Buddhist Celebration

Long hallway of many rooms

One small corner...

There truly is nothing that these people can’t or won't do to show their devotion to the Buddha. We were told that historically, there were numerous reasons to build a stupa; as a good deed, to commemorate family, to atone for a wrong, to attract a wife. Hmmm...not really historical at all because they’re still building stupas and statues and such and for the very same reasons. We visited the Thanboddhe Temple with its 845 small stupas surrounding the building. Don't worry, they made up for the few outside stupas with the tiny Buddha statues inside...over 55,000 (no, I didn't put in too many 0's) decorating every single nook and cranny available.  Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely....well, look at the pictures and you fill in the best adjective. Just a hint...the lines you see on the walls, each is a ledge and the small button things are all tiny carved statues.

The Buddhist scriptures or teachings are considered to be one of the five gems. While the monastery schools teach how to read and write, most practice and learning is centered 

One of 729 tablets - about 4' tall

around the various Buddhist teachings. At the Kuthodaw Pagoda, you can see the entire scripture inscribed on marble slabs...729 marble slabs to be exact, written on both sides. It is also completely done in old Burmese, so while the monks can read it, it is comparable to old English for most of the lay people. It took years of work on the part of the men who did the inscribing...and then a few score of monks and a number of years to read each and every stone to make sure it was perfect. Yet another king, leaving his mark for posterity.

Waiting...or is it enduring?

One of the larger monasteries in the area opens its doors to tourists to observe the beginning of their main meal of the day. Monks eat a very early breakfast and then their main meal at about 10:30 in the morning because they eat nothing for the remainder of the day. This particular monastery has about 900 or so monks, ranging from 5 years on up. They line up in the morning with their bowls and walk down the long path to 

the dining area. A long path, made even longer by the huge line of tourists, waiting to take pictures. One particular monk had a very father like presence, cajoling the young monks, clapping his hand on a back, generally looking like he was encouraging his flock and loving what he was doing. He came over to talk with us as the monks streamed past. The monks receive rice from huge pots that are taken out earlier. Once inside the courtyard, they receive some of the many donations brought by various 

Our favorite monk

individuals and stores. They then proceed to sit inside where they eat in complete silence. The monastery has grown so large that they can no longer all sit together so many of the younger ones are sent out to eat elsewhere; we caught a few pictures as they scurried out to enjoy their meal. 

Marketing in Myanmar

That afternoon we took another boat ride, this one the picture of luxury, complete with deck chairs, drinks, clear skies and oh so warm. We headed for the unfinished stupa. Doing 

Unfinished Stupa

Hand rail to get on the boat

good works is very important and most kings set out to create something that is memorable. This one, sadly, died before it was completed so the son abandoned the enterprise and started immediately his own memorable temple. The unfinished stupa, however, is quite interesting. They are solid buildings, usually with a relic inside. The brick work was put in place surrounding a rather large mound of earth. At one time you could climb to the top of it for great views of the river valley but the top is eroding and there are now ever growing cracks. I will say, the highlight of the trip was the boat ride and the setting sun as we returned.

Roaming the streets we had a chance to watch some of the sculptors at work. I have always pictures the hammer and chisel routine where they work at perfectly shaping the nose, the eyes, the hands. This, however, is one area where they have modernized. The men work with power 

Polishing statues

tools to create the statues! It was amazing to see them work so deftly and quickly to create the delicate features found on all of the statues. Polishing, however, is still done by hand, using a variety of materials including good old sandpaper.

Throughout our trip here we have been met by the locals with tons of stuff for sale. If you say no to one thing, they simply pull out something different, a one of a kind thing you just can’t do without. Ever wonder where it comes from? Well, the wholesale markets are alive and well, selling every tourist item you could ever ask 
for (as well as things the locals would need). The most interesting part of the market (besides the confirmation that those guys DIDN’T paint those pictures) was the jade business. They have countless number of people cutting the pieces of jade with business men with monocles checking each cut.  The stones are then taken out to the people who will shine them, preparing them for sale or use in various pieces of jewelry, also for sale in the wholesale 

Polishing jade - note the foot wheel

market. These men and women (boys and girls in some cases) have not been provided with electronic ways to polish the stones…they use foot power to turn the wheels.

Shan State - Pindaya Lake

It was time to travel back in time, back to a world that is (almost) unchanged by the future, a pastoral life where people work and live by the sun and seasons, community support 

Ma and Pa - note the new well 

such as barn raising (though here it's home raising), local schools, kids can go anywhere and everybody knows everyone...probably to the dismay of the teens...enter the world of Shan State.

We drove through the patchwork quilt countryside, where, depending upon the season, 

On the banks of the bathing hole

this region grows the fruits and vegetables used throughout the country...all grown organically by hand. Oxen roam the fields to till the land, fertilize the fields, pull the hay carts, haul people to and from the fields, as well as to bring in a new water pots or pipes for water. (it's for the community water spots, not to the individual houses...you haul it yourself to get it to your home).There are motorcycles now, but few compared to the cities and you will see a truck here and there, usually FILLED 

Truck to the market - about 15 miles away

with as much as can possibly be put in it whether it is people or things. The roads are mostly dirt, though they are hard at work, hand laying pavement. They can be impassable during the rainy season so they are working to make it easier to get around.

We traveled to Pindaya Lake, weaving through the mountain valley, through fields that grow a wide variety of foods including potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, cabbage, beans, peppers and far more than I remember. Moving up closer to the mountains they also grow coffee and tea....truly a breadbasket. There is a great legend here about seven heavenly princesses who get trapped by an enormous spider. A prince comes along, kills the spider, and, of course, marries the youngest princess and they all live happily ever after. When he kills the spider he proclaims "I killed the spider" (Binguya) which, if said enough, can become Pindaya, the name of the lake.

We headed up into the hills around the lake to the very same cave of the legend. Let me 

start out by saying that they were tangling with a mighty big spider! It's a limestone cave with great stalactites and stalagmites, some even joining into columns already, meaning the cave system is quite old. There seems to be some fluorite mixed in with the leeching minerals because some parts of the cave are distinctly green or purple, making it quite pretty. Now, caves tend to be cool for the most part, a great place to escape summer heat but this cave was different. The first main cave was noticeably cooler than the outside warmth but as you wound your way through, there

Greens & Purples in the cave

 was a point where suddenly, warm, humid air surrounded you and the remaining back part of the cave was a bit hot; an anomaly Jeff was ready to pursue but finally decided that the local geologists probably could already explain the reason for the temperature difference. The rainy season affects the interior of the cave because there's a section where a lake forms at times from the intense rain that falls.


While there were stalagmites in various places as well as a column or two, they really weren't what we were winding our way around as we explored the cave. The cave system was filled, and I do mean filled, with Buddha statues of every size, shape, and composition...marble, wood, concrete and even bamboo. They were mounted on stalagmites, on various rock formations, as well as creatively attached to the walls all the way to the roof of the cave. Some were so high you could barely see much detail (or perhaps that was the result of living with bats in the cave). The Buddhas were more good works offered by people around the world and more are still arriving. They are always looking for creative ways to eke out more space to keep up with the demand. The main cave has become a labyrinth where one can weave through the statues, meandering countless paths and getting quite turned around.

Inle Lake

Note the bathroom on the right

Our final destination was Inle Lake, a unique gem in this beautiful area. First a short story about the people here...long long ago a tribe of Tibetans had migrated south and ended up living on the southern coast of Myanmar, way east of Yangon. They decided to visit their Yangon relatives but missed the turn and ended up at Inle Lake. The people living on the shores said oh yes, they could settle here at the lake, but...they could only live on the lake, undoubtedly thinking that the travelers would keep moving on but no, the ocean dwelling people thanked them and moved onto the lake...and NOT in houseboats.

Bath Time...from the boat

All of their homes are on stilts – very tall ones because of the annual flooding during the rainy season. Teak grows plentifully in this region and it endures submersion in water for hundreds of years. So long teak poles were driven into the lake bottom and homes built from bamboo (remember the barn raising?). Low, long boats were carved from teak, with a bit of a flat space at either end, stable (relatively) areas where people could stand or squat to work. This includes washing clothes, taking baths, bathing children, hanging clothes to dry, repairing boats, repairing the house, fishing...you name it, they do it from the boat.

 Then there are the floating gardens. Apparently, at the inlet to the lake, the waters entering carry lots of sentiment and other natural materials from the surrounding mountains. It is deposited at the end of the lake in yearly layers, thickening into a huge organic mass.

Floating Gardens - Tomatoes

 The lower layers decompose over time and, after about seventeen years, the decomposing layers lose contact with the floor of the lake and up pops a floating land mass of soil. The boat people float the island out to their village, cut the mass into strips, pound bamboo into them to make them stay put, and plant tomatoes, or peppers or any number of veggies on the islands. All planting, harvesting and care is done...from the boat.

This is also the home of the famous fishermen who row and guide their boats deftly, while standing on one leg and rowing with the other leg wrapped around the oar. Sadly, the influx of tourists means lots of boats careening through the water (very, very long boats with motors), discouraging the presence of fish. On the other side, the fishermen now 

make a show of rowing and "fishing", for the ever present tourist camera, making money on the side for showing off their skills. The actual fishing has moved off to less traveled areas of the lake as well as night fishing...where no tourists intrude upon them...though I'm sure some enterprising person will soon offer night trips...

The islands and gardens have developed into villages, with stores, post office, repair shops, and walkways to link some areas to the land for children to walk to school. As you travel through the water roads, you notice a bustle of activity as people are moving about, cleaning, cooking, and visiting with neighbors. There's another labyrinth here, this time one of water, weaving between homes, small gardens, and children playing...in the boats, of course.

Our final night in Myanmar offered us the opportunity to visit with an old friend from Japan. Amalie moved back to Myanmar to teach when we headed for Doha. We wandered through the Schwedegon Pagoda again, being introduced to some other Buddhist religious figures 

Lighting candles with Amalie

represented in the statues and learning about some gems she had discovered on her many trips to the pagoda. We also had a chance this time to not just watch the lighting of the candles but to actually light some of them! What a great way to say good bye to a wonderful country.

Kenyan Safari

Another one of those early departures...the 7:00 flight wasn't so bad, it was the getting up at 3:00 to get to the airport by 4 ish - that was the issue. We did, however, totally avoid the crunch. We checked in, went to the lounge, had a bite to eat, checked our email...all in relative peace. More people were coming in but honestly, it wasn't too bad. When we went to leave, however, we discovered a totally different world. The hordes had descended with a vengeance. The ropes were out front, defining the line for people entering the lounge. The store had 50 people waiting impatiently to make purchases - should had bought our water earlier! The flight we were on was completely full and ended up being an hour late getting into Nairobi.

That red and white bus on the right...it's traveling down the median strip.

We were met by our company and after a bit of shuffling, we were loaded in a car, heading for our hotel. I do indeed have to once again comment on my favorite traveling theme...the traffic. The drivers around here would probably adjust quickly to traffic in Doha. The drivers wove between lanes, forced their way into traffic, made roads out of the median strips, and allowed no more than one tenth of an inch between vehicles. They would do Japanese drivers proud, weaving with no clearance between vehicles, pulling up on precarious ledges to let someone pass. We went out to dinner to a restaurant just down the street...and it took close to 30 minutes to get there. The driver assured us that it wasn't rush hour because if it was, it would probably take closer to an hour to get to the same place. After dinner, it took about 7 minutes to get back to the hotel. Really don't want to be in rush hour traffic!

We were picked up the following morning by David (seems all the young men around here are named David or Joseph because we met a lot of them). Our David is a gem...humorous and incredibly knowledgeable! Pick a topic...he's conversant. It is fabulous to have such a great guide to take us through Kenya.

Today’s driving was a short trip through the countryside, down to Amboseli Park, located at the base of Kilimanjaro Mountain. We arrived at our lodge just in time for lunch…and what a lunch. You know, it's a good thing that we don't have this much food available all of the time...incredible and delicious...though not particularly Kenyan fair. There are a lot of Indians living in Kenya so curry is found everywhere. Lots of great fruits and so many choices...they even have a man who will stir fry any vegetables you want. Scrumptious!
You have to get a picture of where I'm sitting as I write this. I'm lounging on the patio right outside our room. I am listening to the chirping, twittering, and altercations of a hundred birds. Mixed with that is the chittering of the ever present monkeys (they have hired some of the Maasai to roam the grounds to keep the monkeys at bay - great job security). I am looking out over the savannah where I can see zebra, wildabeasts, gazelles and elephants. There are also Maasai cows and sheep mixed in. Phenomenal view!

Amboseli Park

The park itself is not particularly large. It has swampy areas...spots where the water from the melting snows of Mt Kilamanjaro surface in the plains. These are the areas that sustain life during the long dry seasons. A few years ago there was a long drought that sadly killed thousands of animals. David said that everywhere you looked you saw dead and dying animals, starving because there was no food. Fortunately, rains have improved  but they're still way below normal in the grasslands...they are hoping for good rainfall for November. I certainly hope they get them. Mount Kilamanjaro casts this land in the rain shadow, compounding the problem. It looked like rain was falling on the other side of the mountain, in Tanzania, though none fell where we were. 

Safari drives generally take place early in the morning and in the evening, catching the cooler parts of the day when the animals are more likely to be on the move. Now, you must know, this lodge is not small, even though the park is. David said to meet him out front at four o'clock. Apparently this is the optimum time to raise the top of the van (at the last minute so the monkeys don’t get in) and head off to bounce over the savanna. Everyone in the lodge was given the same time so twenty vans or jeeps were lined up outside the lodge, waiting to head off on the washboard roads, in search of wild animals to shoot...fortunately only with cameras! The drivers all have radios so that they can let other drivers know where the animals are. A hot spot might have ten to fifteen of the vans converging for the photo-op. Even with the confusion and dust, we had a chance to see some amazing views of these animals, up close.

I think the best view was a herd of zebras. They seemed a bit restless, shuffling, looking around, not really grazing. The stallions had a wary look to them. A good pair of binoculars told us why...there were nine lions lounging around in front of them. Now I would have thought the zebras would have moseyed along, moving away but no, they stayed in the area, watching. Perhaps they wanted to keep those predators in their sight...or maybe they knew that the lions were full already?

We seem to have an affinity for cloud covered mountains. We were in China, to see Snow Dragon Mountain but the entire time all we heard was how beautiful and stunning it was...never saw it. Now we are at the base of the largest volcano in Africa...maybe even the world...and it's covered in clouds. We are making offerings to the wind and picture gods to have it clear for us. Hopefully...

The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast, we again put up the roof and headed out on safari for another washboard drive across the savanna. The temperature dropped today so the ambulating herds heading for the water swamps were making the trek a bit later...good for us because we saw lots of them on the move.

We discovered the latest contestants for the Olympic synchronized swimming - pelicans. We found five of them swimming around in one of the swampy areas (though the video was taken before the other birds joined in). Every time they saw a fish or other delicacy to eat, ALL five ducked their heads, raised their butts and spread their wings a bit, in unison! They did it over and over again, not a fluke. David said it was a fishing strategy...if that tasty morsel got away from the first one, no matter which way it went, it was likely to get picked up by the next guy in line. Cooperative teamwork!



Dust devils are everywhere here. The dirt is very dry, silty, super fine, and the playing winds whip them up quickly. As you look out, you can see ten or more at any given time. The colors are interesting, varying from very red to sandy to nearly black.

Ambesoli Park...continued

 This afternoon began with the clouds still dancing around Kilamanjaro but by the time we were heading back in, the clouds had twirled away, leaving us an imposing view of the mountain. While it wasn't exactly the best lit photo opportunity, it was still that kodak moment to get a shot of the mountain, knowing full well that the pesky clouds could dance back over at a moment's notice.

We found a very reluctant giraffe...she was quite worried about crossing the road to the water hole, either because of all of the cars, or because of all of the elephants. She didn't tell us which, she just kept trucking along. We followed her for a while, hoping to get a close up of her. We did manage to get on the other side and get a decent shot of her with the mountain in the background. Not quite a classic shot but then again there was Mount Kilamanjaro and the giraffe. We did get a great shot with the elephants and the mountain. Can hardly wait to upload the pictures – hopefully some of them came out well.

Our first sighting of hippos in the wild. I have never seen so many at one time! We had headed out for the Enkongo Narok swamp, a very large lake...looked like a lake to me anyway. There we found all of the other animals we had seen around as well as the hippos. One of them kept opening its huge jaws with the giant molars and the ears wiggling but we were never able to have the camera on the right one at the right moment. Still, it was great to get to see them.

On our way back to the lodge, we were heading across a narrow stretch of road that bridged the edge of the swamp. In front of us there were two vans...and a herd of elephants. To add to the mix, three zebras suddenly came snorting and running through the melee. The elephants were very unhappy about it, snorting and trumpeting and milling around. The big male looked quite grumpy...and looked at our van. David immediately went into reverse and we just moved back, giving him room. After a stare-down with the van he must have figured we had cowered enough because he finally moved into the swamp. Whew. We crept by and headed back for our camp!