Monday 11/7/2016 - Chindwin River Cruise: Kanee, Myanmar cultural lecture

We woke up at around 6 a.m. and took showers. The boat fired up its engines and left Chai Village where we had moored for the night at 6:30. We headed to the upper deck for breakfast at 7:30. We sat with Esther and Al and Sara. Craig had a cheese omelet and a side of bacon, and I had scrambled eggs with a side of bacon. We split a hash brown. Also coffee, delightful coffee! By now the staff knows what everyone drinks for breakfast, and they will bring our coffee the way we like it without being asked. Htet also brought Craig two glasses for our daily Emergen-C supplement, made sure there was hot water available, and also brought cold water to mix with it, having learned the ritual at yesterday's breakfast.

At 8:30, we pulled ashore at Kanee. Unfortunately, there was a lot of plastic and trash on the riverbanks here. As a developing country, Myanmar still has a lot of the growing pains that the United States went through in past decades. They are not used to non-biodegradable materials, and have to learn how to manage them. They still need to learn how to balance industry with environmental concerns. It is a continuum on which all countries are moving, some are just further ahead than others.

People greeted us at the dock, and we watched a vendor preparing betelnut. Areca nuts are sliced, sprinkled with lime powder, and wrapped in betel leaves. This little packet is chewed and acts as a mild stimulant (think caffeine). It also stains the teeth blood red.

Little kids were very intrigued by us, especially one particular toddler with wide soulful eyes. Mothers were very happy to pose with their kids for photographs.

We walked through the small village, passing an office for the National League for Democracy (NLD), the political party headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. There was a photo of her outside, as well as one of her father, the national hero Bogyoke (General) Aung San. Perched on the the sign was a scrap metal sculpture of a peacock, the NLD's symbol. A peacock historically has symbolized the sun in Burmese iconography, with the rabbit symbolizing the moon. It was exciting for me to see an NLD office off-the-beaten path in Myanmar. I had read about how Aung San Suu Kyi had visited and given speeches in many rural offices.

A man holding an acoustic guitar decorated with an upside-down American flag stood on the wooden staircase leading to a health clinic. The building was traditional, with a log frame and woven walls. He invited us inside to hear him play, and sat cross-legged on an Oriental rug in the center of a large room. Craig, Toni, and I took a seat to watch his impromptu performance. It was a private concert just for the three of us, as the rest of our group (always quite interested in health care) talked to one of the other clinic employees, asking about immunizations, medicine, etc.

Our host tuned his guitar using an app on his phone. He then played and sang some western songs, and a young lady working there accompanied him on some vocals. They were reading the lyrics in Burmese from his phone, and he also showed me his online tablature chart. It was so interesting to see them using technology in this way. He offered to let Craig play the guitar, and Craig laughed and said that he was better off just listening.

After he played several songs, we thanked him for his friendly hospitality and exited the clinic. As we proceeded through the village, the guitarist followed us on a motor scooter to return my sunglasses, which I had accidentally left at the clinic. What a sweet guy!





We stopped on the side of the dirt path to watch a woman who was sitting on the ground under the shade of a tarp making fresh Burmese pancakes. Five small cast iron skillets were sitting in smoldering charcoal. Five terra cotta lids were heating on the coals as well. She prepared a single pancake in each skillet, picked up a lid with a pair of tongs, and placed it over a skillet. We each had a pancake and they were delicious: warm, sweet, and fresh.

Everyone we passed said hello to us, and they all made gestures of approval for Craig's longyi and my shoulder bag with a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi on it. People gathered and greeted us and returned our smiles.

We approached the local outdoor market. This was not a tourist market; it was where locals gathered to buy and sell. We saw two women pushing a heavy cartload of goods. We always enjoy browsing at these markets, but we were especially excited today because we were actually on the lookout for something specific to buy. We each wanted to buy a new longyi. They were so comfortable and they were also a great icebreaker with local people.

We enjoyed looking at all of the goods for sale around the market: thanaka, Burmese and western clothing, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, tea, chilies, etc. Everyone was very friendly and nobody tried to pressure us to buy anything. They were more interested in interacting with us. We shared a laugh with a woman selling mushrooms when her child was at the same time curious about us and terrified.

We found a stall which had various men's and women's longyis for sale. I liked a deep purple one for myself, and we liked a rich red one for Craig. The seller really wanted to sell us a matching set, but Craig didn't want purple. When she noticed that he was now wearing a teal one, she tried to get me to trade my purple one for teal, saying it would look very nice if we matched. I already had a teal one (just wasn't wearing it today). I still wanted purple. We convinced her that we'd be ok without matching, and she laughed. The prices were quite reasonable at a little under $6 apiece.

I bought another longyi at a different stall for around $3.50. This one was made from thinner material, and it was a lavender and black floral print. They threw in a small black piece of cloth as a belt for free.

We also bought a packet of tea. It was a lot of fun exploring the market and interacting with people. We consider it to be responsible tourism to spread our money around, buying small things from several different sellers.

Afterwards, we continued our walk through the village and passed a pre-primary school where all of the little kids congregated at the windows and waved to us. It was so adorable, and we apologized to the teacher for our presence being a distraction!

Sandro led us toward a monastery at the top of a hill. There were two options for accessing the monastery: a staircase consisting of 200 steps or a sloped path at a grade suitable for tuk-tuks and motorbikes. A local woman suggested that we should walk up the path and come down the steps, which worked well for Craig. He has a harder time walking down sloped surfaces than stairs. This path also follows the Buddhist tradition of circumambulating pagodas in a clockwise direction. We walked up the path which curled around the back of the hill, passing crumbling brick stupas overgrown with vegetation.

At the top, we wandered among various temples and shrines. There was an observation platform which afforded a beautiful view down at the river. We could see tin-roofed houses, gilded pagodas, palm trees, sandy riverbanks, and the waters of the Chindwin.

A teenaged girl dressed like a tomboy at the monastery complex took to Craig immediately. She wanted a selfie with him, and then the two of them looked at the view together. She pointed down to the river. "Boat?" she asked as she then pointed to Craig. "Yes, we are from the boat," he told her, "can you see it from here?" She then directed his gaze past some vegetation at such an angle that he could see our Zawgi Pandaw waiting for us.

Everyone here is so friendly and curious; it is a charming place to visit. They are not yet jaded by tourists, and are not viewing visitors as dollar signs. It was really lovely.

Craig knelt down in front of a Buddha statue in one of the temples and paid his respects. There were gorgeous orchids on the altar. A man taught Craig the proper way to ring the monastic bell, a large, heavy bell with engraved text covering its exterior.

This hilltop was quite serene. A shady umbrella-shaped tree with bright yellow flowers gave the lush green landscape a pop of bright color. Another tree, embodying the archetype of treeness, had protruding gnarled roots. Candles and incense burned on a small altar in front of the tree.

As we wandered the grounds, we admired Buddha statues as well as a Nat shrine to the white horse king. Nats are generally martyrs who are revered in an animist tradition. There were people at the Nat shrine and a medium who helped them to give their prayers to the Nats as penance for their sins.

When it was time to return to the boat, we descended the 200 steps via a covered walkway (saungdan). Craig was happy that he had a controlled staircase with railings. His knees give him problems going downhill, and stairs are easier for him.

We walked back through the village to the riverbank, and then boarded the boat. We now looked forward to this familiar ritual of washing our foreheads with a cool facecloth and drinking a cold glass of juice as we sought shelter from the midday heat.

We cooled down in our cabin for a while and then went up onto the deck. I had a Sprite and Craig had a beer, and we relaxed in the deck chairs at the stern. Myanmar beer was running a promotion where the old-school pull tabs had letters underneath. You could spell things and win prizes, and some were instant winners of cash or a free beer. The bar staff sifted through all of the discarded beer tabs to see if they had a winner. Craig's beer was a winner of a free beer, and they tried to give him the tab. Beer was already included, so he certainly didn't need it, and insisted that they keep it instead.

Before we knew it, Htet the bartender was ringing the lunch gong. We joined Toni at a table and enjoyed talking with her while we enjoyed ur lunch:
  • gourd soup
  • stir fried chicken with shredded ginger and black mushrooms
  • crepes in fruit sauce
After lunch, we relaxed in the lounge chairs on the stern of the boat. I typed up my notes. There would be no afternoon excursion today. We would be continuing further along the river, and Sandro would give a lecture on Myanmar culture onboard.

At 4:00 p.m., we gathered for the lecture in the library / movie room. Craig had a cup of tea and I had a cup of coffee. It was nice and air conditioned inside, but everyone other than us thought that it was too cold and turned the a/c off. Toni suggested turning the heat to 26 Celsius! Craig abandoned his hot tea and asked for a beer instead. When it arrived, he rested the inside of his wrists on the cold glass to try to cool down.

Craig moved over and sat next to the open door to take advantage of the breeze. A loud boat passed, and they closed the door on the opposite side of the boat to shut out the noise. So much for that pleasant cross-breeze! It was quite uncomfortable and we were dreaming of the cool temperature in our cabin, but we didn't want to miss this discussion of Burmese culture, so we toughed it out.

T^he first part of the presentation dealt with traditional Myanmar dress. Though men and women wear longyis (a style adapted from the Indian sarong), there are specialized names of longyis for each gender. A man's longyi is called a paso, whereas a woman's is called a htamain. The dress shirt worn by men is Chinese in origin. The versatility of the paso was demonstrated, and one of the crewman modeled the different looks:
  • turban
  • schoolbag
  • backpack
  • jacket
  • ninja
  • elephant trunk mask
  • shorts (worn for sport and to show off leg tattoos as a sign of bravery)
  • cushion
The next topic was traditions relating to babies. Sandro explained that names are assigned at baby naming ceremonies at monasteries. Monks and astrologers are consulted to find the most appropriate name for the child.

We had learned about baby naming traditions in Yangon: The alphabet is segmented into different related consonants grouped by the 8 days of the Burmese week (Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoon are two separate days). A baby's first name starts with a particular consonant depending on which day he or she was born. There is no concept of a family name in Myanmar. Occasionally, a child will carry the honorific name of a notable relative (for instance Aung San Suu Kyi's name is prefixed by the name of her father Aung San).

The day of the week on which someone was born is also important for marriage matches. Craig and I realized that we didn't know our birth days of the week, but thanks to Google we were able to figure it out: Craig is Monday and I am Thursday. I don't know if that means we are compatible horoscope-wise, but we've been together for 22 years, so...

Weddings don't need to be religious ceremonies, though most Buddhists will offer food to monks at a monastery to gain merit when they get married. weddings - don't need to be religious ceremoniesoffer food to monks at monastery to gain merit. Divorce is rare in Burmese culture, but a woman can seek divorce in cases of adultery or if her husband leaves for more than 3 years.

The monastery is a an important part of Burmese life. Most people spend at least some time in the monastery even if they don't become full-time monks or nuns. This starts with a novitiate ceremony at age 7. Boys have their heads shaved at this ceremony, whereas girls have their ears pierced.

Next, Sandro taught us about death rituals. When Burmese people pass away, the body is placed in a bamboo or wooden coffin which sits in front of the house for three days to wait for relatives to pay their respects. They have a procession to the cemetery (though some people choose cremation as crypts and burial plots can be espensive, especially in cities). On the 7th day following the person's death, Buddhist monks come to the home. Food is offered to the deceased, and at that point, the family ceases to be related to the deceased, because he or she has already been reborn.

Next we learned about the history of Myanmar. The Pu period (named after an ancient ethnic group who emigrated from Tibet) was centered in Bagan between the 1st and 9th centuries A.D. This society held a mixture of Hindu and animist beliefs. Buddhism arrived from Sri Lanka during the Mon period (11th century) under King Anawrahta.

Here is a brief timeline of modern history, culled from both this lecture and The Burma Spring by Rena Pederson:

  • 1886: Burma loses sovereignty and becomes a part of British India

  • 1947: Bogyoke Aung San (Aung San Suu Kyi's father) is assassinated

  • 1948: Burma gains independence

  • 1962: General Ne Win founds the Socialist Program Party, a single party government headed by the military

  • 1988: University uprising following currency devaluation. Government responds with violence. Aung San Suu Kyi (Aung San's daughter) returns to Burma from England to assist her sick mother. As the daughter of a revolutionary, she campaigns for democracy.

  • 1989: Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest for her political activities. She is free to leave the country, but will not be allowed to return. She chooses to stay and fight on, while her husband Michael Aris and their two sons continue to live in England. While in seclusion, she studies Buddhism and nonviolent resistance.

  • 1990: United States imposes economic sanctions on Burma

  • 1991: Aung San Suu Kyi wins the Nobel Peace Prize while under house arrest. Michael and the children accept the award on her behalf.

  • 1999: Aung San Suu Kyi's husband Michael Aris dies of cancer. He is repeatedly denied a visa to enter Burma to see her one last time before he dies. They have not seen one another since 1995.

  • 2006: Capital is moved from Yangon to Naypyidaw. This is further from the coast and thought therefore to allow escape to China in the event of a coastal invasion.

  • 2010: Aung San Suu Kyi is finally released for good, after spending 15 of the prior 21 years under house arrest or in jail. Elections are held but they are corrupt. The generals are still in charge of the government, but they stop wearing military garb.

  • 2011: Film "The Lady" is released, a biopic about Aung San Suu Kyi's life. We watched this prior to visiting Myanmar, and it gave us great perspective on The Lady and her personal sacrifice for her country.

  • 2015: A clause written into the Constitution 7 years prior bars Aung San Suu Kyi from seeking the presidency because she was married to a foreigner and her children are not Burmese citizens (their citizenship was revoked by the military government years ago). Her NLD Party wins the general elections.

  • 2016: Htin Kyaw is president of Myanmar, and creates a position called State Counsellor for Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi visits Washington, D.C., and President Obama lfts U.S. sanctions on Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi had advocated for sanctions as a means of non-violent resistance against the military junta. Cronyism was rampant, with 90% of the country's money in the hands of 1% of the population. Any foreign trade with the country would directly benefit the regime. Sandro said that he thinks that sanctions were ultimately not the best tactic, as he feels that tourism would have benefited all levels of society. Also, the lack of Western trading partners meant that China gained tremendous influence over the country.

The lifting of sanctions will increase tourism and also allow Myanmar to have trading partners who can teach them environmentally responsible technology.

Even though the National League for Democracy has won the presidency and maintains the vast majority of parliamentary seats, 25% of parliamentary seats are appointed by the military. A greater than 75% majority is necessary to pass legislation. This means that any piece of legistlation needs at least one vote from the military in order to pass. Much like President Obama with a Republican Congress, it is very difficult for Aung San Suu Kyi to get "liberal" legislation to pass, and she often has to compromise.

This creates a problem for Aung San Suu Kyi. When she had been a political prisoner, people idealized her. Their hopes for true democracy and freedom were projected onto her. When she was freed and became the de facto head of the government, they expected miracles from her. She was their "Lady". They view her as their savior, and when she has to compromise with the military, some feel disillusioned.

There has been a problem with ethnic violence in Rakhine provice between the majority Buddhist Burmese and the Rohingya, Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh. The Burmese don't want the Rohingya in their country. The Rohingya can't get Burmese citizenship, and allegedly suffer human rights abuses at the hands of the majority. Some are calling Aung San Suu Kyi a hypocrite for not protecting the Rohingya from human rights abuses. But she can't just wave a magic wand and stop it...she needs buy-in from the military. She did, however, ask Kofi Annan to launch an official investigation into the situation in Rakhine.

The lecture was very informative, but the stifling heat of the room had taken its toll. Craig wasn't feeling very well and was in danger of dehydrating. About 5 other people in the larger group fell asleep during the lecture, probably in large part due to the heat! We went back to our room, basked in the air conditioning, and drank lots of water.

At 7 o'clock we went up to the upper deck to get the next day's schedule. The special happy hour cocktail was rum punch, which I eagerly samples. Htet the bartender was very excited that I liked it and asked for another. They served sausage wrapped in bacon for appetizers (that's a lot of pork!) as Win announced tomorrow's program.

We sat with Esther at dinner, which consisted of:
  • Myanmar style eggplant salad
  • Kichin style pork curry with banana flower
  • shwekyi baked semolina

We talked about our friendship with our dear late friend Frank, and Esther's book club where none of the members read the book. It was a fun conversation.

After dinner, everyone retired to their cabins at around 9:30 p.m. Craig still wasn't feeling very well, so we went straight to bed. We hoped that this wasn't the precursor to a heat-induced MS attack. Rest was the best thing for him.

At 10:45 p.m., I heard a dripping / splashing sound. Water leaks are not something you want to hear when you are on a boat! I followed the sound to the bathroom where water was dripping down the wall. I went out to get a crew member. When I told them that water was dripping, their first reaction was "air con." But when I told them that it was in the bathroom, they looked a little more concerned. Three men followed me to our cabin. They looked around in the bathroom, pointing to the sink plumbing and then pointing upstairs.

They left our cabin, telling us that they would go upstairs to check it out. It turns out that Sara, whose cabin was directly above ours, and the seal in the plumbing under her sink had failed. When she ran water in the sink, it dripped down into our bathroom.

A few minutes later, the crew knocked lightly on the door and called "hello" very quietly. They explained the situation and told me that it was all set. They would fix it tomorrow while we were on an excursion, and and we could go to sleep now. We were just glad that the boat wasn't somehow taking on water!

We moored at Mout Ka Taw (next to another boat) after traveling 59 miles on the river today.





Kanee Village



Mout Ka Taw
Friendly locals welcome us to Kanee

Friendly locals welcome us to Kanee

A man with a guitar beckons us into the health clinic

A man with a guitar beckons us into the health clinic

A woman cooks Burmese pancakes

A woman cooks Burmese pancakes

Longyi sellers at Kanee market

Longyi sellers at Kanee market

Food seller at Kanee market

Food seller at Kanee market

Pagoda, Kanee

Pagoda, Kanee

Kanee Pre-Primary students

Kanee Pre-Primary students

Kanee Village

Kanee Village

Mother and baby, Kanee Village

Mother and baby, Kanee Village

Craig and a new friend at Kanee monastery

Craig and a new friend at Kanee monastery

Kanee monastery

Kanee monastery

Nat shrine, Kanee monastery

Nat shrine, Kanee monastery

View down to the Chindwin River from Kanee Monastery

View down to the Chindwin River from Kanee Monastery

Craig talks to Sandro as we board the boat in Kanee

Craig talks to Sandro as we board the boat in Kanee

Villages along the Chindwin River

Villages along the Chindwin River

Htet prepares rum punch for happy hour

Htet prepares rum punch for happy hour

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