Oh My! (anmar)

We recently had a 3-day weekend in early December to celebrate the King of Thailand's birthday/ Father's Day. And what better way to celebrate the King than to get out of his way? Off to Myanmar! 

I had some reservations about heading to a country ruled by a military junta that does crazy things like place pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi  under house arrest for 20 years, move the country's capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw to keep a grip on power, slow relief efforts after their country's largest natural disaster (Cyclone Nargis), and other equally ridiculous self-centered dealings. 


But I'm glad I went. The country, while obviously underdeveloped, is beautiful and the people are absolutely wonderful. The kids are also super cute!

We started our journey in Yangon, where we were promptly greeted by a friendly yet suspiciously overly eager tour guide (to quote, "There are no problems here. Tell all your friends to come to Burma.") We wanted to head to Bagan, a city with over 2000 pagodas and temples. But alas, all of the flights were booked. Unfortunately, one of the 3 airlines that flew there was not in favor of the newly "elected" regime, and the generals shut them down.

Bagan  - The city we never saw. Booooooo.

So what's the next best thing to Bagan? That's right - Bago. A five-hour drive and a new, surprisingly forthcoming and honest tour guide brought us to the Mecca of Buddhism, The Golden Rock. This gigantic boulder teeters precariously on the edge of a cliff, and with all it's gold leaf and flashing lights, it reminds me of a David Copperfield show in Vegas.

Having a Y-chromosome is a prerequisite for placing gold leaf 
on the rock. No women allowed!

 There is quite a long, steep hike to the Golden Rock. 
Too old or just plain too lazy to make it up the hill?
No problem! A group of porters waits at the bottom to assist you. 

Getting back down the hill to our hotel was no problem for us. But getting down from the hotel to the van was another story. Private vans are not allowed up the road, so you must sit in the back of a truck with about 40 others pilgrims, which is also not a problem. Unless the method or organizing hundreds of people onto a limited number of vans goes something like, "Everyone just climb over each other and jump on! Last one on is a rotten egg!"

It's always logical and organized in Asia...

...and we love it! (So does the girl in the white hat.)

Another highlight was when we stopped to see an animist ceremony in a small village on our way to Bago. The way it works is that someone requests a ceremony for various reason involving luck (for good luck , to change their luck around, etc.) and everyone in the village gathers together for singing, dancing and general merriment. Then the medium (always a gay male...those lucky ducks) selects people who have the spirit in them. Once you know you've got the spirit in you, you start dancing like crazy.

Here's a video of what we saw. Notice the women on the floor. 

But let me tell you who doesn't have a good time in the animist ceremonies: the kids. The women with spirits are running into the circle, arms flailing, bodies writhing, and STILL holding on to their kids. It scares the bejeezers out of them.

Here are some other great photos from Burma, thanks to Christine, Star Photographer.