19 Jan 10

We are spending the day on Inle Lake- which is a truly beautiful lake set in between the mountain ranges. This place is definitely more touristy than any place we have been yet because of the lake- the atmosphere is very different than other place we have been. We boarded three long boats this morning and headed out of the canal in Nyaung-Schwe. As we went, we passed fishing boats, which are a very common and almost the symbol of the lake itself. The fishermen row these boats by standing on the bow, wrapping their foot around the paddle, and using a figure-eight motion with their foot to actually propel the boat. They then use their hands to fish while they are rowing- coordination!

Just looking. No really.

We had our first experience in bartering this morning at the five-day marketplace. The majority of us agreed that we did not particularly like it very much- myself included. Simply walking through the market attracts a swarm of merchants waving wares they want you to buy- especially true if you are white. Stopping at a table to look at something causes you to be literally crushed by them, thus there is no casual browsing through the marketplace, as we are used to when shopping. Once we moved through the tourist-oriented tables of jewelry, it was fascinating to walk through the more local area of the market, seeing the great variety of fruits and vegetables that were offered for sale. Attempting to extract ourselves from the market proved to be the greatest difficulty however, because the merchants simply followed our group out of the market, waving jewelry in our faces and encouraging us to buy one more souvenir. They followed us for at least a fourth-mile before they finally turned back.

We were not used to haggling over prices either. While a few in our group enjoyed it, most of us were uncomfortable with the concept of driving down prices that were originally too high. I guess it’s that way in a lot of cultures though….

This caused me to reflect on the effects of the Inle tourist economy in the spirit of the people in the region. It seems everywhere we went in the Delta region, people’s first inclination was to welcome and offer hospitality however they could. In some of the larger hilltowns and the lake area, it felt as if their only focus was to sell to us. To me, this stark difference highlighted the evil of worldly values and dangers that often come with development. The focus was moved from the personal to the impersonal.

Then again- their approach towards us only reflected their expectations toward our purpose. In a tourist town, they are so used to people passing through and giving no thought to the true personality of the people. It is a vicious system- we tourists send the message our only interest is monetary and they in turn do not invite personal connections. In the end, both parties are the ones who miss out.

Serenaded!

This next installment is probably my favorite story of the entire trip=) Our next stop was to a Buddhist monastery, which was built in the middle of the lake. We toured the monastery, looking at the many Buddha statues, taking in a “cat show” (cats trained to jump through a hoop), and more marketplace-style shopping opportunities. Aubrey and I had finished exploring and were waiting for the rest of the group to board the boat at the entrance to the marketplace, when a Buddhist monk came up to us and asked us where we were from. We said the United States, but he inquired further. (we have found that many foreigners have knowledge of state geography) When I said “Virginia,” the monk, misunderstanding, excitedly exclaimed “WEST VIRGINIA!” and broke into a rousing serenade of “Country Roads, Take me Home.” I was completely bewildered- that was definitely not a song I expected to hear on my travels! I have no idea how he knew this song and I wish I had a video of it, but I joined in and we finished the song together. He was very excited about it and it still makes me laugh=)

We left the monastery and my singing monk and traversed some floating gardens, which I found very interesting. After lunch at a waterfront restaurant (more Burmese-Chinese), we visited a silk and lotus-weaving village. It was fascinating seeing these specialty fabrics being woven- I knew nothing of lotus-weaving, but we watched fibers being taken from the stalk of a lotus plants and rolled into string. It was a labor-intensive process, but even more fascinating than that, was comparing this production to the small weaving program we had witnessed in the village outside Pathein. While there were three looms in their village, here there were at least three buildings, two stories each, of looms, and one could hear the sounds of shuttles from open windows. There was a shop which sold the fabrics, and there was an obvious higher standard of living and job security in this town- it’s surprising what a steady tourist economy can do.

Our next stop was a blacksmith shop. I found this very interesting as I remembered a game my piano teacher used to have us play on the computer- incorporating tempos and rhythms we had to fix in order for the blacksmith to play a song with his hammer. This was honestly not unlike the game- once a piece was taken from the fire, one worker with a hammer would begin, then a second would join. Then a third would work his way in the rhythm and occasionally a fourth, until a steady rhythm was beating, the large hammers in perfect synchronization with each other. I’m not sure how these workers become adept at this but it was fascinating to watch and listen to.

Our final stop of the day was a small village which housed

the ruins of an ancient Buddhist pagoda. The stupas in this pagoda were numerous and made their way from the entrance all the way up a large hill, clustered close together- there were hundreds of them. They were crumbling and many of the Buddhas inside had been broken or stolen, but we were told they were dated back to 300 B.C. Some at the top of the hill were in the process of being restored, these sporting the same reflective gold paint we had seen in many other pagodas. A disturbing part of this stop was the very young children that followed at our heels, singing soft songs and holding wares that they tried to sell us. I’m not sure that they truly understood their job and Katie and I estimated the youngest to be barely three years old.

It seems wrong almost that we would spend our last full day here shopping and bartering like an average tourist when this trip has been so much more than that. The ways of the world- glossing over greed and conflict, seem to stand out against the true personal connections and harmony we’ve experienced in our travels.

As I was thinking of this at the end of the day, we were able to witness one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen as the sun went down over the mountains and across the water. Somehow, I felt that even though the last day had been rather traumatizing for a few of us in light of the past travels, it was the perfect ending to send us home.

I look across the water and marsh grasses to the mountains reaching majestically above and I marvel how the beauty of both can exist in the same place. I have always loved water and mountains so much but the two never fit together before in any place I knew. I think of life, and how sometimes it seems that nothing can fit together quite the way we think it should. I also think about the future and how we spend so much time worrying about it- what will happen and how many times the only outcomes we see are ones of pain. But then I look at the mountains and their beauty above the water, and its beauty takes my breath away. It gives me hope for the future, that somehow something can fit and be so beautiful, one never imagined it could exist at all.

We ate a dinner in Nyaung-Schwe of pizza. Some were unhappy that we went for Western food, but I thought it was interesting to sample Burma’s version of Western cuisine. The pizza was honestly not that different and it was very good. We also enjoyed sampling the different fruit juices that were available- many tried the strawberry juice since it was in season, but I tried the pineapple, which turned out to be excellent.

After dinner we discussed our travels and what it all means as we go back home and share our experiences with others. David described us as ambassadors really, because we have traveled to places that few go and know little about and we are speaking for those who don’t have a voice. It is quite a burden really, when we think of it this way, but it is true- we have seen how big the world is, and it is up to us to carry the message.