BERLIN DAYS.....

Monday, April 4, 2016

Another nice semi-sunny spring day. People in T.shirts and even shorts can be seen on the streets of Berlin. Paris in spring comes to mind when one sees the small cozy coffee tables and comfortable chairs that are suddenly crowding the pavements where only a few days ago miserable figures in big winter coats were hurrying by. Everyone is in a good mood. Well almost. When I asked a bus driver when we would arrive at Bahnhof Zoo, I was given the quite sensible but rather gruff answer "whenever we get there."

Well, this happened to me on the way back from Bellevue, the German President's residence. I talked to his main planning chief and speech writer and I heard lots of intriguing things about President Gauck's recent state visit to China (Chatham House rules though). Gauck, a former pastor and anti-communist East German dissident, was quite frank in his remarks in Beijing and Shanghai when talking to students and others. He also met with a number of dissidents and attempted to use his influence to get political prisoners freed from prison and allowed to emigrate.

In his uniquely respectful way Gauck gave two major speeches criticizing the Chinese human rights record and the lack of democratic values without, however, offending his hosts or risking an 'eklat.' The problem was that hardly anyone in China found out about it as the Chinese media largely ignored his visit. The German embassy posted his speeches on its website and before they were blocked apparently several ten thousand downloads had occurred. Still despite Gauck's meetings with both the Chinese President and the Prime Minister, the media in China appears to have focused on the visit of the less outspoken Nepalese Prime Minister.

Incidentally, President Gauck did not join my conversation at the Praesidalamt unfortunately. For some reason or other he seems to have been occupied with more important things, lol.

BERLIN DAYS.....

Sunday, April, 3, 2016

Berlin in winter is miserable. Berlin in the spring is much better. It was the first really nice weekend since I got here in late January 2016. 

What have been my impressions so far? Let's start with the less good ones. Did I mention the low temperatures, icy eastern winds and the frequent rains? The city is also much too large and too spread out. It takes you ages to get anywhere, at least an hour, if you are lucky. First, one usually needs to walk to the nearest underground or S-Bahn stop for 15 minutes or so, then you need to take the train for half an hour or so, and then at the other end you frequently have to walk for another 15 or 20 minutes to get to your destination. And if you get lost in between - which I frequently do - add on another few minutes. Great. 

Driving and finding parking is hopeless so public transport is the only way (or biking perhaps). Well if you happen to be a member of the government or a parliamentarian then you can call on the "Fahrbereitschaft" and a brand new BMW will chauffeur you to your destination in 20-25 minutes at any time of the day or night. This is highly convenient of course (and expensive, courtesy of the German taxpayer) but unfortunately this service is not offered to most of us.

Let's talk about the good sides of Berlin. The think tank I am at, the SWP (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik; German Institute for Security and International Affairs) is very good and professional with excellent and highly competent researchers (more than 60 I think, divided into 5 or 6 research groups, I am the group International Security Policy), including some world-class experts. Most are fairly friendly too though - as at universities the world over - some do have big egos. 

The SWP, which is independent but mostly financed by the Chancellor's office, is very well regarded and coming from here certainly opens door in political Berlin such as the Chancellery, the Foreign Ministry (Auswaertiges Amt), the parliament (Bundestag), think tanks, embassies and other institutions and even the President's office where I am having an appointment tomorrow. Most officials working at Germany's executive and legislative bodies also seem to be very competent and also very friendly and approachable (well most of them). Certainly no complaints here. I have tried to find my way round this most invigorating and varied scene and have encountered some very interesting and knowledgable people and events.

Berlin's cultural scene is also overwhelmingly good and varied, opera, theatre, concerts, movies, cabarets, lectures, you name it. The bar and restaurant scene is very impressive (as far as I could find out so far). I am also gradually discovering the more interesting hip places in Berlin such as Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg and Friendenshain where I went today for a coffee with a friend and for having a look at a small but well equipped flea market. Vinyl records definitely seem to have come in vogue again. 

I actually live in Friendenshain but of course in that part of Friendenshain which is not hip but rather boring. I was a bit unfortunate with my accommodation. It's not too bad as such, apart from its rather spartan furnishings, but the location is not great, away from anything of interest, and it's also quite overpriced for what it is. Needless to say I had no clue initially.

And one thing which always strikes me in Berlin: there are a huge number of independent book stores. Almost at any corner and in semi-busy street there is a bookstore.  This contrast very favorably with the situation in the US or the UK where these days you can walk for miles even in large cities, not to speak of smaller towns, without ever coming across a book store. No idea how these stores can survive in Berlin. Perhaps people in Germany actually still buy and read books. What a novel idea.

Now that the miserable long winter has come to an end, spring and summer seem to be very promising....more to come....

Asia trip - July 2015

Mandalay, Myanmar, July 24, 2015

Si Thu, the excellent taxi driver from yesterday, came to collect me after breakfast. He took me to a woodcarving and silk-embroidery shop and indeed the wares displayed - wooden figures and tables/chairs and various table cloths etc - were of very high quality, as far as I could judge. Not sure, if he wanted me just to look or also buy something to get a commission. He certainly wasn't pushy at all.

Then to the wooden bridge by the river, constructed from 1849 to 1851 to connect a village on the other river bank. The very solid wooden bridge is 1.2 km long and while often spanning dry land, today due to the rainy season there was water everywhere. All the rice and potato and tomato fields had been flooded. In fact, there were a number of fishermen in their romantic looking fisherboats trying to catch fish.

A famous monastery, one of the largest, if not the largest, in Myanmar is nearby, just a few minutes by car.  It is host to over 1000 Buddhist monks, most wearing their dark red robes which tells you that they have passed the examination to qualify as fully fledged monk. But there were also plenty of much younger monks, the beginners pre-exam so to speak, in their white or beige robes. Most of them were still kids I would say, some probably as young as 8 or 10.  

All of them, all one-thousand, lined up in two very long lines - one for the pre-exam kids, one lines for the proper monks - slowly proceeded with their food dish in hand past a number of huge containers. Some kitchen monks then put plenty of rice, vegetables and meat in the containers. The monks then continued to a huge convered but otherwsie open room where they sat down to eat their lunch. In fact this is the main meal of their day. Monks don't eat dinner, only water, juice and coffee for the rest of the day. And their breakfast is at the unholy time of 4 to 5am, before their fest session of mediation. A monk I met yesterday at a Pagoda expliained this to me.  

Thus, most monks qre quite hungry in the afternoon and evening but have to endure it. They are not allowed to eat anything else after lunch as otherwise the mind gets distracted from meditation and unholy, perhaps even sexual, thoughts enter their mind. And control of your own mind, the monk told me, is very important and needs to be maintained. I wonder if all monks can stick to this very strict rule. When you look at some of the very young monks - teenagers and young men in their 20s - one wonders. But perhaps I'm too cynical here.

By this stage it had become afternoon and off I went to the airport to catch a flight back to Bangkok.  I was a little sad to leave Myramar after only a relatively brief stay.  It's a fascinating country. People are extremely nice and friendly and if language permits also very talkative. However, they hardly talk about politics and social and economic conditions in their country - the latter to some extent, but outright politics they don't mention unless prompted. And also then they don't seem to be much interested (and I don't think it's fear or apprehension to talk about it - it seems to be largely disinterest and preoccupation with their lives and sheer survival.)  It's a tough country to live in if you just happen to be an ordinary 'citizen' rather than part of the elite of the very few rich people here (and usually the latter goes hand in hand). 

It also is a very nice and pleasant country and in some other way, if you have a little bit of money, it's easy to live here. Unfortunately most people here don't have 'a little bit of money' and need to make a living the hard way.  Education is a way out but there are no governmental university grants. If you can't afford to go to high school or university, that's about it. Merit and brain power alone don't seem to matter much.

It is clear that too much money, way too much money, is either siphoned off by the powers there are (the military regime), despite all liberation and modernization attempts, or spend on useless things, like a military which has one million soldiers under arms. Also their disastrous religious policy towards the Muslims in the North for example, based on clear discrimination  and racism, is wasting a lot of energy and money.  A proper social and economic strategy for the country could make things much better. Things are improving a little though, largely thanks to increased tourism and foreign investments in the last few years, but there is plenty still to do. Let's hope the forthcoming election in November 2015 will be the beginning of a more intensive push for positive change.  And of course the presidential hopeful Aung San Suu Kyi is still waiting in the wings and tremendously popular but still constitutionally barred from standing for the Presidency.  The hope of the country still rests on her.  Perhaps she will get her chance in the not too far future. 

Asia trip - July 2015

Mandalay, Myanmar, July 23, 2015

7.00am: the bus to Mandalay did not appear. It was meant to pick me up at my hotel at that time. Eventually it did arrive, an hour late but, most importantly, it did make an appearance. The bus was much less comfortable than the one from Yangon to Bagan. It was a local bus and people hopped on and off frequently. The bus rattled along very loudly and I was shaken about quite a bit. The vehicle had clearly seen its best years decades ago. It wa a much less comfortable journey but also much more interesting. 

We passed through lots of smaller and larger villages and the teeming life at each of them was fascinating to watch. We also passed plenty of cow or bullock herds and their shepherds. The fairly sizable herds frequently obstructed the road and were chased away with great efforts and even more shouting and swearing by the bus conductor. The cows and their shepherds remained unimpressed and just continued slowly trotting away. The bus simply had to wait much to the displeasure of driver and conductor. I quite enjoyed the spectacles. 

We also saw oxen drawn ploughs, women balancing heavy loads on their heads, plenty of dogs everywhere as well as nosy and curious kids. The journey lasted 5 hours and we stopped twice, once for a longish lunch and once for a very hurried toilet break. Theew was plenty of water on board however.  Evnetually at mid-day or so we saw the outskirts of Mandalay and soon traffic increased manifiold. It seemed to be even more chatoic than in Yangon at first though the houses or what goes as houses - but there were also a number of very nice solid ones - were also rather poor and in various stages of disrepair (or so it seemed from the bus). The bus dropped various passengers at their destinations and eventually my small hotel was also found. 

The hotel was excellent, very inexpensive and very nice helpful service and a great room and shower. The main concierge immediately set about to explain what I needed to see during my brief visit and organized a very young and enthusiastic taxi driver for me. 

We soon set off for the Royal Palace (constructed in the 18th century, partially rebuilt after destructions by fire and earthquakes). It is very large and impressive. I enjoyed the view from the watchtower overlooking all the gilded and wooden buildings of the palace system.  I got talking to two monks. One of them was just visiting for a few days; he was studying Buddhism in India and would return to India soon. He had little understanding for my skepticism about spending your life as a monk.  He seemed to have a great time or so he said, but he looked like he enjoyed it.

After the Royal Place we set off to a number of Pagodas one more famous than the next one but difficult to differentiate between to the untrained eye. They all featured different figures of impressive looking Buddhas. People were praying aloud sometimes - a magic sort of singsong - which added to the atomosphere. There were alwyas the usual hawkers waiting for the unsuspecting visitor along the entrance paths to the inner sanctums of the pagodas. In one of them, the largest, that featured a huge white Buddgha and hundreds of white spires, I got lost. I couldn't find the entrance I had come in. There were other exits but the one where I had left my shoes (one has to be barefoot), and where the driver was waiting, I couldn't fine despite several attempts. Eventually a kind soul, a guy with some English, took pity on me and guided me to the right exit, which was just round the corner.

Then off to Mandalay Hill for viewing the sun-set. We were a bit late so the elevator was already closed. There was the prospect of having to walk the 2-3 km uphill to get to the top. Luckily my taxi driver knew the elevator conductor, who was a friend of his, and miraculously the elevator was set in motion again for our sake. Lucky us. At the top there was a small pagoda and a large viewing platform. There were quite a few foreigners wandering about and making enjoying the nice view over the city. There also were lots monks in their orange tunicas who liked to mingle with the visitors to practise their usually English. There was no proper sun-set as it was quite cloudy but the view over the city of Mandalay and the surrounding hills and rice paddies was good nevertheless.  Back by escalator (which also was about to shut in just a few minutes).  We drove back to the hotel, all sweaty and quite tired.

Later in the evening I tried out the restaurant with traditional Burmese food that had been recommended by the hotel concierge. Excellent food; also inexpensive. They always seem to serve their chicken on the bone I noticed. I ordered a main course and they restaurant provided lots of little dishes with various vegetables, and rice of course, the national dish. I even managed to find my way back to the hotel in the dark; it was at least a 20 minute walk.

Asia trip - July 2015

Bagan, Myanmar, July 22, 2015

The taxi driver came to collect me after an early breakfast. Almost the entire day was taken up by driving to various pagodas, all very awe-inspiring and impressive. It's rather difficult to keep them apart however. I won't bore readers with their names (I might misspell them mostly anyway).  We went to the highest pagoda, the second-highest one, the oldest one, the one with the most interesting Buddha, etc etc.  We started with the pagodas outside the city wall, then to Old Bagan (within the city walls) and eventually to New Bagan, that part of town which was created when in 1991 (or was it 1995?) the government instructed everyone to leave Old Bagan, give up their houses and re-settle somewhere else. They wanted to free Old Bagan from people and re-create it's original atmosphere (or something which was more appealing to tourists). Within a month people had to leave Old Bagan; water and electricity was cut off and people had no choice. That way New Bagan was founded (now the cheaper part of town with some cheaper hotels and the residential part).

On one of the pagodas I visited in Old Bagan there was a painter perched precariosly high up on the roof of the pagoda. His pictures were quite nice and after a long chat, I couldn't resist buying a couple. We negotiated hard but I'm sure I overpaid. He also said he was very frightened to move somewhere else and try his luck in Thailand or Malaysia, as he feared the fighting between Chinese and Malaysian gangs who didn't seem to like the Thai guestworkers there.  He would rather go to Singapore or Japan aove all, but had not money to do so. 

The taxi driver then took me to a smallish pagoda which had the best view for the sun-set. Only there was no sunset; it simply was too cloudiy. Instead I got talking to a Chilenian girl, Carolina, who had been traveling the world by herself for the last six months and intended to do so for the next six months. "I'm a slow traveler," she confessed. "I may have to spend another year doing so to see some more countries." She wasn't too worried about a job, family or anything else and partially worked along the way to bolster her travel budget a little. And off she went into the sunset I would like to write (but as I said there was no sunset) after we had made our way down the precarious stone stairways from the top of the pagoda back to the ground.

Earlier at the same pagoda I got taking to one of the local youngsters who was quite frank about the difficult economic cirucumtances in the country. It was difficult to make a living and without some money almost impossible to enjoy a higher education or to get married, etc. His insights about social life in the country were most interesting, though no doubt he also tried to appeal to my conscience and my wallet.

The pool beckoned in the evening I must admit and not much else. Pagoda hopping is exhausting and drainy I noticed. It's a tough life....

Asia trip - July 2015

Bangan, Myanmar, July 21, 2015

The day was taken up by a long almost 10-hour bus trip from Yangon to Bangan in central Myanmar. Very nice scenery could be seen on the way. Initially, there were plenty of trees and bushes and grass, all very green, almost like in Ireland. It was clear that there had been much rain recently. It all looked very lush and rich. Then gradually the soil seemed to become less fertile and it looked all a bit harsher though still very green. Then hills and some modest mountains came into view an hour or so before Bangan. The countryside looked almost empty from the passing bus. There were only occasional people to be seen: people riding bicycles and leading oxens in front of carts or looking after their strong white cows. We also passed a few villages and towns, however, and they of course were teeming with life; people were trying to trade their goods as always. The Myanmar people seem to be great salespeople - or rather poverty has made becoming excellent traders an utter necessity for survival.

After a couple of stops we arrived in Bangan just before 5pm. A taxi driver showed me around a little (with the dozens of Pagodas in old Bangan coming into view on the main road - most impressive sight) and took me to the excellent hotel. I used the pool and went for a meal to a restaurant that also featured a string puppet performance.  Unfortunately the music accompanying the play with the puppets was dreadful (but the food was good) though the puppets themsevles were masterfully done and very skillfully used during the performance.

Afterwards I met a couple of ladies from Canada and Australia at the pool. They had been working for the Red Cross in the south and east of the country for the last three months. One of them also visited prisoners in their cells. Conditions weren't too bad compared with some countries she said. Cells were overcrowded but no torture and similar seems to take place. They are still shackling the more seriouis offenders however, many are forced to do hard labor, and there are no special prisons for women. While women have separate cells, they are in the same prison with the male offenders, often in the same wing, and there are only few female prison guards which effectively means limited privacy for the women prisoners. 95 per cent of all inmates are there due to drug related issues and women mostly for prostitution which is still illegal in Myanmar. 

Interestingly one of the Red Cross nurses said that they mostly were there as a precautionary measure in case something happens. Right now the districts and regions they worked in were pretty stable and calm but this might not necessarily last forever. Since the introduction of the liberation policy (and as they call it the introduction of "disciplined democracy," (largely since 2012) by the military regime in Myanmar, conditions in prisons and general healtcare seem to have improved one of the Red Cross ladies informed me.