Words of Monks: Love is the Message

In the wake of the horrific Donald Trump victory this past week (and if you are not horrified by the specter of this lunkhead becoming president  … then just please crawl away and join the other psychopaths who are celebrating) I truly needed some mood therapy, something positive to uplift my spirits.

And I can think of no better pick-me-up than memories of those delightful novice monks at the Tat Ein monastery in Myanmar’s Shan State. I know, I post a lot of stories and photos about these monks, but they truly are a joy to be around, full of kindness and happiness. When I was at the monastery two months ago, one of the monks I know, Tun Phyu, was giddy with excitement, wanting to show me something at the monastery. We walked outside and there on the ground, written in English using blades of grass and leaves, were the words: I LOVE YOU

In addition to that proclamation, which they had written twice, Tun Phyu and his buddies had written “Mingalaba” (in Burmese, not English), the standard Myanmar greeting, which roughly translates as “Blessings.” I was delighted to see these messages and voiced a hearty “gaun ba de!” (very good!) to the group of monks who had gathered to watch my reaction.

In these dark days of Trumpovich and his nasty followers, I take heart that other people in this world — most people in this world — are not so consumed by hate and bigotry and the desire to get rich quick — all hallmarks of the Trump platform — that they forget about the feelings of others, including the less fortunate. In the words of those legendary music philosophers, MSFB: Love is the Message!

 

Chinlone Books Goes to Bagan!

It all started with a request for a loan.

My friend from Bagan, Nine Nine, was unhappy with his current job and wanted to start his own business. After four years of working at the same hotel he was frustrated with the low pay and long hours. Opening his own business seemed like the thing to do. Low pay and long hours got you down? As many of us entrepreneurs can tell you, opening a business is certainly no cure for that dilemma! But hey, there ARE opportunities to reverse that equation if you are the boss, and Nine Nine is astute enough to realize that. But, after the birth of his daughter last year, money was running low. Needing some startup funds, he asked if I could help him.

Hey, I try to help my friends whenever I can, but I don’t have a lot of cash to throw around, so I wanted to hear more about his business plan and what it would all cost. I wasn’t making any promises, but I told that we could discuss it when I visited Myanmar the next time. That was two months ago, back in September. The end result was that his idea was not going to cost all that much, so I DID lend him some money and his shop, 99 Souvenir Shop & Chinlone Books, is now  open in New Bagan!

Yes, in addition to selling various souvenirs such as lacquerware, clothing, and postcards, he is running another branch of Chinlone Books. I asked Nine Nine if he was receptive to the idea of adding books to his product mix and he agreed. He’s been open for about one month now and is excited about what he’s been selling (the first book sold was “M is For Myanmar” from Things Asian Press) and what customers are asking for. The Bagan branch of Chinlone Books is located on Kyay Street (New Bagan’s main street) next to the Ostello Bello hostel, and diagonally across the street from the long-running Silver House restaurant. They are open every day!

During that last trip to Myanmar, Nine Nine met me and my friend from Mandalay, Ye Man Oo, in Nyaung Shwe and we showed him the book setup at the Chinlone Books branch in that town, located inside Aye Aye Travel Services. The owner, Mar Mar Aye, explained to Nine Nine her system of cataloging the books and how she keeps track of sales. She’s an honest, hardworking lady and I hope her advice will help Nine Nine with his own business. If you are visiting Nyaung Shwe (near the popular Inle Lake in Shan State) or Bagan (New Bagan is just down the road from Old Bagan and the bigger town of Nyaung U) please drop in and say “Mingalaba” … and buy a book or two!

http://www.chinlonebooks.com/

Enduring Somber Thailand

Thailand is often called “The Land of Smiles” but that’s certainly not the case lately. The world is seeing a very sad and somber Thailand the past two weeks after the death of the country’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13. Many previously scheduled events and concerts have been cancelled, regular TV coverage has been disrupted, and most of the citizens — and many foreigners — have been wearing black during this period of mourning.

I’m not Thai, but I’ve lived here in the kingdom for over 20 years and I share the nation’s loss. King Bhumibol reigned for over 70 years and is often called the father of the country. His birthday, on December 5, is in fact Thailand’s official Father’s Day. But more than the father of this country, I don’t think it’s incorrect to say that the King WAS the country. He was the heart of the country, the soul of the country, the face of the country. You can’t replace someone like that. And so the country mourns.

Amidst all the mourning, I’m trying to go about my daily duties at work and live my life as usual, but also reflecting on what all of this means to Thailand. Grief, worry, anxiety, uncertainty; emotions are running high. In the past several years I haven’t been as happy living in Thailand as I was when I first moved here, but when I think about the alternatives — moving back to the USA or relocating to another country — I realize things really aren’t so bad here after all. Nevertheless, I think it’s also safe to say that my heart is in Myanmar, a country I visit frequently and one that I’d love to call my home at some point in the future. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating; the country and its people are wonderful.

And so, here is yet another post with photos from Myanmar; a few images of some of those delightful people that put a smile on my face and a song in my heart when everything else around me is dark and somber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shan State Spelunking!

There’s caves in them hills! Yes, all you spelunkers, we got your caves! Over in the tiny Shan State village of Tat Ein, just a few kilometers down the road from the larger environs of Nyaung Shwe and scenic Inle Lake, there is at least one interesting cave worth exploring.

Accompanying me on this trip to Nyaung Shwe this time were Ye Man Oo and his parents from Mandalay, along with his friend Zin Min Phyo, and my friend from Bagan, Nine Nine. None of those fine folks had visited the larger of the Tat Ein caves before, so we put that on our agenda this time, hoping to squeeze in a visit between the rain storms.

Well, the first day the rain won and we couldn’t go to the cave, but on the second day our luck held and we were able to make a visit, accompanied by Aung Thaung, one of the novice monks from the village’s monastery, and one of the local kids. Armed with a huge flashlight, Aung Thaung and his friend led us through the labyrinth network of dark passages and Buddha images that decorated the interior.

The next day we returned for a quick visit to say goodbye to the monks at the monastery. While we were there we met Chaw Jo, a friendly young female tourist from Hong Kong who was traveling by herself. We didn’t have time to stay and show here around, needing to be at a friend’s house before dark, but we suggested that she visit the cave while she was in the village. Once again the senior monk assigned Aung Thaung and the other boy the task of taking a visitor to see the cave. Not sure if Aung Thaung was thrilled or petrified with this extra task, but he obediently accepted the duty!

We met Chaw Jo for dinner later that night and she reported that the excursion was a lot of fun, although because Aung Thaung and his friend spoke only a few words of English, and Chaw Jo didn’t understand any Burmese, they resorted to using a lot of hand gestures. All in all, this was another good example of the joys of travel and the unexpected things — and people — that you can encounter along the way.

Cooking Up a Feast at Bamboo Delight!

My friends Ma Pu Sue and her husband Lesly have been operating the Bamboo Delight Cooking Class in Nyaung Shwe for about three years now, and from all indications, business is booming. Even during the recent slow season they still had clients nearly every day of the week. Clearly, they have gained a very good reputation via word of mouth recommendations and reviews on Internet sites such as Trip Advisor.

I’ve been privileged to have been a guest at Sue and Lesly’s home for many meals over the years, but until recently I had never observed one of their cooking classes. But during my most recent visit to Nyaung Shwe, Ye Man Oo — the boy from Mandalay who is helping us with Chinlone Books — had gone with me to visit Ma Pu Sue and seemed quite intrigued with the idea of these cooking classes and asked if we could observe one. Sue graciously agreed to let us be “flies on the wall” during a scheduled class the next day.

Along with Ye Man Oo’s friend from Mandalay, Zin Min Phyo, we arrived at the appointed hour and found eight tourists already in the process of cutting, peeling, folding, stirring and preparing the lunch that Sue and Lesly had planned. After all the prep work was done, it was time to commence the actual cooking. As Lesly explained to us, the timing of cooking each dish is crucial. You don’t want to have something prepared too quickly and have it sit and get cold, only to end up waiting on a stubborn curry or soup to finish cooking. And there was indeed an array of different dishes being prepared, from a vegetable curry and a traditional Burmese tea leaf salad, to dumplings, tomato salad, and a stir fry dish.

By the time everything was finished, Ye Man Oo, Zin Min Phyo and I were preparing to say goodbye and say thank you for letting us sit in on the class, but Sue and Lesly insisted that we stay and sample some of the dishes. It was an unexpected lunch, but I can assure you it was a tasty one!

 

Chinlone Books unveils new logo … and T-Shirts!

I was back in Nyaung Shwe again last month, primarily to deliver more books to Mar Mar Aye at Chinlone Books. Ye Man Oo from Mandalay came along to help me organize the bookshelves, and his parents kindly drove us all the way there. And that’s not a short or easy journey, having to navigate several mountain ranges to reach Shan State. In any case the trip was a success: we increased the bookshelf count from two to six, while adding about 500 books to the mix. And more are on the way!

Besides the sheer number of books — not only in English, but also French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, and Japanese! — perhaps the most exciting aspect of being in Myanmar this time was seeing the new logo for the bookshop, one that was designed by Ye Man Oo himself. This kid is a very talented artist and has been brainstorming ideas for the past several months until he came up with a very cool design.

The next step was getting some t-shirts made that sported his creation. We found a company in Mandalay called Moe Pale (thanks to my friend Ko Soe Moe for the recommendation!) that offered reasonable prices and good service. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to get the shirts made before we made the trek to Nyaung Shwe, but upon our return to Mandalay the shirts had been printed and were ready!

I had a flight back to Bangkok the day after returning to Mandalay, but U Khin Maung Lwin graciously accepted the task of sending the shipment of shirts to Mar Mar Aye in Nyaung Shwe. And I’m happy to report that the shirts are now in stock in three sizes (medium, large, and extra large) and in three colors (white, light blue, and tan). And the price per shirt is only 6,000 kyat (about US$5). Why buy a boring Inle Lake t-shirt when you can purchase a beautiful Chinlone Books t-shirt?

Meanwhile, we are gearing up for the next big book delivery sometime in September. Our aim is to beef up the number of books in all sections and languages in anticipation of the upcoming “high season” for tourism later in the year. If you are in Nyaung Shwe you MUST stop by Chinlone Books!

http://www.chinlonebooks.com/

Nyaung Shwe … without that Famous Lake!

Shan State’s Nyaung Shwe is a small town, one of those burgs that boast a sole traffic light, a lot of good old boys hanging out at the local tea shop, and lots of farm animals running around, dodging the increasing number of motorcycles and trucks on the streets. But Nyaung Shwe is the accommodation town of choice for anyone who wants to visit nearby Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s most popular tourist attractions.

I love visiting Nyaung Shwe but I can’t remember that last time I saw Inle Lake. See it once, and basically that’s enough. Sure, Inle is a tranquil body of water — or at least it’s the neighboring villages and one-leg-rowing fisherman that what make it so interesting — but there are plenty of other things to do if you are staying in Nyaung Shwe. Plus, it’s just a damn lovely town, surrounded by shimmering green rice fields and craggy green hills.

If it’s waterways you want, you are better off taking a canoe trip down the town’s network of canals. The scenic canoe ride is much more relaxing and slower-paced than taking a big noisy boat on the big lake. Nyaung Shwe is also a delightful town to explore on foot or by bicycle. There are plenty of crumbling old temple and stupa ruins strewn around town, plus lots of giggling, friendly children flying kites and playing other outdoor games. Yes, they aren’t all addicted to online games just yet!

In addition to a very colorful morning market, Nyaung Shwe is also home to a staggering number of Buddhist monasteries and some of these places make for very memorable — and very photogenic — visits, especially the old teakwood Shway Yan Pyay, located on the main road into town, near the Inle Lake ticket booth. Early each morning you can also marvel to the sight of long lines of monks making their alms rounds, a sea of red robes penetrating the morning mist.

Taking half-day, full-day, or multi-day treks to nearby villages and towns such as Kalaw can also be a nice diversion from the lake trips. Nyaung Shwe is such a peaceful and laidback place that many tourists extend their stay just to relax or explore the area. Another option that has become popular in recent years is taking a cooking class. I’ll have another post in the near future about the cooking class I observed recently at Bamboo Delight, but they are only one of several classes in town, not only teaching tourists how to make tasty Burmese and Shan dishes, but also Indian food too.

Inle Lake? Sure, it’s a “must see” if you are in Myanmar, but take time to discover the other wonders of Nyaung Shwe too!

Rainy Days and Myanmar

It’s the rainy season in Southeast Asia and where I live in Bangkok we are getting rain showers almost every day, sometimes in the afternoon and again at night, and an occasional morning drizzle too. It makes for a soggy commute going to and from work, but what can you do? Me, I’ve got an umbrella AND a raincoat in my bag, so I’m ready for the deluge. Hey, I was a boy scout, so can bet that I’m always prepared!

Myanmar has also seen lots of rain recently. The water level in rivers like the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwaddy) has risen dramatically, so much so that there is flooding in some areas in and around Mandalay and Bagan, and further upcountry.

But the theme for my post today is not the wet weather, but those amazing Myanmar people. Call them Burmese or Myanmar (or Shan, or Pa-O, or whatever ethnic group that they belong to), but the main thing to know is that they are kind, delightful people. Some of the sweetest, most hospitable people you will ever meet. Tourist attractions aside, the people of the country are the main reason I keep going back to visit so many times. Rain or shine, these people are the best!

The return of the Machete Monks!

It was another glorious sunny day in the Shan State hills as I rode my bike over to Tat Ein village to take a new football and some badminton sets for the kids. But I wasn’t prepared for what greeted me upon arrival: a bunch of machete-armed monks!

Not to be alarmed, it was just a group of novice monks who were cutting, chopping, and sawing logs to make stacks of firewood, kindling used by many of the villagers for cooking. Like they do most of the time, these boys turned the chore into a fun activity, laughing and grinning while they worked. And of course they all wanted their photo taken too! Hey, don’t point that blade at me!

The group of aspiring lumberjacks wasn’t entirely comprised of novice monks, however. There was one adult male and two women, including a betelnut-chewing granny, who appeared to be the foreman of sorts, chastising any monk that wasn’t cutting the wood properly. And of course, the entire spectacle was attended/supervised by several giggling village children and the other novice monks too. Fun for the entire family!

 

 

Nyaung Shwe Road Rules!

Although it’s one of Myanmar’s most popular tourist destinations, owing to its proximity to Inle Lake, the Shan State town of Nyaung Shwe remains a relatively laid-back and quiet place. You won’t find any skyscrapers, traffic jams, or wild nightlife. Tranquil best describes the town, and I hope that pleasant vibe doesn’t change for a long, long time.

When it comes to rules of the road, it’s best to keep in mind that Nyaung Shwe is very much a rural farm town and you will often find animals (cows, goats, pigs, ducks, etc.) wandering about town, sometimes straying onto the roads. And in the case of the almighty cows, they feel like they own the road and will either refuse to budge from his — or her — comfortable resting place. Beep your horn all you want, the cow is not going to move.

Most motorists deal with the cow factor by just driving around the obstacle, while other drivers will stop and beep the horn incessantly, hoping that the cow gets the message. Sometimes they get up and slowly trot off, looking annoyed by the interruption of their siesta, and other times they ignore the honking altogether. Gotta love those cows! And every once in a while a confused tourist can be found blocking the middle of the road too. Now those are the real pests!