Sketch 25/30 - Waiting in Yangon

When we traveled to Yangon, we were very pampered by Shein and his relatives who drove us everywhere in air-conditioned comfort. Nice as that was, I would liked to have taken a ride in one of these, wearing my longi and Burmese slippers.

Sketch 18/30 - Rangoon War Memorial

The quotes below is from another war memorial - I have always been moved by it, so I ll share it here.

“Heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

Meanwhile in Yangon...

One March afternoon, I left my fellow travelers with their endless shopping and wandered out of the Bogyoke Market and retraced my steps to the Anglican Church I saw on the way to the market. The gates were locked so I stood under a tree in my longyi and started sketching when I heard a voice say something in Burmese. A street food vendor gestured to a low stool and pushed it towards me with his foot and repeated the Burmese words - so I sat down and I continued sketching while he watched over my shoulder.

After 15  minutes or so, I finished my sketch and showed it to him - he looked at it appraisingly for several moments and nodded his approval. I took a photo of us and showed that to him as well; he offered his hand, I took it and thanked him.

As I stood up and walked back to the market, my longyi began to fail (fall). In between trying to put my sketchbook and pen into my bag and not to draw attention to myself, someone noticed my predicament. A man called out from in between some parked cars, this time in English - "I think you need help, I can help". I stood my ground, unwillingly and unable to move - my longyi had slipped further southwards and I wasn't about to let some stranger man-handle me.  
The man did not share my prejudices about wardrobe adjustment. So I stood there - sketch book in one hand my satchel in the other while he showed me the correct Burmese way of tying a man's longyi, with running commentary in English. "See? - it is tight now, it will not fall down again" and to prove it, he hooked two fingers into the waistline and tugged.
"See?" he repeated. "Yes" I agreed.

So, this is the story of how a stranger taught me to tie the Burmese men's longyi on the middle of Yangon pavement. It reminded me to keep a open mind when traveling overseas - not every local wants to sell you something, sometimes they just want to show us their way of life (if we let them)

Rangoon War Cemetery

The Rangoon War Cemetery

The Rangoon War Cemetery was not initially on our list of places to visit. But its manicured lawns and Memorial structure stood out from the street-scape of dusty buildings and straggly vegetation as we drove past from our day trip to the "Gold Rock" pagoda. We decided to visit the next day.

The Taukkyan War Cemetery (as it is known locally) is a memorial to the Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in Burma during the World War II; British, Burmese, Indian and African soldiers are buried here. I was a little weary of temples and pagodas and glad to visit something with more architectural content and as it turned out, emotional content as we wandered through the grave stones and read the inscriptions on the plaques.

Each headstone has an inscribed brass plaque with a flowering shrubs beside it - some of the inscriptions were quite moving and I found myself on an emotional verge several times. I noticed that a large number were from India and most were very young, 16 - 17 years old - the same age as Sara. She was also reading the quotes and having a little cry, as was Sam. The unidentified soldiers' grave were inscribed with 'Known onto God' while many others gave an insight to the men interred here.
One read 'Father, not my will but Thine be done' which to me speaks of a reluctance and obedience to do one's duty for a perceived greater good. It is from the Bible (Luke 22:44).

 

Running to Shwedagon

At 5:30 one morning, I ran here from my hotel - a distance of 4 kilometres. No risk of getting lost as the brightly lit golden leaf covered stupa can be seen from a long way off. There were quite a few locals there as well - exercising, stretching and chatting among themselves. After their workout, one of them brought out a box of bottled water from his car and passed them around; I got one too.

There are four gateways into the Shwedagon Pagoda Complex - the view is from the main entrance located along the main axis, which takes you up to the main 'stupa' via a series of internal and external steps.

I wandered 'innocently' into the temple complex and watched people worshiping and meditating in the blue light of dawn. - very peaceful. Until a watchful security guard asked to see my ticket which I did not have and since I did not have any money on me (USD 5) - I left via the east entrance using the lift to take me to street level.

Look who was there as well.....

Blessed Burmese Slippers

I like to get freebies when I buy stuff; a free biscotti with my coffee or a bookmark with the purchase of a book. It doesn't take much to amuse me. However, these are material things. They pale in comparison to the 'free gift' that I received when I bought slippers in Yangon's Bogyoke Market. (formerly Scot's Market).

These are the brown 'flip-flops' with velvet straps worn by most Burmese men with their 'longyi' - I wanted a pair to go with my longyi as I pretended to be Burmese for my 5 days in Yangon.

The owner was an old man, he sat amongst a storey high backdrop of Burmese slippers. He found a pair that suited me, and when he stood up to accept my payment - he did a strange thing. He put one hand on my chest and the other of my back, closed his eyes and recited in Burmese. After about a minute he stopped, gently patted me on my back and smiled. Shein who was observing this nearby told me that that the old man was reciting a blessing for safe journeys and good health. Good value for 3,000 kyats (USD3)

Buying slippers at Scots Market

For free blessings and good Burmese slippers, go to the shoe store next to Shwe Yardana Jewelry store in the Bogyoke Market (right side as you walk in)