Asia trip - July 2015

Yangon & Bago, Myanmar, July 20, 2015

Two-hour trip to Bago with my trusted taxidriver who did a great job. First stop on the way was a British war cematery. There were hundreds and hundreds of mostly soldiers in their 20s and early 30s buried here. They all lost their lives fighting the Japanese during the Second World War. Some died after May 1945 when the war in Europe was already finished. Apart from British soldiers there were also a large number of Indian and some Australian soldiers. It was a very sad place but very well-maintained luckily and I noticed quite a few people visiting which is a good thing.

Then we saw plenty of Pagodas in Bago; after all the city of a million people is famous for its many impressive pagodas. The first one we visited was the Kyaik Punk Pagoda with its famous four Buddha face images, then the Mya Tha Lyaung pagoda, and subsequently the Shwe Tha Lyaung, one of the world's largest reclining Buddha's, even larger than the one in Yangon I had already visited. Subsequently came the Maha Zedi pagoda where I climbed up the very steep numerous stairs to the bottom of the dome (one couldn't get any higher). It was a little breezy up there and one had to be careful not to slip or to be blown down but it was an interesting experience with a good view. Ladies were not allowed up; men, however, were entitled to kill themselves by climbing up there.

Then we stopped a Bago's huge daily street market: I have seldom seen so much hustling and bustling and lots of trading of partially very common and partially very exotic goods and food products. There were thousands of people who all seemed to be rather busy, hustling to and fro and not caring much when they pushed others away. They certainly weren't to give way in the pursuit of their daily bread to a somewhat confused looking visiting foreigner.

Then one of the most venerated pagodas in Myanmar was on the agenda: Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda. It goes back to 825AD when the foundation stone was first laid. Very impressive and of course all very golden; it was painted in golden colors and partially genuine gold layers were used. I got talking to a monk who looked a bit like the Dalai Lama of Tibet; he also featured a great welcoming smile. He used to be a sailor, he told me, but had been a monk for the last 17 years. And he enjoyed it. meditations made him happy; he was now living a happy life he explained. We sort of managed to overcome the language barrier though it wasn't easy.

Next it was to the rebuilt medieval Kambawzathadi Palace (where originnally the Lion Throne had been which I had seen in the National Museum in Yangong). Afterwards we drove to the adjacent Bumble Bee Throne Hall. It was reconstructed and opened to the public in 1995. Apparently the King had made use of the seldom used Throne Hall by turning it into his bed room.

Soon exhaustion and pagoda fatigue took over and we drove back to Yangon. My taxi driver recommended a bar and restaurant called "Spider" for the evening. I duelly went there and I was fascinating. 

The place was straight out of the 1970s: plenty of very polite waiters in bow ties who clearly outnumbered the customers. When I had to go to the bathroom, one waiter accompanied me all the way, opened the door, waited until I was ready and then passed the paper towels for drying my hands. Not sure if this was due to the service they normally render to their guests or whether it was due to sheer boredom as they had so little to do. Soon, however, it became much busier.

But the "best" of the place were the young singers who performed to the sound of an overloud hammond organ on a stage lit up by a 1970s lightshow. The girls performed Myanmar pop songs which resembled each other greatly. Frankly, the songs were altogether quite horrible. There seemed to be at least 10 different singers. They took turns in showing up on stage, sang one (terrible) song and then the next girl with an equally terrible but very similar song crooned into the microphone. It was quite bizar. No one much applauded but it seemed as if most restaurant guests enjoyed the show.

The restaurant menu was limited as most dishes seemed not be available and the menu had no prices at all. When I inquired the waiter went back to the kitchen a few times to give the prices for the dishes I had asked about (they were all very reasonable).  The chicken dish I picked was quite good as was the local beer. But the singing that constantly continued on stage limited the enjoyment of the food a little, but never mind. In a way it was quite fascinating.  

A stroll through the equally fascinating and once again very busy China town a few kilometers away ended the evening.

Asia trip - July 2015

Yangon, Myanmar, July 19, 2015

A long but most interesting half-day city tour with our personal taxi driver Kyi. Readers will know that people in continental Europe and in the US drive on the right and the steering wheel is on the left.  In the UK (and Japan and Thailand) it's the other way round; they drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right hand side. People in Myanmar have their own solution: they drive on the right like in Europe and the US but the steering wheel is also on the right, like in the UK. It doesn't really make sense but it's only gradually changing I learned today. 

Well, the day was full of Pagodas: we went by some local pagoda at a very busy intersection and visited the Sule pagoda - which is right at the center of Yangon, though there is not really a center in a traditional sense to speak of. Afterwards we went to the impressive Batataung pagoda.  

When we were there music from a nearby building, part of the monastery, commenced: wedding music as my taxi driver explained. Where I wanted to go there afterwards? Sure, I said, of course. So we did. We cautiously looked into the room where the festivities took place and the wedding party, in particular the bride and the groom, immediately asked us in. They made a big spiel about us, asked us to sit down (on carpets on the floor at one of these very low tables), served us very nice ice cream and cakes and soon we were introduced to their parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, various siblings and anyone else in the room who had interest to say hello to us.

It was really very nice and pleasant. It was a low-budget wedding someone explained to us. The wedding took place in the monastery room to save on the cost for renting a room in a restaurant (and their homes were not large enough). Still, people were very hosptiable indeed. We left a little present in an envelope and tried to chat a bit which was difficult. Some relative who worked on a cruise ship in Thailand and thus had good English came to the rescue. Initially I had felt like gate crashing but people were genuinely pleased that we had looked in (in contrast to when I had done something similar in Bavaria a number of years ago with some friends, the bride and the groom had not been pleased at all and we didn't stay too long and no food had been offered).

Then we stopped at the former government building in which Burma's nationalist leader Prime Minister General Aung San and six of his colleagues had been assasinated on 19 July 1947.  Aung San was the father of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The building had been closed and in disrepair for the last few decades or so as everything conneced with General Aung San was meant to be wiped out from history. Only recently, with the cautious liberalization introduced by the military government since 2012, this has changed and now the building is meant to be turned into a History museum. But for the next 5 years major reconstrution and renovation will have to take place.  

We arrived on the first and only day when after decades the building was re-opened to the public for just one day. There were throngs of people who wanted to see the building where Aung San worked and in particular the committee room in which he was assasinated. After all Aung San was the architect of Burma's independence from Britain (he signed the treaty with British PM Attlee) and the founder of the Union of Burma. I wonder if the authorities expected that so many people wanted to see the building - though after all this years in view of the popularity of his daughter (a future President perhaps if the constitutions gets changed - which is overdue of course). It's a huge building and will make a formidable history museum.

Next on the agenda was St. Mary's, Yagon's formidable and quite large Catholic church. (I later also noticed other Christian churches, though much smaller ones, such as an Anglican church). Then back to visiting various pagodas: Ngarhtatgyi pagoda, Chaukdat pagoda (probably spelled wrongly), Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda (with its marble buddha), Myat Pagoda, Sueto and Buddha Two Pagoda. And in between we even found time to push open a little and squeeze into the already shut gates of the zoological garden to have a quick look at some of its famous white elephants - though they aren't really white, more like a rosy pink. The guards tolerated our rather late short visit.

China town beckoned in the evening. But after quite a tiring Pagoda-full day and a wedding reception and the commemoration of General Aung San's achievements, bustling China town was almost too much. Still the food was excellent.

Yagon is of course quite a poor city - at first sight one would not think so, in view of all the pomp of the many golden pagodas. But most of the people of Yagon live in great poverty. They often work by running a small restaurant or mini shop or business along the some of the main roads (and along many of the minor ones too) and whole families live in the back of their shops. And there are supposed to be real slums in Yangon, which I didn't see, that are supposed to be much worse. Things have become better and there are many employment opportunities since international investment has arrived in Myanmar for the last few years - but the country has a long way to go unfortunately. 

Asia trip - July 2015

Yangon, Myanmar/Burma, July 18, 2015

Early 7.15am flight to Yangon. The busy flight lasted only just over an hour - but the clocks in Myanmar do go differently. I had to set back my watch by half an hour.

The usual bargaining with the taxi touts at the airport commenced once I was safely through passport control. I found a very helpful driver who gave me plenty of good hints regarding which places to visit, both within Yangon and in the country at large.

The hotel is fine: a bit old-fashioned and the air-conditioning leaves much to be desired. But the view is out onto the Pagoda, which is very nice. The air condititiong, however, is the one thing one really needs in this sticky and humid weather here. It's remained very hot and sweaty throughout the day.

After some refreshing in the hotel I went to the National Museum. It's a very large and interesting building with some most impressive artefacts displayed over four large floors. In particular I was impressed by the Lion Throne on the ground floor - right out of an adventure movie it could have been, but it was real. Lots of many other fine artwork were displayed as well as plenty of fine golden Buddhas of all sizes and golden royal regalia that were kept behind key and lock (for good reason I would assume). One had to view them through bars of iron. There were also old ancient Myanmar instruments, string puppets, an ethnic division explaining all about Myanmar's 14 different states and divisions. There also was an art gallery with some great paintings. 

And then on the top floor there was a relatively small exhibition about current politics. That is, the current government advertises its own achievements and common sense in this small part of the museum. 12 objectives (political, economic, social) are outlined that the government strives to achieve. And there are quite a few pictures of the rulers of the day, our day.  I only noticed that the country wishes to work for the further development of a market economy but then it is also said that economic development is meant to remain firmly in the hands of the central authority. There you go.

Then a helpful taxi driver took me to the Grand Pagoda (Shwedadont Pagoda). Wow, how impressive. It reminded me very much of the Grand Palace and the temples linked to it in Bangkok. Difficult to say which one is grander. But the Yagon stands a good chance to win the competition.  As I was wearing shorts I had to pull over one of the local salonts ( a skirt for men really) to be respectable. I first found it a bit strange but one gets quickly used to it. I wandered about and cherished all the displayed gold, jewels and the massive golden Buddhas that were to be seen everywhere, not just on the main Pagoda but also on and inside the many smaller ones adjacent to it (and they weren't that small at all).  People were wandering about, it seemed to be a popular meeting place for young people, but there were also plenty of those who were praying and chanting Buddhist songs and prayers.  There were also many monks about, some paraying some just having a good time by walking around and not doing much at all.

I got talking to two young university students (students of English) and it was very enlightening and interesting. They weren't that easy to understand but we managed. They gave some very good insights into life in Myanmar (and a bit about the current situation) from the point of view of 18year olds. Throughout our long conversation they hadn't shown any particular religiosity but when they were about to leave, they when inside the little temple we were sitting in front of and bowed three times and did a little paryer.  Buddhism runs very deep in Myanmar society, including in the young generation.

When evening broke and the light began to turn into a magic glow, the Shwedadont Pagoda and the other smaller temples loooked even more majestic and impressive than before. And the evening atmosphere was perhaps even better and deeper and more reflective than the afternoon atmosphere. By 9pm when I left eventually, the now dark temple arena was still thronged with pilgrims and a few tourists.

Off to Chinatown to get something to eat. Like the day before in Bangkok, crowds of people; Many restaurants were overly full and street and vegetable and fruit vendors made a good business. But China town in Yangon is much smaller than in Bangkok and also somewhat dirtier and less appetizing. It is quite clear that Yangon is much more the capital of a developing nation than Bangkok is. The latter is much more modern, cosmopolitian and despite all poverty also much more prosperous on the whole.  Yangon has quite some way to go it seems.  But it is a most interesting place nevertheless. 

In the middle of China town I got talking to another young student - that is, he started talking to me. And he was a student of German and quite excited about studying the language. He used to be a former monk and still lived in a monastery as he got free food and a free bed there. He also knew all about Thomas Mann, which astounded me a little. 

Asia trip - July 2015

Bangkok, July 17, 2015

Relaxing day. Went to the pool, did some washing, went to a couple of markets and enjoyed some of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok's busy streets and alleys. And in the evening I went to China town for a meal. I had been there before quite a few years ago and thought I'd remember some of it but no way. I didn't recognize anything.

Wow, what a busy place that was. All of Bangkok seemed to have descended on China town. Long lines in front of many restaurants and millions of people everywhere and of course a multiple number of vendors offering their manifold wares, hoping to make a quick sale - and many did. I found a very good restaurant eventually and had a great meal.

Then back to the hotel to do some packing for the trip to Myanmar tomorrow. Unfortunately the taxi will call at 5am ....3 hours sleep as it turned out. Much too little.

Asia trip - July 2015

Bangkok, Thailand, July 16, 2015

Talk at Thammasat University at 2.00pm. Thammasat is probably Thailand's leading university (particularly for law and the liberal arts and social sciences) together with Chulalongkorn University and is very nicely situationed near the river and very close to the Grand Palace. The lecturing room overlooked the river and it was a very pleasant affair. I talked for almost an hour - too long I know.  The title of the talk was: "The EU, the US and the Crisis of the West: Greece and the Euro crisis, Putin's Challenge and China's Rise." There were over 30 people in the audience, students, academics and a few former politicians and military, and I think the talk was well received. There were too commentaries of 10-15 min each. One commentary was given by impressive former Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya (we agreed largely on how to deal with Russia and China, i.e. more engagement and diplomacy, but disagreed on Greece - he gives Athens much too much the benefit of the doubt in my view). There also was a good though rather lengthy comment from an economics proessor at Thammasat.  I enjoyed the whole event and we had some lively discussion though mostly among the three speakers and only a couple of people from the audience.

Afterwards we went for a nice meal to a restaurant next to the Navy Club. We sat on the deck outside overlooking the river and it was even a little breezy despite the continuing hot and humid weather here. Afterwards a number of drinks in a roof-top bar nearby were consumed.

The German SE Asia Center at Thammasat, run by Henning Glaser, is a very good and effeciently organized enterprise. They do lots of interesting things, including some consulting and advising, though they are constantly overstretched and kind of do too many things all at the same time more or less. It was very good to see them again and have a good chat or two. I think my talk went down well with the Center and the audience.