Thursday, November 1, 2012
The Mrauk U Princess Resort Boat from Mrauk U to Sittwe
We pulled away from the Mrauk U jetty at 6am. Looking down as our boat separated from the others, we saw a lot of trash that had gotten wedged in between the boats since our arrival three days ago. There was also raw sewage in the river, which is everyone’s dump. Yesterday we even saw a dead baby water buffalo float by. Fortunately we could not smell it. Once underway, the air movement felt cool and the scenery was still in pre dawn quiet. Our last sunrise in Burma was very pretty with wispy clouds to give it definition. An hour later, the staff served our favorite breakfast of Shan Noodle Soup. We tried to figure out what is in it so Mark could replicate it. However, we both think that possibility is futile. The heat of the day set in at 8am as I settled down to type my thoughts of yesterday’s experience. It was really great to have been able to send the last two posts from the Mrauk U Princess. It is 6pm on the 31st at home. Happy Halloween!!
Yesterday, Wednesday, October 31, was a particularly delightful day. We boarded a small boat and motored 1½ hour down and around several river channels in low tide conditions to reach a small village that is only 15km from Mrauk U. Along the way we passed several fishermen working a variety of styles of nets to gill fish and hundreds, if not thousands, of acres of rice. Two kinds are grown here: a short grain that is harvested after three months and a long grain that is harvested after six months. The rest of the year the fields are devoted to vegetables. Currently, the short grain rice is being harvested and we saw many people working in the fields. Some farmers had a dozen or more water buffalo tethered near the bank of the river or actually lounging in it. At one point during the ride, the boat stopped mid-river due to a loose screw. There was only one paddle on board so we were hot, sitting ducks who did not want to swim. Fortunately, the boatman was able to make a repair and shortly we were in sight of the village.
Agidawma village contains 150 houses, which translates to 750 people based on a 5 per house average. As we pulled up to the bank, we were met by about 20 people, who were clearly expecting us. They helped us ashore over slippery mud-covered sand bags placed there for low tide transfers and walked us some 200 feet to a shaded clearing between some houses. Over 200 villagers were gathered there to see the two westerners. Most of them just stare at us and were so shy they did not know how to respond when we smiled at them and said Ming a la bar. At first I thought they must speak a different language, but Kyaw assured us they spoke Burmese. Their young children were their best ambassadors and helped break the ice. A large white tarp had been laid out in the middle of the shady area and several stools, chairs and benches were placed around the tarp.
Now comes the incredible part of this tale. We had been told that we could not visit the Chin village where the ladies with tattooed faces live because of the unrest in that area. We expressed our disappointment to guides, Tour Mandalay and the hotel management and were told it was not safe and that we would visit some other village instead. Having no choice, we gave up trying. When we entered the clearing there stood three elderly ladies with tattooed faces waiting to greet us. What a wonderful surprise. We took many photos, while they posed elegantly and patiently. They admitted that they had been photographed many times by many photographers. There are only seven of these ladies alive today and they are the last. Even the lady who did their tattoos when they were seven years old, is now gone. When I asked how they came to be in this village they told us they came for the October Full Moon celebrations and to visit the monastery and would return to their own village, 40 km or three hours by boat away, in a few days. Their village, Pan Boung, has 35 houses only and no monastery. I was struck by the fact that the “unsafe” destination is only 40 km away.
There were also three shy young women from the village who were all decked out in their village costumes and jewelry, unlike any we have seen elsewhere in Burma. We took a few photos of them, but were really distracted by the warmth and charm of the three old women. I think the young women were a bit miffed even though I asked them a few questions. They were incredibly shy with their replies. The youngest, 17, is in 9th grade. The middle girl, 20, stopped school at 8th grade and the oldest girl, 25, just finished 5th grade. None of them are married. I wonder about their prospects in such a small village. They seemed so miserable, that I asked Kyaw to tell them it was ok to leave and take off their obviously hot, uncomfortable clothing. They instantly disappeared and we were free to spend the rest of our time with the old ladies, who are: Mathongsein, 60, Masein, 61, and Matintway, 76. They each have had three children and the only surviving husband is Matintway’s, who is 69.
When they smiled we could see nothing but rotten or missing teeth. Even now they are still chewing beetlenut. How they remain alive with such bad teeth is a mystery to me. Do you suppose chewing beetlenut kills germs and anesthetizes gum pain?
After about an hour we were invited to walk to the monastery. One of the ladies caught up to me and put her arm through mine to walk together. I was touched and thought of how my mother and I often walk that way. The sound of contemporary Burmese pop music coming from the monastery loudspeakers was deafening, but no one seemed to mind. A big meal, including meat, was being served on the ground level to the entire village. Most people ate outdoors wherever they could find shade, while older people, who keep the Sabbath rules, sat at tables inside. Upstairs, another shoes off place, was the monastery, the main monk and several village elders. We paid our respects, took a few photos and went back downstairs where the action was. We respectfully declined the invitation to have some food. We did not need to be reminded not to eat anything outside our resort. It even looked like it would make us sicker than dogs.
Finally it was time to go. Each of the three ladies took turns walking arm and arm with me back to the boat. Along the way, we stopped at a store, where there was a toilet. It proved to be a hole between two boards leading directly into the river. As Mark told me before I went, “It is as basic as it gets”. The crowd to see us off was at least 50 people and we waved goodbye until they were out sight.
We returned to the resort in time for lunch. Afterward, we met with the manager and her head staff to chat about the fighting between the Rakhine and Muslims. The story they told was the same as we had already heard so what I have shared with you before still holds. The manager, Thin Thin, offered to let me use her cell phone hot spot to send my posts and later I did, thankfully.
Out again at 4pm for another village near Mrauk U called Laymyetnar. It is known for its women who have huge holes in their ear lobes for extra large rings that fill the holes. These same women are known to also smoke pipes. What a way to get attention, huh? We encountered two such elderly ladies, who were also used to having their photo taken and patiently posed for us. Only one was a pipe smoker and she told us she uses dried cucumber peel instead of tobacco. Mark has decided he is going to try it when we get home. Kyaw had no problem walking into people’s yards and inviting us in to take photos. It seemed a bit strange to me, but everyone we encountered was pleased to show us around. This village seemed tidier than those in the neighborhoods of Mrauk U. The houses are not as close together and there is a small garden area around each. There is also a large fresh water pond nearby for fetching drinking and cooking water. However, it was anti climatic compared with this morning’s village and we were soon ready to quit. I guess we have had enough of Burma and are thinking about going home.
As we drove back through Mrauk U we passed a restaurant where 2 westerners were eating and couldn’t resist stopping and chatting with them. Jessica is from Washington State and Nick is from Kentucky. They are teachers in one of the three international schools in Yangon and are in their second year of a two-year contract. This is their school holiday so they are visiting parts of the country they have not seen. They like it well enough to plan stay an additional two years. We could have asked them many more questions, but their meal was getting cold and we thought we should go. Clearly, they do not see many westerners either. We were all talking and asking questions like long lost friends.
It is a bit weird. We like to travel where there are few other tourists, but when confronted with a week of no western people, we were thrilled to be around some, if only for a few minutes.
Shortly after we returned to the resort, the grounds were filled with hanging lanterns lit with small candles for the second Full Moon night celebrations. We had a cold beer and enjoyed the lights from the dining room steps. Pretty way to end the day and the trip.
Early afternoon at the Sittwe Airport
On arrival at Sittwe, our driver took us slowly through the center of the city, which has nicely paved two and four lane streets with sidewalks, street trees, light standards and many shops. Compared to Mrauk U, this is big city life, indeed. After passing through town, we drove south on the river front strand to a vista point where we could see the confluence of the Kalanden River and the Bay of Bengal. This was our first sighting of the Bay. There is a nice beach, but it is so near the river that it is very polluted and no place we would swim.
We are now in the waiting lounge, Kyaw has long since left and the plane is late. We wait.
Evening at Yangon Airport
The flight out of Mrauk U was an hour late. Cho met us as expected, but there was not enough time to go the Tour Mandalay office for tea with the owner’s wife, who wanted to ask about our experiences. Tour Mandalay handled all our arrangements in Burma and followed our progress all the way. They were concerned by the reported unrest in Putao and Mrauk U even though they felt certain we would be fine and allowed us to proceed. The reality, as so often happens, was much more benign than the media represented. Instead, I chatted with Meme Niko on the phone, as we drove to a bookstore to try to find a Burmese cookbook in English with a recipe for Shan Noodle Soup. Meme was relieved and pleased that we saw no unrest anywhere and had a perfectly wonderful time in Burma under Tour Mandalay’s care. She promised to tell her husband the good news.
Our driver took us through a section of the city we had not seen before and were glad we did. It is a nicer part of town, with up scale houses, embassies, international schools, upscale stores and generally well maintained buildings, unlike much of the city we saw our first time here, three weeks ago. The bookstore was also a gift shop full of very well made products from all over the country. Fortunately for us, we had spent most of our cash and did not get sidetracked. Cho found several cookbooks. We chose one that had a Shan soup recipe that Mark thinks he can modify. It had good pictures of each recipe, which is a selling point for me. It will also come in handy if we ever need to prepare a Burmese dish for a potluck dinner party.
Back at the airport, we said our final good bye to Cho, passed through customs and immigration and are now waiting for our 1½-hour flight to Bangkok. We are still sticky from our morning boat ride and can hardly wait to get to the Bangkok airport Novotel and take a shower. ………… Just now, Mark informed me that our flight out of Yangon has been delayed an hour. Ugh. That means one less hour to sleep at the Novotel.
11:30pm at the Bangkok Airport Novotel
We are in our room and ready for bed. The room is so spotless, the air conditioning works so well and the internet service is so fast I am in culture shock. Here is your last message before we get home. Will try between Hong Kong and San Francisco to write one more post with final thoughts.
Looking forward to seeing some of you soon.
Lots of hugs to everyone,
Julia
Adventures with Julia 