People of Burma

I don't have a telephoto lens and in addition, I hate to be intrusive with the camera—always thinking that I would not like having a tourist take my picture while doing my laundry or walking down the street. So the following photos aren't necessarily unposed but I think they do convey something about the nature of the wonderful Burmese people we saw.

Buddhist Celebration, Mandalay

Many Burmese boys and girls spend a period of time in a monastery. It could be for several months or several years, with some of them eventually becoming monks. These children are preparing to take their vows and as you can see, this is a momentous event for them and their families.

Yangon (Rangoon)

Businessman walking down the street wearing the traditional longhi wrap. It was so hot there that I resorted to carrying an umbrella and it really did help. Check out this YouTube video on tying the longhi and in the background you'll see the marvelous area of Bagan. This man appears to be a guide.

Streetside betel nut vendor, Yangon

You can always tell a Betel nut chewer because they have red lips and teeth. These stands are everywhere and the results of the chewing are too...red stains all over the streets.

Sugar cane juice street merchant, Yangon

Books of every sort, sort of. Yangon.

Books for sale are only those not blacklisted. Don't expect to find George Orwell's 1984, a book that some believe is based on the repressive Burmese military regime. Book and their currency is recycled to the point of no return.

Lunchtime, Mandalay

Taken during the serving of lunch at a monastery. This little guy is with his mom. Families consider it good merit to contribute food to these Buddhist centers of learning. These centers provide education to many young men and women.

Street urchin, Yangon

 Cute little guy who really wanted his picture taken. This was taken along the waterfront where much of the business of Yangon takes place.

Laborer, Yangon

The loads these people carry is unbelievable. We saw huge TV's being loaded onto the boats at the end of this walkway, along with people and goods of all kinds. 

Street Food, Yangon

 Look at this clever, compact, and portable food stall. This is the real fast food. It looks like he can put everything into the basket and head home at day's end.

Cloth merchant, Bagan

This is SO posed but I loved this lady. I was walking through the local market and she put a silk garment in front of me. I'm sure she knew I was a fabric lover the minute she saw me. Well, I hate bargaining. Turkey and Mexico drove me nuts—to the point where I refused to buy anything. But I decided to "get over it" and started negotiating for a silk outfit and ended up laughing because she was persistent without being too aggressive and I ended up with a beautiful silk skirt, top, and shawl. This lady is going places.

Peanut farmer, outside of Mandalay

 Talking to this woman and her husband was the highlight of the Burma trip for many of us. I've never met such happy and friendly people. They told us all about their village and children, showed us how they farmed with their oxen, put out their luncheon display so that we could see what they eat, and this women untied her headpiece revealing waist length hair. She is just over fifty and although her skin is wrinkled from exposure to the sun her abdominal muscles were like rock from racking peanut plants day in and out. They work very hard so that they can provide education for their children and they also take care of their parents.

Mother and child outside Mandalay

 Mother and daughter have Thanaka bark sunscreen on their faces. Using water the stem of the plant is rubbed on stone and this paste results. It has the added advantage of being cool on the skin.

Cheroot cigar, outside Mandalay

 This cigar, a Burmese stogie, is big, long, and smoked by women. It's easy to make because it isn't rolled at the ends. She is holding a coconut shell underneath to catch the ashes.

Village girls across the river from Bagan

 These young girls were quite the entrepreneurs. They met us at the boat and continued to follow us throughout the afternoon; they were selling bracelets. They are both wearing the thanaka bark sunscreen. This photo was taken from the back of a moving cart pulled by a horse. I admired their persistence and physical endurance and ended up buying five bracelets.

Laundry on the Irrawaddy River

 This woman is not young and she squatted like this for several hours doing her laundry on the banks of the river across from Bagan. I can get down in the position, even get back up, but to stay there for hours is more than I'm able to do.

Husband and monk sightseeing, Mandalay

 I am very fond of this picture. We drove outside of Mandalay and took an escalator (barefoot! Yikes) to the top of the hill to visit this monastery with a wonderful view of the plains.

Children playing, outside Bagan

This child is one of the most active I've ever seen. When we arrived at the temple grounds he was climbing the intricate metal enclosures. Then these two older children gave me a ride on what appears to be a discarded monk's robe. The little guy was screaming in delight as he tumbled off and climbed back on again.

Next: Books of Burma

Burma: First Look

I cannot get my recent trip to Burma out of my mind. I want to savor everything I saw, everything I did, and keep this wonderful, tragic country close to my heart. The wonderful Burmese people manage to live in a country run by brutal and controlling dictators (over 40 generals) because they have HOPE. Please take a few minutes to refresh your memory about Burma (renamed "Myanmar" by the military government) in this article by Canadian Friends of Burma.

Our hotel in Rangoon. 

We were surprised that our hotel in Rangoon wasn't the one listed on our itinerary. We were told that the original hotel was purchased by a son-in-law of one of the generals and therefore was blacklisted by the American Embassy.

Street in downtown Rangoon.

This is one of my favorite photos—an old British colonial building reflected in a modern structure that is most likely a shopping mall funded by the Chinese. The sidewalks are broken and uneven making it very difficult to walk and look at the same time. Vendors selling food and supplies cover most of the sidewalk anyway.

Apartment dwellings. Many do not have elevators.

Read about Burma before arriving. Books sold are well worn and controversial books are banned,

Phones for the average Burmese resident.

Typist for hire: letters home or help with endless government forms?

And yet, we see these satellite dishes on some apartments.

Only the very wealthy could afford these satellite dishes and the hefty government fees that would accompany their installation. People can go to tea shops that have these dishes and listen to international stations—the best from Thailand where signals are good. On the street in Mandalay I met a poor but dignified elderly gentlemen. He asked,

"Where are you from?"

"California, you know of California?"

"Yes. Obama."

"You've heard of President Obama!"

"Yes, He number one."

I was amazed. I could not remember the name of their head general (Than Shwe) and had a really hard time pronouncing the name of The Opposition Lady (Aung San Suu Kyi) and I realized that he might know more about America than I know about Burma. I'm working on that. But this isn't the end of the story. I repeated the conversation to my husband when we got on the bus. A fellow traveler remarked that "We don't all feel that way". She missed the point but isn't it nice that Americans feel free to speak their mind?

Moat around the last Royal Palace of the Last Burmese monarch, Mandalay. Now a military compound.

 Mandalay is considered the economic and cultural heart of Burma. The Chinese can buy Burmese citizenship and the influx of Chinese into Mandalay (30-40%) has pushed the Burmese population to the outskirts of the city.

Rangoon. Young worker sandblasts alabaster statues all day with no mask. Working conditions are heart-breaking.

Bagan. General's House (I surmised) in the midst of thousands of sacred stupas. The palace and grounds are vast.

The area of Bagan was my favorite in Burma. Nestled on the banks of the Irrawaddy River this complex of thousands of stupas built from the 11th to 13th century are unlike anything I've ever seen. UNESCO was prepared to designate the area as a World Heritage Site but the military junta was randomly carrying on restorations with no regard for authenticity and the golf courses, major highways, and modern structures (see photo above) must have been the final straw. These stupas are falling apart and much of the beautiful artwork is not being preserved.

Walking to the noon meal. Mandalay.

Universities were shut down most of the 1990's because of fear of another uprising. To prevent students from congregating, the government has dispersed the existing institutions and departments that make up Yangon University into separate learning institutions scattered throughout the city. The university is also closed at irregular intervals by the government. Monasteries are still able to manage educating younger girls and boys.
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