All posts by iainc

Myanmar (Burma), Towns

Yangon – slightly less alien now

I headed out this morning to grab some food and check out the local produce at the Bogyoke market. Expecting a mad bustle of yelling people, instead I found a sprawling labyrinth of well organised and beautiful shops stuffed with intricate and beautiful handmade artwork and ornaments.

I would very much have liked to buy something, as it all had the authenticity which I desperately sought on my travels around China… but it all looked far too fragile to stuff into my backpacking rucksack to be hauled around Myanmar in the pouring rain. Perhaps next time!

After a (super spicy) lunch, I wandered out and along the road, past some worn-down mansions and the Holy Trinity (colonial-era church) to my afternoon/evening destination.

The Holy Trinity Church - left over from the British colonial era of pre-WW2
The Holy Trinity Church – left over from the British colonial era of pre-WW2

So, I would like to present, the Shwedagon Paya, the largest, holiest Stupa in Yangon:

Shwedagon. That's what you say to tourists who miss it - You shewed-a-gon there.
Shwedagon. That’s what you say to tourists who miss it – You shewed-a-gon there.

After my brief introduction to Buddhism yesterday by the somewhat sketchy Tiang Tang (nice enough, but he was clearly buzzing on betel nuts) I was reluctant to pay another guide for a similar experience at the bigger pagoda. But this afternoon, I was fortunate enough to meet Uncle Khaing. He approached me saying he was a storyteller who knew loads about Buddhism and some badass photo spots (not his exact words) and offered me an up front fee of $5. So, why not?

I gained a little insight into the days of Buddhism and their significance, and would like to share these with you on my separate post: Feature on Burmese Buddhism

In the meantime, here are some funky pictures of my wander around the Shwedagon Paya:

Over and out for today!

Features, Myanmar (Burma)

Feature on Burmese Buddhism

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Burmese Buddhism

 

Buddhism runs deep in the culture here in Myanmar, and as I’m experiencing and learning a lot about it, I thought I’d share with you some of the beliefs, rituals and stories I come across. I hope to update this as I learn more!

The 8 days of Burmese Buddhism

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Morning (12.00am to 11.59am), Wednesday evening (12.00pm to 11.59pm), Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 8 days total.

Each day has an associated planet, which contributes to the personality through the alignment of the stars on the day you were born.

The days also have an animal, whose characteristics are gifted to you at birth.

At every Burmese pagoda or temple, you will find a shrine with a Buddha and animal statue dedicated to each of these days.

Why 8? I don’t know. But 8 is definitely a much easier number of walls to have on a Pagoda than 7.

Finding your day

The day which represents you is the day on which you were born. I was born on 18th Feb 1989, which was a Saturday, so Saturday is my day.

Table of days

Day Animal Planet Description Picture
Monday Tiger The Moon Monday-born are said to be brave and intelligent people. They are cool and elegant like the moon. Monday - the Moon Day
Tuesday Lion Mars Tuesday-born are the most faithful friends, husbands and wives. They make excellent soldiers and are very loyal.  Tuesday - Mars' day
 Wednesday (morning) Tusked elephant Mercury Those born on Wednesday morning are strong, with good memories and stable, mild tempers.  Wednesday morning - Mercury's day
 Wednesday (afternoon) Tuskless elephant “Rahu” – ascending lunar node Wednesday afternoon people have extreme character and strength. They are passionate and wild.  Wednesday afternoon - Rahu's day
Thursday  Mouse Jupiter Those born on a Thursday are said to be quick, intelligent and secretive.  Thursday - Jupiter's day
Friday Guinea Pig Venus Friday people have big hearts and love people. They are helpful, and often talkative, like Uncle Khaing!  Friday - Venus' day
Saturday Dragon (legendary)  Saturn People of Saturday have strong willpower and discipline.  Saturday - Saturn's day
Sunday Galon Bird (legendary)  The Sun Sunday people are powerful, with great power over others.  Sunday - The Sun's day

Pouring water

Uncle Khaing believed that there is much more to the Buddha-washing ritual than I learned yesterday. First, you must pour as many cups as your age (in Burma this is counted as the year you are in, not the years you have completed) plus one, over the Buddha, from back to front. This represents the will and wish to live to an older age. Next, you must pour five cups of water over the animal to represent various important aspects of your life. Finally, you speak to the statue and explain your ritual: You pray to live longer by pouring one cup more than your age. You You wish for the cleanliness, freshness and purity of the water you pour to be imparted into your life through the power of the Buddha.

Here is a photo of me performing this ritual on my Saturday Corner at the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon:

Washing the Buddha
Me washing the Buddha at the Saturday corner

Chanting

Chanting is a big part of Burmese Buddhism. From a young age, children are taught chants to help them focus their prayers and thoughts. Here you can see a chanting lesson at the Schwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, where the children are reciting from books under supervision:

Chants are also recited whilst circling the Pagoda. The circle always proceeds clockwise, matching the shrine day progression from Sunday to Monday:

 

I hope you found this as interesting as I did! If you have further insights or questions please comment below 🙂

Thailand, Towns

Bangkok – Khao San Road, and “don’t fall in” road

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I’m going to start by inviting you to check out a video summarising my experience last night after I headed out for a quiet one:

Quite. At least I didn’t end up at a ping pong show…

So contrast that with the video that summarises my afternoon:

Exactly.

So I blame my new-found hostel buddies for suggesting that Khao San road was a good idea. Admittedly, the food at the start was fantastic. And I had a very nice chilled green tea.

Tom Yum Goong - tomatoey shrimp soup. As well recommended as it is spicy - VERY.
(Tom Yum Goong – tomatoey shrimp soup. As well recommended as it is spicy – VERY.)

At least I didn’t have to catch a train at 10am, unlike the guy screaming. Perhaps that’s what he was screaming about, either that or the incessant requests for us to get massages, which I highly doubt are particularly relaxing around that area. Oh and there’s a guy that looks like a Viking.

I got back at around 2am, which was actually pretty tame considering how I’ve heard that road goes. Good thing too, as I was up (fighting jetlag) early enough for breakfast and a good ol’ wander around central Bangkok. Notable highlights of the morning include “The Giant Swing” which has no swing, and the Wat Su Thatsana Thep Wara RaRatchaworamahawihan Temple. It took me longer to figure out how to pronounce the name than it did to walk around it.

I then set off for my cycle tour. A guide I read before leaving said that the only thing you need to bring with you to Asia is “patience”. It was supposed to take me 30 minutes on the bus to get to the cycle tour centre, but as the bus didn’t turn up for over 30 minutes I decided to start walking. Typically, as soon as I walked away from the bus stop, the bus drove past me, leaving me quick-marching to the Skytrain to try plan B. Clearly, I didn’t bring enough patience with me.

I eventually made it over to ABC Cycles – and they didn’t disappoint! Pluses include coffee on arrival, and me being the only Englishman amongst a bunch of Danes:

“Tom” the tour guide was really good. He told us about Thai food, traditions, religion and more, as well as taking us around the southernmost part of Bangkok. I had a very special experience witnessing a Thai funeral procession. They circle the temple, and then place the cremated ashes into a jar, which is then embedded into the temple wall (see photo yesterday). This process enables an elegant burial at minimal cost of space, which comes at a real premium in Bangkok.

As you can see above, we explored some of the poorest areas of the city, where people live under highways or in makeshift shacks in the alleys between houses. The boat that took us across the river to the Bang Nam Phung region let us cycle around the jungles (also featured in the video above). Although the paths are only 1m across, nobody fell in (today).

Tom also educated us on the Thai greeting “Sawadi Cap” and the associated gesture of respect – a bowing of the head with hands held together at a specific height, depending on who you’re speaking to. They take a lot of time over this, and in honesty it’s a beautiful and genuine greeting.

I took a train back down to town, and grabbed some food at a street cafe:

Pad Thai - tasty.
Pad Thai – tasty.

I thankfully didn’t get dragged into any parties tonight. I’m just looking forward to a good night’s sleep, and the arrival in Myanmar tomorrow!!

Thailand, Towns

Bangkok – Tuk tuks and tailored suits.

Today has gone really well. Almost TOO well. Perhaps I shouldn’t write anything until I’m safely tucked into my bed, surrounded by AC assisted mosquito nets and with all my belongings chained to my wrist… here’s how it went…

Landing in Thailand, I waited with biting nails for my bag to arrive, which it eventually did. Check one. Withdrawing cash was also surprisingly easy, as was then getting the skytrain to Phaya Thai. Wandering out of the train station I grabbed a map and hailed a Tuk Tuk to the hostel. It was my first time in a Tuk Tuk,, and it smelt of adventure, near-death experiences and just a hint of burning vegetable oil. Needless to say, I love it.

Check in went without a hitch too. All done before 12. The hostel seems pretty nice – even has a resident alligator:

Putting the dent in resident.
Putting the dent in resident.

Heading out I was approached by a random Thai man. Instantly smelling suspicious behaviour I engaged conversation cautiously, determined not to give him any money. Turns out, he didn’t want any. Instead, he took the free map I’d grabbed, highlighted the best free things to do, and hailed a Tuk Tuk, insisting that the driver charged no more than 20B (about 50p) to take me to EVERY destination highlighted on the map. I was stunned, and a whole day of adventures later, still am. “Buddha day” – he says. “National Thai holiday, enjoy!”

Boi - that eternally youthful name
Boi – that eternally youthful name

My Tuk Tuk driver “Boi” dropped me off at the first couple of destinations and suggested I wander around, not asking for a penny.

It was only at the third stop that I realised how such a discount was possible – I had to visit a suit shop, and pretend to be interested in buying a tailor-made suit. Needless to say, “Thai Fashion” didn’t get my business. “No, it’s not the price, or the quality, it’s the fact that I’m TREKKING THROUGH THAILAND AND DON’T NEED A TAILORED SUIT”. I gladly returned to the Tuk Tuk to visit the next 3 spots on my list.

He looks way too comfortable sat there.
He looks way too comfortable sat there.

At this point, I came across a group of travellers, speaking English but clearly mixed nationalities. I do like that. As they warmly invited me to join them, we grabbed some lunch at a restaurant by the curbside and then took a wander up the “Golden Mount”. I felt the monument had an air of abused authenticity, which was a shame, but the views and experience were nonetheless fantastic.

Grabbing a cab and a rickety river crossing between us we ended up at the Wat Arun – which although beautiful is currently undergoing some renovation. The majority of the decoration of the temple appears to be made up of old crockery…

I’m aiming for an uneventful evening, as I’m so tired from the early start. Just pop out, grab some dinner, maybe say hi if someone looks lonely. From experience, the “uneventful evening intentions” usually spells disaster…

Quick Updates

Here we go! I’mma pack it to hack it

So, I’m leaving tomorrow, and should probably start thinking about packing.

The internet is full of worldly advice.
A quick Google search throws up no end of backpacking kit lists. These lists are all great in their own way, but opinions on what one actually needs seem to vary wildly from some guides saying “just take a t-shirt, and like, 300 condoms” to other extreme recommending those well-known essentials “umbrella” and “emergency San Pellegrino sparkling water”
So what will I actually take with me!?

Well, I’m going to be hiking and trekking. So there will be times when I have to carry EVERYTHING on long walks, for days on end, up steep hills, in the sweltering heat and monsooning rain.
That said, I’m also determined to take my DSLR and a laptop. If ever I had to learn how to compromise… here’s the deal:

Carry:

  • Rucksack: Osprey 68 hiking rucksack, purchased from the extremely competent folk over in Lockwoods Leamington Spa.
  • Daypack: Jack Wolfskin Moab Jam 22. No longer available to buy, but a great daypack with a hydration pocket. This clips (empty) onto the back of my main rucksack when hiking. Neat.

Ospreyrucksack JWrucksack

 

Electronics:

  • DSLR: Canon EOS700D, with 3 lenses covering 10-200mm. For me, taking photos is a must, so I’m prepared to take the extra weight of a DSLR and lenses over a compact.
  • Laptop: Lenovo YOGA 700, 11″. Some call me insane, but I’ll stay connected to update you keen, keen boot shadowers as I go. This tiny laptop packs a punch and is great for photo editing on the go.
  • Action cam: Muvi HD. Comes with a screen, charges over USB and takes awesome HD video. Totally waterproof too!
  • Headphones: Because as well as having a lot of time to listen to music, they also help me getting to sleep in a dorm full of snorey drunk tourists.

Kit:

  • Dry bags: Karrimor (Sports Direct) do a huge range of sizes. I’m taking 5L, 10L, 25L and 40L, to help separate out kit as well as keeping everything dry in the monsoons.
    drybags
  • Clothes: Kept to an absolute minimum. I can always buy what I need when there, taking into account local climate. A lot probably won’t come back with me either…
  • Toiletries: As much of my body as possible will be washed with one soapy bar, from LUSH! One solid stick of deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste. No faffing here.
  • Med kit: Alongside basic painkillers, absolute essentials include blister plasters, micropore tape, and throat sweets for those alien bugs I’ll undoubtedly pick up. I also picked up some cheap “malarone” equivalent malaria tablets from ASDA pharmacy.
  • Travel towel: A giant (and an XS) travel towel from Sports Direct again. Super effective, ultra lightweight and surprisingly cheap.

Admin:

  • Documents: Passport, visas, licences, insurance information, flight tickets, plus copies of important documents in printed and digital formats. Left a few with my dad too.

Misc:

  • Into the bag also goes a mosquito net, travel adaptors, a few snacks, a book (“The Girl on the Train”, which I’ll be happy to trade when finished) and some local currency.

So, I think I’m ready. Now I somehow just need to get to the airport…

 

…Dad?