Samosas and Smiles

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love,” - Mother Teresa

​Hello again from Yangon! I wake up every morning and remind myself in disbelief that I am still in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Laos, so they present many delightful influences on both food and culture. We sailed around the tip of Singapore, past Malaysia and Thailand, and into the not-so-lovely Thilawa port, 45 minutes from town. As tourism continues to grow (and I highly encourage you to visit!), I’m hopeful they will invest in infrastructure as they are investing in amenities – there is construction of a new mall, 

amusement park, and water park as I write. There is also an incredible mix of old and new. Huge centuries-old colonial buildings line some streets next to even older shops and homes. The streets are filled with buses, cars, bikes, motorbikes and dogs. There are traffic lights occasionally, but mostly we took our chances. I am told we are fortunate to be here during the “shoulder season” between the wet and dry seasons, when it is neither too hot nor too cold. It’s been in the 90’s (F) every day so I definitely will not be visiting in the hot season.

Pagodas A big part of the culture here is Buddhism, so many of us visited the Sule Pagoda, one of the oldest landmarks, the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda, home to the 235 foot reclining Buddha, and the Shwedagon Pagoda, built more than 2500 years ago. These are site of pilgrimages for many in Myanmar, and each has unique features such as relics of historic Buddha’s, gems, and alloys (gold, silver, copper, iron and lead). We were 

respectful in our observing and picture-taking, and were able to read about the dynasties who contributed items over the centuries - at the Shwedagon pagoda alone, there are 18 Buddha’s, a showroom, museum, and dozens of culturally significant trees, images, statues, ponds, prayer halls, and bells.

Daily Life In contrast to the trash and traffic, Yangon offers many beautiful parks, gardens, and lakes, as well as a zoo and soccer stadiums. I especially enjoyed walking through these and neighborhoods, seeing how the locals live and pass the time. Private schools and universities next to public schools and trade colleges. Middle class homes on cobblestone streets close to dirt soccer fields and dirt playgrounds. A consistent theme: smiles.

The Arts One day, a small group of us traveled to a residential area for a private music workshop in the home studio of 3 sisters, all professional performers of traditional Myanmar arts. The first sister taught us their New Year dance, which we attempted to perform gracefully; the second sister taught us their local versions of the harp, xylophone, and drum; and the third sister demonstrated traditional puppetry set to music. Later that day, we explored downtown visual art galleries, where I met a local artist and fell in love with his watercolors. After years of censorship, contemporary art is flourishing.

History In addition to seeing the historical buildings of Yangon, I explored Thanlyin village, which was the

trading base for early 17th century Portuguese. A trishaw bicycle took us around town, where many local children ran out to wave, then to the local market where villagers shop for their daily meals. They may have smart phones and Nike sneakers, but they still maintain many traditions. Given the hot weather, it wasn’t surprising to see most women still wear long cotton skirts while the men wear longyi’s, a “manly” version of the same. Fun fact: I learned that if a man with a longyi is not adequately covered (with nothing underneath – remember it’s 100F), others may say to him “excuse me, sir, I see your department store is open on the weekends”.
 
Education We visited the Su Htoo Pan Monastic School, a small school run by monks that provides basic education and traditional Buddhist teachings for 200 students from 5 to 13 years old. The school is a residential facility for many students whose families cannot care for them, and it was fun seeing their energy and manners as they prepared for lunch, ate, and played together.
 

Food Yum! There are specialties from different regions of Myanmar, and a recurring theme is family style meals, where we all share a variety of dishes. Fluffy white rice is served at every meal, both steamed and with coconut milk; so are rice noodles and mild curries.  We had ngapi (fermented fish), mohinga (fish broth thickened with chick pea flour, variety of vegetables added), tea leaf salad, samosas (baked 

or fried pastry with a savory filling), and some kind of eggplant dish that everyone liked; I’ll have to look that up sometime. Another popular treat are the tea houses on every block where you can drink a type of chai tea sweetened with condensed milk. So far, so good with no food poisoning.
 
As we left Myanmar, I had many new ideas and discoveries, which will be in my mind as I keep up with current events and the progress of the democracy. I asked a local young man what he would like Americans to know about Myanmar today. He said they really appreciated President Obama’s visits in 2012 and 2016, and hope for a good relationship with the U.S.
 
Next stop: India