip!

View from the window

It takes about 45 - 60 minutes to get out of Yangon and we enjoyed watching the city go by in the early morning. We stayed on the freeway for awhile, but then turned off onto smaller and smaller roads, passing villages and countryside.

After checking into our hotel, packing daypacks and a delicious Burmese lunch, our driver dropped us off at the base of the mountain. You take a truck to the top of the mountain and then walk the rest of the way to Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock).

On the way to Golden Rock

We got caught in a rainstorm on the way up, even though it was November (supposedly the end of rainy season). Needless to say, there were no pictures, even with our electronics buried deep in my water resistant REI backpack, we were worried they would get ruined. We were all soaked, but the weather didn't seem to dampen the pilgrims' spirits.

Official entrance. From here on no shoes or socks.

While Golden Rock certainly isn't "undiscovered," there aren't a lot of westerners there. Our visit to this spot was as much a sight as the surroundings. One of my colleagues compares it to being a B-list celebrity. Stares, shy smiles, "hello's" and requests for photos are common. The best thing to do is smile and say yes.

Taking a picture of their picture at the entrance to Kyaiktiyo.

The rain had stopped and the views were breathtaking from the top. The space is huge and there are pilgrims everywhere. While westerners are not permitted to camp out, this same rule does not apply to locals and most make the most of their time here, staying overnight, preparing food, praying, meditating, napping and of course, there are kids playing.

The panoramic mode on my iPhone!

We wandered, taking in the whole scene of this sacred space and eventually made our way to the Golden Rock. Legend says that it is not resting on the edge of this cliff, but floating, since a strand of the Buddha's hair rests there. It is covered in gold leaf, tissue paper thin sheets of real gold which devotees press on.

Here it is!

Unfortunately, only men are permitted to cross the small bridge out to the rock and touch it. There are security guards and an airport style detector to walk through, so I didn't push and try to get out on the ledge, but I really wanted to touch the gravity-defying rock. 

Another angle - it's mesmerizing.

We made our way down and around the rock. The other interesting thing about this site is that there are donation boxes everywhere. Most are made of clear glass and stuffed full of kyats. It's quite the combination to see so much cash against the background of this religious site.

Meditating next to a donation box...

Setting up bowls for candles - these are Myanmar letters, but I don't know what it says. 

The plaza above the rock.

Rainbow reward after getting drenched.

Storefront selling potions on the way up.

Although sunrise and sunset are supposed to be special and beautiful times at Kyaiktiyo, we didn't want to miss the last truck down so we squeezed into the back of a pickup and enjoyed the sunset views on the switchbacks working our way back to town.

Snaking our way back down the mountain.

Sunset ride back.

For more information about Kyaiktiyo, check out: http://www.go-myanmar.com/mount-kyaiktiyo-kyite-htee-yoe-the-golden-rock/

So, this was one full day! Stay tuned for the next entry about Bago as our trip continues - pagodas, buddhas and one very old snake. 

Technical Difficulties...

Please be patient for the next post. My laptop fan needs replacing and this has proved to be a very complicated task in Asia. This is an example of the not so fun side of living abroad. I hope to be back up and running soon.

Homage Ceremony and Food Day

Part of my school's mission is to honor all cultures, but there is a special emphasis placed on Myanmar traditions since most of our students are local. In October, Buddhists here celebrate Homage Day. It's a time to thank teachers and parents for educating you and officially apologize for any mistakes you have made. Students told me that they celebrate with parents and grandparents and that after paying homage, they eat a nice meal together.

Homage Day ended up being the day before our Fall Break. We had a half day, with a special assembly scheduled. Students wear the traditional fabric, or longyi, and teachers do too. It's kind of like a sarong and you tie it differently depending on if you are a man or woman. Many men wear their longyis with t-shirts, but for this kind of event, a button down is typically paired with the men's version (which is plaid or a solid color; not as elaborate as the female longyis). The women wear a blouse, in a contrasting or matching fabric pattern. The women's clothes pay a great deal of attention to details and embellishments like beads, rhinestones and lace are common.

One neat thing about Myanmar is that the traditional dress still is the dress for most people. Though you can see jeans and trends from the west on the street, a significant portion of society still dons the classic longyi.

My colleague and I pose in our outfits.

Complete with velvet sandals.

The assembly was like any school assembly; we crowded into the gym and there were different speakers and acts. Much of the ceremony did take place in the Myanmar language. It was quite an interesting event to observe; the students even turned and bowed to the teachers at one point. If you'd like to take it in next year, mark your calendar for mid-October!

Student wait for homage ceremony to begin.

Myanmar studies students perform traditional dance.

A pop star visits.

At the end, everyone mingles over lunch and then says goodbye before break. I rushed to the airport with a few other colleagues who were also flying out that afternoon. Then, I spent my time off in Thailand, but you already know about that from a previous blog...

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Another event in October is food day. This is also an opportunity for students to share their cultures. While most of the food is from Myanmar, some of our Korean families also provided signature dishes. The mountains of food are prepared and served by parents. 

Two moms dish up lahpet.

Lahpet is one of my favorite Myanmar dishes. It's made with fermented green tea leaves (which are a great source of anti-oxidants and the ladies also inform me that it promotes clear skin) and then mixed with fried nuts/beans, ginger and sometimes tomato, cucumber and dried shrimp. I'm not wild about the dried shrimp, though there are many dried seafoods here, but I like all the other varieties of this salad. It gives you a little  caffeine kick, too!

Close up of lahpet.

The parents were serious about feeding the whole school! This was just one of many stands. There were rice noodles, meats, mohinga (typical rice noodle soup) and lots of other sweets!

Looking out at food day.

Dessert - sweet sticky rice.

Carbs definitely play a big role in the traditional dishes here, but there are lots of veggie and meat options, too. Come visit and you can even try roasted cockroaches! There were none of these at food day, but I've seen them at the market. They are supposed to be a delicacy. 

And on that note, I'll sign off!

What I'm Reading: Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut and Heartless Forest: An Anthology of Burmese Women Writers. I'm still wading my way through lots of articles for my online course, currently working on the book The Art and Science of Teaching. 

What I'm Listening to: All my favorite albums from 2014. I'm trying to compile a playlist of my top 12 tracks from this year...it's not easy! What would you put on yours?

Thailand: Beaches, Bangkok and Bandwidth

Life moves fast over here! Advice to anyone thinking of moving overseas to slow down: it might not work out like that.... My October break blog post is still in draft and I am already planning the Holiday one. 

But, back to October... For my first Asia trip, I decided not to travel too far, but to relax on a Thailand beach and take care of some errands in Bangkok. Summer was busy with my international move so I figured some chill time was on order. 

It was a big hurry to get out of school and to the airport for my afternoon flight. We had homage day (more on that later) so I had to change out of my traditional clothes, grab a snack and wheel my bag out. I ran into many colleagues at the airport who were also on their way to explore/adventure/relax. 

Leaving Myanmar after a half day of school.

It was still the rainy season back then, though transitioning to dryer and cooler days. After my flight touched down at BKK I had some time before my bus to Hua Hin left. It was easy to stay busy in the airport - even the airport shops are better stocked than the ones in Yangon!

The bus ride was smooth and I used my new Thai SIM card (it's so easy to buy one when you are visiting a new country and makes staying in touch a breeze) and read on my kindle (so convenient with that back light!). For about an hour of the jouney the rains came down hard and I watched people wading through the streets, but our bus rolled on.

View from the bus window

I arrived in Hua Hin around midnight and caught a moto-taxi to my hotel. The driver carried my bag and I climbed on the back...no problem! I was so excited to be on vacation, in Thailand and at the beach that I took a late night walk. No school the next day!

For the next week, I explored the nearby beaches, night markets and grocery stores. One memorable trip was to a grocery store where I stocked up on items that I can't get in Yangon. And, of course, I sampled lots of Thai food!

Beach south of Hua Hin

Climbing boulders near Hua Hin

Young boy fishing

Ordering Phad Thai and taking in the view, yes this feels like vacation!

Night market near my hotel

Hua Hin streets

One way to get around...

Side view

And a selfie on the way to the grocery store

Colleagues had told me about the Cicada market in Yangon. It encourages young artists, hosts live music, has tons of food options and offers items which vary from your normal souvenirs. I bought handmade sandals for around US $9.

Cicada night market!

Cicada market

Last night at the beach

Bangkok was on my itinerary to take care of a few errands, including updating my phone, computer and buying music and books. Doing big downloads is next to impossible here in Yangon. Thailand's internet is lightning fast.

View from the Bangkok hotel

I also met up with colleagues to renew our work visas and explore the city. I have been to Bangkok twice and I'm curious to get to know it better.

Beer in Bangkok (cider for me)

All in all, it was a successful vacation and errand-running mission. I'll be back to Bangkok in January 2015. So, more then!

What I'm reading: Melissa Banks' The Wonder Spot (she is such a good writer - I stay up too late getting lost in her stories!)

What I'm listening to: Keaton Heston (Dear), LCD Soundsystem, Stars (No One is Lost) and I'm loving the Smashing Pumpkins' deluxe 6 album edition of Adore

This 'n That: Finishing My First Quarter

This post is a bit scattered; just little thoughts here and there about things that have happened, observations and a few contemplations as I end my first quarter of school and begin my second. I know it's been a while... Balancing all my activities in Yangon, teaching and being a student in my online course is quite the juggling act.

There is something nice about wrapping up one unit of the school year - I feel more settled into my schedule and I know what the ebb and flow of the rest of the academic year will be like.

I wanted to publish this post during Fall Break when I was visiting Hua Hin and Bangkok (internet is SO much faster in Thailand!), but the Thai government has blocked Blogger (and a number of other sites...), so that killed my plan. The situation is certainly fine for tourists, but it's scary to think about limiting information and freedom of expression...

Back to Yangon - some pictures of downtown. I recently went along on a walking tour of downtown. It was entertaining and very informative. I recommend it when you visit!

City Hall - this is across the street from the Free City Walk meeting point.

Mahabandool Park

Monument at Mahabandool Park (I used panaroma mode on my iphone to get pic!)

I also experienced my first hash. Some of you may know what this is, but to try to sum it up briefly it's a group of runners who meet to do a different course every week. A few take the lead and mark the course, but it is supposed to be an adventure to find your way. When everyone arrives to the end point, they have a party. Their tag line is that they are "a drinking club with a running problem." 

As you may know, I am not a runner. But, the group offers a walking route, that is shorter than the run, so that all participants still arrive at the end point around the same time. It was quite the adventure! We met the other walkers under an overpass by the train tracks with flashlights in hand and sneakers on. Then, we had to search for our route - the markers for our "trail" were shredded paper. The challenge is that there are false and real markers, so it takes a bit of trial and error to make your way. It was fun to be out at night and really interesting to explore all around my neighborhood.

You can learn more about the local group here.

Finding our way in the dark.

Walkers on the hash.

The Social Committee at school organizes many opportunities for teachers to hang out, explore the city and relax after our hard work. One event last month was a visit to House of Memories to sample some traditional Myanmar food and check out the historic house and current home of many pictures of General Aung San and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some teachers in front of House of Memories. 

This drink got ordered on accident (I swear!) so we didn't want to waste it...

Part of the museum-ish aspect of the restaurant.

Monsoon season is close to finished...but we've had a few big rains, proving we are not into the dry season just yet. What would constitute a disaster in the US, is just another day here.

View from the cab - we could feel the water pushing on the car's floor. 

This is a road, and a fairly main one, not a river.

Another social club excursion was a 6:30 am tour of the open air market behind the apartments, complete with typical mohinga breakfast! Mohinga is a fish-based broth with rice noodles, served with boiled egg, fresh cilantro and lime. It is gluten and dairy free, I just get mine with no egg. It may sound like a strange morning dish, but I like it. Different breads and samosas are also part of the Myanmar morning offerings. 

The brave early risers on the way to the market. 

Mohinga at a traditional Myanmar tea house. 

Some stats: Dengue incidents in folks I know = 2 of my students + 1 of my colleagues

It's difficult to always avoid mosquitoes, though the city doesn't have a lot of bugs. Still, I bought a net for my bed as another little layer of protection. 

And I feel like a princess sleeping in here!

My blog focuses on my adventures outside of work and school (2 months down of my 9 month online teaching course), but I do spend a lot of time in the classroom and eyes-fixed on the computer screen. I love seeing the blue out the windows above my desk, though. This is what I look at every weekday. 

Palm trees and blue skies!

I'll leave you with a shot of Sule Pagoda just before sunset. 

What I'm reading: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (I am one month behind on book club...this was last month's selection. Still, I've enjoyed it and it has turned out to be a lot about yoga!).

And I've started Lena' Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl (Yay for updating the kindle in Thailand!).

What I'm listening to: Spoon - They Want My Soul, The Rural Alberta Advantage - Melded with Gold, Jenny Lewis - The Voyager, Caroline Smith - Half About Being a Woman, ODESZA - In Return...updated the music library with decent internet also!