Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Mandalay Airport
We are waiting for our flight to Putao and it has just been delayed an hour. We do not have a guide, but our local tour representative, a lady named Win, speaks good English and is keeping us company until the plane arrives.
I tried all morning to get WordPress up so I could send a short post, but was unable to make it happen. Am not sure what is wrong. Anyway, I thought I would share some thoughts and observations that I have not mentioned earlier.
Regarding bugs: there are some mosquitoes, but not in large numbers and we have had little concern about them. One evening I applied repellent, but don’t know if I needed it. We have seen very large beetles, geckoes, grass hoppers and squirrels around some of the resorts. I already mentioned wasps. Fortunately we do not encounter them at our hotels. However, there are many ants big and small, red and black everywhere.
We have seen many free dogs that don’t belong to anyone, but get fed scraps by most people. Many of them are medium sized, short haired, blond colored and reasonably healthy looking. However, they receive no shots and are not safe for us to touch. Some people actually have a pet. The fact that the dogs eat reasonably well, tells me that the people are not hungry. Even in the country, there is plentiful food. There are also a good many cats that tend to be small and free, especially around monasteries. I do not know what type of monkey we encountered at Mt Popa, but they were small and very aggressive.
I have seen many Brahma cows and water buffalo and understand there are also many black and white dairy cows originally imported from Holland.
As for wild life, we have seen ducks, cormorants, egrets, a couple of kingfishers and a drongo, while boating on Lake Inle. Hopefully we will see much more wildlife in the Putao area.
About booze: Myanmar beer is ubiquitous. We drink it with every lunch and many dinners. It tastes fine when it is icy cold, which it is most of the time. There is also Dagon, another local beer that is not as good, and Tiger beer, which comes from Singapore.
We have been surprised to learn that there are a few vineyards in Burma. Several people in the group bought a variety of labels and reported mixed reviews. Generally they said the wine was ok, but not to their taste. Now, you tell me what that means? Mark bought a bottle of Red Mountain Pinot Noir, which he is carrying with us to Putao. Will let you know how it rates. Fortunately for me, all the facilities we have stayed in have hard liquor and I when I have wanted something other than beer, I have been able to get vodka tonics and Johnny Walker Black on the rocks at will.
Thoughts on different foods: My favorite dishes by far are the delicious hot soups we have been served at every meal including breakfast. I especially like the spicy rice noodle soups where you add your choice of condiments such as cilantro, red chili, chives, a squeeze of lime and a fish sauce, which I add sparingly. They usually come with mushrooms, chicken and pearl onions as well. Umm good, filling and hydrating too.
Another popular breakfast beverage with us is the fresh squeezed juices; especially watermelon and honeydew. Mark says the coffee is ok, not great.
Although there are lots of fresh vegetables in every Burmese meal as well as curried chicken, beef, fish, duck and/or pork, there is a sameness that is starting to get to us. We find ourselves seeking a fresh green salad whenever we get the chance and eating western as well.
Miscellaneous bits of information gleaned from guides:
The country has a helmet law, but only about half the people have one on their head and most of them do not have the chinstrap attached, let alone properly secured. Apparently the police have more important things to do than enforce that law.
The government assesses everyone 10% on their gross income, however, one can bribe the taxman and pay significantly less. It is possible to pay some of the tax and bribe the taxman into allowing you to give another portion directly to charity.
The Buddhist calendar has Sabbaths based on the cycle of the moon. The Sabbath falls on the new moon, both halves and the full moon. There can be 5, 7 or 8 days between Sabbaths.
There are 5 Buddhist rules for the common people:
Do not kill
Do not steal
Do not lie
Do not commit adultery
Do not drink alcohol
And 5 additional rules for monks and those who honor the Sabbath:
Do not eat meat between noon and 5am.
Do not sleep on a luxury bed (i.e. sleep on a straw mat on the floor)
Do not wear make up or cosmetics
Do not watch or take part in any entertainment
Do not have sex.
The average working person who cannot keep the Sabbath, such as Win, will give alms to the poor to stay in good Buddhist standing.
The country is divided into 14 regions more or less along ethnic lines. I asked Win about the difference between the 7 Divisions made up of Burmans and the 7 States made up of ethnic tribes. The government is mostly Berman and the Berman people get better jobs, have more political clout, own more businesses and property and are generally better off. People in the states have a harder time finding good jobs and get lower pay. Although much of the country’s resources, including jade, gold, silver, natural gas, cement and tungsten are located in the states, the government owns them all and pays very low wages to the local mine workers. This is at least some of the reasons for the unrest in the Shan and the Kachin states where we are spending time. There has been civil war in both states and currently serious fighting is occurring about 30 miles south of Putao.
Later, in our bungalow at Melikha Lodge
Finally, our 11:30 flight departed at 1:40pm. We were 1½ hours in the air to Mytikyina, the capital city of the Kachin state, and another hour to Putao, our destination in the far north of Burma. Although the elevation is only 497 meters, the heat and humidity feel much lower. The airport is small and we were the only tourists on the flight. As we walked toward the terminal, there were four departing western tourists who told us we had a treat in store. Immediately, four staff from the Melikha Lodge greeted us. One took our bags, one took our passports, permit and voucher, another handed us cold towels and the last introduced himself as our tour guide. Once collected, we were ushered into a van and driven 20 minutes to the lodge, which is located in the Putao Valley and next to the Lisu village of Mulashida on the banks of the Nam Lang River. Along the way we learned that we were to be the only guests for the week as other expected guests had had their permits denied. The hotel was as pleased as we were that our permit had not been revoked, although it was still under consideration as recently as three days prior to our arrival due to the fighting only 30 miles away. Am glad we were none the wiser.
Thomas, our lodge guide, calls the fighting a war because there is heavy artillery being used by both sides. The government troops wants the status quo and the Kachin people want more autonomy, better paying jobs and more say about what happens in their state. This same problem exists in other states. Currently the government is in negotiations with the Kachin people, but Thomas thinks it will be at least another year before the fighting stops.
The Melikha Lodge is a lovely facility nestled in a bamboo forest overlooking a bend in the Nam Lang River. We are in a bungalow that overlooks the river. It is very spacious with a huge round wooden tub taking the center of the space. Our bed is on one side and the bathroom is on the other. Behind the tub is a wood stove and two comfortable chairs with Afghans draped over them and a table between. The wall behind the stove is mostly glass with two sliding glass doors that open to the deck, which contains a lounge as large as a king size bed. The whole affair is certainly impressive, but it is a near miss for me as the lighting is so low that the room is always in semi darkness and there are no good reading lights. Also, there are several places in the room where one could easily stub a toe as Mark has already done. Hove for six days and five nights, we settle in and adapt.
Thomas suggested a walk through the local village before dinner, so we did. He explained that many of the villagers work for the lodge in some capacity and the lodge owner, Tay Za, who is known to be the country’s richest man, provides the village with a school for poor, but gifted, students. There were no cars to be seen anywhere and only a few motorbikes. The wooden houses are all on stilts and each yard is surrounded by a stonewall about four feet high. We have not seen such walls anywhere else in Burma, yet they appear to be quite common in this area. The grass-covered roadway goes straight through the village. Several people were outdoors doing household chores and visiting with each other. Everyone was friendly with us and let us take photos. We learned that Ming a la bar (Burmese hello) does not work here as the people are Kachin and do not necessarily speak Burmese. The Kachin greeting is “Kwa Kwa”. Soon it began to get dark and we walked back to the lodge for dinner and bed. It is a little strange being the only guests in this lodge with 80 staff.
Nighty Night, Julia
Adventures with Julia 