Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

As we'll be off to South Africa in a few days, I'm going to take a few minutes to wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Things to look forward to in 2011 (amongst others): VISITORS!!!!

So... yeah.... come on over and see what all the fuss about Burma is about!

Telephone Technology

Our house phone amazes me. It is a technological wonder that has been a constant source of bewilderment since our arrival in Yangon.

When you pick it up, you don't hear a dial-tone. Instead, you hear a local radio station (this week, it's been a capella choral Christmas carols), or sometimes even two. Behind all the extra noise and static, a faint dial-tone, as if from the bottom of a well, can be heard.

Anyone who calls us also sounds like they are down at the bottom of a well. A deep well. A deep deep well that absorbs all sound. Telephone conversations are short, with us yelling into the receiver that we can't hear them and would they mind speaking up, while the person on the other end of the line wonders why we are yelling at them....

The only time the phone rings, it seems, it isn't for us anyway. It's almost always for the neighbours, and/or some Burmese person asking us who we are. On the rare occasion that it is for us, we are, of course, unable to understand what the person at the bottom of the well is saying anyway, as the music is sometimes loud enough (or distracting enough -- Ty caught me humming Christmas carols the last time he called me from work, since that's all I could hear) to drown them out completely.

Oh, and the phone doesn't work at all when it's raining.... Needless to say, one of the first times we ever even heard the phone ring was once the rainy season had passed.

"Why not Skype?" I can hear you (Meron) saying... Well, first off, we don't have internet at home...Add in the time difference between Myanmar and Canada (either 11 or 12 hours), and it makes it almost impossible to coordinate.

For out-going phone calls, we can use the satellite phone at the Council, which thinks it's in the UK. Of course, the only time I can actually use it is after my classes at 7:30pm my time. Soooo... I guess if your phone rings at stupid o'clock in the morning, and it's a UK number, you can be sure it's me.

November Full Moon

In Burma, every month's full moon is a reason to celebrate. The full moon of November is extra special, because the period of time from the full moon of October to the one in November is reserved for special donations from the people to the monasteries. It all culminates in a weekend of candle-lit temples and pagodas, dancing in the streets and, with Mr Win Tin, special donations to the monastery, followed by a delicious lunch.

These photos are Ty's, taken almost a month ago... unfortunately, work, my MA assignments and both of us being sick have kept me from updating. Also, only half the photos are here... I'll try to edit the post and upload the rest tomorrow (including a video of the procession up our street to the monastery near our place).

A rather non-descript little pagoda near our house, across from a grocery store...

suddenly becomes arty and beautiful

 Pinwheels of money, donated to the monastery, along with all sorts of daily items, from clocks to waste paper baskets, to soap, to notebooks... Some of these are raffled off, but some seem to be given to the monks.

 Coconut oil lamps around the pagoda

Balloons for sale outside the pagoda... why not?

In a pagoda in a nicer part of town (and frequented by the rich), the offerings are works of art in themselves. There were tables and tables of artfully carved watermelon, carrots... everything. More opulent than the mosques of Abu Dhabi.

Bringing donations to the monasteries: In the 2 weeks before the full moon, convoys of trucks like these were all over the city, blaring music and cheering each other on as they donated to monasteries throughout Yangon.

The next day, at Mr Win Tin's monastery, hundreds of people came out to donate to the monks. Actually, what happened was you stood in line, and you were handed a box containing a robe. You 'gave' your 'donation' to the head monk - first men, then women.

Waiting my turn with Mr Win Tin's daughter (in yellow).

 Mr Win Tin and Ty show off their longyis. Ty is also wearing the traditional Burmese collar-less shirt.

The procession that led up our street to the monastery...

Oh... and here is the 'dancing in the streets' part: The procession leading to the monastery up the street gave us a special performance. We're looking over our gate, and the blurry bit in front is the barbed wire on top...

Burma Factfile

When a gecko's tail is bitten off by a cat, the little bit that got bitten off will keep on wriggling around. Perhaps this distracts the cat long enough for the rest of the gecko to escape...

Garden Beasties

I suppose one of the best things, for me, here in Yangon is the wildlife in our garden. Some of it is very welcome (like the flowers, the butterflies and the birds). Some of it is a bit less welcome (like the snakes, the massive flying cockroaches, the rat). Some of it is just weird (like the jumping frogs with sticky toes, the insect that dug a hole). But, be it strange, crazy or just beautiful, it's all a part of the incredible ecosystem of our little patch of land. Considering that we live in a residential area, it just makes you wonder what might be out there, in the true wilderness of Burma.

Anyway, here are a few photos of the beasties I see when I walk in my garden:

(Not pictured: the geckos, the millipedes, the two stray cats who wander through every night, the stray dogs outside)

I spotted this bug when I was watering the garden one evening. He was walking out of his hole, backwards, with a bunch of dirt and sand to throw on the pile. It's about 3 inches long.

 Look closely: it's a toad, yes, but it's in the jaws of a small (relatively -- the snake was about 2.5 feet long) snake. The snake eventually managed to rotate the toad around and swallow him. Apparently, these toads do secrete something poisonous, so this might have been this little snakey's last meal. Oh, and this was all shot in the flowerbed outside the kitchen window.

Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies... they are everywhere in our garden, although not all are as big and beautiful as these guys (swallowtails?). But really... can anyone recommend a book on "How to identify the things that wander through your garden in Yangon"?

We came home the other night, and found this guy on our gate. We've seen his bigger cousin in the garage a few times, stuck to a wall.

Our papaya tree, with an iguana-thing (look down the trunk). Don't steal our papayas!!!

Our gardener, who we have dubbed "Smeagol" because nobody can seem to tell us what his name is. He's awesome, and he loves the cats.  

This is a rare species known as the Koreanstreetcattus Ingratious.

Finally, the orchids! Bought for $5 at the grocery store, they have decided to bloom again!

The Ride to Work

Well, I've been wanting to do this for a while: Take my camera with me on the ride to work. I think it makes a perfect first blog.... welcome to my world!

The first thing I see on the ride to work is Mr Win Tin's smiling eyes in the rearview mirror.

 Perhaps the days of Yangon's sidewalks being the worst in Asia are coming to an end?

 A blurry (taken out the cab window) shot of the lake I pass on the way to work -- about 2 blocks from my house.

 Enjoy Life... Most of the buses in Yangon should have been put out to pasture when they completed their stints in Malaysia, China, Korea... instead, they end up here!

 Selling cigarettes, newspapers, betel, flowers, even flowers!... at almost every major intersection, there are dozens of people walking beside the stopped cars.

 Flower sellers -- I didn't notice that they were looking at an iPod until after I took the photo.

 Random apartment blocks

 I will never ever ever ever learn to read or write Burmese

 Nicer houses are hidden behind high walls...

 Shwedagon Paya -- photos do not do justice!

 Near downtown Yangon, the covered structure to the right of the photo is a water station -- clay pots of water, often with Buddha images around -- which can be found almost everywhere in the city.

 Fixing the sidewalks is a labour of, well, labour. Here, workers are sorting by hand the pebbles that they will use to build the sidewalks .

 Lots of rock and punk shows here... we're still trying to figure out where this one might be happening.

At 30 cents a cup, instant coffee mixes are a mark of status that only a fraction of the population can afford.

 Where I lived when I first got here -- the Traders Hotel is one of the few tall buildings in the whole city.

 The 2,000 year old Sule Paya -- also a major traffic roundabout!

 On the famous Strand road, a lady walks to the market.

 The market across from the BC.

 Our teashop lady, we call her Chimma. Every time she sees one of us after a few days, she says (in broken English), "I remember you!" -- the word for 'remember' and 'miss' is the same in Burmese.

 Chimma's mildly crazy son.... or at least I hope that's who he is, and I didn't ask some random guy to take off his shirt. Many Burmese, including monks, are tattooed all over their arms and legs - generally with significant (i.e. religious) markings.

 Yogurt! On sale just outside the doors of the BC.

Here we go again....