Last Burma Pics

January 12, 2011--Baan Tung guesthouse, Mae Sot

Plating the Buddha with gold

Bagan

Taking this opportunity to upload a few more pics from Burma, and a few from today in Mae Sot, a border town not necessarily known for being the safest place, but I managed to get a super quick run in without getting shot. I know I had a bunch of things I wanted to say about Burma but I can't remember what they are now. Overall, my impressions are that Yangon is your average big city in a developing country, Mandalay is exactly what you think an old capital might be with a moat surrounding the old palace, Bagan is really cool simply because of how old the temples are (anything that old is exciting to me because I just think about all the history that has passed through there, all the people there before me), Nay Pyi Taw is a ghost town of a new capital (these wide open streets and fancy hotels with no one in sight), and everything in between is rice paddies and families with limited access to health care. People in Burma are very nice and accommodating and their everyday lives don't seem much disturbed by the government, sanctions, or anything like that. But I think the big issue that's not talked about much is the lack of social support that I find so important in the states. If that was missing here, I'd definitely notice, but since it just hasn't been a given in Burma for so many years, it's become normal for most people not to trust the government enough to take extra precautions when they issue an infectious disease outbreak. No one takes them seriously yet they remain in control of everything, even the publications UNICEF makes. My conversations with them were very interesting, but it's probably best not to post it up.

From far away, Buddha smiles...

I'm not sure what I think about Burma. It's a complex country--both beautiful and painful to see. People like to say that the government is everywhere, you just don't see them, because informants are planted everywhere. We only had one minor run-in with the popo, on our overnight bus ride back to Yangon from Bagan. The police asked why our last name was "Kyaw" if we had American passports. I referred them to my dead grandparents. Dunno how much they appreciated that. Ha.

but up close, he ain't so happy

Anyway, I could go on about the dynamic between different ethnic groups in Burma and all the things that fascinate me about the health situation in places like this, but I don't want to bore you. Maybe as I explore the topic further here in Thailand, I'll have more to say...but we'll see. If I make it to a beach, I might just end up talking about that. Save the academic stuff for my boss...unless of course, I have nothing else exciting to write about, or you're actually interested. For now, I'll stick to my clumsy adventures and traveling mishaps. This guesthouse hasn't been too bad a pick so far...although the shower is the entire bathroom and the water is icy cold...Once I get to Chiang Mai, things could get worse...but we'll see. One of the faculty at AIT/Thammasat University in Bangkok has promised to take me to a dude who gives an excellent Thai massage when I get back to the city...I can do a few more cold showers, looking forward to that. I miss all my besties. Looking forward to seeing your faces soon.

Again, but with a difft statue, smiling from afar...

so serious up close

Forgot what this paya was called, but it was on a cliff of sorts

Asian Humpty Dumpty

I call this Big Man Buddha. This is his fingernail. The story behind this pagoda is that one of the kings of one of the many Burmese ethnic groups was captured by someone (I'm terrible at remembering details). To symbolize his feeling of imprisonment, he built this paya, making the buddha extra huge and the pagoda just big enough to enclose the statue. You can only walk single file, and just barely, between the statue and the walls of the paya.

more Bagan, from the top of one of the temples I climbed

At the top of a temple. Note Dad's death grip because he has this paranoia about me falling off tall buildings

top of the temple

gave this kid 2000kyats because his drawings of Bagan were so cute. I didn't actually take them though, because I didn't know what I'd do with them. ha

Shwedagon from Traders Hotel (thank god we finally checked in there. When we had gotten ourselves settled Dad said, "We should've stayed here from the beginning, huh?" Umm. Yes. That's why I made the reservations you so quickly canceled. Ha.

One of Buddha's hairs is somewhere up in there

Turtles!

Giving one of the trapped birds its freedom

in the maternity ward of the hospital where my Dad practiced, and where my cousin (now a big timing OBGYN doc who has a TV show) was born

I'm a sucker for little babies. Just look at this poor baby

A typical meal spread

Met my maternal great aunt for the first time. She was the cutest, sweetest old lady I have ever talked to.

Feeding the huge catfish at the island pagoda

This little girl in Mae Sot waved and blew me a kiss before throwing a pebble at a passing dog. Adorbs.

A fam I interviewed at the Mae Tao clinic. They do really good work there and are looking for volunteers, both medically and non-medically trained.

At the Burmese-Thai border. I've been told to be careful when crossing the border because Burmese child soldiers will often shoot at unfamiliar individuals. The "Friendship Bridge" that connects the two sides was closed today though.

The Thai student I kidnapped to help me translate in Mae Sot caught me awkwardly climbing down the steps with all my crap. Turns out almost everyone in the clinic spoke Burmese, with the few that also spoke English. So I ended up understanding more than she did, but having company is (almost) always appreciated.

Twins! at MTC. Just born yesterday to the migrant Burmese mother

This dude, poor guy, had his arm blasted off by a nearby landmine on the Burmese border. MTC has a prosthetics workshop where they make on average, 25 limbs a month for victims of either landmine injuries or congenital defects.