Visiting Myanmar a country on the cusp of change

 

Picturesque Myanmar viewed from the Irrawaddy.

I wanted to visit Myanmar following the opening up of the country.  Like many travellers I wanted too see and experience the country and its culture before too much touristic development.  What I found was a country with a traumatic history and fascinating culture, a country on the cusp of change.  Following years of cruel military dictatorship there is an air of quiet optimism following the recent election victory of ‘The Lady’ as Aung San Suu Kyi is affectionately called.  When still in opposition as the pro democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2010 gave her blessing to the return of tourism to Burma effectively ending the tourist boycott. The National League for Democracy (NLD) leader U Win Tin said: "We want people to come to Burma, not to help the junta, but to help the people by understanding the situation: political, economic, moral - everything." 

Myanmar is a large country, 676,578 km2 with a population of 55.2 million.  Due to the lack of investment by the military government the countries roads are very poor and its railways reliant on the infrastructure left from British colonial days.  This means internal air flights are the best and quickest way to travel the long distances between key cities and the main sites of cultural and historic interest.

My trip included visits to:

The famous Inle Lake one legged fishermen

Inle Lake

Staying at the town of Nyaung Shwe.  Inle Lake is unique and the way of life of the people living on the lake fascinating.  The locals make a living as fisherman, Inle Lake is home of the famous one legged fishermen, craftsmen, silversmiths and weavers (for example silk made from lotus flowers growing on the lake), or self sufficient farmers growing avocado’s, tomatoes, and flowers amongst other things.  The advocado’s I remember as particularly delicious.  Buildings, houses, schools, shops, are built on stilts above the water and constructed of teak wood and woven bamboo, very ornate.  The locals are incredibly friendly waving from passing boats and shouting hello.  Obviously they have not yet tired of tourist visitors. 

I couldn’t help but seeing a blot on the beautiful landscape.  The development of a luxury holiday resort currently being constructed on the banks of the lake.  Mistakenly, I thought it a quarry initially until informed otherwise by our guide.  The locals fear for the continuing ecology and uniqueness of the lake because for when the resort is completed and filled with tourists there will be more tourist visitors on the lake than there are local people living on the lake.  Those earning their living from the lake are very concerned although of course increasing income from tourists will be welcomed.  A sign of things to come?!  Pollution is already a problem the lake has halved in size in recent years.  I would like to revisit Inle Lake again and spend longer there, hopefully before it changes too much, to fully assimilate and appreciate the areas uniqueness. 

Myanmar's Angor Way.

A boat ride on the Lake to Indein village let’s you visit Myanmar’s Angor Wat, a smaller overgrown and unkept ‘ruined’ pagoda complex to that found in Cambodia.  Built in the 17 and 18 centuries there are around 1,000 stupas in various stated of disrepair and only recently discovered.   Many of the monuments are now being restored and can appear a bit garish.  I preferred wandering among the ruined unrestored stupas complete with overgrown shrubbery, this was by far my favourite area of the complex, authentic and atmospheric.

Kalaw

The market at Kalaw.

Well worth a visit for its market and walking in the hills.  I have never visited Nepal if I had I might not make the comparison but Kalaw put me in mind of what I imagine a Nepalese Himayalan hill town to look like.  Kalaw is appreciably cooler than other parts of Myanmar visited as it is situated in the mountains in the north of the country.  The town was where in colonial times the British encamped to escape the heat of Mandalay and Rangoon during the peak of the heat.  Colonial houses can still be seen in the hills surrounding the town.  The local market is certainly worth a look, I enjoyed watching the locals going about their daily shop. Kalaw is home to an excellent Nepalese restaurant, we ate lunch both days we were there, we had dhall curry, rice and a naan bread for 4,000 Kyat around £2 / $2.90.  We visited at the time of a moon festival a time of much local celebration, colourful processions and fireworks.

 

A view of the temples of Bagan.

Bagan 

Well what words could I possibly use to describe Bagan?  Awesome, spectacular, inspiring, mind blowing.  Only by seeing Bagan could you fully appreciate the sight of it and understand the superlatives that are used to describe it.  I will never forget the first morning of our visit climbing to the top of one temple and at the top being greeted by the view of temples for as far as the eye could see.  What a view! Surely it can only be a matter of time before Bagan is afforded UNESCO world heritage site status.  With over 2,000 temples covering an area of 26 square miles (42 km square), an area equal to the size of Manhattan, many visitors choose to hire motorcycles to tour the area and take in some of the more remote temples which are off the main tourist routes.  Bagan is a must see on any visit to Myanmar.

Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon)

Downtown Yangon.

Yangon is a very busy city, still the industrial and commercial centre of Myanmar if no longer the countries capital city. The downtown area is said to contain the largest number of colonial buildings in south east Asia, somewhat neglected, these buildings are a reminder of Burma’s history under British rule when part of the Empire.   It is probably thanks to the years of Burma’s isolation and the neglect of the military government that these buildings still exist at all.  Traffic is now such a problem in Yangon that motorbikes have been banned from the city’s roads.  Pavements where they exist at all are uneven and have a tendency to just disappear leaving gaping holes and open sewage drains.  You have been warned!  My advice, carry a torch as the city is poorly lit after dark, all part of the visitor experience.

Yangon is home to a number of attractions of interest amongst them, a 70 metre long reclining Buddha, at Chaukhtatgyi Paya, the Buddha’s crown contains hundreds of diamonds and other precious stones. Bogyoke market, better known as Scott’s market, is well worth a visit and an excellent place to buy souvenirs and longyi (the traditional long skirt worn by both men and women).  Afternoon tea at The Strand Hotel was a very civilised and thoroughly enjoyable escape from the heat and hustle and bussle of the city, an oasis of calm .  Opened in 1901 to provide luxury accommodation for traders The Strand may not quite rival Raffles in Singapore for colonial era splendour but it comes close and is well worth seeing.  The Hotel was restored in the 1990’s and it is said Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maughan and George Orwell have stayed at the hotel.

The Shwegagon Pagoda viewed as from my hotel bedroom window.

The jewel in Yangon’s crown has to be the Shwedagon Pagoda which is simply stunning and certainly well worth taking at least a few hours to look around.  The most important shrine in the country the Shwedagon Pagoda is the place which all Burmese Buddhists hope to visit at least once in their lifetime.  Even for none Buddists visiting the Pagoda is quite a moving and spiritual experience.  The one hundred metre high central stupa which is covered in gold leaf (and it is said 4,531 diamonds) is a marvellous sight and can be seen from all over the city.  It dominates the skyline, I could see the stupa from the bedroom window of my hotel. Myanmar’s principle Buddhist shrine, the Shwedagon complex is big and containing many smaller pagodas, shrines and places of worshing.  I found observing the Burmese people worshipping at their holy shrine very moving and affecting.  I could feel the tranquillity and ambience of the place.

On the road to Mandalay.

Mandalay    

On arriving in Mandalay I did not encounter the romantic city of my imagination, hardly surprising as the city is at present one big construction site.  Mandalay is the fastest growing city in south east Asia, its population currently stands at 2 million.  Despite the disruption and all of the building work Mandalay is still worth a visit to see:

The restored Royal Palace, a must for those of us who have read Amitav Ghosh’s novel The Glass Palace.  The palace was all but destroyed by Japanese bombers during World War Two, but it has been restored by the government and shows something of the opulent and privileged lifestyle of the royal family who ruled Burma in pre-colonial days.

Take the time to visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda which houses the biggest book in the world, comprised of 729 marble slabs on which are written the complete Buddist scriptures.

Shanty towns on the banks of the Irrawaddy.

Take a short boat ride across the Irrawaddy (Ayayarwaddy) river, allows you to experience something of life on the banks of the river for the people living in the shanty towns along its banks.  Across the river take the short circular walk through the village of Minyun observing local village life on route to what is left of what would have been the worlds biggest pagoda had King Bodawpaya not died before its completion.  Severly damaged by an earthquake in 1838, it is quite a pile of bricks! 

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Buddhist monks crossing the U.Bien Bridge at sunset.

The U. Bien Bridge is only a short drive from Mandalay.  The bridge is a 1.3 km long footbridge of teak wood which stretches across the Irrawaddy river.  It is worth seeing, much photographed and very beautiful when seen at sunrise and sunset. However, be warned it is a tourist ‘hot’ spot.  On the day we visited it seemed like every tourist in Myanmar was there!  A very commercial tourist experience by Myanmar standards which came as a bit of a surprise and rather spoilt the experience.  Perhaps seeing the bridge at sunrise might have been a better option with fewer tourists and therefore better photo opportunities.  Of course that would necessitate a very early start to the day but it could be well worth it.

The gloriously unspoilt Ngapali Beach

Ngapali Beach 

Lying on the west coast of the Bay of Bengal and the warm Adaman Sea, Ngapali Beach is 4.4 miles of lovely unspoilt beach.  Not amongst the worlds most beautiful beaches, but very pretty, it is wonderfully tranquil and undeveloped, fringed as it is by palm and coconut trees. I found the beach clean and uncrowded, the water warm, clear and inviting.  Ngapali Beach proved the perfect place to relax and chill for a few days having spent two weeks touring the country.  A row of restaurants situated on the beach offer great food, freshly caught fish a speciality, at exceptionally keen prices.  A meal for two, we enjoyed 2 main courses, a side salad and two beers, for only 9,500 kyat (£4.50 / $6.53 approximately). 

I have to mention the Amata Hotel and Spa which was superb.  Aung San Sui Kyi had stayed at the hotel in October 2015 while on the election campaign trail.  The hotel is situated right on the beach, cocktails at the poolside bar at sunset was a highlight.  And it was wonderful to be able to enjoy a stroll along the beach before breakfast and a swim at sunset before cocktails and then head off along the beach again for something to eat.

I am still getting my head around my visit to Myanmar, it is such an interesting country and there was such a lot to absorb.  Myanmar, the poorest country in south east Asia, means living conditions for many are very basic at best. And yet the people a great many of whom have so little materially are spiritually enriched, warm, welcoming, friendly and generous. My visit was a very humbling experience.

As the country is on the cusp of change and developing quickly I would recommend visiting sooner rather than later before its uniqueness is lost in the development and commercialism.

If you would like to know more about Myanmar you can read:

•  Parenteau, John. Prisoner for Peace: Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Democracy. 
•  Stewart, Whitney. Aung San Suu Kyi: Fearless Voice of Burma.
•  Victor, Barbara. The Lady: Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Laureate and Burma's Prisoner.

• The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh, a  historical novel set in Burma, Bengal, India, and Malaya, spanning a century covering the fall of the Konbaung Dynasty in Mandalay, through the Second World War to modern time.

 The Blog's author penned a travelogue of...

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  ...Awe inspiring scenery, memorable experiences and personal challenges. http://ow.ly/PnShi  
  
  Scaling the Dragon's Back was written to raise awareness and continue fundraising for Dementia UK, Admiral Nurses
   

Why do we not give time and respect to our elderly?

Last week I witnessed my elderly mum receive totally inappropriate customer service from a leading bank.  This got me thinking about our attitude to elderly people.  After all an elderly person is someone’s much loved parent or grandparent and we may all get to that age one day if the life cards we were dealt are kind.    

Succinctly, mum was closing one bank account and opening a new account with a different provider. The bank assistant (certainly under 30 years of age), who clearly knew the banks IT system inside out, proceeded to whizz through the screens without stopping to check mum could read the screen display let alone take in the contents of the page.  She talked very quickly, too quickly for mum to understand and mum struggled to grasp all of the information she was being asked to process and take in.  When I requested the bank assistant repeat what she had said and talk more slowly her speech slowed very marginally and began to shout.  My mother is not deaf just a little slower on the uptake these days!  On being asked to repeat information the bank assistant became impatient and was clearly agitated by being asked to repeat her script.  A lot of paperwork, in small print, was generated.  Mum struggles to read the font size and to digest all of the information on the page in the time she was given.  Needless to say all of the paperwork was passed to me to check.  What if I had not accompanied mum?  During the whole appointment, which lasted around 30 minutes, the bank assistant never once asked mum if she had any questions of if she would like to have anything repeated.  When I asked questions of clarification on mums behalf I was made to feel I was being a nuisance, intentional or not!

In dealing with my mum the bank assistant lacked empathy, understanding and consideration, showing a total inability to communicate effectively with mum in an appropriate manner and she remained oblivious to the fact that the interaction was for the most part a one way conversation with little or no input from my mum.  Should this fact not have given the bank assistant a clue that her communication style was not suitable nor indeed appropriate?  The experience was not a good one with the appointment very rushed.  The bank assistant rushed through the process seemingly in a great hurry to have it concluded.  A run of the mill appointment to her was not so to my mum, for whom changing banks after 30+ years was a big deal. Mum was left feeling foolish, inadequate and not a little upset by the experience. 

Why do the young treat the elderly with such a lack of respect?

The World Health Organisation estimates that globally, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 65 and over will, by 2050, outnumber children aged five and under.  According to Age UK, there are nearly 14.7 million over-60s, almost 23% of the population, in the UK.

Senior citizens now make up such a large part of the population and increasingly so, surely organisations customer service training programmes needs to instruct staff how to better deal with the elderly.  The key in this is empathetic treatment allowing more time and checking understanding.  Staff need to be insightful, taking the time to understand the needs and requirements of their elderly customers being more sensitive to their needs. Our elderly deserve to be better treated, staff dealing with the elderly should be encouraged to go the extra mile and to ensure a mutually good experience is the outcome of the meeting / transaction.   

Given our spend consumer society and the much mentioned 'grey purchasing power,’' I am surprised many organisations still appear to give so little thought to not only satisfying but exceeding the expectations of their elderly customers, or potential elderly customers.  Elderly customers have unique needs.  Age UK reports over-65s in the UK spend £2.2billion a week on goods and services.  My mums experience tells me they are not getting proper service.

I am reminded of a very moving and powerful poem about old age which it strikes me could be a useful aide memoir to all staff in organisations who deal with the elderly in our community and not just elderly care.

See Me

What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
Are you thinking, when you look at me –
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with far-away eyes,
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply,
When you say in a loud voice — “I do wish you’d try.”
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe,
Who unresisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill.
Is that what you’re thinking, is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse, you’re looking at ME…
I’ll tell you who I am, as I sit here so still;
As I rise at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of ten with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another,
A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet.
Dreaming that soon now a lover she’ll meet;
A bride soon at twenty — my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep;
At twenty-five now I have young of my own,
Who need me to build a secure, happy home;
A woman of thirty, my young now grow fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last;
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man’s beside me to see I don’t mourn;
At fifty once more babies play ’round my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead,
I look at the future, I shudder with dread,
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I’ve known;
I’m an old woman now and nature is cruel –
‘Tis her jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body is crumbled, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where once I had a heart,
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I’m loving and living life over again,
I think of the years, all too few — gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last –
So I open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
Not a crabby old woman, look closer, nurses — see ME!
This poem was found among the possessions of an elderly lady who died in the geriatric ward of a hospital. No information is available concerning her — who she was or when she died. Reprinted from the “Assessment and Alternatives Help Guide” prepared by the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care.