Friendship Prevails in Touristy Bagan
When you think of tourist locales what comes to mind?
- Bus loads of tourists with the guide waving a flag?
- Vendors waving overpriced bottles of water and cola at parched and exhausted visitors?
- Crowds of people getting on tiptoes trying to get the perfect angle for a photo and then scurrying off?
Well Bagan has all of those, and we were expecting that. Its so lovely heaps of people should want to go there. Id never seen so many tourist buses and foreigners waving big cameras in Myanmar before going to Bagan. I knew the crowds rushed here like many other Buddhist temple sites in southeast Asia, and who can blame them. Bagan is beautiful.
A view over Bagan from the top of Pyathada Pagoda.
What we didnt expect to find were local people that were really interested to talk with us. I mean, most places in Myanmar locals are eager to chat with us, like just the other day where a man chased us down the street, twice, to buy us drinks in a bar with his friend. Im sure he didnt usually see foreigners walking down this random side-street in Yangon. Myanmar still isnt so saturated with tourists that were annoying, on the contrary, for most people were pretty curious people, and like our neighbors that love to know where we are and what were up to, local people in Bagan were equally eager to chat with us.
Sunset chat at Htilominlo Pagoda.
Thanakha Attack!
First, there were the women selling drinks outside one of the most visited temples in Bagan. Were about to take off on our bikes, and they start persuading us to buy water, well, yes, theyre right, we did want their ice cold water at their special price. So Kyle walks over and when he says a little something in Burmese about “How much?” and “the really cold one, please”, they just about squeal in delight. Next thing I know, theyve sat me down under a tree, Im holding a mirror, and theyre covering me in the thanaka (the local make-up and skin cooling paste that comes from trees). They were delighted, and when I tried to pay for the thanaka theyd open for me, they refused payment and tried to give me a bracelet as a present, until I pressured them that it was so lovely, I really wanted to pay.
“Now you look just like us!”, she tried to convince me.
Wheres your baby? … Well, wheres your baby?
A bit later in the day, we rode up to a deserted temple, Nathlaung, the lone Hindu temple in the whole of Buddhist Bagan. Two young women were in charge here selling clothes and things, and they had laughing before we even finished parking our bikes outside. Our fun with them started as I started singing a local love song. They just couldnt handle it, and sang along and slapped their legs so impressed with how “Myanmar” Kyle and I are. (Yes, we also see the irony in these compliments.)
Our 2 new friends in Bagan.
Kyle started into what most have been at least a 30 minute slightly-disjointed but highly entertaining conversation in Burmese. We talked about music and food and of course it went to, “Why didnt we have a baby?” Well, where were their babies? They kept testing Kyles Burmese knowldege, and we kept guessing words right back, which turned into lots of miming and charades.
Finally, like the little kid with a small bladder that I am, I needed to go to the bathroom, and they delighted in my ability to say it in Burmese. She walked me out past a few temples, until getting to the perfect spot, but she didnt leave me until scaring me just a bit, “ha ha, not too close to the bushes. The snakes are faster than you!”
Walking back from the “bathroom”.
Monk Friends
A couple of years in Asia, and seeing monks loses much of that instant excitement to photograph every one you see gracefully moving about, even when theyre on their cell phone or taking pictures at tourist sights. So were walking around, the lovely, Shwesizon Pagoda in Nyaung Oo, we see these two monks doing more circles around the temple than seems possible, despite that theyre stopping every few moments to take another photo of one of them at a slightly better angle.
They had that “first-time tourist” look about them where they had more excitement than they could control. So wanting to offer helping take pictures of them, I remembered my Buddhist etiquette that a woman should never hand anything to a male monk. So I nudged Kyle to go over and offer for them. Confusion ensued, and Kyle asking in Burmese and motioning to take their picture ended a series of confusing and entertaining exchanges. They just kept on insisting they couldnt speak English, and instead took Kyle by the hand to have me a take a picture of them.
Kyles the one in the middle wearing the milk & cookies t-shirt.
The Kind Americans?
These sorts of exchanges is what I love about traveling – getting to know local people and having totally unexpected experiences. And being in Myanmar, our time here is chock full of them, where we find ourselves totally embraced by peoples generosities and kind-hearts. So sure the common denominator is us, and were always sure to mention were Americans, but its a larger theme of being aware of the culture youre in and joining their strides and letting down your guard to new experiences. And if youre willing to do all that, you can have really special exchanges that are worth way more than photos.
Similar Posts:
- Life as a Minor Celebrity
- Our 2011 in Myanmar: Full-On
- Quotes From Our Daily Life
- Photoblog: Flag-waving Ceremony in Lucca, Italy
- Who Needs Electricity? Certainly Not Us
