Exploring Myanmar: Bago

Bago (not to be confused with Bagan...stay patient for a future post) is a temple-packed town a few hours north of Yangon. It is a perfect stop on the way back from Golden Rock. It would be easy to spend a few days and still not see all of the pagodas; we did our best to take in its greatest hits on a Sunday in November. The main pagoda is huge, with lots of temples and statues of Buddha surrounding it. We started there...

A few of the many golden Buddhas.

There are many devotees praying, meditating and also taking pictures of the sites. Many Myanmar people also come to sit and chat inside these temple complexes - usually they don't have to pay to get in and so many come and sit and hang out like you would in a park.

Ta da! This shot of me gives an idea of scale.

More Buddhas and donation boxes. 

A hint of what we'll see later...

The elephant shots are for dad!

These mythical creatures guard many temple entrances. 

View back from the street. 

The next stop was not on our original itinerary, but inspired by my mom, who was doing research about my trip. Thanks for the recommendation!

The story goes something like this: a Burmese python whispered to its owner that he was the reincarnation of a monk and he wanted to return to this monastery. He was transported back and has lived here ever since. He is over a century old, a foot wide and 17 feet long.

View back of the way in to the monastery.

We bumped along a dirt road which passed a dump on our way to visit the snake. When we got there, we followed the crowd to a building where the snake resides. You don't just look through the bars at the snake, but step into his spacious cage. He has a pool and different platforms on which to hang around. Many devotees and curious tourists patiently wait their turn to catch a glimpse of him.

Visitors in the snake's cage.

The man on the right is his caretaker. 

Just hanging around under the alter. 

Everyone wants their picture. 

View from the snake monastery.

Many references to the snake monk on the grounds. 

Next stop: the reclining Buddha! This massive and beautiful statue attracts many visitors as well.

Buddha's foot.

Buddha's big toe. 

Dad, this one is for you! Are all your questions answered?

Here I am again!

View from one of the entrances. 

Vendors selling statues, religious art, malas, etc. 

Last stop was one more Buddha (and we did not even every one in Bago!). This complex had a nice airy feel and a statue of a seated Buddha facing in each direction.

Alter with offerings.

And that was it! The end of a very full weekend. I got home just in time to log into my online virtual classroom and got to bed early for school the next day.

(To learn about the first part of the road trip, see the Golden Rock entry.)

What I'm reading: I just finished Patti Smith's Just Kids. It is an inspiring story of her journey to follow her own path and create art.

What I'm listening to: I finally got my laptop fixed and I finished putting together a best of 2014 playlist. Here it is. Buy these songs, support these artists, go see them when they come to your town.

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?