Yangon

Saturday, Sept. 3

I'll either have to wear earplugs or get up early each day. Street noise begins about 6:00 a.m. here with loud diesel trucks and buses. Otherwise, it was quiet enough last night. I was afraid of hotel noise from nearby rooms, since the floors are wooden.

Myanmar is one of those strange countries in terms of time zones. It is on a half-hour time zone. That means that the major news reports and the movies begin on the half hour rather than on the hour the way they do elsewhere.

I went out to explore for two hours, mainly to exchange money at the market. I walked up and down the rows of the stalls looking more at people than at the merchandise.

The atmosphere here is much like that of India. There are wonderful, but crumbling old colonial buildings with weeds and trees growing along their rooflines. The sidewalks are broken. The men were longyi's(wrap-around skirts), and there are many poor people. Of course, there are many Indians here, since India and Bangladesh are neighboring countries. But most of the people look more like southeast asians.

Another sign of the poverty in the country is the thinness of most people. A few shop owners have rounded bellies, but most people here have beautiful, slender bodies. They are really a pretty people in general. And most are smiling and friendly like the Thais.

I exchanged $100 cash for 115,000 kyats, a stack of 115 thousand-kyat bills. It's about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick! How do I deal with that? It makes me worry about being robbed. But I just saw a local man walking down the street holding a stack four times my size in his hand. Let's hope these are honest people here. (End of trip note: They are.)

It's steamy hot here, and there are heavy, dark clouds to the north. I returned to the hotel because it began to thunder and sprinkle. I didn't have my umbrella with me and didn't want to get caught in a heavy downpour. I'll see if it rains before trying to go back out. P,lus, I'll stash some of my money and get my umbrella. Now that I have money, I need to read about what else I want to do when I leave here anyway.
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The clouds passed and the day remained sunny. I went back out at 12:45 and walked directly to the train station. I bought a ticket for the 1:40 p.m. circle train--a 3-hour trip around the edges of the city. It reminded me of riding the elephant in Nepal; one hour would have been plenty! But it was interesting. I saw so many things--a farmer herding a flock of geese, a house fire with about 10 fire trucks present, heavily poluted waterways, makeshift dumpgrounds, Buddhist temples, homes of poor people made from woven bamboo and palm fronds, etc.

There was one problem with seeing well. when it comes to people in Myanmar, I represent the giant economy size. The windows and seats on the train are made for people 75-80% of my size. Sod I had to scrunch down to see out the window. I may have a stiff neck tomorrow because of it.

Myanmar people are very friendly. I can tell they appreciate that I smile at them and tell hem hello. Occasionally, one will start a conversation. A very poor man talked to me about 20 minutes as I waited on the platform for my train to arrive. I was afraid he would want money, but he never asked for any if he did. Another man on the street explained the process for making the chewing "pillow" enjoyed by lower-class men and some women. A betel plant leaf is spread with lime paste. It is sprinkled with chopped betelnut and chopped tobacco and then tucked and rolled into a pillow for chewing. He said it makes you feel like a big man--like a 747 jetliner!

I haven't taken any photos yet. I don't want locals to see me aiming at scenes that depick how poor this country is, yet I have seen nothing else so far. Being here reminds me of the poorest parsts of India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal that I have seen. But being there reinforces a belief I have always had: It's possible to be poor and be happy. These are definitely happy people. They may wish for more, but what family in the west doesn't do the same no matter how high their income or standard of living? I'm sorry they don't have more, but I'm glad they are a happy people overall.

After the train trip, I walked to the waterfront. I tried to see the Strand Hotel, but two girls selling postcards bothered me too much. I didn't go inside, because I felt I should be dressed better to do so. I wandered several streets on the eastern side of downtown and ate dinner at Bharat Indian Restaurant. I had chicken curry and rice. It was a scrawny chicken leg and half thigh with cutty, rice, dal, some green vegetables, and lemon chutney. I dranks a bottle of Mandalay beer with it; it was so cold and refreshing.

It's only 7:30, but I'm back at the hotel under the a/c and will stay here. I'm too tired to go out again. I'll stay inside and watch a Tri-Nations rugby match between Australia and New Zealand.

Circle Train $1
Dinner 1900 kyat
Total: $2.82