Day 102: Yangon, Myanmar

Tuesday, 18 April 2017
O/N @ Myanmar International Terminal Thilawa

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:45p (MMT) … UTC 2:15p (18 April)
Temp: 82.4F (28C)
Position: 16.39.66N / 96.15.20E

Then, a golden mystery upheaved itself on the horizon, a beautiful winking wonder
that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple-spire.
It stood upon a green knoll, and below it were lines of warehouses, sheds, and mills.
Under what new god, thought I, are we irrepressible English sitting now?

~ Rudyard Kipling … describing his 1889 visit to Shwedagon Temple
in “From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches, Letters of Travel ~

Up at 5:30a, it looked like fog outside, but with an odd smell similar to mustiness, so I am thinking it was smog.  That same smell permeated the cabin on and off, but at least it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the diesel fumes.

We were having breakfast at the Terrace Café when Insignia arrived at its berth at Port Thilawa for our two-night, three day visit in Myanmar.  By 8:00a, Insignia was tied up.  Then came the announcement from Ray that not only were we waiting on the officials to arrive to clear the ship, but that Insignia had to reposition closer to Seven Seas Navigator, which was tied up ahead of us.  It would be 45 minutes before passengers would be able to disembark.

I had booked a two-day tour for just the two of us with One Stop Myanmar — total cost of USD $340.  Our pick up was based on the ship’s original scheduled arrival of 9:00a, so the delay actually worked in our favor.  Linn and Thiha — our guide and driver — had paid the USD $20 for a port entrance pass and were at the bottom of the gangway when we walked off the ship shortly after the ship was cleared.  That was very convenient as we didn’t have to take the shuttle through the commercial port to the gate to meet up with them outside the secure area.  After introductions all around, off we went to Yangon.  It was hot, but the humidity was lower than what we’ve been experiencing … grateful for that at least. 
   
The drive to Yangon — formerly Rangoon — was about an hour … partially on an unpaved, heavily-rutted road.  Myanmar — once known as Burma — has only been open to tourism since 2010.  It is a culturally rich country, but for decades has been under the thumb of an oppressive regime.  At present, tentative steps are being taken toward democracy, but they have a long ways to go to reach that goal.  The number of tourists visiting has increased, but the infrastructure to accommodate them is still in its infancy.

The people of Myanmar live in abject poverty and downright filth.  We saw immediate evidence of this as we drove through Thanlyin, the town closest to the port.  On either side of the road ramshackle huts with no electricity, water, or sewer services sat next to slightly better looking buildings …  rickety huts served as restaurants and shops … and the occasional gold stupa stood in stark contrast to it all.  All these buildings had one thing in common — they were surrounded by piles of trash.  Seeing this, we understood our destination lecturer’s caution not to eat any street food, or drink anything that did not come in a can or bottle … and to wipe these down first if they happened to be wet on the outside.  It was all very sad to see.  Yet, the people were smiling and waving to us, happy to see us visiting their country.

Our first stop in town was at Botataung Paya [temple] … which translates as the Temple of 1,000 Warriors.  The original temple was built by the Mon Kingdom about 2,500 years ago.  Having been completely destroyed during WWII, it has since been rebuilt.  The name is associated with a Burmese legend that says 1,000 soldiers stood on this ground as an honor guard to welcome the arrival of relics of the Buddha from India.  During the excavations to rebuild the temple, a treasure vault filled with clay tablets and gold, silver, and jeweled artifacts was uncovered.  Also found was a small cylinder that contained the Buddha relics — a single hair left from the original eight and two body relics no more in size than a mustard seed.  These relics are now enshrined inside the hollow stupa, which we entered after removing our shoes and socks.

But before doing so we had to get our photos taken and printed on the admission tickets … that was a first for us.  The short queue at the entrance to the stupa was to see the sacred hair.  The shrine containing the relic is behind glass, with an iron grid guard screen to further protect it.  Seeing the hair, therefore, is literally impossible unless one has binoculars.  But we took our turn in line, grabbed a quick photo, and then continued our walk through the gold maze of hallways inside the eight-sided stupa.  The lower parts of the gilded walls were covered with Plexiglas to protect them from hands that reached out to touch despite signs saying not to do so.  Glass display cases — also behind iron screen guards … in some cases double grids for extra protection — held some of the finds from the excavation of the ruins of the earlier temple.  Certainly not photographer-friendly, but interesting nonetheless.

Making a full circle of the stupa, we returned to where we started and went out to wander the grounds and visit some of the other buildings that make up the temple complex.  Linn explained that Buddhists believe there that the week is made up of eight days — Wednesday midnight to 6p is counted as one day, and after 6:00p as another day.  There are small shrines to each day … one at each corner of the stupa.  People visit the shrine of their “birth day” to give thanks to the Buddha for his teachings and to leave offerings.  We checked and I was born on Friday — a holy day as the Buddha was born and died on that day; Mui was born on Sunday.  My animal is the guinea pig; Mui’s is the garuda.  My planet is Venus; Mui’s is the Sun.

As we continued our stroll, we noted the abundance of donation boxes — one at each shrine and others interspersed at various other places around the grounds.  One of the interesting ways of encouraging people to donate was at a “wishing table” … for want of a better description.  The table was on a rotating platform.  On top of it were signs with baskets in front of each.  The signs were wishes for things like a car, a house, good health, good grades, good marriage, healthy baby, etc.  The idea was to throw folded bills into the appropriate basket in order to have the wish granted.  We watched as several people tried — some successfully.  Those who didn’t get the money in the basket either gave up, or they went to an attendant sitting nearby.  From her, in exchange for higher denomination currency, they picked up a plate of pre-folded small denominations to try again … and again.  It reminded me of those no-win arcade games, and I had to wonder at how these people, who live in such poverty, can even think of parting with their money in this manner.  But Buddhism teaches that riches are impermanent, so I believe that has something to do with it.

Leaving the temple, we used the wet wipes we brought with us to thoroughly clean our feet before putting our socks and shoes back on.  We would be repeating this ritual several more times throughout the day.  I understand going barefoot in temples is “the way” … but in return the least they could do is keep the tile floors of the complexes clean … or even a little cleaner.

Next we drove into the Yangon CBD [central business district] for a stroll through the downtown area.  Linn pointed out some lovely colonial era buildings dating back to the British … all in desperate need of TLC.  As we wandered around he answered our questions about the country and the people, and how bribery is a way of life if you want to get anything accomplished.  He explained how the country has a lot of natural resources, but no industry to speak of, and how this has led to other countries taking advantage of Myanmar.  One example he gave … the sap from the rubber tree is sold to Thailand for processing and the finished product is resold to Myanmar at twice the price.  Similar situations abound with China and other countries as well.  No wonder the country can’t get ahead.  Linn spoke admiringly of Aung San Suu Kyi, who holds the position of State Counsellor — similar to being a PM … a position that was abolished in 2011.  Referring to her as “The Lady,” he noted that she’s old and not in the best of health, so how much she can accomplish to move Myanmar forward is uncertain.

Our stroll eventually took us to Maha Bandoola Garden.  Dating back to the late 1860s, it was founded as Fytche Square to honor the Chief Commissioner of British Burma.  In the center once stood a marble statue of Queen Victoria.  This has been replaced with the Independence Monument, an obelisk that commemorates Burmese independence from the British in 1948.  From the garden, we enjoyed views of Sule Paya — a gold stupa that is said to have been built over 2,500 years ago… now standing in the center of a busy roundabout.  We also saw City Hall — built in a mix of styles reflecting British Colonial and Burmese architecture; Immanuel Baptist Church; and several other Colonial era buildings … but we didn’t go inside any of them.

From this park we went to another to check out Kandawgyi Lake.  As we strolled the park grounds around it, Linn explained that this artificial body of water, the name of which literally means “great royal lake,” is one of two major lakes in the city.  The man-made lake was built during the British colonial time for the purpose of providing clean water to supply the city.  Linn also pointed out the concrete replica of Karaweik, a royal barge.  The structure now houses a restaurant.  We also glimpsed the stupa of Shwedagon Paya in the distance — hazy but still identifiable.  The funny thing we saw in the park were all the cars lined up on either side of the road … windows tinted, the front windshield covered with a sun reflector, engine running.  Linn said that the people inside the cars — not that we could see anyone — were “car dating.”  Make of that what you will ;-)

It was after 1:00p when we left the park.  Time for lunch.  Thiha drove us to what looked like a more affluent neighborhood where stylish homes sat behind tall walls topped by razor wire.  Our destination was the Padonmar Restaurant — inside what was once a multi-story residence; clean and tourist-friendly; good food.  From the pictures on the wall, it was clear that this is the go to place for visiting dignitaries … I even found a photo of Senator McCain on the wall.  The tables in the ground floor rooms were already filled, so we were escorted to a table on the next floor up.

Linn left us to join Thiha for lunch elsewhere.  From the extensive menu we ordered sweet and sour shrimp, deep fried shredded beef … a local specialty, and coconut rice.  We washed it all down with hot coffee and Myanmar beer.  While we waited for the food to arrive, we entertained ourselves by studying the murals painted on the walls.  Service was prompt; and the food was tasty … and inexpensive … the whole thing cost MMK 27,000, including tip … under USD $20.

Our first stop after lunch was to visit the Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple, which houses one of the most revered Buddha images in the country — a 217-foot (66m) long reclining Buddha.  Built originally between 1899-1907 — under the sponsorship of a wealthy Burmese man — the statue was then out in the open.  Weathered beyond repair, it was demolished and a new one was built inside a covered pavilion and consecrated in 1973.  The eyes are glass … making it rather unique.  Heavily decorated with nail polish on the toes, and very feminine looking to boot.  Linn sighed when we asked him about it and told us that it was built by the Chinese, who like to over decorate such images.  For me the most amazing feature was the soles of the feet — painted as though it was hennaed and decorated with 108 individual symbols.

The temple structure was rimmed with rooms filled with Buddha images.  And there was a resting place behind the statue.  Each temple has these places, and it is not unusual to see people sharing a picnic or even sleeping on the floor.  Here we found the shrines to each of the eight days of the Buddhist week, and Mui and I did the Buddha cleansing ritual by pouring water over the image at our own ‘birth day’ shrine.  At the far end of the structure, we found a large mural that told the story of the life of the Buddha.  It was fascinating.

Once again cleaning our feet and donning our socks and shoes, we moved on to the next temple.  Off came the shoes and socks again before we went inside to see the huge sitting Buddha at the Ngahtatgyi Temple.  The 46-foot (14m) tall image sits on a pedestal that is 30 feet (9m) high.  Installed in a five-tiered pagoda in 1900, it keeps company with the original Buddha image — about half the size.

Our last stop of the day was the highlight — the cherry on top of the icing, if you will.  As Shwedagon Paya was near the one we had just visited, we didn’t bother putting our shoes on in the car for the drive to get to it.  Also known as the Golden Pagoda — even if it is a stupa — the temple is built on Singuttara Hill, giving additional height to the 325-foot (99m) tall gold-leafed central stupa of the complex.

At one of the Buddha images at Shwedagon Paya, monks sit down to meditate.

Awe inspiring is the only word that comes even close to describing what our eyes beheld.  Shwedagon Paya is considered the most sacred of all the Buddhist temples in Myanmar as relics from all four Buddhas are enshrined here.  While some historians say the temple was built by the Mon sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries, common wisdom dates it back about 2,600 years … making it the oldest Buddha stupa in the world.  It was damaged by several earthquakes … the one in 1768 bringing down the top of the central stupa.  When it was restored afterwards, the height of the stupa was raised to what it is today.

The terraces around the base of the stupa can only be accessed by monks and a few other privileged men.  The bell-shaped section of the stupa comes next, and then continues upward with the turban, the inverted alms bowl, the inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud, and the umbrella crown.  The crown is decorated with nearly 5,500 diamonds and half as many rubies and other precious stones.  Then comes the flag shaped weathervane — four feet long, we were told.  At the very top is the diamond bud, decorated with a 76-carat diamond!  No wonder they don’t allow overflight of the temple complex!!!  The gold is real, too — the plates covering the underlying brick structure are attached with rivets, the gold donated by people from all over the country, including former monarchs.

As is traditional, we circumnavigated the stupa in a clockwise direction, stopping frequently to see what we could of the overwhelming detail hidden in every nook and corner … not to mention the hundreds of Buddha images.  Linn couldn’t even venture a guess as to how many images there might be as new ones are donated and added to the complex on a daily basis.  He did show us one hidden in a recess, its glass eyes following visitors a la the Mona Lisa.

Shwedagon, as I understand it, is beautiful at sunset.  But we didn't have the energy left to wait for the sun to go down.  Barefoot walking on hot tiles had taken its toll.

The drive back to Thilawa Port found us traveling after nightfall.  There was quite a bit more traffic, and the narrow two-lane road did not allow easy passage.  Adding to the difficulty of driving, the steering wheel is on the right, but they drive on the left, so Linn, seated in the passenger seat, acted as navigator, telling Thiha when he could pass vehicles in front of us.  Part of the way, we were stuck behind a “wandering karaoke truck” filled with men who took turns singing to music blaring from loudspeakers, so at least we had some entertainment.

It was 7:30p when we finally turned into the port.  In the interim while we were gone, Insignia had moved further down the pier to make room for a cargo ship to dock behind it.  That just meant taking a different crossover to reach the ship, so no worries.  Dropping off our bags in the cabin, we headed up to the Terrace Café for a quick bite to eat.  How tired was Mui?  So tired that he took a pass on the green-lipped New Zealand mussels that were on the menu tonight.  A quick shower after dinner, some light reading, and then time for bed.

Tomorrow is the second of three days in Myanmar.  Linn and Thiha will pick us up at 8:00a, but this time we will go in a different direction to explore the sights.

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