MYANMAR (BURMA) WITH IRAWADDY RIVER CRUISE 1/9-1/27, 2019
We were looking forward to the Rudyard Kipling Suite (redolent of the glorious colonial imperialist days) 9 days on the Irawaddy Explorer on the way to Mandalay ("where the flying fishes play"). Would this visit to exotic Burma live up to expectations? Yes. And it was to significantly inform preconceptions.
Depart for Thailand Wednesday January 9, 2019.
Ben making me pretty for the Burmese
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10 DAY 2 - Arrive in Bangkok
Welcome to Thailand! Arrive in exotic Bangkok, Thailand's capital city; transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to rest, relax and acclimate to the new time zone
Overnight: Bangkok
On the road to Mandalay where the flying fishes doubtless will play . . . Eventually?
Mantra: nothing is ever ever easy. Add —especially for travelers. Sooo our 6 0’clock pm AA flight to LA is rescheduled to 8 o clock putting us in extreme jeopardy since the layover in LA is now less than 1 and a half hours which the China Southern lady tells me is impossible since the counter closes one hour ahead and . . . Other Chinese riddles. We’re screwed is the translation, I wondering what our cancellation insurance will cover.
However we run to our airport hours ahead (our puckish Uber driver says You’re flying American because you are Americans? “A joke” he finds hilarious).
And yet despite the rules at the biz class desk—after much nervous (us) conferring—our luggage is shipped directly to Bangkok and ticketed to China so it’s going to be us hurtling through space in LAX—no biggee we think—done it before—hurtled.(San Diego security guard wants me to take off my shoes and is incredulous when I say I’m over 75. Yes! I tell Bob it’s my new dye job.) Immediate antitdote is the first class lounge “Airspace” and a vodka called something Eddy. (I remember Crazy Eddy from my youth—advertised appliances I think with mucho gusto—wound up bankrupt but had a cool ride. The ride is all!) I ask the bartender if the vodka’s any good. He says he doesn’t drink. I say start now. Inanity in passing. Can’t tell if it is any good but the desired calming effect works. Om.
A nice gentleman gives us his $20 ticket on his way out so I get another Eddy and double it for 4 bucks more on the gentleman’s ticket. (The pLan is to float like a bee through LAX.) Bob’s chards are complimentary. I ask him what he’s looking forward to on the trip. He says, “getting there”. Amen.
I get Bob to look at this blog (a victory) where I’ve posted a map of our upcoming adventure plus itinerary.
Who knew the commuter flight to LA is only 27 minutes. Accouterments with a Chardonnay; we get to briefly nap.
Lo and behold no problems to get to our gate at the humongous LAX airport. And soon we are in a lounge— the Korean as it turns out which accepts our south China Air biz class. Bob loves the little sandwiches and we are absolutely the only white people in evidence.
Onboard, upstairs with the other big time spenders, we love our pods, one behind the other. I choose to listen to “Cantonese” music, a male singer called Sinner—velvety voice. Conventional western style melodies and arrangements, cheaply produced but he’s growing on me.
Really good movie with Emma Thomson (who could make the telephone book come alive) as a judge deciding life and death cases and Stanley Tucci, her husband. Their troubled relationship and then hers with the young man whose life she saves against the wishes of his Jehovahs’s Witnesses parents. And the Chinese attendants keep feeding us wonderful food as I watch the movie until I can barely breathe. (The cheeses and fruits alone will be dangerous.) That must be what luxury is. A kind of self imposed stylish . . . torture.
I always wanted to see the documentary “Callas” and now I can.Catch it later, the need to sleep overtaking and I lengthen my pod bed, apply the mattress, (Emirates did these things for us) take cover under the quilt and try—fitfully catching 4 hours or so. (There’s a crying baby even here in the adult precinct.) I hear Bob snoring behind me so all seems well in his pod.This is the same new super duper plane as the Emirates one we flew to and from India—no bar alas but bigger bathroom and a setup of bottles on a ledge beckons as I leave it. No taking a swig now.
Catching up Callas. “Destiny is destiny and there’s no way out.” She wanted a traditional female role but . . . Her rift with Bing of the Met. Of her husband, “My fame went to his head”. Of Onassis, “he is the source of life.”
The attendant hands me something. I ask what is it? It looks ominous. She says “a vegetable,” it’s a little crunchy sandwich wrapped in celephane. Inscrutable contents. We must be fed all the time lest we grow restive.
Occasionally Callas or friends speak French but the subtitles are in Chinese. That Voice! The passion. I tear up when she sings Tosca. Her gay fans adored her. Does that phenomenon exist today?
Our January trips allow us to see inflight Oscar favorites we haven’t yet seen. I’ll try, up next, Black Panther. That should get me to Gengchou on the last of our 15 hour leg of the journey. In the end it’s just another expensively made violent comic book movie—ok some black power thrown in. Sexy leads. And not incidentally, intentional or not, a commentary on atrumpism,—unbridled authoritarian ambition, nationalism vs. internationalism. “In times of crisis the wise build bridges, the foolish build barriers.”So I think the cold breakfast of fruit, yogurt, cereal muffin is all I'm getting. Noooo. Excess is a requirement. Next. Quiche, sausage, spinach, potato. More.
The airline chooses pulchritude, M and F, in its crew; in the US it’s hit and miss.
FRIDAY JAN 11.
We're now 2 days ahead and it’s morning.
Gengzhou airport is sleek and beautiful—cleanest bathrooms around with your choice of squat or pedestal toilets (I choose the latter thanks). Lines to get our boarding pass but, relief, we do since it looks like China Southern owns the facility. The China Southern lounge is large and sleek—the buffet full of noodles and dumpling items that we pass on—wouldn’t be a surprise if we get fed on the last leg. Nice bar and though the bartender is out of Chardonnay she does have “monkey boy” which we realize is a respectable “Monterey Bay” Chardonnay.
It looks like we are the only passengers in 1st class. There are 2 other seats in the one row but they are vacant. And we are treated very well in front of a curtain separating us from the ordinary passengers. Interesting reading the English language Chinese newspapers which veer from pandering to China to straightforward reporting. Full of optimism about Sino-US talks. Who knows?
Fairly quick entry. Thailand has its act together as does, and this we count on, Gate 1, from the incredibly efficient woman G1 stations at the airport who whisks us away pushing my suitcase, Bob to scramble behind with his to our van in the parking garage. We’re the exclusive passengers on a 45 minute ride to our hotel, a Ramada by the river. And it’s a nice one.
There we find an aims-to-please Tips (her apt nickname) who takes us in hand, even to helping us upgrade to a river view suite (6000 baht-about $60 more a night and well worth it), walking me to an ATM down the street and booking us the services of two masseuses to come from 3-5 to our suite (they are “professional” Tip says but can’t afford to rent a shop).
After the delightfully gay young front desk man Taro shows us to our suite with its amazing views out over the night market (Ferris wheel to light up at night) and the river and bridge below, rather than seek a nearby restaurant we find ourselves in the hotel restaurant situated by the river. We choose to sit inside—cityscape view on this gray day still available. Reuel seafood stir fry and Bob chicken stir fry—both excellent. Guess who has a vacationer’s blue martini concoction bereft only of a little umbrella and the other a Chardonnay—of course.
Time only to shower before the arrival of the two charming middle aged ladies, laughing and bustling as they prepare our beds, grab towels and what ensues is 2 hours of stretching and pummeling not in the Swedish but definitely in the Thai fashion. Get that blood flowing. At one point one of my bones loudly cracks and we laugh. She does her best with my poor, pained neck—yes it’s an enduring and growing tribulation—and her puzzlement and empathy is clear at my artificial rotator cuff—I attempting to mime an explanation since their vocabulary seems to be limited to “okay”. They seem pleased to receive the 1000 bahts each ($30) for 2 hours of work. (!) For us it’s a welcome antidote to 19 hours of flying and additional hours of rushing through airports, finding lounges, passing through security searches, waiting in custom lines and locating luggage—anxiety.
Despite any evening plans, I’m just too tired to go out and though Bob I guess is disappointed—after finding the packed olives and silver picks and the uncold vodka nestled in its undetectable plastic vessel, I pass out for the night, waking up only to write these notes at 1:30.
FRIDAY, JAN. 11 DAY 3 - Tour of Bangkok
Awake this morning in vibrant Bangkok, a captivating mix of ancient and modern. Meet your local host and fellow travelers for a briefing on the exciting journey that awaits you. Drive through Chinatown and then on to the colorful Indian Market. Visit Wat Po, the oldest and largest temple in the city, with its astonishing giant Reclining Buddha, over 150 feet long and almost 40 feet high. Drive via Royal Avenue, where most of the Government offices are located, and the King’s Palace before returning to your hotelOvernight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast
TAMMY
Hurray, the required full nights sleep accommodation to prior deprivation has occurred. Finding the breakfast restaurant in this sprawling hotel is one of this first morning’s challenges. Once discovered, the awaited huge hotel breakfast buffet does not disappoint; there’s even an entire area for Indian delights should one care to indulge-not. Another challenge is time, in that we get it wrong. By an hour! and wonder why no one of our group is in the lobby for meeting at 9. Finally one does come, Tammy, a delightful breezy Vietnamese American woman from San Jose. We leave a concerned message for Tip and join Tammy for tea and coffee on the riverfront terrace only to realize our watches are 1 hour too robust.
Group going on today’s tour of the city are mostly Asians and a few elderly Caucasian couples.
We see a wedding procession carrying emblems. Bride Mother beseeches groom to be good. Need to pay to enter to see the bride.
Population of Bangkok is 5.5M, add those who come in to work and study, using public boat, bus, it’s 10M. Flat nosed from north of Thailand. You can tell where people are from by their facial features. (Caucasians have trouble with this indicator.)
Take free hotel boat shuttle every 30 minutes; can walk in market area. If take taxi agree on price. "Grab" is the Uber here. Huge biggest in world Chinatown founded 1782, same as Bangkok . Known for gold. Chinese men ask of bride how much gold are you worth. Thai kingdom since 13th c. Then Uritria-14th to 18thc. Fought Burmese. Lost city (island twice. tunnel undid them) so then Moved to Bangkok.
The markets we pass are wholesale. People walk though with trolleys to buy goods to sell in their shops.
Next up is the Indian market (followed by the flower market. Flowers are for offerings.). The old trading area is by the riverbank.
[We’ll walk around the flower market which used to be a vegetable market and then continue to Wat Pho.]
On the Royal Ave. we pass the monument to king Rama 1.
Wat pho was the 1st university in Thailand. History of country inscribed in stone as well as massage technique. World heritage site since 2009. Temple of king Rama 1.
Cloning Buddha is the 3rd largest and most beautiful. Believe there’s a forest between earth and heaven.99 stupas (pagodas) tombs with ashes. 4 main ones. Porcelain decoration added in period of king Rama 3 180 years ago. Chinese influence. Trading-also with India. As long as 1000 years ago.
Thailand is between Indian and Chinese oceans. 5 precepts (Thai Bhuddism stayed in India.) Refrain from killing, stealing, lying, drinking. (The 5th?)
Wat Pho seems like visiting an old friend for us. Why not? The beautiful inlaid stupas, the giant reclining Bhudda—how to take a proper photo?
“Bow bow” is "softer" for the masseuses. Wish I knew that earlier. I will book an appointment for 3 tomorrow. Bob will refrain.
"Non durian" signs: prohibition to prohibit an evil smell that remains in the air conditioner for days.
We order tickets for the "lady boy" review from Tip. 900 baht each.
After our lunch—our trip to recommended Jacks around the corner from the hotel yields needing to sit with Germanic style couple there who are v e r y reluctant to move their seats to accommodate us prompting Bob to insist we leave and instead dine at the hotel—again.
We wind up with a 1200 baht Chardonnay—wine is not the Thai’s thing—as exemplified by the expense of the offerings and today’s search for a wine bucket once the wine is found. Our beef concoction is bland until we add the sauce and spices found on the table.still . . .
My intention to swim post lunch is thwarted by a 2 hour nap—oops there goes resetting and calibrating the biorhythms or something.
We meet Tip in the lobby at 6. There’s another couple, old Asians who barely acknowledge us despite some effort. I opine to Bob that it may be an Asian characteristic of reserve. Doesn’t mean they’re bad people. But. . . Tip walks us along the old road toward the night market—which is only 5 years old and about 15 minutes away from our hotel.
The Asiatique night market is a wonder and a hoot— reminiscent of Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens (where I saw the great Marlene Diedrich “Falling In Love Again”) all magical lights. Here plenty of shops and restaurants—a big former warehouse district located between the main road and the river that runs through the city. Highlights are the Ferris Wheel (which we see from the window of our suite), a charming carousel, a Mui Thai boxing arena (next time), and across from it, Calypso, the lady boy cabaret theatre.
The show, which has been going on for 30 years, is amazing. Beautifully produced. We sit at the top of the cabaret theatre—good rake—which is outfitted with deuce tables. Though it seems forever we get our complimentary gin (?) and tonic—well tonic anyway—drinks during the performance. Boy does it move, and move a huge cast of dancer boys and “girls”. 3-5 minute dance and lip sinc spectacles fill the stage. The lady boys (a term I learned from our deceased friend Danny who one day wanted to but never got to live in his beloved Thailand) are a marvel—beautifully expressing with every gesture an idea of sexy femininity as the troupe kinetically and athletically fills the stage and takes us around the world (a unifying notion that comes and goes). Great fun. Almost worth the trip to Thailand. And we stop to take a photo with a lady boy—not the prettiest of the lot but it’s the idea.
It’s 9 o’clock so we’d better get something to eat and after wandering around the bustling market find a restaurant that serves Bob a pizza and me a not bad pork barbecue—pretty good live music and a cute kid dangerously waving his balloon here and there to everyone’s merriment.
Late night stroll back to our hotel—no need for tuk tuk or taxi.
SATURDAY, JAN. 12 A full day at leisure to discover this endlessly fascinating city on your own. Or, join the optional morning tour to Wat Phra Kaew, known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the elaborate 18th century Grand Palace, symbolic heart of the kingdom - together they form the most impressive sights in Bangkok. This evening, you can see Bangkok at night on the optional Chao Phraya River Cruise that includes an international buffet dinner and "live" music. See the glittering lights as you sail past the Royal Navy Fort, the Grand Palace and many other beautiful temples magnificently illuminated
Optional: Half Day Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha (AM)
Optional: Chaophya River Cruise with Dinner (PM)
Overnight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast
Of the late breakfast by the river, one of us takes advantage of the variety offered—there’s India and Asia food islands so I get to eat lots of sushi (yum) and a pad Thai (I think) and a passion fruit plus the usual omelette and croissant. (A boy needs fortification.)
Well how shall we spend the day? It’s all ours since we’ve passed on the optional tours we’ve taken before.
But before we return to our room/s to make that weighty decision we must pass the wonderful purple water pool that fascinates Bob (it’s the purple tiles), Reuel suggests Bloody Mary’s (purple has that effect) poolside and the sweet life little servers soon oblige. Spicy of course but it’s Thailand. “This is very nice", says Bob."Let’s get snonkered before brunch.” I’m not sure brunch is in the offing but a lot of energy is surely dissipating inside a pair of bar glasses.
However back in the suite we, free of the tour formalities, bestir ourselves to begin our exploration of Bangkok. Not sure of how to do that though I’d been googling Jim Thompson and his house museum and think it a worthy goal. A rush to the concierge downstairs for a shuttle boat pass (not really necessary) and a race to the hotel’s pier for the 11:30 boat which as luck has it leaves late, the driver and his companion (who will eat his unappetizing looking lunch throughout) have been loligagging.Kinda neat this complementary cruise to Saphan Taksim—seeing the skyline from that vantage and the other boats and barges on the river—where we can either take another boat shuttle to a big shopping center, Icon Siam, that’s very exotic (nah) or take the sky train to—as we discover it’s the final stop on our line—the National Stadium where they say the Jim Thompson house resides. This takes much intense concentration on the sky train filled with people who look like they know where they’re going, peering at the map and asking Thais in slow English where’s this cockamamie place.
Once at the station we have a bit of a walk up an unpreposessing road. (Later to learn Thompson decided to live near the people who could make his fabrics.)
I call Tip. There’s no way I will make my scheduled massage at 3; don’t need the pressure, the psychological pressure; my paining neck may need the physical pressure. Oh well. Choices.
Once at the house:museum which is actually a fabulously curated tour destination and quite a worthy coda to our visit to Bangkok—Thailand as seen through the eyes of an artistic man who fell in love with this country and helped it achieve economically through his development of the silk industry here. (I think he must have been gay. So there.)
Waiting for our tour at the Jim Thompson house and museum to begin. We are about to see gorgeous Eastern furniture and art in the houses, many of those houses which Thompson brought over from elsewhere.
He was born in 1906, OSS in 1st WW. Houses finished in '57. Disappeared in '67. We see the fabric block. Moved house to be closer to silk makers. There are little spirit houses for worshiping (we saw these also in Indonesia). Everlasting flower lasts 3 months used for worship and decoration. Purple and white. Siam changed to Thailand in 1939. Guest room. In traditional Thai houses no toilet inside. Little cat toilet for boys who don’t want to go outside. Mouse houses endlessly fascinating for watching mice run from room to room.
In the eponymous fine dining restaurant Bob orders the gourmet Parisian sandwich (grilled ham and cheese) —I notice that the guides conduct tours only in English and French—I on the other hand have a Thai dish starter—spring rolls with chicken--we say we are not hungry. The wine a Chandon Chardonnay is very expensive—buttery.
I like the decor, especially the mirror over the dining table—a good home decor idea for us? Maybe?
As it was last night it’s the dipping sauces that make the dish.
And to our rescue—must we face sky train and boat once again, not terrible but why—is Oscar an old fellow who expresses empathy when we are having trouble getting into his contraption of a tuk tuk—400 baht ($12) is the agreed upon price as he examines his map looking for our hotel Ramada Menan Riverside with pretended bravado—we decide to go for the adventure and adventure it is, hurtling through Bangkok byways in his confessed “open air” vehicle. Then stopping at a store that he’d promised would yield T-shirts “cheap cheap” only to find it is a custom suit maker who opens his book of expensive styles to us. No matter Oscar confesses that so long as we stopped there he gets “free gasoline”. I note to Bob that though these Thai people are lovely, they are “gonifs” (thieves). But shortly after and to our surprise surprise Oscar delivers us to our hotel.
Nap time back home to discover, upon awakening, "Master Chef Junior" on one of the suite's Telly’s. It’s mesmerizing. The kids are so preternaturally cute and talented. Have we found a future guilty pleasure.
But we’ve got to check out and pack and prepare to arise much too early for the journey to Myanmar ahead.
A break after checking out (paying the bill for extras) to take in the magnificence of this place at night, the lighted trees and the view along the river. Goodnight. Wake up call is 4 am.
SUNDAY, JAN 13
Transfer to the Bangkok Airport, for your flight to Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the dynamic capital of Myanmar (Burma), the mysterious country that everyone is waiting to discover. Upon arrival, you’ll immediately view the astonishing panorama of some of the most impressive pagodas in the country. Meet your Tour Manager, transfer to your hotel. Yangon is a melting pot city of British, Burmese, Chinese and Indian cultures, and where contemporary and colonial Myanmar continues to coexist. The remainder of the day is at leisure
Overnight: Yangon
Meals: Breakfast
Brring! It’s a wake up call at 4 am for our Bangkok exit to an early flight to Yangon (Rangoon to us colonialists). As I snuggle next to Bob, two old people somewhere in the world, he whispers “Travel may be good for the soul but it’s hard on the body.”
Kerfuffle with the luggage which they have to unload so we can check our pieces—before we enter the bus. Tip tells us that we’ll be flying Bangkok Air. Pg701.
She tells us health care is free and then some inanities follow in an attempt to keep us awake on this 45 minute foggy ride to the airport. Such as this factoid: Workers at the airport leave at 5 am to avoid hours of waiting in traffic.
The usual much rigamarole ensues, baggage, boarding passes, inspections, stamps, lines, take off your shoes, all matter that encumbers you, be pure and acceptable, signs some decipherable, all pointing, finally the gate where all the seats bear the sign “priority” with stick figure illustrations of the infirm, nursing mothers, etc., no category we cop to (though the infirm club might accept my membership). “I guess we’re supposed to stand,” I tell Bob. We don’t. Gate 1’s excess of caution always gets us rather too early to these coming and going events. Up at 4 for an 8:30 departure? Oy.
But we do get to meet and chat with some of our new compadres. Some very sweet people, 2 couples from Omaha. I ask Sharon, one of the women, which area is poshest hers or her friends (pernicious guy Reuel) and she says nowhere, but we’re good people, very accepting. Wink. Wink. [Alas she will trip and require surgery shortly thereafter and after care in a hospital will fly home. Potential perils of travel.]Onboard, we wait to be aloft for an hour, nap time. Breakfast is good and welcome after our meager 5 am box breaksnack on the bus.
Lennie the guide who is the local manager says we’re especially welcome inasmuch as tourism is down because of the “fake news” about Burma’s politics.
135 tribes. Bahma is biggest tribe. Karen tribe. Chin is hill station near India. Mon live in lower Burma.
Where we are going is called Region—4 regions for Burmese. All inclusive is Myanmar. Burma is not the major tribe. Military won’t change so just changed the name. As Rangoon is called Yangon.
The male skirt is tubular “longee” — Bagan is first of Burma. Lennie has 2 sons also tour guides. 36 of us all together on the cruise.
All Burmese under the iron boots of the military. In history Americans are venerated because we’re witness to the life death protests against the military.. I’m in awe of Lennies frankness.
[Baggage out 6. Out 6:30. 7 hour drive to ship. Arrive 1-1:30 for Lunch on the ship.]
Gorgeous huge hotel on a lake. Very up to the minute. Feels almost untouched. I request from Lenny a lake view room and though he returns from the front desk to report that it is, we’ve only a side view. Note to self: arrange upgrades yourself. Nevertheless attractive room with a decent view and we’re only here one night.
Our usual default. In the hotel main restaurant. My Nasi Goren is excellent. Spiced fried rice with complications and that fried egg atop plus chicken satays accompanied by shrimp crackers. Bob has a Thai meat dish beef masserman with rice and various spices including peanut sauce to be added. Bottle mediocre but nevertheless costly chard. All accompanied by Bob’s lower back pain and my neck pain—this time topped with debilitating painful spasms. Ai yai.I have a 3 pm appointment for a neck back massage 1/2 hour at $50. She’s a bit rough and I don’t feel satisfied—compare to the Thai 2 hour fulll body massage for $30. But I take the opportunity of being in the fitness complex at ground level to swim in the outdoor pool— trying to avoid the kids and parents fooling around until I take to the giant indoor pool with only one unrelenting woman doing aggressive laps. Then to the giant men’s spa where I use the pool sized jacuzzi and then the icy plunge tub. After that dream and sauna, it’s cocktail time.
We take a whirl about the hotel starting at the top floor where I noticed a lounge earlier. Stocked with a buffet sufficient for dinner and stocked bar but at $25 per for Deluxe guests in an empty lounge we pass, as we do the Chinese restaurant with its view over the city, and the lobby bar in favor of home grown martinis and—true to form—share a club sandwich—rating a gentlemen’s C—and a bottle of Australian cab. I guess they’ve been burned but they won’t accept credit card or billing to the room.
Nighty night.
MONDAY, JAN 14
As your journey on the Irrawaddy River begins, a morning scenic drive takes you to Pyay, (formerly Prome), controlled by the Mon Tribe during the Bagan Era and then conquered by Burmese King Alaungpaya in 1754. En route, an informative lecture introduces you to Pyay and the banks of the Irrawaddy. After embarkation on the deluxe RV Irrawaddy Explorer, you’ll be warmly welcomed by the friendly crew before sharing a buffet lunch of local favorites. Time to relax before the afternoon excursion to Thayekhittaya (Sri-Ksetra), the "Fabulous City", designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Later, visit the impressive 2500-year-old Shwesandaw Pagoda, an incredible array of golden stupas, serene Buddhas and intricate mythical beasts - its spires are the heart of the city. On board tonight, a Welcome Reception and Dinner to follow
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
TUESDAY, JAN 15
A horse cart transports you this morning to the charming colonial town of Thayetmyo that once guarded the border between Royal Myanmar and British Myanmar. Outside the town is the oldest golf course in Myanmar used by the British – you can try your swing at the first hole! Then, continue to the bustling local covered market and drive past colonial homes that were constructed during the British colonization of Burma. Return to the ship in time for lunch and an afternoon of relaxation and panoramic scenery on board
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
On the road again after the all-too familiar hustle of quick-packing and exiting a hotel, pausing to gobble down some morsels from the inevitably enormous buffet. Heading to Prom where the ship awaits.
Burma fought British under father of San San Su. British occupied half of the country. Lennie can’t talk politics or he’ll be jailed he says. Rangoon known for its colonial British architecture.
Our bus stops to get flowers from. a woman at the side of the road which the assistant places above the rearview mirror. Stop to see a war cemetery.
"Mingalabar" is a greeting (mingle at bar) "Jezubar" is thank you
Myanmar Shares Borders with Laos, and Thailand; golden triangle. Amphetimines drugs also border with China and India.
Food influences from India. Curries and pastes. To north jade mountains. best rubies and sapphires; major revenue oil and gas.
We’re in the cool season now. June on is monsoons. 3 crops grown per year. Summer rice patty (irrigated) and monsoon season rice patty. Burmese have enough food and are content. No decent retirement but take care of their elders. Low salaries. Teachers make $250 per month.
On the roadside tin roof shacks.
An experience, around 11 we stop off at a roadside place and Bob and I share a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It’s delicious and fun to eat with chopsticks and spoon; you sort of suck it up. Lennie says that’s the way the locals eat.
Our bus assistant has the name of Moon, 20 years old. Tip Burmese or US$. Driver 2$ Assistant per day. Local transport $1 pp. Cruise can tip with cash or cc. Lennie is separate.
Teak trees. Yangon region is wet, fertile—good farming.
We will go ashore for the tour from Prome. We will visit a 2000 yr old civilization. Museum will show 500 BC-700 AD. Then to the pagoda. Here is the first civilization of Burma. Led to Bagan. 2nd civilization. 13th c invasion by Mongols. Prome (Pya) to Bagan to Awa to Mandaly.
And there’s our ship. Not too soon. My neck is killing me. Will I survive this? I’m sure the bumps and vibrations of the bus don’t help. Inside it’s lovely, gleaming dark woods, charm abounds. But first we must take off our shoes which some of the 34 crew help us with—we’re only 30 passengers. Great ratio—allowing them to file in a line to greet us every time we enter or leave the ship.
Lunch is a buffet—plenty of choices and time to reserve with the nerdy ship manager a massage tomorrow at 1 and at 30% discount. Barely time to unpack before the tour—that will mostly occur later—that’s Bobs task while I nurse the damnable neck and mine is to pour the martinis.
Prome a major trade center between China and India. 2k years ago. When the British took over in 1912 discovered sandstone burial ground. City gate surrounded by moats. 9 of 12.city gates discovered.
Oldest primate found here — older than Lucy.
Burmese traditionally believe in animism. Skri Kswrta means glorious city. Round shaped city wall. Meant that it was older than the square. This one is the biggest in Asia with the biggest ancient stupa.
Iron nails as taboo forged in a kind of natural foundry. Also could make glaze. 22 musical instruments.
We see the prototype stupa, the great grandfather of stupas. 6-7th c. Inside is Bhudda’s big toenail of his right foot.
Why 3 steps leading up to the big egg stupa? Each for the Attachment on nonexistent, existence and pleasant feelings—pleasure. As long as we attach we go on— if have desire. The stupa is In the shape of a bronze Bell as if to announce to the world achievement. “Shui” is gold—use for something or someone loved.
At the cocktail party. We sit by ourselves in the gorgeous “writer’s room” cocktail lounge. Complimentary imaginative cocktails are served. Looks like that will be a daily ritual. Info passed along. We learn that The Irrawaddy Explorer surprisingly was built in 2014 though it looks right out of the 30’s.
There’s a rush to find a table for two—beaten by Marc (of Marc and Sheri) for the one available though I have the lads make up another in the corner.
Bottle of wine. Food gets a c+ to B- but there are many days ahead.
WEDNESDAY JAN 16
This morning venture out into the district capital city of Magwe aboard trishaws (three wheeled bicycle where one person sits alongside the driver). Take a ride through the city to the vibrant local market. This is a great place to experience the local life. Spend some time to explore and shop at the market. Afterward, board your trishaws and head back to the river for a visit to Mya Tha Lun pagoda, a beautifully gilded stupa, built in 1929. The pagoda made of gold solid bricks is set on a hilltop with a beautiful panoramic vantage point. Return back to the ship and sail the rest of the day
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
I’m nuts for noodle soup. This morning’s is coconut noodle. Delicious.
Border town British and east India government made it so; suggestive of mid 19th c. 15k pop. Visiting local market.
People buy gold . Self reliant. They don’t know why or how they die [provocative phrase]— health care bad. In market beetle nut for chewing. On to the rice patty warehouse. Whole aisle of fish paste: smelly.
60 kinds of rice. 5 in family can eat 1 kg a day of rice. People come to market every day because no refrigerators.
Coconuts have stamps for Bhudda”s protection. Broken stamp—don’t buy.
Thayet golf club. Expecting colonial splendor not this ragtag place. The club does boast a 100 year old rain tree table top. Ahem. Greens fees $3.
Back well in time for lunch. We have a “French Chardonnay”. The main course selection is beef ribs. I have an Asian soup—good—and a Bok Choy dish souffléd with this and that in a pan. Nice. Then a selection of fruits and cheeses which we share.
Thaw Thaw, one of the 2 masseuses, gives a lovely massage. I’m not cured, still have The Pain but I mostly enjoyed the massage, offering a big contrast to my earlier Burmese pounding.
And later in the afternoon, after a variety of sunning on the sun deck, the lecture of the day:
Longyi by male is Paso. For men never a solid color. Cotton. But individuals keep a pair of silk longyis for special occasions. Can buy ready made. Tubular (that’s convenient).
70% of the population are farmers—wear shortened longyi. Ancient times. Commoners couldn’t wear silk. Make the makeup thing (thenaka) from a tree 5-10 years old. If bark thick—good quality. Since 16th c. Sunblock and anti-aging qualities. Demonstrating: Rub the bark of the tree piece on a grindstone.
Excellent presentation from young guide Zar and his sexy assistant. The Drink of the day at cocktail hour is “River water”. Well named though the straw is cute.
Tomorrow—town famous for petroleum production. Tammy joins us, complains about the paucity of liquor in the fancy drink and then John also of the Asian clique of friends.. Though he has a wife, the chatty lady, he seems to have something for Tammy. There are undercurrents. Also he seems condescending to us. Do I detect a kind of Vietnamese resentment that pervades the air. At our table for two during dinner I take the delightful pleasure of engaging in the kind of speculating and psychoanalyzing that goes so well with spicy Asian food.
I have a squid salad—"next"—Bob passionfruit. "Works". Our chickpea soup hits the spot. My fish platter plate is well plated. I guess I would have preferred Bob’s lasagna (which he avers was the kind not made by an Italian; in this case an Asian) though the yellow sauce helps.
Dessert: Bob has strawberry ice cream and I have a nice apple cake with ice cream - Followed by a Remy Martin. Ahh.
THURSDAY, JAN 17
Sail downstream today to the Bagan-era village of Salay, an active religious center founded in the 13th century with its over 50 impressive teak monasteries and untouched British colonial buildings. Visit the huge Youqson Kyaung wooden monastery designed as a replica of the Crown Prince House in Mandalay with its intricate exterior carvings depicting 19th century court life and scenes from Buddha's past lives. Continue past some interesting Bagan-era monuments, visiting Mann Paya, a pagoda with a beautiful lacquerware Buddha. Return to the ship for lunch on board. This afternoon, embark on an excursion to one of the most incredible areas of Myanmar: Bagan. Once the center of the Pagan Empire, Bagan today is a tourist, artist, and archaeological mecca. Begin the tour with the massive Htilominlo Temple, built by King Htilominlo on the site where he was selected as the next king. While the murals that once decorated much of the inside of this temple have only survived on the ceilings, Htilominlo boasts the finest plaster carvings which still remain undamaged on the arch pediments. A visit to Bagan would not be complete without exploring one of its most famous temples, Ananda. Built in 1105 AD during King Kyanzittha’s reign, it is one of the largest and best preserved Buddhist temples in Bagan. Explore the cruciform of the temple, with four standing Buddhas facing north, south, east, and west
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
I arise with some trepidation at the prospect of today’s trishaw excursion through Magwe. My neck pain is becoming increasingly problematic and the bumpy . . . Well we’ll see. I must explore the world. After I’m dead dead people will tour the moon and the stars but at least much of this earth avails itself now in this man’s life.
This mornings noodle soup is absolutely delicious as Tammy promises; she advisor on all cuisine Asian.
Loving the privilege of being on this beautiful vessel, the charm of it, being in this part of the world, discovering something of its essence.
And there appear 32 trishaws with their drivers. We are given instructions on how to get on and off the contraption as we sit by our individual drivers.Magee is capitol. Lots of dried fish which Burmese and Vietnamese like. Oh the fun of passing by the great variety of booths selling all manner of goods, fruits, vegetables, dried fish, machetes, and aha the clothes permitting me, thanks to our guide Lennie’s help, to buy two longyis (male dresses) and a white high button collar shirt.After many minutes of traversing the huge market and negotiating the purchase of essential goods, our trishaws are there to meet us.
My Drivers name is Aw.(That’s what it sounds like.) And he like the other 31 drivers works hard, at one point pushing the bike up an incline as we approach the pagoda complex, which we will discover is part of a beautiful complex of gorgeous golden structures. Locals going about their lives along the street smile and wave to us. They don’t hate us! That’s a relief.
2 ogres at entrance. Not legendary from an anthropological point of view. Brothers. Hunters. Individualists. Serve Bhudda. Consequently they become more cultured and build a monument in memory of Bhudda. They become humans in incarnation.
Here can get beef curry, beefsteak. Two lions guardians of temple.
n the bridge murals representing symbolic dreams. Sort of domestic soap opera stories. It’s not a tourist place. Burmese come here, bring mats and stay overnight in surrounding huts. As in the past they learn from the allegorical stories depicted in the bridge and along the many steps up to the monastery.
Most Burmese don’t have electricity. . . . The big pagoda is 1000 years old (in the Bagan period).
Here, again with the help of Lennie, I add a brass dinner bell and its implement to my new treasures. This after we’ve tested the tones of several bells. Great fun.
In time for lunch, glass of complimentary red wine, cauliflower soup, tamarind fish, teriyaki chicken, salad--and I thought ha I’d just pick because I’ve a massage in a half hour. Oh well voluptuaries will pay their price.
Lennie, our tour leader (there are 2 on the boat, Zaw the other) joins us—an advantage of sitting at a table for four. As he eats his dessert I pelt him (gently mind you) with questions. We discover:
He’s been a guide for 13 years, 5 with Gate 1 which will cease operation in Burma next year. He agrees when I say it might be the political situation to blame. (He will lose his job and will need to find other tour agencies to represent.) I ask about his earlier comment that our awareness of the political situation is “fake news”. He says the Burmese are poor and greatly unemployed; consequently they see the Muslim immigrants as an economic threat. The government is completely corrupt so the Muslims can come in with bribes. Also they find the Burmese tolerant (a contradiction?) and accepting. He rejects the notion that the Rohinga are being eliminated; his view is that they are militant and attack the Burmese. Hmm.
As to Trump, he says the Burmese love him as they do all American presidents because they are in need of a leader, especially one who espouses resistance to immigration. Furthermore an American president is “King of the world” and the only one (looks like he’s into the strong man theory of government) who can deal with China’s killing trade policies which Burma suffers under. “The Chinese are only interested in money.” He says Burmese are like Americans—pragmatic. . . . They “forget” easily.
As to attitudes toward LGBT (my inevitable question for tour leaders around the world), he sees gays as of the elite in society, in the universities, in the arts. After all, the women love them because they do their hair and men see them as “soft” and though they make fun of “them” they are tolerated. In the villages gays are regarded as “cuties”. "Very interesting", I reply. Ahem.
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| Thaw Thaw |
Fully pummeled (I mean massaged) I take a few moments of sun on the sun deck and after reuniting with Bob in the suite (at our upgrade rate I’m not calling it a “room”—ok cabin) to resume sunning on our balcony.
Upstairs for a film on the life of the Buddha (with a couple of glasses of Chardonnay). Founded first world religion. Buddhism has no single god. Almost an alternative to religion. Way of dealing with the problems of life.
Bhuddism died out and was lost until British archaeologists discovered sites identified with Bhudda in the 1860’s, and later proof that he actually existed in India. 2 1/2 K years ago. Father was elected king. Mother dreamed a Bhudda would be born to her. Boy named Siddharta, mother died shortly after birth. Father tried to prevent son from religious feelings. Sidharta excelled in sports but more interested in existential questions.
Learned from observing real life that everything is connected.
Father felt that Brahmanism was being thwarted (all power and knowledge handed down to Brahman sons.) and Sidharta would choose the wrong path. Tried to have him seduced by palace life. Allowed to leave palace on trips. Saw old man—learned of aging. Saw suffering. Sick man. Learned all can be sick. Saw corpse. Inevitability of death. Allegory: impact these facts of life must have on us.
Sidharta left home to find answers to life’s suffering. Disagreed with Brahmans. How u act is what gives u credibility. Sought meditation. 2 kinds. But explored other techniques, eg harsh esceticism. Shed attachment to body. Almost died. No point. Followers abandoned him. He sought compromise. State of tuneful harmony. Enlightenment. Sat beneath a tree until he achieved enlightenment. Breathing. Could enter darkest reaches of the unconscious. Faced psychological forces attacking him (Mara). Turned them into lotus blossoms.
This demon king—death and desire—thwarted in his attempts to seduce Sidharta. Sidharta, now 35, became Bhudda, the enlightened one. Highly attuned state. If remove desire can remove suffering . Now Bhuddism has 400 million followers today.
Truths. Suffering. Cause=desire. Cure. Prescription: Monks chant his sacred words. Be ever mindful. Practice mindfulness.
Pillars: Morality, meditation, wisdom, not tell lies, no sexual misconduct. Went back to family. King understood importance of his son’s quest. Then Bhudda set out to teach for 40 years. Taught son to become monk. Monks are celibate. Commit mantras to memory. Lay people can also do it within society. Bhudda wished to be remembered as a human being. Had back pain! Died at 80.
200 years later India’s first king, Ashoka, built temples to Bhudda. Irony person who preached against personality cult became the object of it.
Lenni: Burma is Bhuddist. Says Bhuddism originated here. Here Bhuddism different than elsewhere. Southern Bhuddism practiced in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia.
Northern Bhuddism. Dalai looking for a lama. Here only recognize wisdom not a person. Here most senior monks valued. Teravada. Following the senior. Northern Bhuddism: Reincarnation. Soul permanent. Here nothing is permanent. Analogy of candles. New lighted by old one. Without old soul can’t get a new one. Desire makes a life. Laws of karma—attachment. Also action always has a reaction.
Who can explain why he as Burmese is poor we as Americans are rich? Bhuddhism is not a religion because its believers don’t believe in god. Forget past and future, truly live the present. We grab the non existent=future not awareness. Live with nature with awareness and appreciation.
Cocktails. With Talk. Tomorrow: walk through the town, monastery and village. Lots of colonial buildings.
Din din. Burmese rice pancakes. Good. Hot pot soup. “Full of stuff” says Bob. It’s verry good. Bob--Egg fried rice essentially. “The chef took the night off.” Reuel--A mutton and rice something. Not bad.
FRIDAY, JAN 18
A truly extraordinary day as you arrive in Bagan, the country's spiritual center and one of the largest and most unforgettable archaeological sites in the world. Over 2,000 pagodas, stupas, and temples dot the golden plains of the city - an astonishing sight to behold. Travel to Htilominlo, to see a demonstration of sand art. Next, visit the magnificent Ananda temple, a whitewashed masterpiece that houses four standing Buddhas. Continue to Dhammayangyi, Bagan's largest temple, built during the reign of King Narathu. After leisure time and lunch on board, visit a traditional lacquerware workshop to observe the time-consuming process of handmade lacquer products. Next, explore the 13th century cave temple of Gubyaukgyi with its Indian-style spire, beautiful murals and carvings. Then, proceed to the last temple of the day, Shwe San Daw. Ascend to the top for extraordinary sunset views over the Bagan plains before returning to the ship for dinner. Entertainment on board this evening is a special performance of the celebrated Myanmar Puppets
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This village became boom town in 19th c oil. Wealthy colonial era buildings. Pop 7000. Many moneststaries,
Tin roofs. Hits. Rise early. Take Siestas.
We see the Bhudda that was floated down the river. I get a picture of its interior by lying underneath it. At the archaeological museum one monk lives in the complex.
Peanut oil factory. I buy an amount which pours into a bottle for 2K. Supposed to help with knee and back pain. I’m there. I tell some guys who ask what it is, that’s for people might happen t be arthritic. Say I took a swig and few fabulous now.
King who built this pagoda introduced pure Bhuddism. All the kings had a white elephant. Put Bhudda replica on the four note elephants. Where they stopped he built a pagoda. 11gh c. Put replica inside. People believe dreams would come true if visited pagoda. Climbed steps up—we used an elevator.
Families drill 900 ft. Extract 20 barrels a day. Villages take turns farming the land. Look for a tree to find a spot to drill. Major business for the villages. Sell the crude oil to the refiners. Use boat. Families share.
Recovered in gold every 3 years.There’s a tooth relic replica. Real ones are in Sri Lanka and China.
This is Semi-desert. Monasteries are always near a pagoda
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Nuns out for a walk and bucks. |
Pali language. Lower classes used it. Sanskrit for upper classes in antiquity. Today monks maintain the language. Young men got tattoos on their thighs. Ceremony. In 17-19th c.
Precepts. Before build a pagoda—discuss first. Can’t rebuild. Divorce easy here. 50/50. Unless spouse cheats.
Hierarchy: Buddha, Buddha’s teaching, monks, parents, teachers. Teachers are venerated.
We see a nun chanting.
Cocktails. We pass on the drink of the day, River something, whisky and eggs ugh. Gray goose over ice thank you, horsdeuvres include taro, a kind of paste meatball. And a cheese and grape combo which the server pronounces as cheese and gravy. A heavy hand does not pour here—so another vodka if you please.
Lecture tomorrow. Bagan. To watchtower. Over 3000 pagodas in the area. Ceremonial oxen cart. 25 minutes. Pagoda built in 23thc. Inside pagoda complex a market. 30 minutes. Then Ananda temple 11th c. We’re in time for the once a year pagoda festival.
Back for lunch.
3: lacquer factory. (Only 3 in this country where lacquer is produced). 40 minutes.
12th c painting in cave temple and Burmese Rosetta Stone. Sunset.
6:40-7:30 cocktails. Then dinner.
Neat little spicy chicken salad appetizer, Burmese carrot orange soup quite good, in fact delicious. And then the mains, Bob’s Kyaw yellow split pea pancake— he dislikes. “A mistake”. My grilled sea bass fillet is delicious.
SATURDAY, JAN 19
Today's exploration of Bagan begins at the bustling Nyaung-U morning market; see the daily life of the country, as people shop and bargain for food and wares at the colorful stalls. Next, explore the gilded Shwezigon Pagoda, one of the oldest and most impressive monuments in Bagan. This religious site dates to the reign of King Anawrahta, founder of the Bagan Kingdom. Afterward, return back to the ship and set sail for Hnaw Kone, a typical, rural, river village. Upon arrival, embark on a walking tour. Stop to see the local handicraft of bamboo cane basket weaving. Watch the villagers as they expertly split bamboo and skillfully weave the strands into baskets or larger panels for building homes
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
SATURDAY JANUARY 18.
Open the curtains at sunrise and there are our crew readying the gangway in place as locals wash clothes and go through their morning ablutions, bathing, washing hair, brushing teeth in the river along the bank below alongside bobbing rowboats. It’s quite a sight. Not San Diego, not New York, certainly not Palm Springs or any of the places we’ve called home.“Sort of fun being pulled up by moderately burlymen “ says Bob as we ascend the bank to our bus with the assistance of the phalanx of crew strategically lined up along the sandy hill to help us.
Moo Moo offers me a Bagan T-shirt. “Maybe later?”
As I take a photo of the poor villagers squatting in front of their huts, I hear of one of our number saying they don’t yet know to ask for a dollar for a photo. I think, then I’d be out a hundred bucks.
The vendors in great number surround our bus, much miming of dollar numbers.
Then most amazing of all is the view from the Watchtower , a silo shaped anomaly on the landscape dotted with hundreds, they say thousands of odd structures, stupas mostly. We circle the parapet taking in the extraordinary scene—one of the wonders of the world, much-traveled mark informs me.
Here I learn from Lennie that Our puppet zawgyi is an alchemist who can cure ills and can make you wealthy “a kind of extraordinary guy”
I finally give in and by a tapestry of the birds of Bagan from MiMin, Moo Moo’s equally insistent brother.
Passing the monastary. Types
Stupa solid. Temple pagoda 4 entrances. Monastary square. Library. Ordination hall. All Scattered around 25 sq miles
Oxen cart for wedding ceremonies or for monks to be ordained . For us it’s another bumpy ride past stupas.
30 years ago people lived among the pagoda in the old Bagan area. Forced to move by the government. Still farm he without much rain. Beans, corn, not rice.
We get the premiere cart (afterwards Mark questions how that happened—I say Bobs theory is that’s because he’s very old.) The oxen In front of us are inches from our crotches and I swear one has a serious sinus condition. I try to fend off the terrible spasms in my neck from the inevitable bumps in the 1/2 hour journey around numerous stupas by applying pressure to the vein below my ears.
Earthquake affected the pagodas. Brick replacements in 1975. Colonial period people stole looking for gold and jewelry,
Onboard after running the gamit of vendors Tammy says too many vendors. I tell her I just say No wife. She says, “I should say no husband . . . No boyfriend.” Hmm. Bob says the crush of vendors surrounding us and making imprecations to us even after we are on the bus is reminiscent of Suddenly Last Summer.
PROOF: TEMPLES TEMPLES EVERYWHERE.
To lo melo or something is the next temple reached by bus. 1000 year old mural painting and 500 telling the story of the temple. Burma richest in recorded history in Asia.
At the lacquer factory, Technique to make sand paper. Cotton cloth plus glue. River sand. Glue over cloth.
Story of king and pus finger promise and son that got to be king.
Oh oh I buy some elephan pants. For lounging and Zumba. Pretty. I’m thrilled. 18K for both. Later I will buy 2 more from another persistent vendor.
Ananda born same time as Bhudda. We next visit his temple. Represents 11th c people in the sculptures and carvings and the Bhudda.
Marco Polo came to Burma. Western architecture represented. Most beautiful temple. 2-cross plan. 4 entrances. 31 foot tall Buddha carved from 1 piece of wood. We see 4 gigantic Bhuddas 2 of which are originals—teakwood.
Bagan. Since 2nd c bc. 55 kings since. Height 11thc. Lost power free 13thc.
New Bagan. 2500 families. Tourism. 5000 rooms available. Lacquerware 5 countries. Bagan’s is unique. Her Bagan House.
Next to the c temple.
Made from bamboo. Don’t use glue just twine it. Lacquer tree found in high elevation.
Cover with cotton. 8 layers 8 weeks to dry.
Pleased. E box 10 little lacquer boxes for gifts @$3 per and a colorful ogre mask for our mask collection.. the mask started out at $150, then $100, the next $98, then $85 and we got the boxes free. whooper. [note: This is the mask that was stolen after we got home by a plumber during the re-piping of our condo building. So sad.]
Looking at my puppet, the sorcerer ( I’ll find out more about him) looking at me as he sits on his (formerly Bob’s) chair. He’s looking forward to this busy touring day (getting creepy here) or is he?
Enjoyed my coconut soup (Tammy tells me its a wedding soup—O.K.) to which I add noodles.
Enjoying CNN puzzling out whether Trump suborned perjury in the background as we get ready for the 8 o’clock excursion to Bagan’s pagoda and temple.
See Friday
Mystery how the ancient carvers carved the Bhudda laughing from afar is sorrowful up close.
Farmers after harvest villages bring in crops to offer to Ananda Bhudda and surrounding monasteries. Bu goods and vacation 7 days. Entire villages vacated.
We see the temporary tent city along the road, children playing alongside the tents.
Next 515 allegorical pictures. 4 languages lingo same story, pyu, mon, pali, sanscrit. The wall paintings are amazing used as a textbook of morality lessons.
On to the Burmese Rosetta stone. Tells where the Burmese people were created. In detail on the building the pagoda. Discovered 1885. Couldn’t decifer the languages at first.
The explanation of why there are so many children selling goods, the little ones with their drawings, is that they have no school today. I wonder.
The evening’s cocktail is Mandalay Villa. Meanwhile we have some h'ors deuvres.
Talk. Tomorrow clear. Bk 78:30. Excursion 8;30. 1 market and 1pagoda. Most beautiful stupa in Bagan 21th c built by 2 kings. Father son.
Then lunch. 2;30-3:30 demo salad making.
At dinner we sit with Mark and Sheila as we had at cocktails and discuss their impending early morning balloon ride and hear Marc a bit manically tell tales of their travels as Sheila sits by with grace and understanding of her funny husband. They are-you wouldn’t know it-60 and are incredulous they are sitting with such old guys as we. Learn that this is their 2nd marriage; she has two grown sons; she’s a retired realtor and he a retired corporate CFO. They live in Ft. Lauderdale with two dogs and cats on a dock. Fun discovering interesting people on these trips.
SUNDAY, JAN 20
Arrive in Yandabo, a picturesque village famous for its terracotta pots made from the clay of the riverbank. Here, the historic peace treaty was signed that ended the first Anglo-Burmese war in 1826. A walking tour of this small village of less than 350 houses takes you to the workshops. Watch the pairs of women creating, decorating and firing the pottery. If school is in session, you'll have the opportunity to meet local children and tour the school. On board this afternoon, relax over lunch and sojourn in the lounge
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Again that early morning scene on the riverbank still docked outside of Bagan.
Zaw joins us at breakfast—he works not for Gate 1 but for the ship company (which owns 8 boats like this one). I’m afraid I interrupt Zaw’s finishing his eggs successfully by pelting him with questions.
He thinks Au Sung Sing is on the brink, hemmed in. If she moves forward she falls over, backward she gets pushed—by the military which constitutionally is 25% of the government and then has 30% more in its pocket. She got her position over the president of the country by a loophole discovered by her lawyer who was summarily shot, his killer identified but free. As to the universal perception of the Rohinga situation he, like Lennie, claims that it’s wrong. They came in in great numbers from Bangladesh—a very poor country with a huge population—legally and later illegally. Among their number are members of Alkaida who in concert with the Rohinga’s want their own land in Myanmar, their own state (shades of Israel-Palestine) and kill Burmese locals. Zaw is against giving it to them even if it is walled (shades of Trump) because they will want more; Lennie, he says, takes the opposite position.
Ah but it’s time to visit the golden pagoda (built in the 1070–different architecturally—and the market. Main market closed but not the morning vegetable market. Don’t use money in their villages. So want money at stalls. Can negotiate. We’re supposed to buy supplies for the kids we’ll see this afternoon.
And there are the vendor hawkers nicknamed “mosquitoes “ alongside the crew members (Who help Us up the chalky hill) and soon follow us with scary determination on their motor bikes to our next stops just as they did yesterday.
11th c temples short—Bagan era—12th c temple high-2 or 3 stories—good natural light. Father from river.13th c. Smaller—more colors in paintings.
We’re instructed how to avoid being followed by vendors. Full moon day today as it was when Bhudda was born.
No fridge. Go every day to market early morning —coriander season. Zaw identifies the fruits and vegetables.
If don’t sell today must apply salt and sell dry so it’s good to come late and get a better buy.
Pagodas are made of terra cotta bricks but this one is sandstone bricks. King ordered each family to build the pagoda—stand next to one another in a line carrying the bricks. Proved it was so in 1975 because earthquake dislodged bricks and found that they were sandstone.
The dome is covered in 9” square gold leaf. This is the one built by the father/son kings.
Lim takes our photo in front of the great pagoda.
Lunch. Bob’s watermelon soup is ok but like drinking watermelon. My cream soup is quite good. Eggplant curry, chick peas, sweet and sour pork, and the banana fritter is as Bob says “on the edge, kind of like eating a cold potato.” He declares the food so far as high mediocre.
After sunning on the sun deck. (Surely sun on the neck is healing) it’s on to the Salad making demonstration. Pickled tea. Tea leaf salad offered as hospitality welcome. Can be the main meal. Can be eaten with steamed rice. We taste it. Quite good . Goes with green tea, whisky, and rum. Not very bitter. Crunchy. Continued boiling rids the bitter taste. Ginger tea salad—difference from tea leaf salad: add roasted chickpea flour. Good eaten in winter.
Tammy wins the completion as judged by the captain. We are delayed in getting to our village destination and Bob determines that’s because the captain was judging the salad making contest rather than steering the boat. Well it’s a theory.
Looks like we’re this village’s main event as they watch us dock. 50 or 60 dollars for a hut siding.
Every year the village is flooded. Grow corn and maioze for animal feed. Weave sleeping mats. Weave all days. Sell the baskets. 1 hour for 1 basket. Two dollars profit. 2 baskets made from 3 bamboo. Make five dollars a day. But not all year.
They are curious where we come from.
Primary school 5-9. Middle school 10_18 very high dropout rate. No incentive. High school. Most want to be teachers. There's a show of hands: No one wants to be president. Most want to be a general. Hmm.Have no electricity so quiet at night. Have 9 or 10 children. 120 houses, 1000 people. Every house has an outhouse. Lid over it. Grow tobacco, peanuts. "Bochelai." What did you cook?
The children are incredibly cute. They assemble, raise their hands in answer to Zaw’s questions and then sing for us, then Happy Birthday to one of us, friendly, open Asian wife of complicated John. She’s thrilled. Then we sing row row row your boat (they probably think by now that it’s our national anthem). And then finally a goodbye song. I’m unreasonably touched.“Home” after a treacherous climb down the slope made successful only with the efforts of our lined up assistants (gonna miss that. I tell Sherri that I expect to be lifted through the streets of San Diego when I’m home.)
We watch beautiful young monks take off their robes and stretch by the river. Our neighbors, the gay couple surprisingly from San Diego, are finally out on their balcony cameras ready for the event. Thank you god. Martinis. And then the full moon reflected on the water as night falls.
Today’s lounge drink sounds enticing and looks properly tropical touristic. It’s blue. What could be bad.
(Tomorrow: 8:30-10:30 walking tour. A larger village. Yandobo village, peace treaty signed 1826. See how pottery made over 200 years. Cools water in the pots for a country without electricity. 3-4:30 Burmese political situation. 5:30-7 karaoke party. Wear your longyi. Post dinner party.)
It’s the gong—time for din din.
Bob’s appetizer samosa “really good” as is my tuna Nisoise. As to our mutual French onion soup. Bob “these are People who have never been near France.” Reuel: inedible. Tip. Stick with the local selection. My lamb is “brilliant “. Bob rejects the notion that can be as his fried rice dish clearly isn’t.
Then there’s a Burmese birthday song that the entire staff sings for the birthday girl, companionable Vitnamese woman with unpronounceable name. They’re good at ritual.
MONDAY, JAN 21
A full day excursion to the city of Monywa, on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River, a major trade center for agricultural products from the surrounding valley. Here visit the amazing 12th century Phowintaung Caves, adorned with hundreds of Buddha statues placed inside niches decorated with wonderful mural paintings. After a box lunch, return to the ship after a very interesting day, with time to relax at the ship's spa before tonight's dinner on board
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Early morning scene out of the mists looks like a Whistler painting. Cool to coldish on the balcony. That’s the way it is mornings on the river.
Morning fish soup slight spicy and delish especially with the noodles I’ve added.
2 parts of village. Potter’s/farmers. 250 houses make PT’s. Made of clay. High water drain, swim to collect driftwood. Collect river clay, dry it in the sun. 2 persons, one to spin wheel. 36 lumps of clay - 36 pots. Stamp it—each family has a design
King created different townships, potters, massage, fortune teller, broomstick makers, etc.
They wake up at 4 to make pots. Before the monsoon season they will have sold every pot. Have boats to get around.
Woman pats my stomach and says “got pot” oh boy. Time to start a diet.
Burn the pots on straw. That’s the kiln. Keep watching. Bad pots are used for a retaining wall for high water. Today cooking okra, beef and tomatoes .
Mon
soon—move to upper floor.
Though have no money have water—give others. Believe every action has a reaction. For community. Most people prefer river water for drinking—boil though children drink directly. High immune system.
Water streams are the roads. Have been so since old times.We set a mound which is the kiln. Ash on top of thick straw. Adjust temperature. Pots on bottom are screws. Can close them if color of flame inside shows too high—close the screws. 700 pots inside this kiln. Boy stamps on the clay for an hour. 4 times 20k a day. Then see pushing the wheel. One shifts (kicks) , one shapes.
The 2 women, sisters. History and economics graduates. One came to take care of her mother. Many women single in the villages. Content. Organic living. All kinds of fruits on the trees. Mangoes, papaya, city etc. can cook the leaves, make jams. Once shaped, dried for 6 hours, puts sand in, then pounds it.
Trees fall down into the river. People swim and sell the wood as firewood. Dangerous, poison snakes, boats can capsize.
Fulfill orders in Mandalay and Rangoon. Not enough medicine for the snakebites. Bhuddists don’t want to kill animals so dog rabies is a problem. Merchants (middle men)come to the village with boats give deposits—markup. Electrical officers house. His little girl KD for shoes. Many pairs. At talks about his marriage. Parents had to show money—the dowry. Then we play the game. Pass primary school.Onboard for the balance of the day, rather too big a lunch. The “pot” gets bigger. Wearing my new pajama pants, I guess acceptable in this clime. Upstairs to sun, edit photos and await the lecture on Myranmar Past and Today.
Current situation. 7 states (border areas—ethnic people) and 7 regions(majority live). Golden triangle-notorious for trafficking. Aba kingdom 14th-17th c. Administration city moved to Mandalay in 18th c. Last king migrated to India d 1960.
Ko Aung San leader of the country. 1942 arrested in China by Japanese. Established with his friends established first Burmese army. 100,000 soldiers. Japan announced Burma independent. So part of Axis. Fake independence. Japan didn’t help rebuild bombed areas. Was used by Japanese to get to India. Burmese tortured. When allied forces entered Burma, switched to help allies. After 1945 Burma under Britain. 1947 he realized fighting wouldn’t help independence. Met with Atlee but 135 tribes and some ethnic groups wanted separate independence. Aung-San got them together for federalist government and then promised own autonomy.
1948 independence. '62 seized power by coup. Nationalized everything. Suspended all political parties and constitution. No competition.
Farmers grow it rice must sell to the government. Inflation high. Demonetized. (Reason country people don’t bank their money—buy gold.) 1986 demonetized for last time. So national uprising in 1988. Students against police and military government. General resigned. That generation hates soldiers.
1988 Su returns from England to Myanmar. Saw new general. Promised 1990 election. She established a party to participate. Never returned to Britain to see her sick husband and children. She won election. But military said not ready and put her and party leaders under house arrest. General became richest man in Myanmar—video of million dollar wedding shown to the people.
Military spent 2% on education, 1% on health care.
Zaw shared textbooks. Lost middle class. Triangle. Saffron Revolution. 2007. Buddhists came out of the monestaries. Peaceful. Chanted. Next morning military imprisoned monks from monestary. 120K died in typhoon. Said vote for a constitutional referendum. 2010–military backed party managed to win. Released political prisoners. 2015 Au San’s party won. But 25% military. Took top positions. President is not commander in chief. Constitution prevented Au San from being president. But as state councilor and loophole she is over president.
No way to amend the constitution. Except military backs down if no civil unrest so her focus is on maintaining peace.
Economy—Education—Free Health care—Education—generals saw students as their enemies. So just give certificates. No real skills. Dr. Gives you 2 or 3 minutes. Education seriously destroyed by the military. 58% of budget of military. More than 100 generals. All the land owned by military and China. Zaw recounts his family’s experience attempting to get a heart operation for his mother—wait years. Especially after Lennie’s additional talk on the dire situation here, the corruption, drugs leading in Mandalay for example, I want to ask how do you deal with your frustration, your anger. He has engineering degrees from the US but wanted (Education he says is the key) to be a tour guide to spread the word.
Trying to tie a longyi.
Karaoke.
Tomorrow: 2 monasteries. Visit Aba. Ferry across river. Hilltop Pagoda. 700 monument buildings on a hill. Then to a nunnery. 100 nuns and an orphanage. Then to silversmith factory. Late lunch. 12.30-1:30. 3:6:30 no dress code. to ancient city of Anapura. Silk longyis. 1-3 months to make a longyi.
Teak walking bridge. Sanpan for sunset. 6:30-7:30 cocktails. Disembarkation briefing. Burmese dance 45 minutes. Near Mandalay.
Then it’s karaoke time, billed as a party. I am able to put on a pair of trouserines (the ones that make me look like Tup Tim in The King and I) and the Burmese white shirt but have no success with the longyi until I get the ship’s manager upstairs in the lounge to put it on for me. What follows are various crew members singing Burmese love songs. And then I sing Unchained Melody (a lugubrious version) with some success. It’s fun but a seemingly interminable event typified by bad singing.
We sit at a table for four on the off chance that someone will sit for us. Sure enough, there’s Dana and Dave from Iowa who fall into our trap. Good, interesting people. Dana was a pice sargeant who felt compelled to leave a job she loved because of her lieutenant's bigotry, in particular she refused to disipline a black female officer for wearing cornrows, faced endless harassment herself, and then forced the department to institute sensitivity training before leaving—meanwhile donating her settlement money to sids causes. I call her a hero who did the right thing . Her husband of 10 years met her when she was in charge of weeding out addicted nurses stealing drugs.
TUESDAY, JAN 22
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerMorning disembarkation followed by a tour of bustling Mandalay.
I should have had the salmon instead of the duck in a pot.
Horse cart ride. Bachata monastery. Very beautiful 18th c monastery all wooden. Built high. Hierarchy. Monastery higher even than king. Commoners couldn’t wear longyis or have decoration,
Monastery is a school where they learn. Learn Burmaese poly language and astrology.
“You buy. I happy. Very. Cheap.” The "mosquitos" are very persistent. Following a s with their motorcycles.
Tells about American from Boston who lived here in AVA 40 years. Wrote Burmese to English and English to Burmese dictionary. Boat to the other side—2 minutes
Heading tier kingdom of Anapur. First Sagai where the temples are built. Drive to a nunnery to see the scenery and way of life. Sagai 150k pop. Center of Bhuddist teaching. Monks and nuns. Famous for silverware.
At the silversmith’s. Separate chisels for eye, hair, mouth. Gorgeous intricate buffalo bone carvings.
Marc and Sheri buy over $400 worth. He tells us of his $100k purchases. I wonder to Bob if people like that filling up on things is wrong or sad. Or maybe they’re just very rich.
Also famous stone cutting and sleeping mat weaving in Sagaing. At the monastery I have a nice conversation with Jon’s upbeat wife. She has an engineering degree from Cal Poly and worked but retired when her 2nd child was born. Had enough money god knows.
In Burma boys must be monks at least twice. Grandparents want grandchildren to be monks.
We can see Mandalay from the pagoda. 2 kinds of monasteries: teaching and meditation.
Nunnery. Head nun (56 years old with a lovely welcoming smile) here since age 10. 130 nuns. After graduating here become head nuns in their village. Here they spend a minimum of 5 years. Some who are happy here become lecturers, 30-40 years.
Unlike monks—who traditionally stay for a week (Lennie was a monk 9 times)—nuns stay for life. Are in groups of 5. Cook for the group. Othe nunneries can cook for the whole group. Fascinating the rows of individual group pantries. Go out once or rice a week and get donations. Unlike monks who don’t cook for themselves (and must seek food outside every day). They’ve got 100 students who arise at 3 am. Eating only breakfast and lunch.
Have nun names these girls who look like they’ve gotten up from a nap (probably). Nuns more educated and disciplined than monks.
Bob asks how early they start. Youngest one here is 8. Primary duty is to study then cook food which contribute to monks. Courses beyond high school. Study philosophy, not “practical” courses. Can take 20 years for baccalaureate to pass the three major exams. If they want to leave at 16 or so they must understand that they’ll need to survive outside. A relative may take them in or they can marry. Londoner established this school and hospital.
I am in need of Bobs hydrocodeine after the vibrating transport. And avail myself.
Lunch. 3 different kinds of soups. A Burmese soup, good, and a glass noodle soup, less so, are the ones I try. Then there’s a prawn dish, a little too mushy. We enjoy the dessert cracker and the healthily poured red wine. Don’t forget Reuel’s special tea.
Fun watching embarking if you will as another boat docks next to us on the beach with its steps carved into the sand., the women washing their hair. And a pair of cows watching our 2 vessels and the men preparing the sand path for their departing passengers. I think our guys are better (it’s an art they’ve mastered) at providing assistance up the sandy hill.
Now our Anpura trip a 3:30. Mandalay is 0-12 miles to north. 2nd largest kingdom of Burma. King moved to Mandalay.
Approaching longest teak bridge in world. 1849. Used posts from old to palac in Ava. Almost a mile long. Crowded, no railings. Consequently we decided not to walk on the bridge and instead find a pavilion at the start of the bridge that we get to sit in with lots of Asian’s including Mama and papa Kettle Asians.
In consolation we await the Sanpan Sunset ride on the river presumably at sunset when we will have the opportunity to take photos as promised. As promised. A congregation of San pans awaiting sunset. We’re fortified with vittles from staff on their serving San pan.
Tomorrow: we’ll pass Mandalay. visiting biggest pagoda (brick pile) in world. Bell.. Beautiful wedding cake pagoda. (Walking tour). Dock at Mandalay. After Lin h clear bill in writers lounge. 2: Mandalay sightseeing. Only image cast during his lifetime. Then worlds largest book. Monastery that was Kong’s sleeping chamber. SurvivedWW2. Gold leaf process. Back. Intro crew. 8;30 clear bill.
T
Dinner gong. Reuel. Burmese pork salad. Burmese sweet corn soup. Ok. Could use more zest. Roasted black pepper crusted beef tenderloin. Excellent!Dessert: Burmese palm sugar jelly. OMG. Bob. Peach cocktail and coffee ice cream(otherwise same).
The dancers tonight are from one of 2 performing arts schools in Myanmar this one from Mandalay.Strings with traditional spirit dance. Offering dance. Oil lamp dance. Diet. Dance. Zawgui dance.
Rice offering dance. Drum dance. Princess, prince, ogre beauty and the best dance. Bagan dance,
Ushuaia comic dance. 9 major ethnic groups. Karen.
The performance is a wonder. The potpourri of it. The delicacy and professionalism of their dancing. Afterwards Lennie calls my attention to the Zawgyi dance (the alchemist) that was the live incarnation of our puppet’s performance. He’s very jazzed. So am I. And then he praises me for my singing last night. The guy’s a winner. Performance outside on the sun deck. Almost full Moon. Lovely.
WEDNESDAY, JAN 23
Stop at a gold leaf workshop before continuing to the Mahamuni Pagoda to observe a demonstration of how gold leaf is used on many of the Buddha statues. Ascend Mandalay Hill to visit the gilded Kuthodaw Pagoda, called "the world's largest book," named after its 729 marble slabs inscribed with Buddhist teachings. At the Shwenandaw Monastery, originally part of the Royal Palace in Amarapura, view one of the best examples of traditional Myanmar-style intricate woodcarvings in the country. The rest of the day is at leisure to independently discover Mandalay
Overnight: Mandalay
Meals: Breakfast
At breakfast (we’ve been given a half hour so the tour leaves at 9) Head Waiter who serves me special tea points out bamboo floating down the river—it’s from 100 miles away and he says teak is secretly hidden under the piles. Finding angles is everywhere in Myanmar.
Walking tour will take us to the small town of Mingun and King Badawpaya’s (called king grandpa) unfinished temple—kind of the opposite of Winchester castle which she kept building to live, this guy stopped building to live. See where that magical thinking gets you.
Anapura means city of immortality. Ava is like an island—5 rivers. So needed to move to Mandalay.
Burma glorious prior to war of 1824. In Mingon The king died when the pagoda only 40% completed. Built biggest lion, biggest operating bell. Many art galleries. 100’s of teak boats for old Burmese navy. His unfinished stupa—solid inside.
Great riches stolen during colonization by British, Japanese and other Burmese, the relics which were supposed to be a kind of financing for replacement stupas. Monk who memorized Bhuddist’s teachings. Venerated. Across from the bell is the 1st Bhuddist Home for the Aged.
We pass a breakfast bar—50 cents can feed a family. Looks delicious.
Wedding cake pagoda in honor of crown prince’s wife who died in childhood. Based on Bhuddist cosmology—represents 7 mountain ranges and 7 oceans. The universe. Visit and go up to heaven—built 1811.
I Buy a wonderful straw fold up hat for $2. And two old tapestries for $35, hopes of hanging them from ceiling in the opium den, though when we return home we’ll be just in time for our walls being broken for new water pipes.
Have neck spasms along the way back to the ship and once onboard. Not good. What’s to become of me?
Lunch. Guava soup is delicious. Hard to believe but there’s a decent hamburger and rare. And god will forgive us, Chinese balls with coconut. Bob Hates it. Reuel likes it. Needs sweetness.
Afternoon excursion tour of Mandalay. Gold leaf workshop. Mahamuni Pagoda. Kuthodaw Pagoda.
Kyaw is head waiter. (Xtra tip)
Ma
ndaly In cente of Burma 3M. Accessible. 2nd largest. M rich in natural resources. Closer to chin than Rangoon. Get products like electronics cheaply from China.?motorcycle $300-500. Dubious uality. Accessible to golden triangle also. Produce Bhuddas. Marblestone carvings. Body and face specialists. Go to monasteries and families.
Different quarters. Gold making, fortune telling, massage, gold leaf, blacksmith. When king moved from Anapura to Mandalay 1852. Procession for all professions.
Robert recommends zazzle as he takes photos of gorgeous items in the shop. Then kind of a shopping mall corridor before we get to the pagoda.
People add gold leaf as if adding to Bhuddas a sacred robes. This is supposed to be what Bhudda looks like. Ladies not allowed to enter. Pure gold leaf everywhere. Bhudda keeps
Footballers team came her and donated jade tile. Full moon days everyone goes to the pagoda.
10 families in the township we’ll visit making gold leaf. Challenging because traditional method they employ is more expensive than machine made. 33 grams of solid gold, melt, then roll it. Pound with hammer on bamboo paper. Fills 130 square feet in area. They are piece workers. Can make $250 a month. Good salary. Shows how to make bamboo paper. Takes a year.
In Burma marriage not like in India. No premarital sex. Boy minimum of 18 and girl 16 if in same house must marry. In the villages weddings are very simple. Generals weddings five star hotels. Diamonds, sapphires. Gifts are keys to savings bank deposits. hmm.
Next “worlds biggest book”. One man carved from memory, 100’s of books.
Pass Mandalay palace 1852. King exiled to India by British. Bombed buildings WE2, 1 mile long. Square. Moat with alligators to repel enemies.
Dating. Once a year Pagoda festival. 7 days. Sell products. When watch opera at night. Men approach girls then. Parents can arrange a marriage. Burmese very conservative. Especially marrying outside the village.
Party "cha cwa" is the toast. We all click glasses, captain etc
THURSDAY, JAN 24
After breakfast, drive to the former British hill station of Pyin-oo-lwin. This scenic hill town is a popular weekend getaway. Visit Maha Ant Htoo Kan Thar Pagoda on the way, the perfect opportunity to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings. Upon arrival in Pyin-oo-lwin, stroll around the lovely Kandawgyi Botanical Gardens and take a horse cart ride. After some free time in Pyin-oo-lwin, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and then on to Sagaing. See the peaceful vista of hundreds of white pagodas, including the impressive Kaunghmudaw Pagoda built with an egg-shaped golden stupa. With over 3,000 monks and nuns, Sagaing is widely regarded as the center of Buddhist faith in Myanmar. Watch the sunset from atop Sagaing Hill before returning to Mandalay for time on your own
Overnight: Mandalay
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
You really know you’ve arrived when at the final breakfast wealthy world travelers Mark and Sherri ooh and ah over your travel card and say they prefer it to their’s. (Some of our fellow travelers also have travel cards which indicates that . . .
Bad neck pain mars what is already a not entirely pleasant experience, the enormous, crowded Jade market. It’s like the stock market floor, constant excitement, bargaining. And then we wait and wait finally on the bus for missing couples who were where they were supposed to be. Mandalay Palace.
On bus writhing in pain. Bob gives me his hydrocodone pill.
One of 9 thrones we see; this one for general assembly. Queen has her own throne, lotus throne.
After blessing our luggage at the hotel, it’s off to the Golden Duck for Peking Duck. And soft shell crabs , chicken, fried rice, green vegetable, soup and beer all for less than ten dollars a person. And quite good. This is roasted duck which is crispy and a little fatty. I think I prefer it to the pancake Peking duck we had in, I think, Shanghai.
Lovely view out to the hills dotted with golden stupas and over the pool toward the spa. Though I’m thwarted in my attempt to book a massage today I don bathing robe for possible swim. So Bob and I set out to explore. Pool rather too cold. Spa area lovely (pass Ann who has booked My slot) and have a quick tour of the barbecue and (puppet) show area.
Inevitably we head to the lovely over-the-top Kipling lounge for drinks.
Showered but not pain free, we are the first at the outdoor facility, almost asphyxiated by the smoking incense which Bob guesses is to ward off mosquitoes or, my guess, I guess us. The buffet is as is usual enormous, specializing from our point of view in barbecued skewers. The prawns are a disappointment but the others work. However, the show, which is quite lavish, consisting of s puppet show (our Zangee puppet is much nicer) and then human dancers, is marred by s British tour group which insistently ignores the performance by grabbing food st the buffet and moving around to chirp at one another. I guess this was part of their package, unlike us W.H. pay $115 including a bottle of wine. I especially like the puppet dance between a puppet prince and s human princess who dances as if manipulated by a puppet master who stands above her.
FRIDAY, JAN 25
Today, return to Bangkok by flight for a final day of leisure in the country's capital. Enjoy the day revisiting some of the famous sites and be sure to shop to your heart's content for gifts to bring back home
Overnight: Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast
Crowded breakfast buffet and the eggs are cold by the time we find an only available table outdoors, much ameliorated when I see an email from the William Inge Festival congratulating me on winning a spot at the festival for my 1 act play "A Visit From Mars". Of course it’s 4 days in the middle of Kansas in May. Bob says he’ll stay home and hire hookers.
Onboard, Lennie recommends we choose Chinese rather than Burmese because it will be freshly cooked at the luncheon spot.
Chen state largest in Burma. Many Chinese. Has 33 minority tribes. Most teachers are Burmese. Tribal 2nd language. Drop out. One school for whole area. If go up to the border-golden triangle—don’t speak Burmese.
Burmese currency very unstable. Interest rates high. The rich get richer. Poor poorer. System is against them.
Flower markets are important here. Each home buys fresh flowers 3 to 4 times a week for worship and decoration. The market is amazing.Nice brief visit. Flower gardens are the Asian way of Air conditioning in the summer.
Lots of garbage and plastic. No standards for cleanup. Corruption big here. NGO’s not working here. Government not interested in the environment.
Starting to climb mountain 4000 ft. Entering bamboo forest.
Lennie told us it would be an hour non-bumpy ride. My neck knows that 2 1/2 hours later that’s not so. Why do Asians want to tell you what you want to hear not . . . We wind up in a pretty town, stream waterfalls, with lots of stalls selling vegetables and sweet wine. My great grandfather made sweet wine; his great grandson prefers sour. (The way I feel when my stupid neck hurts.)
I take the steps down and up past the waterfalls and onto the bridges. (Bob abstains.) Very scenic. I ask Lennie about a Caucasian looking young man selling nuts. He says he’s a descendant of the British colonialists, that they have their own tribe. They have their own form of Bhuddism, May even be Catholics. There’s a young monk on the bridge with his family. I ask if he’s a “monk monk”. Lennie says he may be in the monastery for a week or two (need to do that twice to go to heaven—Lennie’s been a monk 9 times) and that he needed permission from the head monk to take this outing with his family taking photos on the bridge. I ask hedge fund John about the women with colorful headresses on the bridge. He says mountain tribespeople dress colorfully as they do in his native Vietnam.
Defense academy here graduate thousands of officers every year. Completely occupied by families at graduations.
Our Cinderella coach ride—stop at a French Catholic church. French priests founded it here 140 years ago. Karen tribe major here.
At this church parishioners are from Tamil India—1908 were servants to British—only 20 families at first. Governor of Burma lived here.
Lunch. Mushroom tempura. Great. Strong Mandalay beer. Yes! Egg drop soup. Fine. Lovely time here with our Vietnamese friends, lots of laughter. Afterwards Lennie show me through the building, saying he sees me as a British colonialist. Yes!
My massage has been upped to 6 pm. The spa is incredible—a Hollywood wet dream of a Burma spa. Make your way somewhat treacherously over stone pads floating in ponds leading up to little Asian palaces. The massage room I’m led to by little Tup Tim (not her real name) is gorgeous befitting the massage ritual that is about to occur—rather unmodulated pounding despite “softer softer” instructions but more often pleasurable and though it’s an hour full massage she does attend to attempting the Sysiphusian task of unknotting certain ailing neck muscles. About $23.
Bob Is in no mood for our typical in-room wine and club sandwich; he has his eye on the bar lounge. Ah the joys of Burmese happy hour in a super luxe hotel. We share vegetable egg rolls and cheese and bread. Works very well. We are serenaded by a quartet of Burmese, sounding sort of American and rather goth lugubrious. It works and as pretty much their sole audience in this cavernous beautifully accoutred faux colonial lounge we feel responsible to thank them as we exit after our third glass of wine.
SATURDAY, JAN 26
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast
At breakfast, this time nicely scarcely populated. Bob as we sip our tea and coffee in leisure since our flight to Bangkok isn’t until afternoon, says “I love luxury hotels”. It is luxe indeed, no dime spared in creating a gorgeous setting for pampered guests, but at that exact moment the lights go out and the ceiling fans are stilled. Luxury indeed yet this still is an impoverished country where most of the population doesn’t have electricity.
We're on an hour long ride to the airport—just getting out of central Mandalay is a "trip". Checking Facebook for congratulations on my post about the Inge Festival. There they are to find their way amidst other messages plumping for good causes and diatribing against the president.
At the airport when I give Lenny his tip he embraces me saying, “I love you. You are a great man.” Then another embrace. At last appreciated. Bob says, “He just smiled at me.” (I love Lennie too. )
Buy some tea and a something sampler—still have plenty of Burma dollars. Economy class is a novelty but the flight to Bangkok aboard Bangkok Air is only 1 1/2 hours. I hear something aboard about no alcohol but the wine is poured plentifully.
While waiting for Tip to wrangle all of us, Dibinh invites us to her castle of a house on 7 acres— she shows us the photo—in Alamo, CA now that she’s an empty nester—her youngest about to graduate from college. I tell her we not only expect to visit but plan to live with her if our bedroom is big enough.
She says that other companies have ceased operating cruises up the Irrawaddy in the past few years.
Tip is full service. She says she’ll help us get a taxi to Robinson Mall for a carry on. (We’ll later decide to forego that and stuff our luggage—biz class is forgiving on weight. Tip will offer to join us to sit on our suitcases.) I hear her even taking a food order from the old Chinese couple.
A tour around the now familiar hotel including river watching and once upstairs and ensconced we decide to raid the minibar for beer (a bottle of wine is $52) and order in, you guessed it, a club sandwich.
SUNDAY, JAN 27
Arrive San Diego
We avail ourselves of the usual enormous buffet breakfast in this our 2nd Visit to this hotel, Ramada Plaza Menam, which has bookended our tour.
We take in the river scene and walk around a bit—she’s entirely helpful. The lovely Taro, clerk at the desk, who Tip reminds is named after the root not the card gets to check us out as he checked us in weeks ago.
But at a certain point I just need to lie down with a cold towel(I’ve learned to cool them in the mini-fridges) around my poor paining neck until it’s time to go down to the lobby for our pickup.
As I anticipated it’s rush to wait with Gate 1 with its excess of caution resulting in extra early arrival at . . . a closed gate. China Southern’s opens 2 1/2 hours before boarding.
Always travel biz class. We are “fast tracked” through security. And the “Miracle Lounge” is a wonder. I have vodka over ice— beware self serve (warning to them not me). Bob a better class of Chardonnay. All kinds of food, hot and cold.
Only 3 of us seated in biz class on our first leg of our return, Bangkok to Ganzou. And I count 2 economy Anglo types passing through so I guess those who go to China stay in China—not on a slow boat. Sorry. I surprise our steward when he asks upon our seating, apple juice or orange juice, “how about white wine”. So it must be.
We’re told over the loudspeakers that for infractions “offenders will be prosecuted”. Really? We’re not in China yet sweety and hope excessive drinking isn’t a prosecutable infraction.
Sounds like “cabin crew please pray for landing “. Prepare? Or are we in trouble?
We know the China Southern Lounge in Ganzou. (Love saying that.) Sit at the bar with its onyx counter—we know this because our Wine Lover bar in San Diego had an imported onyx bar— chose the giant slabs ourselves—no fleas on us.
Onboard Southern China’s biz class. Looks like I got us a duo in the middle instead of our “usual” separate pods in tandem. Experimenting. Will see. They always ask if we want to be interrupted if asleep at breakfast time and I always say yes because I assume I’ll be awake. Luxury would be to say don't you dare!
I get a glass of vodka. Why. Not. Then there’s some sort of duck appetizer. I choose the “ beef ball” soup. Ok. Bob says I had broth possibly with testicals. “Good”. Bob is feeling superior because he’s got a beef dish but my chicken with shrimp concoction is quite nice thank you.
Imagine getting close to a full night’s s
I must have chosen the Chinese breakfast (as I’m all egged out) because that’s what I’m served. It’s vile and that’s good thing because I’ve eaten too much anyway and am fat. Bob sensibly eats half of his traditional American breakfast.LAX terminal is a horror. How many hoops do we have to jump through? Lost in the international terminal. Need to get to the AA domestic. Not allowed into Admirals Club—don’t take code shares. Transfer bus. 2 hour wait to board. I am an invalid. Neck.
Tip. Avoid LAX. Take SFO. Bob gets me bottled water so I can take an opioid. Helps.
As always, good to be gone and very good to be back.
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