Global Studies - Malaysia & Myanmar

Sweating despite only sitting now quietly on the couch... 7.39p.m 20/7/2017

Its been more than a week since I have been back in Malaysia; however, its the first day since the start of the holiday since I have not gone anywhere. By not going anywhere, I actually mean not even stepping out of the front door.

Although I arrived home last Tuesday, the summer travels continued. Colleagues from Cambridge came to visit and as usual, Tay tours were kept occupied. The standard itinerary of Putrajaya, Batu Caves, KLCC, and a drive around Kuala Lumpur was conducted. The slight difference this time, it was at a much slower pace - even spending more than 3 hours just relaxing at Skybar, Traders Hotel, admiring the view of the most beautiful building in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers (in my slightly biased opinion).

One may ask, how does a college teacher afford all these travelling around? First of all, this current leg of the trip, Malaysia, is still a very affordable destination. However, 3 days last week (and many days of toil since the start of the summer exam season) was spent doing some examinations marking to earn some of this money. Thank you modern technology for allowing that to happen over the internet!

Once this was done, the moving around continued which in Malaysia meant eating around as well! This food journey which was primarily planned as a trip to visit relatives took my parents and I to KL, Melaka, and Johor Bahru. And, throughout the trip, no un-delicious food was eaten!

A Japanese movie have started on Astro 130 (after showing a Catalan movie)... Good job Astro! Gtg....

Looking forward to showing off Malaysia and discovering Myanmar with Ree, a good friend from my Global Studies Day in Vienna and her friend, Jo.

Pacing Out of A Time Warp in Myanmar - Part 1: Yangon

In 2015, the World Bank upgraded Myanmar from a Low Income Country to a Lower Middle Income Country. In addition, this newly democratised country (relatively speaking) is preparing for Visit Myanmar Year 2020 with new tourist amenities and infrastructure slowly sprouting around the country. The election of Aung San Suu Kyi seem to have brought about some changes not just in international perceptions of the country but also amongst the hearts and minds of the people. However, several years after the election, this seems to have waned a little and a few have commented that it is back to business as usual (surprisingly similar to the positive perceptions by the international community of The Lady which also waned amidst the Rohingya crisis). Maybe the institutions have not changed, but there is definitely evidence of some progress. This travel journal written by a mere traveller may (or may not) show this, if not representing the realities, hopefully it will do at least metaphorically or at the very least paint a vague picture of a country which has so much to offer to the world, both culturally and economically.

Our itinerary for Myanmar took a while to finalise (to the exclusive fault of lazy planning and the harsh realities of working life on our side). To our advantage, we had an awesome travel agent, LM Travel (highly recommended!!!) who were so efficient, patient with us, and accomodating to our requests. They also provided us with very good service when we there and prepared a very well balanced itinerary for our 5 days in Myanmar. Besides our flight into and out of Myanmar and our accommodation in Yangon, everything else was organised for us, from airport transfers to suggestions for dinner (which we were desperately relying on due to the pampering we have had for the past few legs of the summer vacation).

First stop: Yangon. A flight on Air Asia brought us to this once closed country directly from Kuala Lumpur. (Travel advice: those travelling on a Malaysian passport, please be aware that despite being part of ASEAN, Malaysians have to apply for an e visa to enter this country - probably due to the lack of reciprocity from the Malaysian government).

Yangon was once the capital of this country before giving way to the superstitions of the military government and also their desire to prevent a revolt (thus locating the capital away from populated areas). It would have been interesting to visit the new capital, Nyapidaw and the still empty boulevards but with other places of interests in Myanmar, we simply did not have enough time. Nevertheless, despite not being the capital city anymore, Yangon is still the commercial centre and the largest city in Myanmar. It does have a slight cosmopolitan feel to it, especially for us, as our hotel was in the Burmese Indian part of the city, we had lunch at a Thai restaurant owned by a Burmese coursemate of mine from Nilai College (now Nilai University) in Malaysia, visited and took photos of various Buddhist temples and pagodas, and had dinner with a Dutch friend who is working in Yangon.

The main reason we finally added Yangon to our Myanmar itinerary, however, was because of a New York Times article about going on the local train in Yangon. And, it did not disappoint! Looking for the platform (Platform 7) and buying the ticket itself was already an experience for us - what more seeing the economy in action on the platform while waiting for the train and also while in the train. The amount of products that were bought and sold were immense and included betel nut, fresh fruits, water, cooked noodles, snacks etc. I thought this would all stop once the train arrived but no, it continued in the packed train as well!!! And unlike other tourists who boarded the train just for a ride around the line, we actually used the train to get to the aforementioned restaurant for lunch! In terms of the tourist infrastructure, there were a few token signs in English with a route map as well but nothing more - I guess this adds to the charm that New York Times was talking about. But I guess they don't prepare signs for the locals as well since all the signs in the transport vehicles that we went on were still in Japanese!

Another main attraction in Yangon that we managed to visit is the Bogyoke market. Here, signs of a changing Myanmar is extremely apparent. Alongside the old Bogyoke market where small shops were competing with each other to sell various crafts, longyis, gems, and food and drinks, the people of Yangon seem very proud of the new Bogyoke market which is a modern mall. Stepping inside this new 'market' would take you into the globalised 21st century of international chains and brand names and air conditioning. The latter we desperately needed as the humidity in Myanmar in July can get quite unbearable.

A trip to Yangon would not be complete without a trip to Shwedagon Pagoda which is a pretty impressive sight with Golden Pagodas, sizeable shrines, historic relics, and plenty of Buddha images. And, as I was dressed a little bit too revealing, I had to don a Longyi to cover my overly distracting knees. But hey, when in Rome.... It is actually pretty impressive and refreshing to see that traditional attire is still being worn by the populace, young and old. A comment on Buddhism and Pagodas to come in the next few posts on Myanmar.

Views while inside the Shwedagon Pagoda complex

Pacing Out of A Time Warp in Myanmar - Part 2: Bagan

It came as a surprise when we were told that Bagan is not yet a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our guide then told us that it was not that the Burmese government did not apply for this status but when they applied for it, their application was rejected as they did not meet some of UNESCO's criteria - one of which was that the restoration works did not stick to the original designs and materials. However, the government has not given up and they will be applying once again to attain this status, hopefully gaining it by Visit Myanmar Year 2020. The debate currently, in fact, is whether to apply for the entire old city of Bagan or only specific temples and areas. Despite being in the area for only a day and and a night, this issue was quite apparent throughout our visit.

What brought us to Bagan were definitely the temples. Bagan (or Old Bagan to be accurate) is home to more than 8000 temples dotted around very green landscape. Imagine an Instagram post of golden pagodas and temples on very green land with colourful hot air balloons in the air - that is Old Bagan. It therefore, comes to no surprise that our itinerary in this leg of our trip around Myanmar comprised of visits to many different temples and lots of stories of Buddha.

However, as mentioned in my previous blog entry, our tour agency, LM Tours, did a great job in ensuring that we will not be too templed out by the end of trip. Upon arriving in Nyaung U Airport (the closest airport to Old Bagan), we were greeted by our guide, Tet, who then pointed us towards the payment counter to settle the one time payment of 25000 Kyats (£15) accessing the Bagan Archaeological Site. Our tour then begun with a visit not to a temple, but to the local market. It was quite interesting to see the goods that were peddled in the market - ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to musical instruments. If only some of the peddlers would pester tourists less. I thought I did quite a good job to bargain a set of postcards down from 10 USD to 1.50 USD but then I saw the same pack being sold for 1 USD. I guess I could try to balance that 50 cents lost by putting some value on the powder that the very insistent peddler put on my face that allegedly acts as a face cream. Nearly every women (and some men) in Myanmar has it on their face - so maybe this was also the price of blending in!

For the rest of the day, temples were definitely the main feature. Many of the temples that we visited, despite being centuries old, are still used as places of worship. Earthquakes has damaged many of them but work is being done to restore it. Many of the temples also given the addition of modern lighting and new material. In addition, as they are still used as places of worship, new features are sometimes added, going along with the interpretation of the religion and its requirements.

For example, in a few of the temples, there were still statues of spirits, locally

known as Nats which are worshipped alongside images and relics of Buddha. However, our very knowledgeable and opinionated guide, made it clear to us that worshipping Nats is not part of Buddhism. There is no doubt that traditions die hard - these were pre Buddhist folk culture. However, slowly, Nats are gaining less prominence and lots of the statues are being sidelined in the temples although some still worship them (including our guide's mother). This has caused some physical changes to temples which apparently is disliked by the people who grant World Heritage Site but maybe this is the wrong category they are applying for, for this is a living culture and is constantly evolving which is indeed an asset to the world - an evolving heritage.

Our time in Bagan ended on a much lighter note - climbing a pagoda which is no longer used for worship in an attempt to catch the sunset over this stunning landscape. Unfortunately it was raining and therefore, the sunset wasn't that clear but the panoramas were still pretty enchanting.

Sunset at Bagan

Pacing Out of A Time Warp in Myanmar - Part 3: Mandalay

Getting to our plane bound for Mandalay at Nyaung U Airport (Bagan) was an experience by itself. The clue should have been when our guide told us that we need to look for a different airline counter to check on. We were booked on Golden Myanmar Airlines but from what I remembered, we were told to look for the counter for ...pon Airlines (which turned out to be Yadanarpon Airlines(which is the same name for our hotels in Bagan and Mandalay). However, upon arriving in the airport, we realised there was no where else to check in besides the one counter which flight times written in marker pen! There was only 1 flight that morning - about 10 flights a day during peak season - its not going to be difficult to navigate around this airport. Once we checked in, got our sticker (they love stickers there to show where we're going), went through security, we were led onto a bus (doors open and all) for less than a minute ride to the plane. Seeing a Korean (I think) mother worried that her son would fall out of the bus was amusing!

The flight was uneventful - both domestic airlines that we were on were reliable and comfortable despite it being a propeller plane - comfort level much higher than European budget carriers. It was clear that flying was still a luxury in Myanmar and unfortunately, this meant that flights in Myanmar caters mainly to foreigners. However, it is not that Myanmar is resource poor nor landlocked and it is not that the states that makes up modern Myanmar has never enjoyed a golden age. The trip around Mandalay exemplified this further.

In addition to the temples, Myanmar also boasts lots of palaces, monasteries, and also palaces turned monasteries. The concentration of money is clearly represented in the beauty and intricacies of these buildings. The number of times capitals were changed and new palaces and temples were built is incredible - they still continued to do it in the 21st century. We managed to visit some of theses capitals including Ava and Amarapura from Mandalay.

Arts and crafts definitely thrives due to the demands from temples and in the past, palaces. Precious materials are so abundant in Myanmar that in one of the palace-turned-monastery, there were simply two big blocks of jade just lying in the compound. Buddha images and pagodas are covered in Gold leaves and constantly renewed. Jewelry are often offered to temples to put into the umbrellas that adorn the tops of pagodas. Significant amount of food and monetary donations are offered to monasteries, temples, and also directly to monks and nuns. Unfortunately, this means that there is such a concentration of wealth in certain areas of the society and that not much goes back to the people to improve their worldly livelihood. Maybe this is why Myanmar has not yet thrived in this capitalist world order. But, maybe the increasing demands for university-educated monks will soon be the agents of change (or on the other hand, possibly even prolong the current order).

Buddha statue at an abandoned temple in Ava

Visiting Myanmar in 2017 enabled us to see a little bit of the past which might not be there anymore in a decade or so. I'm just wondering in 10 years time, how many Burmese people will be able to say they watched a traditional puppet show about Zaw Gyi, an alchemist who can use his magical staff to turn fruits into maidens that will be at his command to pleasure him when he is bored and alone in the forests. Nevertheless, it is clear that Myanmar is a changing country but not necessarily a fast-changing one. It is a country that is catching up with the 21st century but not as fast as many other developing countries. But, to their advantage, this has enabled them to still maintain a lot of their culture and values which many societies seem to have given up in their strife for progress.

Stepping out of this time warp took us from Mandalay to Don Muang Airport, Bangkok where we enjoyed some Thai food and got caught in the hoards of Chinese tourists obsessively pursuing material goods and finally back to KLIA2 which is another major shopping establishment.