Day #5 Orwell the Prophet & Local Village
Life Transportation ~ Ferries, Trishaws, & Trains
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| Yangon Harbor |
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| A couple looking mindful |
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| Disembarking our ferry |
We disembark to meet the
drivers of our trishaw bikes (or rickshaws
or side cars). These rusted and
ancient bikes look like something from the 50’s and John and I are unable to make our
bottoms fit into the small wooden seats positioned behind our drivers.
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| Janonne US ambassador |
These were clearly made for small people with narrow hips ~
they fit Janonne perfectly and she looks like a queen.
David distressed his luggage hasn't arrived but at least he
does have his 3 cameras.
David distressed his luggage hasn't arrived but at least he
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| David our professional photographer |
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| Virginia UK journalist |
us reminds us how much we love British humor.
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| Skip the banker |
Skip who is always cheery doesn't want to miss anything and avoids the sun.
Small towns rely heavily
on horse carts and trishaws such as these as the main mode of local
transportation. My driver says his
name is Joe and tells me he is 40 years old with 4 children. He offers me his
hat to wear and we set off biking on rocky, dusty, and bumpy roads and
paths. 
We pass through small, poor villages where families are living in bamboo huts that look like even a small wind or rain storm would blow them down let alone a cyclone. In 2007 Cyclone Nargis’ 121 mph winds and tidal surge that followed, swept away bamboo huts and left over two million survivors without shelter or supplies. The military government was widely condemned for not accepting outside international help and refusing to allow foreign planes to deliver aid. Locals stepped in to organize their own relief. The UN documented 84,537 deaths and over 53,000 missing people, 61% of whom were female. Other estimates were higher.
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| Nicole taking pictures from her rickshaw |
Despite sitting on half of one’s rear end our bike trip is wonderful. I view coffee and teashops and local people selling vegetables or fruits. I don't hear crying babies.
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| Boy monk carrying water |
The children’s schools
look very poor.
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| Local School |
They are cooking and washing dishes by the side of the dirt road.
We stop on a bridge to view the flat bottomed boats and village
life.
The people mostly smile at us and seem unfazed by having their picture taken. Zanny and I have taken a few hundred at this point.
Are we the paparazze?
George Orwell ~ the Prophet
In the afternoon we drive through downtown Yangon’s lively streets including Chinatown area. We stop to visit the independence monument bordered by colonial style buildings constructed in the early 20th century.
I think about Emma Larkin’s book, Finding George Orwell in Burma about Orwell’s experiences in the Far East when he worked here for the British colonial authority. I have just finished reading this book and learning how Orwell’s novels effectively tell the story of Burma’s recent history under British colonialism. Not long after Burma became independent from Britain in 1948, a military dictator sealed off the country from the outside world and turned Burma from one of the richest countries into one of the poorest countries in Asia. Burma has one of the worst records for human rights abuse in the world. This oppression of an entire nation of some 50 million people was effectively hidden from view by military intelligence spies, strict censorship, foreign journalist deportation and government propaganda in newspapers, schools and universities. The same story is told in Orwell’s Animal Farm, an allegorical tale about a group of pigs who overthrow the human farmers and eventually ruin the farm.
Our guide Oo Mint who has been a guide for the past 12 years confirms how things were as recent as 3 years ago when he could not talk about politics openly for fear of being imprisoned with a 7-year sentence. Tour guides were warned that government eyes and ears were everywhere. How was it that Orwell who lived here for 5 years in the 20’s would foresee that a half-century of military dictatorship would play out his nightmare vision?
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| View from Independence Monument ~ colonial and Thai architecture |
I think about Emma Larkin’s book, Finding George Orwell in Burma about Orwell’s experiences in the Far East when he worked here for the British colonial authority. I have just finished reading this book and learning how Orwell’s novels effectively tell the story of Burma’s recent history under British colonialism. Not long after Burma became independent from Britain in 1948, a military dictator sealed off the country from the outside world and turned Burma from one of the richest countries into one of the poorest countries in Asia. Burma has one of the worst records for human rights abuse in the world. This oppression of an entire nation of some 50 million people was effectively hidden from view by military intelligence spies, strict censorship, foreign journalist deportation and government propaganda in newspapers, schools and universities. The same story is told in Orwell’s Animal Farm, an allegorical tale about a group of pigs who overthrow the human farmers and eventually ruin the farm.
Our guide Oo Mint who has been a guide for the past 12 years confirms how things were as recent as 3 years ago when he could not talk about politics openly for fear of being imprisoned with a 7-year sentence. Tour guides were warned that government eyes and ears were everywhere. How was it that Orwell who lived here for 5 years in the 20’s would foresee that a half-century of military dictatorship would play out his nightmare vision?
Circular Train Ride
We board a slow moving, wooden seated train that takes people from the city to the outskirt areas. I recall my daughter Anna telling us that this is the way she and Zack traveled through Burma a year ago. After 45 minutes on these hard seats I wonder how long her train ride was. This train ride on narrow gauge tracks rocks back and forth and bounces one up and down, not unlike a horse ride. I can’t imagine being able to sleep in this train or sit in it for 12 hours. I later read that my guidebook recommends air-conditioned bus transportation over a train ride.
Nonetheless it is fun to view people’s gardens and some of the small villages as we go along. We were told in our guidebook that we would be able to rub shoulders and talk with local people but that sadly does not happen for us.
Perhaps we are in first class
seats?
Nonetheless it is fun to view people’s gardens and some of the small villages as we go along. We were told in our guidebook that we would be able to rub shoulders and talk with local people but that sadly does not happen for us.
Perhaps we are in first class
seats?
Scott Market ~ John
and Skip buy longyis
We end this first day in Burma at a large market. Our guide
tells us we only have 30 minutes but will have a chance to come back here on
the last day. John considers taking a taxi back to the hotel, as he is tired
and dreads shopping with me. Given the limited time period and Skip’s
companionship he decides to stay.
Skip decides to buy a longyi.
Zanny and I decide we should help. Skip tries on these sarong-like
garments and is delighted to be helped by 3 beautiful young women who teach him
how they must tie them on so they won’t fall off.
John thinks that Skip looks so good in this skirt that he
decides to get one as well. Then
they must choose between longyis of various colors, which are all a variation
of indigo, green and deep-purple plaid. Finally they make their decisions and
walk through the market giggling and enjoying themselves. Market people look at
them and laugh which sets off more giggling.
I think about this mixture of people from India, China and Burma representing Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist religions living together and wonder about the level of conflict or acceptance among them. We have heard about the Muslims being killed by Buddhists in the northeastern part of Burma. Again my fantasy of peaceful Buddhism is shattered. We end this remarkable day with dinner outside providing a view of Shwedagon Pagoda and try to process all that we have seen and what lessons there are for us .
John thinks that Skip looks so good in this skirt that he
decides to get one as well. Then
they must choose between longyis of various colors, which are all a variation
of indigo, green and deep-purple plaid. Finally they make their decisions and
walk through the market giggling and enjoying themselves. Market people look at
them and laugh which sets off more giggling. I think about this mixture of people from India, China and Burma representing Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist religions living together and wonder about the level of conflict or acceptance among them. We have heard about the Muslims being killed by Buddhists in the northeastern part of Burma. Again my fantasy of peaceful Buddhism is shattered. We end this remarkable day with dinner outside providing a view of Shwedagon Pagoda and try to process all that we have seen and what lessons there are for us .
What a fabulous journal!!
ReplyDeleteSherry