May 7th, 2004
Now, I have a bit of time to catch up. Ive been in Chiang Mai the past three days but before I get into Chiang Mai let me explain first that on the 4th of May I took an overnight train from Ayuthaya. The train ride was 12 hours and very pleasant for I bought a ticket for the sleeper car. The sleeper car has upper and lower beds. If in Thailand, and if you are going to travel by overnight train in a sleeper car I recommend the lower bed. The sleeper car was air conditioned and as soon as I got on the train I hoped straight into my bed and pulled the curtain to give myself privacy from the other passengers. Since my bed was already pulled out and made I simply sat on it with my legs crossed beneath me and spent about an hour staring out the window into the dark night as I listened to my M.D. player. I felt like I was in a little nest or a cocoon. Eventually I layed down and stared out the window unable to see very much through my window. I slept pleasantly - althought my body was rocked back and forth with the movements of the train and the metallic door at the end of the car kept banging against its door frame. But, other than the rocking sensation - which actually felt nice at times - and the banging door I slept very well.
The next morning - May 5th - I awoke by the light of the morning sun for I had no curtain to pull over the window. I sat up again and stared out the window watching the thatched homes of rural farmer Thai's pass by. I saw men working along the train tracks as well. Soon enough a train assistant came by and converted my bed back into a proper seat. I spent my last hour on the train sitting on my seat staring out the window.
Funny enough, just as we were about to stop in Chiang Mai, the train assistant sat on the arm of my seat and placed his hand right on my lap as if it was quite normal to do so to a total stranger. Im sure for him and most Thais that this is proper behavior but for me I was very uncomfortable and I assume that he felt that and soon enought removed his hand and carried on.
I got off the train and met up with a Finnish man I had met before boarding the previous night. Together we made for the exit of the train station but we didnt get that far. We were immediately attacked by local Thais trying to whisk us away into their mini-van and to their hotel or guest house. A particular lady did not give up on us and before we knew it we had agreed to take her offer of a ride into town and to see the guest houses she had in store for us. A French-man - who was still waking up - also joined us for the ride into town. The French-man and the Finnish guy both agreed to stay in the same guest house where as I went off to another hotel that my driver took me to.
As soon as I washed up I began my walk into town in search of breakfast but I came across a fellow traveler who was from Mexico. He name was Juan and he was very friendly. After sitting down in an outdoor restaurant he told me about his life and family and Mexico and his travels and adventures in India. It seems that India too is beginning to call to me. I believe that perhaps in a few years my next big journey will be in India, Bhutan, and Nepal. We shall see. Juan loved to talk and I enjoyed listening to him. The best part of what he had to say was that of how much he loved and admired his father. We talked about family and saw eye to eye on many things ranging from spirituality to family to love and the importance of loyalty and respect. We both ended up going off on our dislike of certain Presidents and politicians from the U.S. and Mexico.
Later that afternoon I was able to make contact with the Japanese volunteers at Ban Rom Sai (www.banromsai.gr.jp). Ban Rom Sai is a Children's Home for Thai orphan children who were born with the HIV virus. I made an appointment with Nanako - one of the Japanese volunteers at Ban Rom Sai - to meet at the Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai the next day.
In terms of Chiang Mai itself as a travel destination . . . hmmm . . . well. To be honest I did not come to Chiang Mai to see the sites for they do not interest me in the least. I came to work with Ban Rom Sai and begin the process of developing an English website for them. Chiang Mai is a popular destination for many tourists because it is a stepping stone to visiting the northern hilltribes of Thailand as well as going on elephant rides and trekking in the surrounding moutains. It appears that Chiang Mai caters solely to tourists and because of that I dont care for this place at all. There are a few streets - particularly Loi Kroh, Chang Klan, and Thai Phae that look like streets in Wisconsin Dells or Niagara Falls. Tourist travel agency after travel agency abound in all directions here offering package tours of all the over-exploited sites and sounds of northern Thailand as well as package journeys to Luang Prabang in Laos. Prostitution and sex tourism is alive and well in Chiang Mai. There is not a moment that goes by as I walk through Chiang Mai where I dont see a lone Western man on the prowl for a nice young Thai girl. And at night you see western men of all ages either with a Thai girl or two or being sought after by a Thai girl. And it sadly seems that all the restaurants and bars and dance clubs here cater specifically to tourists. There are plenty of shops that sell an array of ethnic Thai, Cambodian, Burmese, and Lao clothing and jewelry. Everything here - I mean everything here - is for the tourists. I think the only great thing that has come of this is Gecko Used Book Store which has been a wonderful heaven for me. I have never seen so many English used books before in Southeast Asia. And here on my desk before me are a few purchases that I have made at the book store. Im sure I will be back tomorrow to buy another book or two.
If you want to come to Chiang Mai and do something that is not so typical of what the tourists come here to do then I recommend that you volunteer your time at the many orphanages that are here in Chiang Mai.
Well, today is the 7th of May both yesterday and today I spent time at Ban Rom Sai (www.banromsai.gr.jp).
As I said before Ban Rom Sai is a Children's home for Thai orphan children who were born with the HIV virus.
It is estimated that about 1 in every 60 Thai's have the HIV virus. It is estimated that more than 50% of all Thai prostitutes are infected with the HIV virus. Tourism brings 4 billion U.S. dollars to Thailand every year and is directly responsible for the economic miracle that Thailand has achieved in the past two decades. Since the beginning the the Vietnam war Thailand had become known as a Sex mecca for G.I.'s and now Sex tourists from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, and other Asian and Western countries. Oddly though the Thai government says very littly publicly about their AIDS crisis. And you may ask why? Well, to be honest they do not want to scare away the Sex tourists that come here to fulfill their sexual fantasies with little Thai girls and boys. Sex tourists bring in a large portion of the 4 billion dollars that are made in the Thai tourism industry. All over Thailand I have come across offers and shops that offer sex, sex, sex. It is impossible to travel through this country and not be confronted with the vibrant prostitution industry here.
And the result of all this. Simply said AIDS is spreading like a wild fire in Thailand and Southeast Asia. And Western and Asian Sex tourists are coming here and getting infected and taking the HIV virus back to their home countries - to their wives, their girlfriends, and even their future children.
Since there is a fear of HIV/AIDS among Sex tourists there is a high demand for incredibly young girls who are bought by Thai pimps for ridiculously little amounts of money from their parents in the rural poor areas of Thailand. The younger the girl and the more likely she is a virgin the better she will sell for a night's pleasure to a middle class Western man. What does this say about the West? I should also mention that Burmese girls are also in demand by Thai pimps and are smuggled into Thailand from the Golden Triangle (the northen border of Thailand). Since Burma is so politically isolated fromt the rest of the world HIV/AIDS has not had a chance to have a strong foot hold in the country. As a result Burmese girls - who are all believe by the Thai's and the Sex tourists - to be devoid of any STD's are in high demand.
And who is to pay for all this? Children. "Every year over 7,000 HIV positive Thai women give birth and 30% of their babies are born with the virus. The typical child born with HIV in Thailand will be orphaned by the age of two and can expect to die by the age of 5. The consequences of poverty and insufficient medical care in Thailand make their time on earth very brief."
I have spent these past two days at Ban Rom Sai learning from the Japanese volunteers there about their organization and playing with the children. There are 27 children at Ban Rom Sai. All of them are HIV positive. There are five infants between the ages of 2 to 3, 11 kindergarten kids between the ages of 4-7, 11 middle school children between the ages of 9 to 10. The children live in a small paradise provided by and cared for by the Ban Rom Sai staff. There are three buildings where the children sleep in rooms for 3 to 4 children. They all have their own beds and closets and clothes. But, they do not have many toys to play with. But, they have plenty of outdoor space to play around. And they have a pool. Nanako - one of the Japanese volunteers who has been working at Ban Rom Sai for the past three years - explained to me that the children used to go to a public pool to swim in and play in. But, when it was discovered by the pool staff that the children were HIV positive they were officially banned from coming to the pool. Luckily Giorgio Armani Japan Inc. donated funds to Ban Rom Sai to build their own private pool where they children are free from fear of discrimination. Nanako also told me that they try to keep the fact that the children are HIV positive from the schools that they attend for fear again of discrimination agains the children for the virus that they carry. I learned that the children were not admitted into a local school due to fear of the virus they carry. As a result the Japanese staff has to drive the children to a school that is farther away than the local one.
There is a Ban Rom Sai office in Tokyo, Japan that organizes events and awareness and raises funds and aquires members to donate to the organization. Right now the majority of the people who donate to Ban Rom Sai are from Japan. This is due in part to the fact that their website is only in Japanese. As a result I will work with friends of mine and any of you out there who may be reading this in the States to begin the process of building an English website for them. I have already bought the domain name for the future English site of www.banromsai.com. I will be returning to the U.S. in August and I will be contacting many friends and family for their support and help. There are many things that the children need to medication, to toys, to clothes, to computers, etc.
They are wonderful children and so well loved by the Japanese and Thai staff. I have taken many pictures of them. It is a wonderful thing to be with them and to play with them and enjoy their laughter, smiles, and hugs. They have so much joy and I am so honestly proud of the Japanese volunteer staff who are working with these children everyday. They are amazing people and true hero's. I have come back to my hotel after working at Ban Rom Sai completely exhausted. I dont know how the staff at Ban Rom Sai keep up their energy and strength everyday. They are amazing and I love them for all the work they have done. They are making a wonderful difference to these children. They have given them a home and a sense of family and a sense of possibility and wonder. Please have a look at the Japanese Ban Rom Sai website. I know you will not be able to read the text but you can search and find the pictures of the staff and children.
Their website is www.banromsai.gr.jp
With Love and Magic,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Friday, May 07, 2004
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
May 6th, 2004
I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand yesterday morning via overnight train. The train ride was 12 hours from Ayuthaya and a very pleasant one at that. I bought a ticket for the sleeper car and made sure that I got a lower sleeper for it is more spacious than the upper and has a window which the upper does not. As soon as I got on the train I hoped into my bed which was already prepared for me and sat with my legs crossed staring out into the dark night as the train began its journey into the north of Thailand. All was quiet within my sleeper car. Many of the passengers had boarded the train in Bangkok and were fast asleep or quietly keeping to themselves behind the curtains that provided them some privacy while they either slept or read a book.
I highly recommend travel in Thailand via overnight train as long as you stay in the sleeper car(s). After watching the night view and listening a selection of progressive rock music on my M.D. player I laid down across my bed and allowed my tired body to fall into a deep slumber - which was a bit difficult since the train would rock my body this way and that as it moved along on its tracks - it also didn't help to hear the train door at my end of the car bang heavily and repeatedly against its own door frame.
Regardless of the train rocking and the door banging I slept very well. The rising sun woke me up the next morning - for there is no curtain over the train window. I laid in bed looking out seeing the tops of trees pass me by. Soon enough I sat up and watched my window-vision which was permanently stuck on the moving landscape channel. I saw small villages of thatched homes on stilts - much like the homes that I saw in the rural areas of Myanmar and Thai men working along the tracks clearing land or burning dried grass.
About an hour before arriving in Chiang Mai a Thai train attendant converted my sleeper into formal train seats. I sat and awaited for my arrival to Chiang Mai. And then, just as we arrived, the same Thai train attendant say on the arm of my seat and rested his hand on my leg as if it was completely normal to touch a stranger. Im sure it was normal for him but I was not comfortable with his hand on my leg at all and soon enough he got up and began assisting the other passengers unload their things.
As is always expected for a traveler arriving in a Thai bus station or train station - there were Thai men and women running up to all us backpackers - there were quiet a few of us that got off the train - trying to persuade us to go to their hotel. I wanted to find my guest house on my own but I finally gave into a Thai lady who would not give up on me. She promised me a nice hotel room complete with air-con and TV for 400 baht. She whisked me away to her driver and with a guy I met from Finland and France we were driven to our guest house's.
I reviewed my room first before agreeing to stay at the Winner Inn which is located beyond the South-eastern corner of the old Chiang Mai city. As soon as I began unpacking a bit in my room I received a phone call in my room, Odd?, I thought. I picked up the receiver and heard a male Thai voice that said, "Hello, Sir. I want to give you a map. Can you come down?" "Sure," I replied without thinking. After locking up all my important belongings again into my bag I went downstairs to see who this guy was.
He asked me to sit down at a hotel restaurant table and it was immediately clear that he wanted to sell me some tourist trekking tour or elephant ride just outside Chiang Mai. I could give a shit for I did not come to Chiang Mai for the very, very typical travel tours that tourists do of the surrounding Thai villages that are composed of the Thai ethnic tribes and so forth. I quickly shot down this Thai tour guide and returned to my room.
After taking a proper shower I left my hotel in search of breakfast and soon ran into a Mexican traveler named Juan. He approached me and after speaking a bit of Spanish he decided to join me on my search for breakfast.
We soon found a place and as I ate he told me all about the PRI party and the work his father does in Mexico. As he spoke I recalled bits and pieces of news that I had seen or read of certain events that he was referring to. I spent most of the day with him talking about everything from Yoga to his travels in India to my travels in Burma to our families to the importance of respect and loyalty in all relationships.
Well, today is the 6th of April and after spending the morning walking around Chiang Mai I must tell you that I am not impressed or pleased with what I see here. Thailand is being completely run over my tourists. There are streets here that look like streets in Niagara Falls or Wisconsin Dells in the States -super cheesy touristic shops and restaurants. All one one city corner block - just a block or two from the Tourist Information Center - there is a McDonald's, Starbucks, and Haagan Daaz Ice Cream shop. And if you look a bit down from this corner you will see a Pizza Hut and 31 Flavors Ice Cream Shop. There is also a strip along Loi Kroh road has several German restaurants complete with German flags, German beer, and Thai staff dressed like German hill people - its ridiculous!!! And there are tourists everywhere ready to shop at the many clothing stores here for exotic articles of pants and shirts that have a Thai feel to them, although all the clothing sold here has been completely altered from their traditionalness to the design needs of foreigners. But, Im sure there are a few shops that due sell the genuine article . . . but I doubt they sell well. And the restaurants. It seems that nearly all of them except VISA and MASTERCARD. There are Italian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Japanese restaurants, and everything else. I am only getting the sense that this city thrives and depends heavily on tourism. And at night there is no shortage of bars that cater only to foreigners; complete with billiard tables, beer, and Thai women ready and waiting to be picked up. And there is no shortage of foreign adult men here in Chiang Mai. All morning all I have seen are foreign adult men walking into and out of their hotels.
To be honest it is my opinion that Thailand has lost itself in its quest for the tourist's dollar. Tourism brings 4 billion U.S. dollars a year to Thailand; and it is very apparent in Chiang Mai. There are tourist travel agencies providing one or two or three day journeys all around the northern regions of Thailand all over Chiang Mai. And because tourists have come and continue to come by the train/bus/airplane load the exotic essence which was the first reason why tourists began coming here is being lost. Soon Chiang Mai and the rest of Thailand will feel no different from a resort in Hawaii. So the tourists of the future will turn to others Southeast Asian countries in search of the exoticness that is being wiped away from Thailand. Soon, Laos and Myanmar will become hot tourist travel destinations. But, this is a sad thing to see. Foreigners here in Thailand are beginning to say that in 5 years time Laos will also begin loosing the "innocence" that makes it so special. It looks like Myanmar will be the last of the Southeast Asian nations to fall to armies of marching tourists who travel knowing very little about the country they are venturing off to.
Well, I didnt come to Chiang Mai for its tourist offerings. I came to visit an orphanage run by Japanese volunteers. The orphanage is a hospice for Thai children born HIV positive. They have a website at http://www.banromsai.gr.jp. The site is in Japanese and I am here to begin the process of creating an English website with the aid of my friend Pete Mitchell so that they can begin getting attention and help from English speaking nations and individuals. When I return to the U.S. I will begin the process of putting this English website together for Ban Rom Sai. If you would like to help in any way you may contact me at thedragonbone@hotmail.com
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand yesterday morning via overnight train. The train ride was 12 hours from Ayuthaya and a very pleasant one at that. I bought a ticket for the sleeper car and made sure that I got a lower sleeper for it is more spacious than the upper and has a window which the upper does not. As soon as I got on the train I hoped into my bed which was already prepared for me and sat with my legs crossed staring out into the dark night as the train began its journey into the north of Thailand. All was quiet within my sleeper car. Many of the passengers had boarded the train in Bangkok and were fast asleep or quietly keeping to themselves behind the curtains that provided them some privacy while they either slept or read a book.
I highly recommend travel in Thailand via overnight train as long as you stay in the sleeper car(s). After watching the night view and listening a selection of progressive rock music on my M.D. player I laid down across my bed and allowed my tired body to fall into a deep slumber - which was a bit difficult since the train would rock my body this way and that as it moved along on its tracks - it also didn't help to hear the train door at my end of the car bang heavily and repeatedly against its own door frame.
Regardless of the train rocking and the door banging I slept very well. The rising sun woke me up the next morning - for there is no curtain over the train window. I laid in bed looking out seeing the tops of trees pass me by. Soon enough I sat up and watched my window-vision which was permanently stuck on the moving landscape channel. I saw small villages of thatched homes on stilts - much like the homes that I saw in the rural areas of Myanmar and Thai men working along the tracks clearing land or burning dried grass.
About an hour before arriving in Chiang Mai a Thai train attendant converted my sleeper into formal train seats. I sat and awaited for my arrival to Chiang Mai. And then, just as we arrived, the same Thai train attendant say on the arm of my seat and rested his hand on my leg as if it was completely normal to touch a stranger. Im sure it was normal for him but I was not comfortable with his hand on my leg at all and soon enough he got up and began assisting the other passengers unload their things.
As is always expected for a traveler arriving in a Thai bus station or train station - there were Thai men and women running up to all us backpackers - there were quiet a few of us that got off the train - trying to persuade us to go to their hotel. I wanted to find my guest house on my own but I finally gave into a Thai lady who would not give up on me. She promised me a nice hotel room complete with air-con and TV for 400 baht. She whisked me away to her driver and with a guy I met from Finland and France we were driven to our guest house's.
I reviewed my room first before agreeing to stay at the Winner Inn which is located beyond the South-eastern corner of the old Chiang Mai city. As soon as I began unpacking a bit in my room I received a phone call in my room, Odd?, I thought. I picked up the receiver and heard a male Thai voice that said, "Hello, Sir. I want to give you a map. Can you come down?" "Sure," I replied without thinking. After locking up all my important belongings again into my bag I went downstairs to see who this guy was.
He asked me to sit down at a hotel restaurant table and it was immediately clear that he wanted to sell me some tourist trekking tour or elephant ride just outside Chiang Mai. I could give a shit for I did not come to Chiang Mai for the very, very typical travel tours that tourists do of the surrounding Thai villages that are composed of the Thai ethnic tribes and so forth. I quickly shot down this Thai tour guide and returned to my room.
After taking a proper shower I left my hotel in search of breakfast and soon ran into a Mexican traveler named Juan. He approached me and after speaking a bit of Spanish he decided to join me on my search for breakfast.
We soon found a place and as I ate he told me all about the PRI party and the work his father does in Mexico. As he spoke I recalled bits and pieces of news that I had seen or read of certain events that he was referring to. I spent most of the day with him talking about everything from Yoga to his travels in India to my travels in Burma to our families to the importance of respect and loyalty in all relationships.
Well, today is the 6th of April and after spending the morning walking around Chiang Mai I must tell you that I am not impressed or pleased with what I see here. Thailand is being completely run over my tourists. There are streets here that look like streets in Niagara Falls or Wisconsin Dells in the States -super cheesy touristic shops and restaurants. All one one city corner block - just a block or two from the Tourist Information Center - there is a McDonald's, Starbucks, and Haagan Daaz Ice Cream shop. And if you look a bit down from this corner you will see a Pizza Hut and 31 Flavors Ice Cream Shop. There is also a strip along Loi Kroh road has several German restaurants complete with German flags, German beer, and Thai staff dressed like German hill people - its ridiculous!!! And there are tourists everywhere ready to shop at the many clothing stores here for exotic articles of pants and shirts that have a Thai feel to them, although all the clothing sold here has been completely altered from their traditionalness to the design needs of foreigners. But, Im sure there are a few shops that due sell the genuine article . . . but I doubt they sell well. And the restaurants. It seems that nearly all of them except VISA and MASTERCARD. There are Italian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Japanese restaurants, and everything else. I am only getting the sense that this city thrives and depends heavily on tourism. And at night there is no shortage of bars that cater only to foreigners; complete with billiard tables, beer, and Thai women ready and waiting to be picked up. And there is no shortage of foreign adult men here in Chiang Mai. All morning all I have seen are foreign adult men walking into and out of their hotels.
To be honest it is my opinion that Thailand has lost itself in its quest for the tourist's dollar. Tourism brings 4 billion U.S. dollars a year to Thailand; and it is very apparent in Chiang Mai. There are tourist travel agencies providing one or two or three day journeys all around the northern regions of Thailand all over Chiang Mai. And because tourists have come and continue to come by the train/bus/airplane load the exotic essence which was the first reason why tourists began coming here is being lost. Soon Chiang Mai and the rest of Thailand will feel no different from a resort in Hawaii. So the tourists of the future will turn to others Southeast Asian countries in search of the exoticness that is being wiped away from Thailand. Soon, Laos and Myanmar will become hot tourist travel destinations. But, this is a sad thing to see. Foreigners here in Thailand are beginning to say that in 5 years time Laos will also begin loosing the "innocence" that makes it so special. It looks like Myanmar will be the last of the Southeast Asian nations to fall to armies of marching tourists who travel knowing very little about the country they are venturing off to.
Well, I didnt come to Chiang Mai for its tourist offerings. I came to visit an orphanage run by Japanese volunteers. The orphanage is a hospice for Thai children born HIV positive. They have a website at http://www.banromsai.gr.jp. The site is in Japanese and I am here to begin the process of creating an English website with the aid of my friend Pete Mitchell so that they can begin getting attention and help from English speaking nations and individuals. When I return to the U.S. I will begin the process of putting this English website together for Ban Rom Sai. If you would like to help in any way you may contact me at thedragonbone@hotmail.com
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
May 4th, 2004
I'm in Ayuthaya, Thailand which is just north of Bangkok. I was in Bangkok for 6 days. A lot longer than I expected. I am fully recovered from my illness in Myanmar so now the journey to the north of Thailand begins. I must share with you an act of God - or coincidence - which ever you would like to call it - while I was in Bangkok.
The story goes as follows.
On my second day in Myanmar I met Manuela very briefly. She is from Hamburg, Germany and had been traveling in Myanmar for nearly a month. We exchanged emails in the hope of meeting up in Bangkok. As soon as I arrived back in Bangkok we emailed each other and met up and spent several enjoyable days together. On one particular day - Saturday - April 1st - Manuela wanted to go to the Chatuchak market which is north of Bangkok. The market, which is extremely large, is only open on the weekend. Manuela was on a mission to find and buy Swatch copies in the market in the hopes of selling them for a profit back in Germany on Ebay. We arrived at the market and discovered thousands of Thai's and farangs (foreigners) shopping for copy-cat brand names. We searched high and low for these Swatch watches with no luck but funny enough I ran into Angela Nichols in the market. Angela is a good friend of mine who I had known during my three and a half year stay in Tokyo. She is a wonderful artist and I am proud to have three of her paitings in my parent's and sister's home back in the States. Her paintings are very vibrant and up-lifting - just like Angela. We were both shocked and completely amazed to have found each other again in such a place as the Chatuchak market in Bangkok. Angela left Tokyo at the end of January and I left at the end of March. Both of us thought that it would be a few years before we ever saw each other again but there we were, standing before each other in this giant market in Bangkok. What a small world, ne?
Angela was with her friend Laura and I got Laura's cell number and later met up with them near Nana station and then for dinner in Little Arabia which is also near Nana station. After dinner we smoked from Turkish pipes in a Arabic styled cafe. I got buzzed from the tabacco and ended up beaming with a wide smile for most of the night.
Well, now, here I am in Ayuthaya. I am at this internet cafe killing time for I have to wait to take my overnight train to Chiang Mai. Ayuthaya makes for a great day trip or overnight stay from Bangkok. It was originally the Thai capital until 1767 when the Burmese invaded and destroyed it. The town is kind of on an island surrounded by a river and full of temples both on the island and off it. Many of these temples in one respect or another reminded me much of the temples that I saw in Bagan, Myanmar but also I saw some very unusual temples that looked like the type of temples that I would expect to see in Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The main attraction for me to come to Ayuthaya was Wat Phra Mahathat which is a giant red-brick temple ruin but curiously enought there is a stone Buddha head that was probably severed from its statue body during the Burmese invasion. The stone head fell onto the base of a Banyan tree and now, centuries later, the head has been embedded into the growing branch veins of the tree. It is quiet a remarkable site.
Well, let's see if I can finish up my Myanmar thoughts . . .
Inle Lake, Myanmar - April 21, 2004
The wonderful thing about Inle Lake is that it lies high up in the mountains where it is cool. It was a relief to be in a cooler climate from the heat that Aung and I had to endure on our journey there. I was staying at a pleasant and quiet hotel that Aung recommended over another hotel that he claimed was haunted in the town of Nyaungshwe.
After breakfast Aung drove me to the river where I met a man who was to be my guide around Inle Lake for the day. My guide and I got onto a very long and thing wooden boat and our boat driver manuevered the boat out of the pier and away we went south into Inle Lake.
Our first stop was Kaungdaing which was the site of a 5 day market (meaning every five days villagers from around the day would coverge on the site to sell, buy, and bargain). Before arriving at the market by foot, after we parked out boat, we saw men, women, and monks gambling. My guide explained that I should not take any pictures since it was illegal in Myanmar to gamble. There were two games that people were gambling on. The first was composed of three very large dice (perhaps the size of one's head). The sides of the dice had colorful paintings of animals on them. the dice were held up against a wooden type wall and after people had placed their bets the dice we released onto the ground and whoever was able to bet on the three correct sides of the dice won. The other game composed of a type of dice again that would be spun and then quicly covered by a bowl so that no one could see which side of the dice was facing up. People would bet on the side of the dice and then the bowl was lifted to reveal who won.
The market itself was very interesting to see. A lot of different foods and spices were being sold. There was fresh fish, skinned chickens and pigs, grounded red peppers, mounds of a very salty paste, dried fishes for snacking on, tofu, and everything else your mind can imagine at an out-door rural market. There were also hygenic items beign sold such as soap and the branches of the tree bark that women used to make the cream that they would apply to their faces everyday. Weights and measures were always being used in the market. It was a very curious and wonderful site of activity.
From there my guide and I hoped back onto out boat and went to a village of homes that were built on stilts over the lake. The village I believe was called Seko. There I met two blacksmiths that were working with several other boys in fashioning tools used by villagers all around the lake. They produced knives, fishing spears, hoes and other equipment for farming, and gongs and tea kettles. I was very intrigued by their work of cutting scrap metal, heating it, molding it with the aid of the boys who would hammer down the red hot pieces of metal, and so forth.
From there we hopped onto our boat again and headed south down the lake to Inbawkon. Along the way I saw fields and fields of tomotoes being worked on and attended to by farmers. These fields sat on the marches of the lake and farmers would sit on the boats gliding from one row of crops to the other. There were also farmer out near their fields and in the middle of the lake racking up the underwater plants from the lake and piling them onto their boats. These plants they would use as natural fertilizer for their crops. I also saw these farmer paddling their boats employing a curious technique of wrapping their leg around their paddle and paddling and steering their boat with a single motion. I got this on film show :)
In Inbawkon I went into a silk weaving factory. Everything was made by hand and I spent quite a bit of time simply looking at the women work their looming machines trying to see exactly how the created the patterns in the cloth they were making. I also saw a girl cutting open lotus flower stems and spooling a natural thread from them with the aid of water. I was absolutely amazed by this and later saw a lovely scarf made from these lotus stems.
From there we took our boat on a slow cruise through another village built on stilts over the Lake to observe the daily life of these people. I smiled at them with fascination as they smiled at me with wonderment. Some of the pictures I took here I am particularaly fond of, especially one I took of a very young girl sitting on her boat with a beautiful and slightly chubby smile.
From there I believe I had lunch and then we stopped in Nampan to see natural paper and umbrellas being made. I didnt really care for this for I have seen paper being made in the traditional fashion before but I was amazed to learn that they used a specific berry to waterproof their umbrellas. Amazing that everything we need for our tools and products can all be found in our natural surroudings without the aid of chemicals and factories. This waterproofing berry simply blew me away.
From there we went to Phaung Daw U Kyaung which is a famed temple in Myanmar for 5 golden Buddha statues that they have. But, what you will see are not 5 golden Buddha statues but 5 golden balls. In all the working temples in Myanmar a devotee can purchase paper thing slivers of pure gold - the size of a U.S. quarter coin - and press it onto a Buddha statue. What happened to these 5 golden buddhas is that over the centuries so many of these thin layers of gold have been pressed onto them that they no longer appear as statues but as golden balls.
My guide led me up to the 5 golden balls to see them up close. Then he ran down toward some women and tok their offerings of gold and placed them onto the statues for them. Women are not allowed to approach most Buddha statues and holy sites. I guess Buddha wasnt much one for the feminist movement. I also saw a boy all dressed in pink garments and with a face painted up in make-up. I first thought that he was a boy and then assumed that he was a girl because of how he was dressed. But my guide explained that indeed it was a boy. They boy was at the temple with his family celebrating his journey into monkhood that would commence the next day. They family was so proud of him and I later saw him on his own boat that was decorated and blasting traditional Burmese music. He sat in the middle of his boat on a throne of a chair.
From there we stopped by a monastary where I was able to play a bit of football (soccer) with some fellow monks who were all half my age.
Then we made it to our last stop - Nga Phe Kyaung, which is also known as Jumping Cat Monastary. The temple was dark and relaxing inside. A nice breeze off the lake would flow in and men and women sat or laid lazily all around the temple as children played outside. Soon enough a monk threw dried fish crumbs to a group of temple cats and then held out a metal ring that the cats would eagerly jump up and through.
Later that night Aung took me to the home of his friends. He was dressed up - which was unusual - and full of joy. I later learned that he had been in the markets shopping and cooking for me for most of the day. It was a very kind gesture on his part. We arrived at his friends house and I saw a table with candles laid out on it. He poured me some Burmese rum - ? - and then the feast began. This is the beginning of the end for me. The Burmese family was incredibly nice - it was actually the family of the guide who took me around Inle Lake. I learned from my guide that he had lived and worked in Malaysia and in Thailand, in Bangkok to be exact. He had lived independently and enjoyed his life but his father had passed away and he had to return to Myanmar to care for his mother. He confessed that he missed working in the factories in Malaysia and Thailand and wished to return for he did not like working as a guide around Inle Lake. He also confessed that his brother had died five years ago from a heroin addiction and that heroin was a big problem in the Shan state.
The eastern portions of the Shan state are not fully controlled by the Myanmar military government. There are independent drug lords who police their own areas and opperate independently of the Myanmar government. They export their poppy seeds turned into heroin products into China and Thailand. Unfortunately Thai pimps also buy Burmese girls in this area and sell them to brothels in Chiang Main and in Bangkok.
The Shan state also has 5 distinct ehtnic groups: The Inda, Pao, Shan, Danu, and the Wa head hunters. I saw a few Pao women in Inle Lake. The Pao always where black garments with any color headware they desire. The Pao women I must confess are beautiful.
Getting back to dinner. The Burmese family I was with kept filling my plate with fish, rice, and all other dishes they could find to give me until I was simply beyond stuff. I felt so sick by the time I ate my last spoon-full of food. I ate and ate so as not to be rude to them. I constantly told them how good the food was. But, that was a mistake. They took that as a sign to keep feeding me. Finally, dinner was over and Aung dropped me off at my hotel and I told him how happy I was to eat what he had prepared. I then went into my room and tried to rest but my stomach was very upset. To make a long story short I spent most of the night either on the toilet or vomiting into the sink. Thank God no one was there to see or smell the horrors in my bathroom that night.
April 22nd, 2004 - Inle Lake to Bagan
This was a long journey by car, about 8 hours or so. It was on this journey that I came across beggars for the first time in Myanmar. Aung and I had lunch in a town along the way (I couldnt eat much) and when we approached our car I saw an very old woman come up to me holding out her hand. Then a boy came and I thought the two were together. I gave some money to the boy and he ran off. The woman kept holding out her hand. I told her that I had nothing left to give her and the boy, now across the street, called up with pride making fun of the old lady and her inability to get any money from me. I then got into the car and we left.
When we arrived at our hotel in Bagan I simply went straight to my room to rest. I was still very sick and suffering from severe diaherrea.
April 23rd to 24th, 2004 - Bagan
During these two days I explored as many of the temples as I could bare to see in the desert landscape of the Bagan region. There are over 2,000 temples and chedi's dotting the area in literally all directions. Anywhere you walk or drive in Bagan you see temple after temple. Many of these temples were built nearly 1,000 to 800 years ago. The beginnings of the temples started with the King Anawrahta who conquered the area in 1057 A.D. and imported as many artists, artisans, builders, monks, and Buddhist scriptures as he could afford. I have a mountain of pictures from Bagan and will simply put these pictures up when I develop a site to this journey. There were simply too many temples that I saw for me to go into any detail about now.
But, I must saw that Bagan is a place of magic. Especially during sun set. You can climb one of the numerous temples and sit and relax barefoot - for you are not allowed to set a single shoe onto the temple grounds - and look out into the horizon to see temples dotting the area. Bagan is a ghost of its former self and it is said that many of the temples are haunted. In fact I saw a ghost! Well, not personally but funny enought Dhammayazika Paya (Temple) there is a photo that a Frenchmen took only a couple of years ago and right there in the photo there is an image of a man that should not be there . . . it was a photo of a ghost. And it was a bit frightful to see this image.
All right. I am pretty much caught up on Myanmar. After Bagan Aung and I went south to Pyay for a night and then back to Yangon.
There are thousands of little moments that I had in Myanmar that I will one day put down to paper.
For now stay tuned for my travels into Northern Thailand . . . and soon Laos.
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
I'm in Ayuthaya, Thailand which is just north of Bangkok. I was in Bangkok for 6 days. A lot longer than I expected. I am fully recovered from my illness in Myanmar so now the journey to the north of Thailand begins. I must share with you an act of God - or coincidence - which ever you would like to call it - while I was in Bangkok.
The story goes as follows.
On my second day in Myanmar I met Manuela very briefly. She is from Hamburg, Germany and had been traveling in Myanmar for nearly a month. We exchanged emails in the hope of meeting up in Bangkok. As soon as I arrived back in Bangkok we emailed each other and met up and spent several enjoyable days together. On one particular day - Saturday - April 1st - Manuela wanted to go to the Chatuchak market which is north of Bangkok. The market, which is extremely large, is only open on the weekend. Manuela was on a mission to find and buy Swatch copies in the market in the hopes of selling them for a profit back in Germany on Ebay. We arrived at the market and discovered thousands of Thai's and farangs (foreigners) shopping for copy-cat brand names. We searched high and low for these Swatch watches with no luck but funny enough I ran into Angela Nichols in the market. Angela is a good friend of mine who I had known during my three and a half year stay in Tokyo. She is a wonderful artist and I am proud to have three of her paitings in my parent's and sister's home back in the States. Her paintings are very vibrant and up-lifting - just like Angela. We were both shocked and completely amazed to have found each other again in such a place as the Chatuchak market in Bangkok. Angela left Tokyo at the end of January and I left at the end of March. Both of us thought that it would be a few years before we ever saw each other again but there we were, standing before each other in this giant market in Bangkok. What a small world, ne?
Angela was with her friend Laura and I got Laura's cell number and later met up with them near Nana station and then for dinner in Little Arabia which is also near Nana station. After dinner we smoked from Turkish pipes in a Arabic styled cafe. I got buzzed from the tabacco and ended up beaming with a wide smile for most of the night.
Well, now, here I am in Ayuthaya. I am at this internet cafe killing time for I have to wait to take my overnight train to Chiang Mai. Ayuthaya makes for a great day trip or overnight stay from Bangkok. It was originally the Thai capital until 1767 when the Burmese invaded and destroyed it. The town is kind of on an island surrounded by a river and full of temples both on the island and off it. Many of these temples in one respect or another reminded me much of the temples that I saw in Bagan, Myanmar but also I saw some very unusual temples that looked like the type of temples that I would expect to see in Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The main attraction for me to come to Ayuthaya was Wat Phra Mahathat which is a giant red-brick temple ruin but curiously enought there is a stone Buddha head that was probably severed from its statue body during the Burmese invasion. The stone head fell onto the base of a Banyan tree and now, centuries later, the head has been embedded into the growing branch veins of the tree. It is quiet a remarkable site.
Well, let's see if I can finish up my Myanmar thoughts . . .
Inle Lake, Myanmar - April 21, 2004
The wonderful thing about Inle Lake is that it lies high up in the mountains where it is cool. It was a relief to be in a cooler climate from the heat that Aung and I had to endure on our journey there. I was staying at a pleasant and quiet hotel that Aung recommended over another hotel that he claimed was haunted in the town of Nyaungshwe.
After breakfast Aung drove me to the river where I met a man who was to be my guide around Inle Lake for the day. My guide and I got onto a very long and thing wooden boat and our boat driver manuevered the boat out of the pier and away we went south into Inle Lake.
Our first stop was Kaungdaing which was the site of a 5 day market (meaning every five days villagers from around the day would coverge on the site to sell, buy, and bargain). Before arriving at the market by foot, after we parked out boat, we saw men, women, and monks gambling. My guide explained that I should not take any pictures since it was illegal in Myanmar to gamble. There were two games that people were gambling on. The first was composed of three very large dice (perhaps the size of one's head). The sides of the dice had colorful paintings of animals on them. the dice were held up against a wooden type wall and after people had placed their bets the dice we released onto the ground and whoever was able to bet on the three correct sides of the dice won. The other game composed of a type of dice again that would be spun and then quicly covered by a bowl so that no one could see which side of the dice was facing up. People would bet on the side of the dice and then the bowl was lifted to reveal who won.
The market itself was very interesting to see. A lot of different foods and spices were being sold. There was fresh fish, skinned chickens and pigs, grounded red peppers, mounds of a very salty paste, dried fishes for snacking on, tofu, and everything else your mind can imagine at an out-door rural market. There were also hygenic items beign sold such as soap and the branches of the tree bark that women used to make the cream that they would apply to their faces everyday. Weights and measures were always being used in the market. It was a very curious and wonderful site of activity.
From there my guide and I hoped back onto out boat and went to a village of homes that were built on stilts over the lake. The village I believe was called Seko. There I met two blacksmiths that were working with several other boys in fashioning tools used by villagers all around the lake. They produced knives, fishing spears, hoes and other equipment for farming, and gongs and tea kettles. I was very intrigued by their work of cutting scrap metal, heating it, molding it with the aid of the boys who would hammer down the red hot pieces of metal, and so forth.
From there we hopped onto our boat again and headed south down the lake to Inbawkon. Along the way I saw fields and fields of tomotoes being worked on and attended to by farmers. These fields sat on the marches of the lake and farmers would sit on the boats gliding from one row of crops to the other. There were also farmer out near their fields and in the middle of the lake racking up the underwater plants from the lake and piling them onto their boats. These plants they would use as natural fertilizer for their crops. I also saw these farmer paddling their boats employing a curious technique of wrapping their leg around their paddle and paddling and steering their boat with a single motion. I got this on film show :)
In Inbawkon I went into a silk weaving factory. Everything was made by hand and I spent quite a bit of time simply looking at the women work their looming machines trying to see exactly how the created the patterns in the cloth they were making. I also saw a girl cutting open lotus flower stems and spooling a natural thread from them with the aid of water. I was absolutely amazed by this and later saw a lovely scarf made from these lotus stems.
From there we took our boat on a slow cruise through another village built on stilts over the Lake to observe the daily life of these people. I smiled at them with fascination as they smiled at me with wonderment. Some of the pictures I took here I am particularaly fond of, especially one I took of a very young girl sitting on her boat with a beautiful and slightly chubby smile.
From there I believe I had lunch and then we stopped in Nampan to see natural paper and umbrellas being made. I didnt really care for this for I have seen paper being made in the traditional fashion before but I was amazed to learn that they used a specific berry to waterproof their umbrellas. Amazing that everything we need for our tools and products can all be found in our natural surroudings without the aid of chemicals and factories. This waterproofing berry simply blew me away.
From there we went to Phaung Daw U Kyaung which is a famed temple in Myanmar for 5 golden Buddha statues that they have. But, what you will see are not 5 golden Buddha statues but 5 golden balls. In all the working temples in Myanmar a devotee can purchase paper thing slivers of pure gold - the size of a U.S. quarter coin - and press it onto a Buddha statue. What happened to these 5 golden buddhas is that over the centuries so many of these thin layers of gold have been pressed onto them that they no longer appear as statues but as golden balls.
My guide led me up to the 5 golden balls to see them up close. Then he ran down toward some women and tok their offerings of gold and placed them onto the statues for them. Women are not allowed to approach most Buddha statues and holy sites. I guess Buddha wasnt much one for the feminist movement. I also saw a boy all dressed in pink garments and with a face painted up in make-up. I first thought that he was a boy and then assumed that he was a girl because of how he was dressed. But my guide explained that indeed it was a boy. They boy was at the temple with his family celebrating his journey into monkhood that would commence the next day. They family was so proud of him and I later saw him on his own boat that was decorated and blasting traditional Burmese music. He sat in the middle of his boat on a throne of a chair.
From there we stopped by a monastary where I was able to play a bit of football (soccer) with some fellow monks who were all half my age.
Then we made it to our last stop - Nga Phe Kyaung, which is also known as Jumping Cat Monastary. The temple was dark and relaxing inside. A nice breeze off the lake would flow in and men and women sat or laid lazily all around the temple as children played outside. Soon enough a monk threw dried fish crumbs to a group of temple cats and then held out a metal ring that the cats would eagerly jump up and through.
Later that night Aung took me to the home of his friends. He was dressed up - which was unusual - and full of joy. I later learned that he had been in the markets shopping and cooking for me for most of the day. It was a very kind gesture on his part. We arrived at his friends house and I saw a table with candles laid out on it. He poured me some Burmese rum - ? - and then the feast began. This is the beginning of the end for me. The Burmese family was incredibly nice - it was actually the family of the guide who took me around Inle Lake. I learned from my guide that he had lived and worked in Malaysia and in Thailand, in Bangkok to be exact. He had lived independently and enjoyed his life but his father had passed away and he had to return to Myanmar to care for his mother. He confessed that he missed working in the factories in Malaysia and Thailand and wished to return for he did not like working as a guide around Inle Lake. He also confessed that his brother had died five years ago from a heroin addiction and that heroin was a big problem in the Shan state.
The eastern portions of the Shan state are not fully controlled by the Myanmar military government. There are independent drug lords who police their own areas and opperate independently of the Myanmar government. They export their poppy seeds turned into heroin products into China and Thailand. Unfortunately Thai pimps also buy Burmese girls in this area and sell them to brothels in Chiang Main and in Bangkok.
The Shan state also has 5 distinct ehtnic groups: The Inda, Pao, Shan, Danu, and the Wa head hunters. I saw a few Pao women in Inle Lake. The Pao always where black garments with any color headware they desire. The Pao women I must confess are beautiful.
Getting back to dinner. The Burmese family I was with kept filling my plate with fish, rice, and all other dishes they could find to give me until I was simply beyond stuff. I felt so sick by the time I ate my last spoon-full of food. I ate and ate so as not to be rude to them. I constantly told them how good the food was. But, that was a mistake. They took that as a sign to keep feeding me. Finally, dinner was over and Aung dropped me off at my hotel and I told him how happy I was to eat what he had prepared. I then went into my room and tried to rest but my stomach was very upset. To make a long story short I spent most of the night either on the toilet or vomiting into the sink. Thank God no one was there to see or smell the horrors in my bathroom that night.
April 22nd, 2004 - Inle Lake to Bagan
This was a long journey by car, about 8 hours or so. It was on this journey that I came across beggars for the first time in Myanmar. Aung and I had lunch in a town along the way (I couldnt eat much) and when we approached our car I saw an very old woman come up to me holding out her hand. Then a boy came and I thought the two were together. I gave some money to the boy and he ran off. The woman kept holding out her hand. I told her that I had nothing left to give her and the boy, now across the street, called up with pride making fun of the old lady and her inability to get any money from me. I then got into the car and we left.
When we arrived at our hotel in Bagan I simply went straight to my room to rest. I was still very sick and suffering from severe diaherrea.
April 23rd to 24th, 2004 - Bagan
During these two days I explored as many of the temples as I could bare to see in the desert landscape of the Bagan region. There are over 2,000 temples and chedi's dotting the area in literally all directions. Anywhere you walk or drive in Bagan you see temple after temple. Many of these temples were built nearly 1,000 to 800 years ago. The beginnings of the temples started with the King Anawrahta who conquered the area in 1057 A.D. and imported as many artists, artisans, builders, monks, and Buddhist scriptures as he could afford. I have a mountain of pictures from Bagan and will simply put these pictures up when I develop a site to this journey. There were simply too many temples that I saw for me to go into any detail about now.
But, I must saw that Bagan is a place of magic. Especially during sun set. You can climb one of the numerous temples and sit and relax barefoot - for you are not allowed to set a single shoe onto the temple grounds - and look out into the horizon to see temples dotting the area. Bagan is a ghost of its former self and it is said that many of the temples are haunted. In fact I saw a ghost! Well, not personally but funny enought Dhammayazika Paya (Temple) there is a photo that a Frenchmen took only a couple of years ago and right there in the photo there is an image of a man that should not be there . . . it was a photo of a ghost. And it was a bit frightful to see this image.
All right. I am pretty much caught up on Myanmar. After Bagan Aung and I went south to Pyay for a night and then back to Yangon.
There are thousands of little moments that I had in Myanmar that I will one day put down to paper.
For now stay tuned for my travels into Northern Thailand . . . and soon Laos.
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Saturday, May 01, 2004
May 2, 2004
I can't believe it's already May 2nd. I need to get moving. I will depart Bangkok tomorrow (the 3rd) and continue my journey home. I just read an email from my friend Aaron who is currently living and working in Switzerland. He offered some very true comments that I would like to share.
" . . . I've heard recently that Cambodia and Vietnam have changed a lot. Backpackers wearing dumb shirts saying, "Beware of Landmines: Cambodia," as if that's cool. Well, I think you'll enjoy those places anyway.
"I felt the same way as you at times. Why does everything have to be homogenized, globalized, and americanized? Well for better or for worse, people want prosperity and security, so right now that means skyscrapers and McD's. Nevertheless, the cosmetic changes that happen in a society are often only skin deep though. Thais will always be Thais and do Thai things, even in big shopping malls with Gaps and Kmart. Just like Japan- a very Americanized country, but it's stilll very Japanese- the Japanese pysche remains strongly in place, even in little Japanese boys and girls want american stuff, they will be Japanese, and their parents have enjoyed the postwar prosperity- and when Yankees like us step off at Narita, the familiar signs of 7-11 are not really enough to make us feel at home."
What Aaron said is true and now that I have been in Bangkok for nearly a week I'm not as despised by it as when I first arrived here from Myanmar. Currently I'm reading a book entitled Night Market by Ryan Bishop and Lillian S. Robinson. The book takes a very strong and sharp critical look at the Sex Trade in Thailand and the effect it has had on the Thai economy and its own people. It is impossible to walk through this city and not see farang - foreign - men in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's with a Thai prostitute attached to their arm. It is simply everywhere. What is the attraction for these men to travel half-way around the world to have their sexual fantasies fulfilled. How pathetic are they? And considering that about 50% of all Thai prostitutes are HIV positive how much of AIDS is being spread in the West by these western men who come to Thailand for sexual bliss? But there are also Japanese men and Malaysian Muslim men here as well pouring millions of dollars into the 4 billion dollar tourism industry here in Thailand. They come for sex tourism. And how many of these foreign men who come here for fun are married and get infected with an STD and bring it back to their wives, girlfriends, and spouses? Will Bangkok reach sky-high HIV infections just as South Africa? They are sure on the way. And the sad thing is is that since HIV is such a problem here among the prostitution rings, Go Go bars and such the demand for young (ages 12 to 14) virgin country Thai girls is extremely high. And the Burmese, living in a closed country, have women that are strongly sought after by Thai pimps because Burma - to them - is a land devoid of HIV. So health problems will be a major issue in Thailand in the future. It is obvious that HIV here will become epidemic - out of control - and taking its toll on the prospering Thai economy which is due in most part to Sex Tourism.
The local Thai's despise the Sex industry in their country. If they could have it their way they would shut it down for it does not reflect proper Thai thought and behavior. But, do the politicians and government officials really care? Corruption is here as in any country. As long as the BIG bucks continue to flow in from pathetic foreign men flying here for a sexual joyride the Sex Trade will continue to thrive here. But, the Sex Trade is much bigger than just Thailand. The Japanese yakuza - mafia - have been long patrons of the industry in both their own country and throughout Asia and Southeast Asia. The yakuza imports Thai, Russian, Eastern European, Chinese, girls from the Philippines, and where ever else into Japan for their own red-light districts.
What an interesting world we live in.
Taungoo to Inle Lake, Myanmar - April 20th
The ride from Taungoo to Inle Lake was a rough one. The journey was a long one - about 8 hours if I recall. And along the journey I began to see the landscape change drastically from a dry green into a vast desert. Cactuses, shrubs, and scattered trees dotted the terrain. The road to Inle Lake was only one lane and falling apart from years of neglect. And if there was a small pond or body of water we were sure to see Water Buffalos bathing lazily and staying cool.
Along this path there is a community of Indians. The style of dress began to change among the locals we saw from the traditional Burmese longyi (sarang) to bright and beautiful Indian clothing. This is something I have noticed on my travels; strong economic countries encouraging their citizens to wear boring colors of clothing. Go to New York or Tokyo and everyone is in a suit of black and white and grey. But, go to a poor country like Burma and you will see that people wear bright and vibrant clothing. Why is that? Why have we westerners repressed the bright and vibrant colors from our wardrobe. In ancient times vibrant colors were strongly sought after by Kings and Queens and nobles. Odd, that we Westerners, with the power and money to import whatever dyes needed for interesting colors do not. We settle for blue, black, grey, and white.
Aung soon enough pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road so that we could stop and have some Toddy juice. Toddy trees look like tall palm trees and Burmese farmers extract juice from them and leave them out to ferment. In a day or two the juice will ferment into a light alcoholic beverage preferred by all Burmese farmers. I had three glasses and felt a slight buzz that gave me a nice smile for a portion of the journey north to Inle Lake.
Inle Lake lies in the eastern mountains of Burma. Aung drove our taxi slowly through the constant and dangerous curves of the mountains. Then, we began having car trouble. The car kept stalling and stalling. I wasn't really worried for some reason. I was curious to see - if we did get stuck - how we would get out of our situation. But, we didn't. Aung pulled the car over twice and worked on the engine. We still had a bit of trouble but then luckily we came across a Nat shrine dedicated to cars and safe travels on the road. Aung immediately pulled the car toward the shrine and advanced and retreated the car from the shrine as he chanted. Then we heard the caretaker of the shrine begin howling her chants behind our car. She then approached us and Aung gave a donation to her. She then explained that there was a Buddhist monk that needed a ride. Aung and I both jumped and said that we would be more than happy to have the monk ride with us - we were both selfishly thinking that a Buddhist monk in our car would only bring us good luck and cease our car troubles for the day.
The monk was a curious old fellow. He was perhaps in his late 70's. His skin was a very dark brown and he only had a few teeth left in his mouth. He had a pleasant smile. Who knew what he thought of me. I must have been as curious to look at as he was for me.
Then we were off and we did not have any more car troubles for the day. About 30 to 40 minutes later the monk told us to stop and we dropped him off. Aung and I decided to allow the car to rest under the shade of a tree. We had stopped in a small village. All the children soon gathered around me. I pulled out my digital camera and began filming them and then showed them the images that I had recorded. They were absolutely fascinated by my camera and all they could do when they saw themselves in the small monitor of my camera was laugh hysterically. I then decided to begin making them all paper airplanes. And before Aung and I left I gave them the pad of paper I was using to make the planes and a few pens and breath mints.
Aung and I arrived in Inle Lake before night fall. We checked into our hotel and later had local Myanmar food.
I will be departing Bangkok tomorrow so I will continue to discuss the journey through Myanmar in the coming days. For now I must go.
From the East,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
I can't believe it's already May 2nd. I need to get moving. I will depart Bangkok tomorrow (the 3rd) and continue my journey home. I just read an email from my friend Aaron who is currently living and working in Switzerland. He offered some very true comments that I would like to share.
" . . . I've heard recently that Cambodia and Vietnam have changed a lot. Backpackers wearing dumb shirts saying, "Beware of Landmines: Cambodia," as if that's cool. Well, I think you'll enjoy those places anyway.
"I felt the same way as you at times. Why does everything have to be homogenized, globalized, and americanized? Well for better or for worse, people want prosperity and security, so right now that means skyscrapers and McD's. Nevertheless, the cosmetic changes that happen in a society are often only skin deep though. Thais will always be Thais and do Thai things, even in big shopping malls with Gaps and Kmart. Just like Japan- a very Americanized country, but it's stilll very Japanese- the Japanese pysche remains strongly in place, even in little Japanese boys and girls want american stuff, they will be Japanese, and their parents have enjoyed the postwar prosperity- and when Yankees like us step off at Narita, the familiar signs of 7-11 are not really enough to make us feel at home."
What Aaron said is true and now that I have been in Bangkok for nearly a week I'm not as despised by it as when I first arrived here from Myanmar. Currently I'm reading a book entitled Night Market by Ryan Bishop and Lillian S. Robinson. The book takes a very strong and sharp critical look at the Sex Trade in Thailand and the effect it has had on the Thai economy and its own people. It is impossible to walk through this city and not see farang - foreign - men in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's with a Thai prostitute attached to their arm. It is simply everywhere. What is the attraction for these men to travel half-way around the world to have their sexual fantasies fulfilled. How pathetic are they? And considering that about 50% of all Thai prostitutes are HIV positive how much of AIDS is being spread in the West by these western men who come to Thailand for sexual bliss? But there are also Japanese men and Malaysian Muslim men here as well pouring millions of dollars into the 4 billion dollar tourism industry here in Thailand. They come for sex tourism. And how many of these foreign men who come here for fun are married and get infected with an STD and bring it back to their wives, girlfriends, and spouses? Will Bangkok reach sky-high HIV infections just as South Africa? They are sure on the way. And the sad thing is is that since HIV is such a problem here among the prostitution rings, Go Go bars and such the demand for young (ages 12 to 14) virgin country Thai girls is extremely high. And the Burmese, living in a closed country, have women that are strongly sought after by Thai pimps because Burma - to them - is a land devoid of HIV. So health problems will be a major issue in Thailand in the future. It is obvious that HIV here will become epidemic - out of control - and taking its toll on the prospering Thai economy which is due in most part to Sex Tourism.
The local Thai's despise the Sex industry in their country. If they could have it their way they would shut it down for it does not reflect proper Thai thought and behavior. But, do the politicians and government officials really care? Corruption is here as in any country. As long as the BIG bucks continue to flow in from pathetic foreign men flying here for a sexual joyride the Sex Trade will continue to thrive here. But, the Sex Trade is much bigger than just Thailand. The Japanese yakuza - mafia - have been long patrons of the industry in both their own country and throughout Asia and Southeast Asia. The yakuza imports Thai, Russian, Eastern European, Chinese, girls from the Philippines, and where ever else into Japan for their own red-light districts.
What an interesting world we live in.
Taungoo to Inle Lake, Myanmar - April 20th
The ride from Taungoo to Inle Lake was a rough one. The journey was a long one - about 8 hours if I recall. And along the journey I began to see the landscape change drastically from a dry green into a vast desert. Cactuses, shrubs, and scattered trees dotted the terrain. The road to Inle Lake was only one lane and falling apart from years of neglect. And if there was a small pond or body of water we were sure to see Water Buffalos bathing lazily and staying cool.
Along this path there is a community of Indians. The style of dress began to change among the locals we saw from the traditional Burmese longyi (sarang) to bright and beautiful Indian clothing. This is something I have noticed on my travels; strong economic countries encouraging their citizens to wear boring colors of clothing. Go to New York or Tokyo and everyone is in a suit of black and white and grey. But, go to a poor country like Burma and you will see that people wear bright and vibrant clothing. Why is that? Why have we westerners repressed the bright and vibrant colors from our wardrobe. In ancient times vibrant colors were strongly sought after by Kings and Queens and nobles. Odd, that we Westerners, with the power and money to import whatever dyes needed for interesting colors do not. We settle for blue, black, grey, and white.
Aung soon enough pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road so that we could stop and have some Toddy juice. Toddy trees look like tall palm trees and Burmese farmers extract juice from them and leave them out to ferment. In a day or two the juice will ferment into a light alcoholic beverage preferred by all Burmese farmers. I had three glasses and felt a slight buzz that gave me a nice smile for a portion of the journey north to Inle Lake.
Inle Lake lies in the eastern mountains of Burma. Aung drove our taxi slowly through the constant and dangerous curves of the mountains. Then, we began having car trouble. The car kept stalling and stalling. I wasn't really worried for some reason. I was curious to see - if we did get stuck - how we would get out of our situation. But, we didn't. Aung pulled the car over twice and worked on the engine. We still had a bit of trouble but then luckily we came across a Nat shrine dedicated to cars and safe travels on the road. Aung immediately pulled the car toward the shrine and advanced and retreated the car from the shrine as he chanted. Then we heard the caretaker of the shrine begin howling her chants behind our car. She then approached us and Aung gave a donation to her. She then explained that there was a Buddhist monk that needed a ride. Aung and I both jumped and said that we would be more than happy to have the monk ride with us - we were both selfishly thinking that a Buddhist monk in our car would only bring us good luck and cease our car troubles for the day.
The monk was a curious old fellow. He was perhaps in his late 70's. His skin was a very dark brown and he only had a few teeth left in his mouth. He had a pleasant smile. Who knew what he thought of me. I must have been as curious to look at as he was for me.
Then we were off and we did not have any more car troubles for the day. About 30 to 40 minutes later the monk told us to stop and we dropped him off. Aung and I decided to allow the car to rest under the shade of a tree. We had stopped in a small village. All the children soon gathered around me. I pulled out my digital camera and began filming them and then showed them the images that I had recorded. They were absolutely fascinated by my camera and all they could do when they saw themselves in the small monitor of my camera was laugh hysterically. I then decided to begin making them all paper airplanes. And before Aung and I left I gave them the pad of paper I was using to make the planes and a few pens and breath mints.
Aung and I arrived in Inle Lake before night fall. We checked into our hotel and later had local Myanmar food.
I will be departing Bangkok tomorrow so I will continue to discuss the journey through Myanmar in the coming days. For now I must go.
From the East,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Thursday, April 29, 2004
April 29th, 2004,
Here I am back again. So let us begin . . . shall we?
Myanmar-Yangon April 17th, 2004
While having breakfast in my hotel dining area I asked the Chinese lady who owned the establishment the best means of traveling to Mandalay. She responded by explaining that a good idea would be to rent a taxi for my time here. She said that it would cost me about $250 U.S. or so. I thought about it and decided that it was a fantastic idea. So she made the necessary phone calls and told me that some time today someone would come to talk to me about negotiating my travel itinerary and so forth. Since it was New Year's day though that day she explained that it would be difficult to get a hold of the people she knew who could help me out since they would be at the temples praying. "No worries," I told her. I then told her that I would go out for a bit of a walk and that I would return by 12:30 to see what the status of the phone calls she would be making on my behalf would be.
So out I went around City Hall and soon enough I was approached by a curious old Burmese women whose back was heavily arched. She spoke perfect English and quickly said and asked, "Hello, do you remember me?" I entertained her and said yes. She went on, "There you see. I saw you yesterday and I tried to talk to you but you disappeared. Do you want to have a coffee with me?" I quickly said yes to her request. Then she led me down the streets of Yangon telling me how she 'knew all' and how she had taken various foreigners around the city and the country and that she had even been in a magazine. We finally sat down in a yoghurt shop. She had some buttered bread and a drink and I had my strawberry yoghurt. I then simply sat down and listened to her.
"Yes, there you see. I know all," she began. "My father was British. Long ago, you see. Long ago. Here, have a look at this-" She quickly began shuffling through her purse and soon pulled out an old identification card with a black and white picture of when she was young and beautiful. "That is me, you see. That is me."
I took the picture and pleasantly looked at the old photo and smiled.
"I was beautiful then, you see. Now, no more. I am falling apart. You see this-" she said holding a plastic bag of pills and plastic bottles. "This is my medicine, you see. I was riding these old buses a month ago. Sitting in the back I was. And then there was a bump and I flew off my seat and landed hard back down. A terrible pain I felt in my back after that. Terrible pain. Now I have to take these medicines, you see.
"Where do you stay?"
"At the May Shan Hotel," I replied.
"The Chinese. The Chinese own that hotel. And a restaurant too. Rich they are. Why do you give your money to them? How much are you paying for you room?"
"$10" I lied.
"Too much. Too much. I know all. I can show you everything. Where to stay and eat for nothing. Nothing for you. I can help you. I dont need much. If you are happy you can give me a little something. Pay for my food or a bit of money so that I can buy my medicines."
"Yes, that sounds nice," I said trying to assure her that there was a possibility that we could forge a friendship of her as travel guide and I as patron.
"You see. I know all. All! We can go around the country if you want. By bus if you like and stay at cheap hotels. I dont need much. You will save much money with me. And at the end you can give me what you like. I was in a magazine, you see. I wish I had that article with me. I will bring it tomorrow so that you can read it. It's in English. You can read it. In an Australian magazine."
"You're famous," I complimented her.
"Then, when we are away from the streets and the listening ears of others I can tell you all you want about the military, the British, the Japanese. Everything. I know all."
I barely said much during our conversation. Which is usually the way I like things. I simply like to listen. People love to talk . . . so I let them and observe. As the conversation went on it was apparent to me that there was no way that I would hire her to show me around. She talked too much. Too much for my tastes. Well, at least she talked too much without really saying anything. If someone loves to talk and I am learning something then great but I wasnt really learning much from her. But, I was entertained by her. I know she, as a character, will find her way into my stories of the future.
I returned to the hotel and the Chinese women - the owner - explained that soon enough someone would come to negotiate with me my desire to hire a taxi for 9 days. I waited and soon met the man who drove me from the airport to my hotel the previous day. He was accompanied by Aung - the man who was to become my driver and friend in Myanmar. We sat down and decided that for nine days I could travel to the following places: Bago, Kyaikto, Taungoo, Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake), Bagan, and Pyay. I didnt have enough time to see Mandalay (next time). The agreed upon price was $350 U.S. for nine days. That included all travel expenses (gas, etc.), and my driver's accommodation and food expenses. Cheap. Very cheap. So, the deal was done and we were to set off tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
After that I ran to the hostel where Daisy was staying at. She was gone; out to lunch, literally. So I waited reading my book out on the veranda of her hostel. She returned and together we set off in search of a camera shop where she could get some C.D. copies of her digital camera photo's and then to Kandawgyi Lake.
We found a camera shop but the lady of the store didnt know how to operate her computer. I then sat down behind her computer trying to figure out how to dump the photo's from Daisy's digital camera but Daisy grew impatient and I afraid that the woman would loose her sale. Well, it simply took too long and we left. Daisy and I then went to the train station; Daisy had to get some information regarding trains to Mandalay. We then went in search of the Lake. I was the leader for it was my idea. We walked and walked. Daisy, I think was growing impatient and in disbelief that I knew where I was going. Well, we found the Lake. It looked pleasant but there was a fence all around it and it looked like there was no way to get in. We chose a direction and walked hoping we would find a way in. We ran into Manuela, a cute German woman who had been traveling in Myanmar for the past month. I enjoyed very much listening to her accent and her stories of her travels around the country and her hunger to return to her home country. She gave Daisy and I some helpful hints and we parted.
Daisy and I then decided that the Lake, and our quest to find a way in to see it, was not worth it so we decided instead to see Chaukhtatgyi Paya. We took a taxi and found the massive, I mean massive, reclining Buddha statue. It was enclosed in what honestly looked like an airplane hangar. After spending some time marveling at the statue I found myself playing a game of kick-the-plastic-bottle-cap-in-random-directions with a wonderful group of little Burmese kids. It should be noted that the temples in Burma are a leisurely area where one can come seeking shelter from the sun in the temples shade and pray or relax or socialize. The kids there always find a way to have fun because for a kid to sit and relax as an adult and socialize is freaking boring. So there I was barefoot playing with these wonderful little kids. Daisy watched and took a photo.
Then we left and after we returned to Yangon. Daisy, skilled in bargaining got her C.D.'s made of her digital photo's. We then had our last dinner together at a Thai restaurant and soon enough I was back in my hotel room getting ready for my adventure.
Yangon to Bago to Kyaikto - April 18th, 2004,
Bright and early Aung and I set off. First we had to stop by to see his wife and child - he had to drop off some money for them. Before we arrive to meet them we passed a Nat shrine for those on long journeys. We didnt stop to pay homage for Aung explained that he had already done so.
The Nat are everywhere. What are the Nat? The Burmese nat is a spirit. There are many nats or spirits who hold dominion over trees, animals, places (both natural and artificial), etc. The Burmese are very careful to never offend the Nat. The always pay their respects to them and I found example after example with Aung who always was praying and paying his respects to them on sometimes my own behalf without me even knowing it.
One story that I would like to share is that Aung shared with me was when he was driving a group of Germans around the country. One of the German men in the car had to relieve himself (number 1). So Aung pulled the car over and the man walked up to a tree and began peeing on it. Aung immediately began chanting. The German, when he was done, asked Aung what he was saying. Aung explained that it was rude for him to pee on the spirit (nat) of the tree and so he was chanting on his behalf to apologize to the tree. The German felt guilty and together they prayed and offered their apologies and respects to the tree. And away they went :)
We stopped at Aung's village and got out of the store and walked to the tiny open-air shop that his wife operated. Aung's 3 year old son was standing just out front wearing clothes that had a patterned design that was exact to what his wife was wearing. It was cute to see the two wearing the same clothes designs. I said hello to his wife - she was BEAUTIFUL!!! Aung said goodbye very stoically and away we went.
Bago is about 80 km east of Yangon. We got there in no time but only stopped at one temple for I was not interested in seeing the nearly same temple designs as I had seen in Yangon. We stopped briefly at Kyaik Pun Paya which was a "four back-to-back sitting giant Buddhas" temple. I got out of the car and was immediately approached by a little Burmese girl selling postcards. I told her that I did not need any postcards but she did not give up. Kindly she took me to walk all around the temple. We spoke a little and then I wanted to take a picture of her so I offered her some money for her photo. She refused over and over and over to take my money. She said to go ahead and to take her picture for free. I forced some money into her hand and she posed with a very PROUD stance for my picture. I like this picture very much. She has a wide smile and stands with such terrific pride.
Then away Aung and I went to Kyaiktiyo.
The great thing about traveling by car in Myanmar is that you see what life is like for all the people around the country outside the cities. That is obvious . . . what I just said. But what is amazing to see in Myanmar is the horrible state of the roads that are at times only one lane for traffic moving in two directions. But, not many people have cars in Myanmar so it is not a problem to travel on these one lane roads for you at time rarely come across another car or bus. What I continuously saw were Ox-driven carts moving at the pace of a snail. At times these carts were filled with dry grass or long stick of bamboo. I saw horse driven rickshaw and trishaw bicycles carrying people to and from. I always saw a tractor turned into a car type of mobile device. I have one picture of this machine and it is simply everywhere. And the buses. There were many and they were packed to beyond belief. Men were always hanging on from the back of the bus as they stood on the bumper in sandals for their long arduous journeys. And so often I saw buses with men, monks, and teenage boys, and women - I believe - sitting on the top of the buses covering its every inch. And there were trucks with wooden planks bolted down across its back as a kind of row of benches for people to sit on. This was the usual way people traveled to and from and after seeing all of it I was thankful to God for having the foresight to rent a taxi for 9 days. I dont think I could have survived three days traveling by these modes of transportation simply because these buses and trucks were packed way beyond belief. I thought the packed trains in Tokyo were bad. Packed Tokyo trains are a total joke to the horrible means of transportation in Burma.
Now, Kyaiktiyo. We arrived at my hotel - Golden Smiles Hotel. It was very new and very nice and my room was way too big for me (I later met the owner of the Hotel when I returned to Yangon more than a week later. She was from Belgium and had been doing business in Myanmar for the past 6 years). Aung then took me for lunch and then away I went solo in a truck up a mountain on a holy quest for the Golden Rock. The Golden Rock is a "massive, gold-leafed boulder delicately balanced on the very edge of a cliff at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo." It, like the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, is one of the most holy Buddhist sites in Myanmar. Along my way up the mountain I was in the company of devote Buddhists who were making their pilgrimage to the site. The truck soon stopped and we all had to get off and pursue the rest of the trip by foot.
If you look at the cover of the Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma) book you will see a picture of Golden Rock. Let me tell you that the hike up the mountain to see this thing is PAINFUL!!! I am so out of shape. I sweated and sweated and trekked and trekked until finally I made it up this beast of a mountain. Along the way I came across a kind of corridor of open-air shack homes of local selling trinkets to those on their pilgrimage. I saw a bunch of things that I assume had medicinal qualities: roots, various herbs, monkey skulls, severed goat heads, etc. I also saw bamboo toys for kids. There were various toy guns made by hand from bamboo with painted red, white, and blue on them and the good old "U.S.A." Inscribed on it. It looks like in Burma the U.S. is famed for their weapons? I wasnt proud. Burma, in my mind, is a Land of Smiles and devout Buddhists who speak honestly. And it looks like to Burma the U.S. is a land not of liberty and peace but one of oppression. A land that lives by the gun to settle their disputes. Well, with Iraq up our &*@ I think the Burmese are correct in thinking so of the U.S.
Once you arrive at Golden Rock you find a large flat expanse of marble floors and shrines and the Golden Rock itself which I could touch if I chose, ironic that the Burmese women (devote practitioners of their faith) or any woman for that matter were prohibited from touching the rock.
There is also a small little town in Golden Rock that I spent some time walking through. Finally I decided to call it a day and descended all the way down by foot and truck until I collapsed on my bed with a massive headache.
I later woke up that night to find the power had gone out (a daily occurrence in Myanmar) and the most horrible case of diarrhea. I will not say more.
Good night,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
P.S. I will write more of the trip tomorrow :)
Here I am back again. So let us begin . . . shall we?
Myanmar-Yangon April 17th, 2004
While having breakfast in my hotel dining area I asked the Chinese lady who owned the establishment the best means of traveling to Mandalay. She responded by explaining that a good idea would be to rent a taxi for my time here. She said that it would cost me about $250 U.S. or so. I thought about it and decided that it was a fantastic idea. So she made the necessary phone calls and told me that some time today someone would come to talk to me about negotiating my travel itinerary and so forth. Since it was New Year's day though that day she explained that it would be difficult to get a hold of the people she knew who could help me out since they would be at the temples praying. "No worries," I told her. I then told her that I would go out for a bit of a walk and that I would return by 12:30 to see what the status of the phone calls she would be making on my behalf would be.
So out I went around City Hall and soon enough I was approached by a curious old Burmese women whose back was heavily arched. She spoke perfect English and quickly said and asked, "Hello, do you remember me?" I entertained her and said yes. She went on, "There you see. I saw you yesterday and I tried to talk to you but you disappeared. Do you want to have a coffee with me?" I quickly said yes to her request. Then she led me down the streets of Yangon telling me how she 'knew all' and how she had taken various foreigners around the city and the country and that she had even been in a magazine. We finally sat down in a yoghurt shop. She had some buttered bread and a drink and I had my strawberry yoghurt. I then simply sat down and listened to her.
"Yes, there you see. I know all," she began. "My father was British. Long ago, you see. Long ago. Here, have a look at this-" She quickly began shuffling through her purse and soon pulled out an old identification card with a black and white picture of when she was young and beautiful. "That is me, you see. That is me."
I took the picture and pleasantly looked at the old photo and smiled.
"I was beautiful then, you see. Now, no more. I am falling apart. You see this-" she said holding a plastic bag of pills and plastic bottles. "This is my medicine, you see. I was riding these old buses a month ago. Sitting in the back I was. And then there was a bump and I flew off my seat and landed hard back down. A terrible pain I felt in my back after that. Terrible pain. Now I have to take these medicines, you see.
"Where do you stay?"
"At the May Shan Hotel," I replied.
"The Chinese. The Chinese own that hotel. And a restaurant too. Rich they are. Why do you give your money to them? How much are you paying for you room?"
"$10" I lied.
"Too much. Too much. I know all. I can show you everything. Where to stay and eat for nothing. Nothing for you. I can help you. I dont need much. If you are happy you can give me a little something. Pay for my food or a bit of money so that I can buy my medicines."
"Yes, that sounds nice," I said trying to assure her that there was a possibility that we could forge a friendship of her as travel guide and I as patron.
"You see. I know all. All! We can go around the country if you want. By bus if you like and stay at cheap hotels. I dont need much. You will save much money with me. And at the end you can give me what you like. I was in a magazine, you see. I wish I had that article with me. I will bring it tomorrow so that you can read it. It's in English. You can read it. In an Australian magazine."
"You're famous," I complimented her.
"Then, when we are away from the streets and the listening ears of others I can tell you all you want about the military, the British, the Japanese. Everything. I know all."
I barely said much during our conversation. Which is usually the way I like things. I simply like to listen. People love to talk . . . so I let them and observe. As the conversation went on it was apparent to me that there was no way that I would hire her to show me around. She talked too much. Too much for my tastes. Well, at least she talked too much without really saying anything. If someone loves to talk and I am learning something then great but I wasnt really learning much from her. But, I was entertained by her. I know she, as a character, will find her way into my stories of the future.
I returned to the hotel and the Chinese women - the owner - explained that soon enough someone would come to negotiate with me my desire to hire a taxi for 9 days. I waited and soon met the man who drove me from the airport to my hotel the previous day. He was accompanied by Aung - the man who was to become my driver and friend in Myanmar. We sat down and decided that for nine days I could travel to the following places: Bago, Kyaikto, Taungoo, Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake), Bagan, and Pyay. I didnt have enough time to see Mandalay (next time). The agreed upon price was $350 U.S. for nine days. That included all travel expenses (gas, etc.), and my driver's accommodation and food expenses. Cheap. Very cheap. So, the deal was done and we were to set off tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
After that I ran to the hostel where Daisy was staying at. She was gone; out to lunch, literally. So I waited reading my book out on the veranda of her hostel. She returned and together we set off in search of a camera shop where she could get some C.D. copies of her digital camera photo's and then to Kandawgyi Lake.
We found a camera shop but the lady of the store didnt know how to operate her computer. I then sat down behind her computer trying to figure out how to dump the photo's from Daisy's digital camera but Daisy grew impatient and I afraid that the woman would loose her sale. Well, it simply took too long and we left. Daisy and I then went to the train station; Daisy had to get some information regarding trains to Mandalay. We then went in search of the Lake. I was the leader for it was my idea. We walked and walked. Daisy, I think was growing impatient and in disbelief that I knew where I was going. Well, we found the Lake. It looked pleasant but there was a fence all around it and it looked like there was no way to get in. We chose a direction and walked hoping we would find a way in. We ran into Manuela, a cute German woman who had been traveling in Myanmar for the past month. I enjoyed very much listening to her accent and her stories of her travels around the country and her hunger to return to her home country. She gave Daisy and I some helpful hints and we parted.
Daisy and I then decided that the Lake, and our quest to find a way in to see it, was not worth it so we decided instead to see Chaukhtatgyi Paya. We took a taxi and found the massive, I mean massive, reclining Buddha statue. It was enclosed in what honestly looked like an airplane hangar. After spending some time marveling at the statue I found myself playing a game of kick-the-plastic-bottle-cap-in-random-directions with a wonderful group of little Burmese kids. It should be noted that the temples in Burma are a leisurely area where one can come seeking shelter from the sun in the temples shade and pray or relax or socialize. The kids there always find a way to have fun because for a kid to sit and relax as an adult and socialize is freaking boring. So there I was barefoot playing with these wonderful little kids. Daisy watched and took a photo.
Then we left and after we returned to Yangon. Daisy, skilled in bargaining got her C.D.'s made of her digital photo's. We then had our last dinner together at a Thai restaurant and soon enough I was back in my hotel room getting ready for my adventure.
Yangon to Bago to Kyaikto - April 18th, 2004,
Bright and early Aung and I set off. First we had to stop by to see his wife and child - he had to drop off some money for them. Before we arrive to meet them we passed a Nat shrine for those on long journeys. We didnt stop to pay homage for Aung explained that he had already done so.
The Nat are everywhere. What are the Nat? The Burmese nat is a spirit. There are many nats or spirits who hold dominion over trees, animals, places (both natural and artificial), etc. The Burmese are very careful to never offend the Nat. The always pay their respects to them and I found example after example with Aung who always was praying and paying his respects to them on sometimes my own behalf without me even knowing it.
One story that I would like to share is that Aung shared with me was when he was driving a group of Germans around the country. One of the German men in the car had to relieve himself (number 1). So Aung pulled the car over and the man walked up to a tree and began peeing on it. Aung immediately began chanting. The German, when he was done, asked Aung what he was saying. Aung explained that it was rude for him to pee on the spirit (nat) of the tree and so he was chanting on his behalf to apologize to the tree. The German felt guilty and together they prayed and offered their apologies and respects to the tree. And away they went :)
We stopped at Aung's village and got out of the store and walked to the tiny open-air shop that his wife operated. Aung's 3 year old son was standing just out front wearing clothes that had a patterned design that was exact to what his wife was wearing. It was cute to see the two wearing the same clothes designs. I said hello to his wife - she was BEAUTIFUL!!! Aung said goodbye very stoically and away we went.
Bago is about 80 km east of Yangon. We got there in no time but only stopped at one temple for I was not interested in seeing the nearly same temple designs as I had seen in Yangon. We stopped briefly at Kyaik Pun Paya which was a "four back-to-back sitting giant Buddhas" temple. I got out of the car and was immediately approached by a little Burmese girl selling postcards. I told her that I did not need any postcards but she did not give up. Kindly she took me to walk all around the temple. We spoke a little and then I wanted to take a picture of her so I offered her some money for her photo. She refused over and over and over to take my money. She said to go ahead and to take her picture for free. I forced some money into her hand and she posed with a very PROUD stance for my picture. I like this picture very much. She has a wide smile and stands with such terrific pride.
Then away Aung and I went to Kyaiktiyo.
The great thing about traveling by car in Myanmar is that you see what life is like for all the people around the country outside the cities. That is obvious . . . what I just said. But what is amazing to see in Myanmar is the horrible state of the roads that are at times only one lane for traffic moving in two directions. But, not many people have cars in Myanmar so it is not a problem to travel on these one lane roads for you at time rarely come across another car or bus. What I continuously saw were Ox-driven carts moving at the pace of a snail. At times these carts were filled with dry grass or long stick of bamboo. I saw horse driven rickshaw and trishaw bicycles carrying people to and from. I always saw a tractor turned into a car type of mobile device. I have one picture of this machine and it is simply everywhere. And the buses. There were many and they were packed to beyond belief. Men were always hanging on from the back of the bus as they stood on the bumper in sandals for their long arduous journeys. And so often I saw buses with men, monks, and teenage boys, and women - I believe - sitting on the top of the buses covering its every inch. And there were trucks with wooden planks bolted down across its back as a kind of row of benches for people to sit on. This was the usual way people traveled to and from and after seeing all of it I was thankful to God for having the foresight to rent a taxi for 9 days. I dont think I could have survived three days traveling by these modes of transportation simply because these buses and trucks were packed way beyond belief. I thought the packed trains in Tokyo were bad. Packed Tokyo trains are a total joke to the horrible means of transportation in Burma.
Now, Kyaiktiyo. We arrived at my hotel - Golden Smiles Hotel. It was very new and very nice and my room was way too big for me (I later met the owner of the Hotel when I returned to Yangon more than a week later. She was from Belgium and had been doing business in Myanmar for the past 6 years). Aung then took me for lunch and then away I went solo in a truck up a mountain on a holy quest for the Golden Rock. The Golden Rock is a "massive, gold-leafed boulder delicately balanced on the very edge of a cliff at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo." It, like the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, is one of the most holy Buddhist sites in Myanmar. Along my way up the mountain I was in the company of devote Buddhists who were making their pilgrimage to the site. The truck soon stopped and we all had to get off and pursue the rest of the trip by foot.
If you look at the cover of the Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma) book you will see a picture of Golden Rock. Let me tell you that the hike up the mountain to see this thing is PAINFUL!!! I am so out of shape. I sweated and sweated and trekked and trekked until finally I made it up this beast of a mountain. Along the way I came across a kind of corridor of open-air shack homes of local selling trinkets to those on their pilgrimage. I saw a bunch of things that I assume had medicinal qualities: roots, various herbs, monkey skulls, severed goat heads, etc. I also saw bamboo toys for kids. There were various toy guns made by hand from bamboo with painted red, white, and blue on them and the good old "U.S.A." Inscribed on it. It looks like in Burma the U.S. is famed for their weapons? I wasnt proud. Burma, in my mind, is a Land of Smiles and devout Buddhists who speak honestly. And it looks like to Burma the U.S. is a land not of liberty and peace but one of oppression. A land that lives by the gun to settle their disputes. Well, with Iraq up our &*@ I think the Burmese are correct in thinking so of the U.S.
Once you arrive at Golden Rock you find a large flat expanse of marble floors and shrines and the Golden Rock itself which I could touch if I chose, ironic that the Burmese women (devote practitioners of their faith) or any woman for that matter were prohibited from touching the rock.
There is also a small little town in Golden Rock that I spent some time walking through. Finally I decided to call it a day and descended all the way down by foot and truck until I collapsed on my bed with a massive headache.
I later woke up that night to find the power had gone out (a daily occurrence in Myanmar) and the most horrible case of diarrhea. I will not say more.
Good night,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
P.S. I will write more of the trip tomorrow :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
April 28th, 2004
I'm in a Thai shopping mall. It is an evil place :) I'm smiling as I say that because I believe it and then I don't. My heart is heavily split between me being an American who comes from and is comfortable in familiar western surroundings such as this mall here, and, sadness, disgust, and anger toward this "westernization" and "globalization" that is slowly turning Southeast Asia into a twisted image of America. If I were to weigh the scale though I would say that my heart is truly sad to sit here in Bangkok, in this mall, and to see its youth and pop-culture trying so desperately to be American.
And I pray that Myanmar does not fall under the same greedy fate as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
I arrived back in Bangkok from my 12 day journey through the central part of Myanmar yesterday. My feelings and thoughts are still very raw from the experience. I will try my best to convey to you what I found and fell in love with in Myanmar.
Where shall I begin? I will begin my confessing to you that yes, indeed, I fell in deep love with Myanmar. The people, the culture, the religion, the temples, the ox-driven carts, the old beaten roads, the teeth of the Burmese stained red, the skin of Burmese women turned pale from the natural cream (made from a particular tree bark) they apply to their faces and arms, the longyi (sarongs) that everyone wears. I can go on and on and show all my pictures and yet I still know so little of this country. I was only there for 12 days - and that was all my stomach could bear for it was the first casualty on my trip (I got a bacterial infection in my stomach due to something I ate). But, I can tell you this, as can anyone who travels to Myanmar, that upon arriving, upon my first observations and thoughts I knew that I would come back again and again.
MYANMAR-YANGON - APRIL 16th, 2004
I arrived on the last day of the Water Festival. After getting soaking wet in Bangkok for their Songkran festival I arrived in Yangon to get soaked all over again. And I couldn't have imagined a more pleasant way to be introduced to Myanmar that on the last day of the Water Festival.
As soon as I exited the Yangon International Airport I met a nice gentlemen who would provide me with a taxi ride into the city. He explained that I should look for someone to share the ride with to cut expenses! In Thailand taxi driver's try as best as they can to cheat you out of your money and here I was in Yangon, not even an hour of being there, and a Burmese was advising me how to save money! I told him it was no trouble at all to get going into Yangon but then he pointed out a backpacker that was walking out of the airport alone. He said he would wait and away I ran to catch up with her. I asked her if she wanted to join me and she said yes and away we went together into Yangon by taxi.
Now before I continue. I would like to talk about my initial thoughts as I arrived in Yangon airport. From the air all you see are forests of trees and golden spires of beautiful Burmese Buddhist temples reaching up and above all the surrounding greenery. You do not see a heavy grid work of streets and buildings that defines most capital cities near their airports. No, this you do not see. All you see are trees and golden spires. It is said that you can tell what a society or culture deems holy by what buildings or structures are the tallest. Centuries ago the Church was the tallest building in most European cities, then government buildings, now it is corporate buildings. Western civilizations pay homage to money. But, in Burma you find only Buddhist temples rising higher than anything else and that is a clear sign as to what you will find respected and practiced among the people of Burma.
Then we landed. My Thai Airline plane was the only plane in the airport. It was moving to arrive in Yangon and to be the only plane in the entire airport. You immediately feel how isolated this country is from the rest of the world. Then we got off the plane to board an old Japanese bus that would take us to the building where we would go though customs. As I sat on the bus I began reading all the old familiar scripts in Japanese giving safety instructions of to do this or not to do that. I thought that it was odd that all the instructions (even the old bus map) was still in Japanese. It was as if the bus had quickly been taken from Japan 10 to 20 years ago and simply dropped off in Burma to continue working a new route without anyone changing or putting new signs on the bus in Burmese. And this I constantly found in Burma. As I rode my taxi around with my friend Aung I would see buses that had JR (Japan Railways) or Keio (this is a train and bus line in Tokyo) or a Seibu Lions logo painted on its side. All these buses, unchanged, from Japan now in Yangon operating.
Customs at the airport was a breeze. No worries there. I didn't see any armed guards or militarymen causing fear - in fact I never saw a single gun in my time in Burma. What I did notice tough was one of the Customs officials, a woman, with a dried light brownish cream applied on her cheeks in a circular design. I had no idea what that was. I later discovered that all women usually put this cream on as a form of natural makeup and sunscreen. I wish I knew the name of it . . . in any case I will continue to read and educate myself on Burma so that when I develop a website to this trip I it will be fully educational for both you and I.
Getting back to the taxi ride to Yangon. The girl I was riding with was from Holland and her name was Daisy. She had been traveling for nine months!!! I was a mere novice compared to her. Well, there we were on a beautiful sunny day riding into Yangon watching World Water War III all around us. People were jumping out of their cars dumping, launching, throwing, catapulting water at other cars and pedestrians. Everyone had huge smiles and were laughing. The Water Festival is an old tradition to celebrate the Burmese New Year which marks - I believe - Buddha's birthday. The water is a symbolic means for purifying oneself and other. It is very much the same as the Songkran in Thailand except that no one here uses talc powder or water guns simply because there are no water guns in Burma - but someone would make a fortune if they did import the toy at an affordable price for the Burmese kids. What I found pleasantly interesting and entertaining were these giant stalls along the road where up to 30 people or more would stand with hoses and spray down cars. If you did not have your car window rolled up you were sure to be a victim of being soaked by water. Daisy and I were no exception. Our driver kept his window down and soon enough someone sprayed water into the car getting everyone inside wet. Daisy and I could only giggle and laugh like children. We loved Myanmar. Everyone was so happy, and to put it in the words of a Frenchmen I met later that day, "Judging by how happy these people are today you would never guess that they are under a military dictatorship."
The taxi took my to the May Shan Hotel - just in front of the 2,000 year old Sule Paya (a 46 meter high Buddhist temple right in the middle of the center of old colonial Yangon). Daisy went off to another hotel and I promised to meet her in 30 minutes. After I got settled in my hotel room I walked a few blocks to Daisy's hotel. The walk was wonderful. Everyone was smiling at me. I was the only foreigner for blocks and everyone looked at me with great curiosity. It was wonderful to see so many friendly curious faces. And beautiful teeth!!! The people in Burma have perfect, white teeth - compared to Japanese teeth which look like a small bomb went off in them. But, then I saw some teeth that were heavily stained red - God aweful and scary. I later discovered that men, as well as women, in Burma often eat a kind of natural food high that is made from I-dont-know-what but this delight has a red bean or root or something that causes this redness of the teeth. It is temporary . . . nothing permanent. I arrived at Daisy's hotel and off we went. First thing we saw was the City Hall which was blocked off for a massive stage entertainment show. There were giant pipes spraying water into the air all over the seated guests - it was funny to see some of these seated individuals holding umbrellas over their heads. As Daisy and I watched the crowd around us stared at us. I felt like an alien. Everyone looked at us as if they had never seen a foreigner before and Im sure for a few of them they never have. Then we started getting soaked. People came up to us and literally poured water - sometimes ICE water - down our backs and on our heads. I was careful to keep my camera totally out of the way of the water. Soon enough my shirt was so soaked that it looked like I took a shower in it. Daisy and I continued walking and enjoyed observing all the life around us. Visually you could saw that Yangon is a very poor city, it is dirty, falling apart, possessed of old cars and buses, and old colonial buildings, and constant power outages, but for some reason, on my first day there and in my entire time there I never felt the poverty, I never went through any degree of culture shock, I never felt uncomfortable culturally speaking. I felt right at home in Burma. It is curious to say such a thing. For all the countries I have traveled to in South America, North Africa, or Asia, I have felt some degree of discomfort or shock . . . but in Burma it was never the case. Some would say that I had lived a past life in Burma . . . perhaps - but the explanation for why I felt so at home in Burma is that the people there made me feel at home.
Soon enough in Yangon locals from the black market began approaching us to exchange money. Daisy and I agreed to a rate of 810 kyat to the dollar. We were led to a tea shop that had a satellite TV showing some action film (the military government is relaxed about supressing what people watch on their TV sets - in my hotel I saw programs from Burma, China, Thailand, MTV from Indonesia, and movie channels from the U.S.). We changed our money and I ended up with a huge wad of Myanmar Kyat.
Then Daisy and I walked to Shwedagon Paya (about 30 minute walk). Along the way we got more soaked and we ran into a group of fun-loving Burmese rock-punks with blue hair. I asked to take pictures and they quickly posed and then they attacked me with can of spray paint - they sprayed my hair and shirt BLUE!!! Now I looked like a punk! Soon enought Daisy and I made it to the temple but we actually started at a temple near the Swedagon. We first sat down for some Burmese local food and drinks before entering. At all the temples in Burma you must take your shoes off at the door as a sign of respect - in Bagan I walked barefoot in a temple loaded with bats, and guess what? I walked on bat shit twice!!! disgusting!!! The sun beats down on the temple grounds so if you do not walk on the white marble tiles leading into the temple your feet will burn, burn, burn. Daisy and I quickly ran to get into the shade of the temple. The temple was curious. Within we saw statues of Buddhas that had a concentric rings of colorful light bulbs behind their heads glowing in patterns. It was actually funny to see a device of electricity being used for decorative Buddhist purposes.
Then we walked to the Swedagon. There are four main entrances and each entrance is met with two Lion guard statues. Once you past the Lion guards we walked under a long roofed corridor (barefoot) toward the temple. The corridor is lined with shops selling drinks, flowers, and such. It was beautiful and pleasant to walk in the darkness of this corridor. Then the Swedagon was before us. It is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar and in my opinion one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. It is nearly 100 meters high and clearly visable from any plane that either arrives in or departs from Yangon. Some amazing facts about the temple: "The current stupa dates from the 18th century although the site is undoubtedly much older; there are over 8,000 golden plates covering the monument; the top of the spire is encrusted with more than 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 other precious stones; and the compound around the paya has 82 other buildings . . . the top of the spire has a 74 karat diamond embedded in it."
Now, for such a poor country no person will see so much wealth invested into their temples. And there are boxes of donated cash in all directions. The Burmese believe in the power of their temples and give gladly to their temples. And I believe it. The Burmese are devote in their practice of Theravade Buddhism. All men go live in the monastary at least twice in their lives; once when they are young and second when they are older. All men describe living in the monastary as wonderful. And women can live in the monastary as nuns as well. And they are beautiful to see. They also have to shave their heads but they wear cute light pink robes and a light orange cloth that they sometimes strap across their chest or wear on their head to protect against the sun. Many men and women I spoke to - husbands, wives, taxi drivers, hotel managers, etc. - practices mediation and prayed on a daily basis. I must tell you that I have never encountered a country like Burma where 99% of the people I met were incredibly honest, genuine, loving, giving, simple, kind, true, honest, honest, honest. I loved them. They truly practice what they believe. They are fine examples of Buddhists!!! Buddhism is alive and well in Burma. I wish I could say the same about Thailand. Thailand is full of people trying to cheat the farang (foreigner). I should mention that my last night in Bangkok - the night before I departed for my trip to Myanmar - the lady who did my laundry in my guest house delievered it to my room and then said that she was tired and that she was going to sleep in my bed!!! Do you believe this place??? Bangkok is full of prostitution!!! The hotel I am staying out now has signs all over that read: NO PROSTITUTION, please!!!
Anyway. Burma, in the end is the best place in Southeast Asia if you ask me. I have yet to see Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam but I know that none of them will be able to hold a light to Burma.
Well, getting back to Shwedagon. I wish I could keep writing about it but I should stop for today. I will write more about tomorrow and the taxi journey I took all over the country. I should mention though that I have another idea for a book or screenplay running around in my head as a result of what I experienced and saw in Burma. It will be called Thieves of Burma and it will entail the story of a team of thieves that plan to steal the 74 karat diamond in the Shwedagon temple. I have to do a tremendous amount of research for the story. I want it to detail the Buddhist and Nat superstitions, a love story with a Burmese girl, the history of the country, the current military regime, etc. Well, since this is a public site my idea has been officially copyrighted so hands off ;)
Until tomorrow,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
I'm in a Thai shopping mall. It is an evil place :) I'm smiling as I say that because I believe it and then I don't. My heart is heavily split between me being an American who comes from and is comfortable in familiar western surroundings such as this mall here, and, sadness, disgust, and anger toward this "westernization" and "globalization" that is slowly turning Southeast Asia into a twisted image of America. If I were to weigh the scale though I would say that my heart is truly sad to sit here in Bangkok, in this mall, and to see its youth and pop-culture trying so desperately to be American.
And I pray that Myanmar does not fall under the same greedy fate as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
I arrived back in Bangkok from my 12 day journey through the central part of Myanmar yesterday. My feelings and thoughts are still very raw from the experience. I will try my best to convey to you what I found and fell in love with in Myanmar.
Where shall I begin? I will begin my confessing to you that yes, indeed, I fell in deep love with Myanmar. The people, the culture, the religion, the temples, the ox-driven carts, the old beaten roads, the teeth of the Burmese stained red, the skin of Burmese women turned pale from the natural cream (made from a particular tree bark) they apply to their faces and arms, the longyi (sarongs) that everyone wears. I can go on and on and show all my pictures and yet I still know so little of this country. I was only there for 12 days - and that was all my stomach could bear for it was the first casualty on my trip (I got a bacterial infection in my stomach due to something I ate). But, I can tell you this, as can anyone who travels to Myanmar, that upon arriving, upon my first observations and thoughts I knew that I would come back again and again.
MYANMAR-YANGON - APRIL 16th, 2004
I arrived on the last day of the Water Festival. After getting soaking wet in Bangkok for their Songkran festival I arrived in Yangon to get soaked all over again. And I couldn't have imagined a more pleasant way to be introduced to Myanmar that on the last day of the Water Festival.
As soon as I exited the Yangon International Airport I met a nice gentlemen who would provide me with a taxi ride into the city. He explained that I should look for someone to share the ride with to cut expenses! In Thailand taxi driver's try as best as they can to cheat you out of your money and here I was in Yangon, not even an hour of being there, and a Burmese was advising me how to save money! I told him it was no trouble at all to get going into Yangon but then he pointed out a backpacker that was walking out of the airport alone. He said he would wait and away I ran to catch up with her. I asked her if she wanted to join me and she said yes and away we went together into Yangon by taxi.
Now before I continue. I would like to talk about my initial thoughts as I arrived in Yangon airport. From the air all you see are forests of trees and golden spires of beautiful Burmese Buddhist temples reaching up and above all the surrounding greenery. You do not see a heavy grid work of streets and buildings that defines most capital cities near their airports. No, this you do not see. All you see are trees and golden spires. It is said that you can tell what a society or culture deems holy by what buildings or structures are the tallest. Centuries ago the Church was the tallest building in most European cities, then government buildings, now it is corporate buildings. Western civilizations pay homage to money. But, in Burma you find only Buddhist temples rising higher than anything else and that is a clear sign as to what you will find respected and practiced among the people of Burma.
Then we landed. My Thai Airline plane was the only plane in the airport. It was moving to arrive in Yangon and to be the only plane in the entire airport. You immediately feel how isolated this country is from the rest of the world. Then we got off the plane to board an old Japanese bus that would take us to the building where we would go though customs. As I sat on the bus I began reading all the old familiar scripts in Japanese giving safety instructions of to do this or not to do that. I thought that it was odd that all the instructions (even the old bus map) was still in Japanese. It was as if the bus had quickly been taken from Japan 10 to 20 years ago and simply dropped off in Burma to continue working a new route without anyone changing or putting new signs on the bus in Burmese. And this I constantly found in Burma. As I rode my taxi around with my friend Aung I would see buses that had JR (Japan Railways) or Keio (this is a train and bus line in Tokyo) or a Seibu Lions logo painted on its side. All these buses, unchanged, from Japan now in Yangon operating.
Customs at the airport was a breeze. No worries there. I didn't see any armed guards or militarymen causing fear - in fact I never saw a single gun in my time in Burma. What I did notice tough was one of the Customs officials, a woman, with a dried light brownish cream applied on her cheeks in a circular design. I had no idea what that was. I later discovered that all women usually put this cream on as a form of natural makeup and sunscreen. I wish I knew the name of it . . . in any case I will continue to read and educate myself on Burma so that when I develop a website to this trip I it will be fully educational for both you and I.
Getting back to the taxi ride to Yangon. The girl I was riding with was from Holland and her name was Daisy. She had been traveling for nine months!!! I was a mere novice compared to her. Well, there we were on a beautiful sunny day riding into Yangon watching World Water War III all around us. People were jumping out of their cars dumping, launching, throwing, catapulting water at other cars and pedestrians. Everyone had huge smiles and were laughing. The Water Festival is an old tradition to celebrate the Burmese New Year which marks - I believe - Buddha's birthday. The water is a symbolic means for purifying oneself and other. It is very much the same as the Songkran in Thailand except that no one here uses talc powder or water guns simply because there are no water guns in Burma - but someone would make a fortune if they did import the toy at an affordable price for the Burmese kids. What I found pleasantly interesting and entertaining were these giant stalls along the road where up to 30 people or more would stand with hoses and spray down cars. If you did not have your car window rolled up you were sure to be a victim of being soaked by water. Daisy and I were no exception. Our driver kept his window down and soon enough someone sprayed water into the car getting everyone inside wet. Daisy and I could only giggle and laugh like children. We loved Myanmar. Everyone was so happy, and to put it in the words of a Frenchmen I met later that day, "Judging by how happy these people are today you would never guess that they are under a military dictatorship."
The taxi took my to the May Shan Hotel - just in front of the 2,000 year old Sule Paya (a 46 meter high Buddhist temple right in the middle of the center of old colonial Yangon). Daisy went off to another hotel and I promised to meet her in 30 minutes. After I got settled in my hotel room I walked a few blocks to Daisy's hotel. The walk was wonderful. Everyone was smiling at me. I was the only foreigner for blocks and everyone looked at me with great curiosity. It was wonderful to see so many friendly curious faces. And beautiful teeth!!! The people in Burma have perfect, white teeth - compared to Japanese teeth which look like a small bomb went off in them. But, then I saw some teeth that were heavily stained red - God aweful and scary. I later discovered that men, as well as women, in Burma often eat a kind of natural food high that is made from I-dont-know-what but this delight has a red bean or root or something that causes this redness of the teeth. It is temporary . . . nothing permanent. I arrived at Daisy's hotel and off we went. First thing we saw was the City Hall which was blocked off for a massive stage entertainment show. There were giant pipes spraying water into the air all over the seated guests - it was funny to see some of these seated individuals holding umbrellas over their heads. As Daisy and I watched the crowd around us stared at us. I felt like an alien. Everyone looked at us as if they had never seen a foreigner before and Im sure for a few of them they never have. Then we started getting soaked. People came up to us and literally poured water - sometimes ICE water - down our backs and on our heads. I was careful to keep my camera totally out of the way of the water. Soon enough my shirt was so soaked that it looked like I took a shower in it. Daisy and I continued walking and enjoyed observing all the life around us. Visually you could saw that Yangon is a very poor city, it is dirty, falling apart, possessed of old cars and buses, and old colonial buildings, and constant power outages, but for some reason, on my first day there and in my entire time there I never felt the poverty, I never went through any degree of culture shock, I never felt uncomfortable culturally speaking. I felt right at home in Burma. It is curious to say such a thing. For all the countries I have traveled to in South America, North Africa, or Asia, I have felt some degree of discomfort or shock . . . but in Burma it was never the case. Some would say that I had lived a past life in Burma . . . perhaps - but the explanation for why I felt so at home in Burma is that the people there made me feel at home.
Soon enough in Yangon locals from the black market began approaching us to exchange money. Daisy and I agreed to a rate of 810 kyat to the dollar. We were led to a tea shop that had a satellite TV showing some action film (the military government is relaxed about supressing what people watch on their TV sets - in my hotel I saw programs from Burma, China, Thailand, MTV from Indonesia, and movie channels from the U.S.). We changed our money and I ended up with a huge wad of Myanmar Kyat.
Then Daisy and I walked to Shwedagon Paya (about 30 minute walk). Along the way we got more soaked and we ran into a group of fun-loving Burmese rock-punks with blue hair. I asked to take pictures and they quickly posed and then they attacked me with can of spray paint - they sprayed my hair and shirt BLUE!!! Now I looked like a punk! Soon enought Daisy and I made it to the temple but we actually started at a temple near the Swedagon. We first sat down for some Burmese local food and drinks before entering. At all the temples in Burma you must take your shoes off at the door as a sign of respect - in Bagan I walked barefoot in a temple loaded with bats, and guess what? I walked on bat shit twice!!! disgusting!!! The sun beats down on the temple grounds so if you do not walk on the white marble tiles leading into the temple your feet will burn, burn, burn. Daisy and I quickly ran to get into the shade of the temple. The temple was curious. Within we saw statues of Buddhas that had a concentric rings of colorful light bulbs behind their heads glowing in patterns. It was actually funny to see a device of electricity being used for decorative Buddhist purposes.
Then we walked to the Swedagon. There are four main entrances and each entrance is met with two Lion guard statues. Once you past the Lion guards we walked under a long roofed corridor (barefoot) toward the temple. The corridor is lined with shops selling drinks, flowers, and such. It was beautiful and pleasant to walk in the darkness of this corridor. Then the Swedagon was before us. It is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar and in my opinion one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. It is nearly 100 meters high and clearly visable from any plane that either arrives in or departs from Yangon. Some amazing facts about the temple: "The current stupa dates from the 18th century although the site is undoubtedly much older; there are over 8,000 golden plates covering the monument; the top of the spire is encrusted with more than 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 other precious stones; and the compound around the paya has 82 other buildings . . . the top of the spire has a 74 karat diamond embedded in it."
Now, for such a poor country no person will see so much wealth invested into their temples. And there are boxes of donated cash in all directions. The Burmese believe in the power of their temples and give gladly to their temples. And I believe it. The Burmese are devote in their practice of Theravade Buddhism. All men go live in the monastary at least twice in their lives; once when they are young and second when they are older. All men describe living in the monastary as wonderful. And women can live in the monastary as nuns as well. And they are beautiful to see. They also have to shave their heads but they wear cute light pink robes and a light orange cloth that they sometimes strap across their chest or wear on their head to protect against the sun. Many men and women I spoke to - husbands, wives, taxi drivers, hotel managers, etc. - practices mediation and prayed on a daily basis. I must tell you that I have never encountered a country like Burma where 99% of the people I met were incredibly honest, genuine, loving, giving, simple, kind, true, honest, honest, honest. I loved them. They truly practice what they believe. They are fine examples of Buddhists!!! Buddhism is alive and well in Burma. I wish I could say the same about Thailand. Thailand is full of people trying to cheat the farang (foreigner). I should mention that my last night in Bangkok - the night before I departed for my trip to Myanmar - the lady who did my laundry in my guest house delievered it to my room and then said that she was tired and that she was going to sleep in my bed!!! Do you believe this place??? Bangkok is full of prostitution!!! The hotel I am staying out now has signs all over that read: NO PROSTITUTION, please!!!
Anyway. Burma, in the end is the best place in Southeast Asia if you ask me. I have yet to see Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam but I know that none of them will be able to hold a light to Burma.
Well, getting back to Shwedagon. I wish I could keep writing about it but I should stop for today. I will write more about tomorrow and the taxi journey I took all over the country. I should mention though that I have another idea for a book or screenplay running around in my head as a result of what I experienced and saw in Burma. It will be called Thieves of Burma and it will entail the story of a team of thieves that plan to steal the 74 karat diamond in the Shwedagon temple. I have to do a tremendous amount of research for the story. I want it to detail the Buddhist and Nat superstitions, a love story with a Burmese girl, the history of the country, the current military regime, etc. Well, since this is a public site my idea has been officially copyrighted so hands off ;)
Until tomorrow,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Thursday, April 15, 2004
April 16th, 2004
Hello everyone. I am now at the Bangkok International Airport about to take my flight to Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma). I am very excited to make this journey to Myanmar for I expect to find what I have been searching for there; a country still untouched by heavy Western influences. I have been looking for the "Asia" that is still being preserved and I expect to find that in Myanmar. I feel very blessed and lucky to have this opportunity to travel in, experience, see, feel, smell, hear, and touch the traditions and culture that is still "Asian" as opposed to the Western/Asian mixes that I have found and have been finding in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. For example, in my 24 hours in Bangkok I have seen more 7-11 mini-markets than I have ever seen in my life. There is literally one every block. Not even Starbucks can compete with the number of locations they have here. I even saw two 7-11's directly across the street from each other. My friend and taxi-driver (I will write another story about him) - his name is F - told me that about 6 years ago there was no 7-11 in Bangkok and now it is everywhere. Western influences in the shape of pop-music, clothing, food (Burger King, etc.), and forms of thought are penetrating heavily into the Asian countries I have already traveled through and lived in (Japan). As a result of all this I have been in search of an "Asian" country that has still been unmarked from heavy Western marketing and influences. I expect that Myanmar is the closest I will come, after Laos, to finding that "preserved Asia".
We shall see.
I am behind in my journal but I will be writing everything down on hard copy while in Myanmar and once I return I will bring my digital journal up to speed.
Just to keep things in my mind for when I get back to a computer to update I will need to tell you about my last morning in Hat Ton Sai (which is not a separate island - I thought it was an island), my 14 hour bus ride to Bangkok and all the interesting people I met aboard the bus, my day in Bangkok and how I got repeatedly drenched in water from all the water-wars all over the city - Songkran. To elaborate briefly on that I was in Bangkok for their last day of celebrations for the Thai new year (Buddhist new year) called Songkran. Literally, for three days, people crowd into all the streets of Bangkok and either on foot or in pick-up trucks throw water at anyone in their path while also splatting talc-powder on your face and clothes. I was a mess by the time I got back to my guest house last night. My shoes, shirt, shorts were soaked and my face and hair was caked in talc-powder. Songkran is an old tradition in Bangkok. It is a very fun way to purify yourself with water and white talc-powder for the new year. It is literally one BIG party in Bangkok. I took as many pictures as I could during the Songkran without risking my camera from gettin soaked.
Okay, I have to run.
In Myanmar there is no internet so I will not be able to update this until I return to Bangkok on the 27th of April.
See you then ;)
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Hello everyone. I am now at the Bangkok International Airport about to take my flight to Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma). I am very excited to make this journey to Myanmar for I expect to find what I have been searching for there; a country still untouched by heavy Western influences. I have been looking for the "Asia" that is still being preserved and I expect to find that in Myanmar. I feel very blessed and lucky to have this opportunity to travel in, experience, see, feel, smell, hear, and touch the traditions and culture that is still "Asian" as opposed to the Western/Asian mixes that I have found and have been finding in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. For example, in my 24 hours in Bangkok I have seen more 7-11 mini-markets than I have ever seen in my life. There is literally one every block. Not even Starbucks can compete with the number of locations they have here. I even saw two 7-11's directly across the street from each other. My friend and taxi-driver (I will write another story about him) - his name is F - told me that about 6 years ago there was no 7-11 in Bangkok and now it is everywhere. Western influences in the shape of pop-music, clothing, food (Burger King, etc.), and forms of thought are penetrating heavily into the Asian countries I have already traveled through and lived in (Japan). As a result of all this I have been in search of an "Asian" country that has still been unmarked from heavy Western marketing and influences. I expect that Myanmar is the closest I will come, after Laos, to finding that "preserved Asia".
We shall see.
I am behind in my journal but I will be writing everything down on hard copy while in Myanmar and once I return I will bring my digital journal up to speed.
Just to keep things in my mind for when I get back to a computer to update I will need to tell you about my last morning in Hat Ton Sai (which is not a separate island - I thought it was an island), my 14 hour bus ride to Bangkok and all the interesting people I met aboard the bus, my day in Bangkok and how I got repeatedly drenched in water from all the water-wars all over the city - Songkran. To elaborate briefly on that I was in Bangkok for their last day of celebrations for the Thai new year (Buddhist new year) called Songkran. Literally, for three days, people crowd into all the streets of Bangkok and either on foot or in pick-up trucks throw water at anyone in their path while also splatting talc-powder on your face and clothes. I was a mess by the time I got back to my guest house last night. My shoes, shirt, shorts were soaked and my face and hair was caked in talc-powder. Songkran is an old tradition in Bangkok. It is a very fun way to purify yourself with water and white talc-powder for the new year. It is literally one BIG party in Bangkok. I took as many pictures as I could during the Songkran without risking my camera from gettin soaked.
Okay, I have to run.
In Myanmar there is no internet so I will not be able to update this until I return to Bangkok on the 27th of April.
See you then ;)
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
April 13th, 2004
I'm on an island, a pleasant and very isolated island about an hour west - by boat - of Krabi, Thailand. The name of the island I am not sure of but the name of the beach I am on is called Hat Ton Sai - look it up in your Lonely Planet travel guide book. Yesterday I escaped Hat Yai - finally - by mini-bus. This bus was packed with 15 people. I chose - very unwisely - to sit all the way in the back so that when the driver stopped to pick up another person and would open up the back door I could keep an eye on my bag that was crushed between that door and my seat. The car ride was over 4 hours and boy was it a long ride. The guy next to me - almost on top of me cause it was so packed in that mini-bus - had strong body odor. Luckily I had a tiny little fan pointed at my head just above me. It was able to kind of keep the odor away. The driver was fairly sane in his pursuit for Krabi. We didn't hit any thing or go flying off the road. But, he did like to speed which I actually enjoyed. As we would drive at Mach 4 down the road trying to pass the car in front of us the bumps in the road with send all of us in the mini-bus flying above our seats. I was caught laughing like a kid because I was enjoying the speed demon adventure so much. But, most Thai's- in the mini-bus did not approve of the speed and bumps.
I got off right at a pier in Krabi and was immediately approached by a young Thai named Shat. Before I continue I should mention that I arrived in Krabi around 6:00 p.m. so I was loosing sun light fast. I was desperate to get to one of the islands off the coast from Krabi - I had no desire to stay on the mainland. Shat explained that it was too late to catch a boat to Krabi. Most people take the boat in the morning and afternoon. So, we made a deal. Probably a great deal for Shat. I hired him to take me on his boat to Hat Ton Sai. The ride was about an hour and I loved it. I had the boat to myself and loved feeling the warm ocean winds on my face as I was being sprayed by the ocean waters - Id lick my lips for that pleasant salty water taste. The sun was setting so the scene before me was glorious. Scattered islands of all sorts of irregular shapes in the distance.
Soon enough we arrived and there I was on this Hat Ton Sai beach. There were a whole host of litle bars and out-door restaurants along the beach. I grabbed my bag and went to get a wood bungalow. It was already dark and after grabbing my key I had a bit of difficulty finding my bungalow. Then I found it - number 406. My bungalow was a shot-gun bungalow - I say that because you could take a shot gun and blow the whole thing away in one shot. All there was was a bed and a mosquito net - which was cool because Ive never slept with a mosquito net before. The toom was tiny and after I found and turned out the lights I could see the ground between the cracks of the wooden planks that composed the floor. Then I opend the door to the back and found my wonderful bathroom - my father would not last two minutes in this place. There was a western toilet with no seat so if I even tried to use it I was pretty much assured that I would fall straight into it. Again there was no flush button - just a bucket to fill with water and to dump into the toilet. The bathroom was surrounded with concrete walls but there was no ceiling, just all the wonderful leaves and trees of nature watching me from above. The shower was simply a shower head that - when turned on - would spray everywhere.
After I got myself configured in my little wooden bungalow on stilts I went back to the beach to get some dinner. But, first I walked up and down the length of the beach. Dinner was good . . . again Green Curry and a Coconut milk shake - which was very, very yummy.
Then I called it a night and returned to my wooden palace for a shower and for a good night's rest. Since it was early when I went to bed I decided to listen to music. When the entire Dream Theater Awake album had finished I awoke and found that my useless little electric fan had stopped. I then tried to turn it on but had no luck. I then tried the electricity and again had no luck. I was in darkess. Was I being hunted? Had someone cut off all my electricity and phone lines - there was no phone line, just trying to make this sound very dramatic - to stalk me and kill me??? I was a bit scared but then I realized after look out my window that no one had lights and I could hear voices of people inquiring loudly as to what the hell was going on. Then I heard and saw two Thai's with flashlights approaching the bungalows saying, "Sorry, accident - sorry, accident."
Then our power was back and everyone was at rest. Thinking back. As a joke when all the power was off I should have started screaming for my life trying to make everyone think I was being killed just to freak them all out . . . hee hee hee . . . that would have been a cruel joke.
Today I woke up early - 6 a.m. - and took my shower and then went for a walk which led me through a forest and to another beach - Railay Beach that is. There are a ton of mountain climbing little shops and guides and fanatics here. At Railay Beach I saw sign after sign of rock climbing tours and adventures awaiting me. I simply passed them. It was hot enough and I had no desire to put myself through a brutal challenge to conquer a rock just so I could sweat more.
Later on I had breakfast right on the beach back at Hat Ton Sai. I had banana pancakes, toast, and another coconut milk shake. I sat just under a tree filled with cicades (spelling) that were all spraying me with either their piss or water. It was funny. I kept looking up trying to figure out what the hell was spraying me. As I looked closely at the tree branches I could see these thumb long insects shooting out some kind of water. So I sat there and had my breakfast as I got sprayed.
I then booked my bus to Bangkok for tomorrow and then upgraded myself from a wooden bungalow to a concrete bungalow. BIG difference. Still aint got no air-con but at least I have a very nice bathroom with a toilet that actually has a seat and I can actually flush it without using a bucket!
I hung out at the beach after that and then went back to read at my bungalow and here I am now. Im going to grab some dinner now. Tomorrow Im off by overnigh bus to Bangkok.
May the Force be with you . . . always,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
I'm on an island, a pleasant and very isolated island about an hour west - by boat - of Krabi, Thailand. The name of the island I am not sure of but the name of the beach I am on is called Hat Ton Sai - look it up in your Lonely Planet travel guide book. Yesterday I escaped Hat Yai - finally - by mini-bus. This bus was packed with 15 people. I chose - very unwisely - to sit all the way in the back so that when the driver stopped to pick up another person and would open up the back door I could keep an eye on my bag that was crushed between that door and my seat. The car ride was over 4 hours and boy was it a long ride. The guy next to me - almost on top of me cause it was so packed in that mini-bus - had strong body odor. Luckily I had a tiny little fan pointed at my head just above me. It was able to kind of keep the odor away. The driver was fairly sane in his pursuit for Krabi. We didn't hit any thing or go flying off the road. But, he did like to speed which I actually enjoyed. As we would drive at Mach 4 down the road trying to pass the car in front of us the bumps in the road with send all of us in the mini-bus flying above our seats. I was caught laughing like a kid because I was enjoying the speed demon adventure so much. But, most Thai's- in the mini-bus did not approve of the speed and bumps.
I got off right at a pier in Krabi and was immediately approached by a young Thai named Shat. Before I continue I should mention that I arrived in Krabi around 6:00 p.m. so I was loosing sun light fast. I was desperate to get to one of the islands off the coast from Krabi - I had no desire to stay on the mainland. Shat explained that it was too late to catch a boat to Krabi. Most people take the boat in the morning and afternoon. So, we made a deal. Probably a great deal for Shat. I hired him to take me on his boat to Hat Ton Sai. The ride was about an hour and I loved it. I had the boat to myself and loved feeling the warm ocean winds on my face as I was being sprayed by the ocean waters - Id lick my lips for that pleasant salty water taste. The sun was setting so the scene before me was glorious. Scattered islands of all sorts of irregular shapes in the distance.
Soon enough we arrived and there I was on this Hat Ton Sai beach. There were a whole host of litle bars and out-door restaurants along the beach. I grabbed my bag and went to get a wood bungalow. It was already dark and after grabbing my key I had a bit of difficulty finding my bungalow. Then I found it - number 406. My bungalow was a shot-gun bungalow - I say that because you could take a shot gun and blow the whole thing away in one shot. All there was was a bed and a mosquito net - which was cool because Ive never slept with a mosquito net before. The toom was tiny and after I found and turned out the lights I could see the ground between the cracks of the wooden planks that composed the floor. Then I opend the door to the back and found my wonderful bathroom - my father would not last two minutes in this place. There was a western toilet with no seat so if I even tried to use it I was pretty much assured that I would fall straight into it. Again there was no flush button - just a bucket to fill with water and to dump into the toilet. The bathroom was surrounded with concrete walls but there was no ceiling, just all the wonderful leaves and trees of nature watching me from above. The shower was simply a shower head that - when turned on - would spray everywhere.
After I got myself configured in my little wooden bungalow on stilts I went back to the beach to get some dinner. But, first I walked up and down the length of the beach. Dinner was good . . . again Green Curry and a Coconut milk shake - which was very, very yummy.
Then I called it a night and returned to my wooden palace for a shower and for a good night's rest. Since it was early when I went to bed I decided to listen to music. When the entire Dream Theater Awake album had finished I awoke and found that my useless little electric fan had stopped. I then tried to turn it on but had no luck. I then tried the electricity and again had no luck. I was in darkess. Was I being hunted? Had someone cut off all my electricity and phone lines - there was no phone line, just trying to make this sound very dramatic - to stalk me and kill me??? I was a bit scared but then I realized after look out my window that no one had lights and I could hear voices of people inquiring loudly as to what the hell was going on. Then I heard and saw two Thai's with flashlights approaching the bungalows saying, "Sorry, accident - sorry, accident."
Then our power was back and everyone was at rest. Thinking back. As a joke when all the power was off I should have started screaming for my life trying to make everyone think I was being killed just to freak them all out . . . hee hee hee . . . that would have been a cruel joke.
Today I woke up early - 6 a.m. - and took my shower and then went for a walk which led me through a forest and to another beach - Railay Beach that is. There are a ton of mountain climbing little shops and guides and fanatics here. At Railay Beach I saw sign after sign of rock climbing tours and adventures awaiting me. I simply passed them. It was hot enough and I had no desire to put myself through a brutal challenge to conquer a rock just so I could sweat more.
Later on I had breakfast right on the beach back at Hat Ton Sai. I had banana pancakes, toast, and another coconut milk shake. I sat just under a tree filled with cicades (spelling) that were all spraying me with either their piss or water. It was funny. I kept looking up trying to figure out what the hell was spraying me. As I looked closely at the tree branches I could see these thumb long insects shooting out some kind of water. So I sat there and had my breakfast as I got sprayed.
I then booked my bus to Bangkok for tomorrow and then upgraded myself from a wooden bungalow to a concrete bungalow. BIG difference. Still aint got no air-con but at least I have a very nice bathroom with a toilet that actually has a seat and I can actually flush it without using a bucket!
I hung out at the beach after that and then went back to read at my bungalow and here I am now. Im going to grab some dinner now. Tomorrow Im off by overnigh bus to Bangkok.
May the Force be with you . . . always,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
Sunday, April 11, 2004
April 12th, 2004
I'm still here in Hat Yai killing time until my bus to Krabi leaves at 1:00 p.m. It's 10:48 a.m. now. Im looking forward to buying another bottle of soy milk and 7-11 over here. I have become a soy milk junky over here in Southeast Asia. From Singapore, to Malaysia, to Thailand I can't get enough of the stuff. They sweeten it so it tastes better than milk.
After I finished typing my story last night I went back to my Guest House and watched a bit of TV but they were showing a football (soccer) match that I didn't really care for. Then I walked down the long hall back to my room and saw a Thai step out of his room. I smiled and said hello and then he pointed in to his room and asked with a whisper, "Sex? - Sex?" "What?" I asked not believing what I was hearing. "Sex?" he said again. I was so angry at that point. I wanted to punch him in the face and tell him to go, "@$!# himself!!!" What they hell is up with these people? Keep your dicks in your pants and get a life or a real job. That experience is only adding to my already strong dislike for Hat Yai.
I woke up periodically during the night to noise from the noisy streets or discomfort for feeling all sticky and gross from the humidity. I don't have an air-con in my room, only a fan at the top of a high ceiling that does absolutely nothing for cooling me.
Well, Im going to buy that soy milk and wait for my bus. Let's hope that Krabi will be pleasant.
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
P.S. I added more to my story about Avi and Hat Yai for my April 11th entry so if you're curious have a re-read.
I'm still here in Hat Yai killing time until my bus to Krabi leaves at 1:00 p.m. It's 10:48 a.m. now. Im looking forward to buying another bottle of soy milk and 7-11 over here. I have become a soy milk junky over here in Southeast Asia. From Singapore, to Malaysia, to Thailand I can't get enough of the stuff. They sweeten it so it tastes better than milk.
After I finished typing my story last night I went back to my Guest House and watched a bit of TV but they were showing a football (soccer) match that I didn't really care for. Then I walked down the long hall back to my room and saw a Thai step out of his room. I smiled and said hello and then he pointed in to his room and asked with a whisper, "Sex? - Sex?" "What?" I asked not believing what I was hearing. "Sex?" he said again. I was so angry at that point. I wanted to punch him in the face and tell him to go, "@$!# himself!!!" What they hell is up with these people? Keep your dicks in your pants and get a life or a real job. That experience is only adding to my already strong dislike for Hat Yai.
I woke up periodically during the night to noise from the noisy streets or discomfort for feeling all sticky and gross from the humidity. I don't have an air-con in my room, only a fan at the top of a high ceiling that does absolutely nothing for cooling me.
Well, Im going to buy that soy milk and wait for my bus. Let's hope that Krabi will be pleasant.
Sincerely,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
P.S. I added more to my story about Avi and Hat Yai for my April 11th entry so if you're curious have a re-read.
April 11th 2004
I'm in Hat Yai, Thailand. I really don't care for this place at all. Especially after all the beautiful cultural diversity I saw in Malaysia. Hat Yai is just a town that travelers like me are passing through. Im going to Krabi tomorrow. It is a beautiful little place north of here right on the beach. Im looking forward to it very much.
Since I dont feel like "reporting" on this place I thought that I'd let my imagination go and type a little story. The story is dark but when I write fiction I tend to write about dark things, so no suprise there.
The Story of Avi and Hat Yai
This is a work of fiction by Domenico Italo Composto
It is inspired by what I know, have seen, and think about Hat Yai, Thailand and some of the foreigners I have come across during my travels.
My name is Avi Lukason. I live here in Hat Yai, Thailand. It's in the south, the way south of the country. On the tip of its tail you could say. It's the biggest city in the south of Thailand, which really is sort of a joke for a guy like me - I'm from New York City for Christ sake. So what the hell am I doing here? I knew you probably were thinking that. And it's going to surprise you when I tell you that I've been here for God knows how long - What? Two years now. No, more than that. Let's say two years and a bit. "And a bit"? Who the hell says that? The Ozzies say that. Oz for Australia that is.
I came here to Southeast Asia to take a break - a deep breath you could say. Simply wanted to get away. "Why?" you ask. Well, to cut to the chase. My wife cheated on me and I wanted to forget her and all that stupid shit in the States. I used to work on Wall Street. I used to make BIG bucks thinking that it would get me everything. A beautiful wife, a lovely apartment on 5th Avenue, a Porche. And it did. I had a beautiful wife, a lovely apartment on 5th Avenue, and a Porche. And now here I am with nothing. Actually I shouldn't really say that. I have tons of cash back home sitting in a bank. But, I haven't touched that dough for over a year and a half. I live like a pauper here in Hat Yai. This dump of a place. I guess I'm seeking to be like some kind of urban monk hermit. I'm in Southeast Asia for Christ sake so I might as well do the old Buddhist thing. That is the problem though for a guy like me and for most Americans I come across here on their travels. Americans are so fascinated with the exotic. They think exotic faiths and practices like Buddhism or Yoga or Tai Chi or whatever has all the spiritual answers that they have been looking for. Why is everything exotic for the American the "in" thing? That is the problem with us Americans. We go from one exotic fad to the next. What is our obsession with diets? How many freaking different kinds of diets are there advertised in the U.S.? For Christ sake it's so insane, it's a joke! The Atkins diet . . . didn't he die of heart failure due to being obese? Now it seems, from what I read on the net, that Americans are into fasting? They are catching on to these Muslim and other faith traditions of fasting believing again that it will bring them health, clean out their system and what have you. It's a joke. Next year it will be something else. People who fast around the world do it every year but Americans just try it on for size for a few months and then throw it out until some other fad has hit their TV commercial.
Well, I think it's very obvious here that I ain't ready to return to the U.S. You can obviously see that I'm venting and angry about the U.S. When in fact I'm still trying to get over the fact that my wife cheated on me and never really loved me. She just married me for the money and boy did she get a bunch of it when I filed for divorce.
Here in Hat Yai I live at the Cathay Guest House. And let me tell you this. It's never over-booked. All the touts at the train and bus stations will tell any tourist that it is booked, in fact booked straight on for three days. They are all liars and never pay any attention to them. The Cathay Guest House sits on the corner of Thanon Niphat Uthit 2 and Thanon Thamnoovithi. Its only a three block walk from the train station. Im in room 356. All the way in the back down a dark old staircase. The Guest House is alright. I was a bit disgusted with it when I arrived though. But Ive been living there for so long its simply home now. The hall hosting the majority of the rooms is wide and seems almost like an old high school hallway. But everything is falling apart. I guess it most looks like the way I'd expect a Cuban prison to look like. My room is away from all the noise that the other "guests" can be caught making - if you know what I mean. My room is appropriate. Not big or small. The bathroom is descent by Thai below the poverty line standards. There is a squat toilet that I have mastered and no button to press to flush it. There is a bucket though that I must use. I simply fill it up and dump it into the toilet and "wal-la" a flush toilet. My bed is a very firm matress on an old bed frame and boy is it full of bed bugs. There ain't a morning that goes by where I dont end up scratching all the bites that I got during the night.
As for the shower. I got cold water and only that, and with this humid heat that is all you need. I usually shower in the dark. The broken window in my bathroom has no curtain - never bothered to put up one - and some of my Thai friends have a thing for peeping into other's hotel room like it's a hobby, which makes me paranoid. So I shower in the dark.
When I first came here I used to take two to three showers a day. Now only one. You get used to the humidity after awhile. You'll soon find that you don't mind to wake up anymore with a sweety, greasy, sticky face.
I got a an old table and a mirror and a few posters put up in my room. I like to buy Guitar magazines because its the only thing of interest that I can find in English here. The magazine are expensive though by Thai standards. About 350 baht which pretty much covers two nights at my Guest House. I tape up the pictures that I like from the magazine on my wall. When I have guests come over to my room they usually ask if Im a guitarist when these see these "posters" of mine. I tell them no which leaves them a bit confused. I used to play keyboard but there is no keyboard magazine in English here so Guitar magazines are simply the next best thing.
As for food Im a regular at a place called The Ballad. I quaint little place. The waitress used to be my girlfriend. She is actually Vietnamese. Cute girl, but a little insecure and in serious want of a husband . . . no thank you. In any case I usually get the green curry and a Thai ice coffee over there. I always order three Thai ice coffees. The green curry is a serious "lip kicker" - I'd say ass-kicker but it ain't kicking my ass, it's kicking my lips. It is seriously spicy but it will cure any clogged-up nose.
So, what the hell do I do in Hat Yai? To be honest this place is really nothing special. Everything you need to know about this place you can discover in an afternoon. Hat Yai seems to be, for tourists anyway, a "passing through" kind of place. No foreigner ever really stays here - except for me. They are either coming from Malaysia or on their way to it. Malaysia, from what I've seen is fantastic. I've only been to Pulau Penang. And on that island I was shocked to see Indian Hindu's and Chinese Buddhist and Taoists and Muslim Malays living so well together in such close proximity. The buildings there, kind of like here, are falling apart. Most are 100 years old or more I would say and probably infested with termites. All the buildings are in serious need a of a fresh coat of paint. But that is the charm of the place I guess. These old two storey buildings housing a Mom and Pop shop on the first floor. For the Chinese living there you will always see a hexagon - I think that is the shape - kind of mirror thing hanging dead center into the entrance of their establishment of home. Its to ward of evil. And its always peculiar to look into these Mom and Pop shops and to usually see a Chinese shrine in the back lit up with incense sticks and candles. Some of these shops are a sight. I came across one shop that sold electric fans. It was insane. The entire shop was littered chaotically with fans all thrown together forming massive piles. You could see that some of the piles had not been disturbed in God knows how long due to the amount of dust and filth that had been collecting on them.
Well, here in Hat Yai we get quiet a few Muslim Malays on the weekends. Most of them are men. Can you guess what they do over here? Well, they partake in the flesh trade that Thailand offers all sex tourists. When I arrived I was quiet disgusted with the tour agencies offering sex tours of Thailand. Its a big hit with the Japanese, although they'll never admit it. What a hypocrisy for the Muslim Malays. They stay in their country and are obedient to their faith and then they cross the border thinking that their faith does not apply anymore - like its in suspended animation until they arrive back.
I said before that I haven't touched my dough back in the U.S. for a year and a half. Can you guess what I do here? I prey on these sex tourists and introduce them to the sex tourism agencies here in Hat Yai. I make good commission and after doing this for so long I have a great eye for those Muslim Malays, Japanese tourists, and whoever else that are looking for a good time. Yes, I am apart of this sinful trade. I don't care anymore. My wife cheated on me and I can careles now of encouraging love at any level. To me its all a lie so I scout the streets looking for men, who are probably married, and help them find their one night stands. I don't expect you to like me after learning all this about me. And I don't expect myself to like me either. I guess Im in purgatory. Giving myself reasons not to like myself or my life anymore.
So, if you come across me - a 40 year old, beer belly New Yorker - on the streets of Hat Yai you are now warned.
That is what Hat Yai can do for you. Throw you down a filthy, pitiful spiral of self-loathing. No Buddhism or enlightenment have I found. But I never really made it out of here. I'm sure if I went further North I would have turned out different.
------------------------
Alright that is my story. Time to go ;)
Domenico Composto
www.thedragonbone.com
I'm in Hat Yai, Thailand. I really don't care for this place at all. Especially after all the beautiful cultural diversity I saw in Malaysia. Hat Yai is just a town that travelers like me are passing through. Im going to Krabi tomorrow. It is a beautiful little place north of here right on the beach. Im looking forward to it very much.
Since I dont feel like "reporting" on this place I thought that I'd let my imagination go and type a little story. The story is dark but when I write fiction I tend to write about dark things, so no suprise there.
The Story of Avi and Hat Yai
This is a work of fiction by Domenico Italo Composto
It is inspired by what I know, have seen, and think about Hat Yai, Thailand and some of the foreigners I have come across during my travels.
My name is Avi Lukason. I live here in Hat Yai, Thailand. It's in the south, the way south of the country. On the tip of its tail you could say. It's the biggest city in the south of Thailand, which really is sort of a joke for a guy like me - I'm from New York City for Christ sake. So what the hell am I doing here? I knew you probably were thinking that. And it's going to surprise you when I tell you that I've been here for God knows how long - What? Two years now. No, more than that. Let's say two years and a bit. "And a bit"? Who the hell says that? The Ozzies say that. Oz for Australia that is.
I came here to Southeast Asia to take a break - a deep breath you could say. Simply wanted to get away. "Why?" you ask. Well, to cut to the chase. My wife cheated on me and I wanted to forget her and all that stupid shit in the States. I used to work on Wall Street. I used to make BIG bucks thinking that it would get me everything. A beautiful wife, a lovely apartment on 5th Avenue, a Porche. And it did. I had a beautiful wife, a lovely apartment on 5th Avenue, and a Porche. And now here I am with nothing. Actually I shouldn't really say that. I have tons of cash back home sitting in a bank. But, I haven't touched that dough for over a year and a half. I live like a pauper here in Hat Yai. This dump of a place. I guess I'm seeking to be like some kind of urban monk hermit. I'm in Southeast Asia for Christ sake so I might as well do the old Buddhist thing. That is the problem though for a guy like me and for most Americans I come across here on their travels. Americans are so fascinated with the exotic. They think exotic faiths and practices like Buddhism or Yoga or Tai Chi or whatever has all the spiritual answers that they have been looking for. Why is everything exotic for the American the "in" thing? That is the problem with us Americans. We go from one exotic fad to the next. What is our obsession with diets? How many freaking different kinds of diets are there advertised in the U.S.? For Christ sake it's so insane, it's a joke! The Atkins diet . . . didn't he die of heart failure due to being obese? Now it seems, from what I read on the net, that Americans are into fasting? They are catching on to these Muslim and other faith traditions of fasting believing again that it will bring them health, clean out their system and what have you. It's a joke. Next year it will be something else. People who fast around the world do it every year but Americans just try it on for size for a few months and then throw it out until some other fad has hit their TV commercial.
Well, I think it's very obvious here that I ain't ready to return to the U.S. You can obviously see that I'm venting and angry about the U.S. When in fact I'm still trying to get over the fact that my wife cheated on me and never really loved me. She just married me for the money and boy did she get a bunch of it when I filed for divorce.
Here in Hat Yai I live at the Cathay Guest House. And let me tell you this. It's never over-booked. All the touts at the train and bus stations will tell any tourist that it is booked, in fact booked straight on for three days. They are all liars and never pay any attention to them. The Cathay Guest House sits on the corner of Thanon Niphat Uthit 2 and Thanon Thamnoovithi. Its only a three block walk from the train station. Im in room 356. All the way in the back down a dark old staircase. The Guest House is alright. I was a bit disgusted with it when I arrived though. But Ive been living there for so long its simply home now. The hall hosting the majority of the rooms is wide and seems almost like an old high school hallway. But everything is falling apart. I guess it most looks like the way I'd expect a Cuban prison to look like. My room is away from all the noise that the other "guests" can be caught making - if you know what I mean. My room is appropriate. Not big or small. The bathroom is descent by Thai below the poverty line standards. There is a squat toilet that I have mastered and no button to press to flush it. There is a bucket though that I must use. I simply fill it up and dump it into the toilet and "wal-la" a flush toilet. My bed is a very firm matress on an old bed frame and boy is it full of bed bugs. There ain't a morning that goes by where I dont end up scratching all the bites that I got during the night.
As for the shower. I got cold water and only that, and with this humid heat that is all you need. I usually shower in the dark. The broken window in my bathroom has no curtain - never bothered to put up one - and some of my Thai friends have a thing for peeping into other's hotel room like it's a hobby, which makes me paranoid. So I shower in the dark.
When I first came here I used to take two to three showers a day. Now only one. You get used to the humidity after awhile. You'll soon find that you don't mind to wake up anymore with a sweety, greasy, sticky face.
I got a an old table and a mirror and a few posters put up in my room. I like to buy Guitar magazines because its the only thing of interest that I can find in English here. The magazine are expensive though by Thai standards. About 350 baht which pretty much covers two nights at my Guest House. I tape up the pictures that I like from the magazine on my wall. When I have guests come over to my room they usually ask if Im a guitarist when these see these "posters" of mine. I tell them no which leaves them a bit confused. I used to play keyboard but there is no keyboard magazine in English here so Guitar magazines are simply the next best thing.
As for food Im a regular at a place called The Ballad. I quaint little place. The waitress used to be my girlfriend. She is actually Vietnamese. Cute girl, but a little insecure and in serious want of a husband . . . no thank you. In any case I usually get the green curry and a Thai ice coffee over there. I always order three Thai ice coffees. The green curry is a serious "lip kicker" - I'd say ass-kicker but it ain't kicking my ass, it's kicking my lips. It is seriously spicy but it will cure any clogged-up nose.
So, what the hell do I do in Hat Yai? To be honest this place is really nothing special. Everything you need to know about this place you can discover in an afternoon. Hat Yai seems to be, for tourists anyway, a "passing through" kind of place. No foreigner ever really stays here - except for me. They are either coming from Malaysia or on their way to it. Malaysia, from what I've seen is fantastic. I've only been to Pulau Penang. And on that island I was shocked to see Indian Hindu's and Chinese Buddhist and Taoists and Muslim Malays living so well together in such close proximity. The buildings there, kind of like here, are falling apart. Most are 100 years old or more I would say and probably infested with termites. All the buildings are in serious need a of a fresh coat of paint. But that is the charm of the place I guess. These old two storey buildings housing a Mom and Pop shop on the first floor. For the Chinese living there you will always see a hexagon - I think that is the shape - kind of mirror thing hanging dead center into the entrance of their establishment of home. Its to ward of evil. And its always peculiar to look into these Mom and Pop shops and to usually see a Chinese shrine in the back lit up with incense sticks and candles. Some of these shops are a sight. I came across one shop that sold electric fans. It was insane. The entire shop was littered chaotically with fans all thrown together forming massive piles. You could see that some of the piles had not been disturbed in God knows how long due to the amount of dust and filth that had been collecting on them.
Well, here in Hat Yai we get quiet a few Muslim Malays on the weekends. Most of them are men. Can you guess what they do over here? Well, they partake in the flesh trade that Thailand offers all sex tourists. When I arrived I was quiet disgusted with the tour agencies offering sex tours of Thailand. Its a big hit with the Japanese, although they'll never admit it. What a hypocrisy for the Muslim Malays. They stay in their country and are obedient to their faith and then they cross the border thinking that their faith does not apply anymore - like its in suspended animation until they arrive back.
I said before that I haven't touched my dough back in the U.S. for a year and a half. Can you guess what I do here? I prey on these sex tourists and introduce them to the sex tourism agencies here in Hat Yai. I make good commission and after doing this for so long I have a great eye for those Muslim Malays, Japanese tourists, and whoever else that are looking for a good time. Yes, I am apart of this sinful trade. I don't care anymore. My wife cheated on me and I can careles now of encouraging love at any level. To me its all a lie so I scout the streets looking for men, who are probably married, and help them find their one night stands. I don't expect you to like me after learning all this about me. And I don't expect myself to like me either. I guess Im in purgatory. Giving myself reasons not to like myself or my life anymore.
So, if you come across me - a 40 year old, beer belly New Yorker - on the streets of Hat Yai you are now warned.
That is what Hat Yai can do for you. Throw you down a filthy, pitiful spiral of self-loathing. No Buddhism or enlightenment have I found. But I never really made it out of here. I'm sure if I went further North I would have turned out different.
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Alright that is my story. Time to go ;)
Domenico Composto
www.thedragonbone.com
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