“A Journey Beyond Compare” Myanmar Bhutan January 5-21, 2013 AsiaTranspacific Journeys Charles and Judith Moore www.charlieandjudith.com TABLE OF CONTENTS The Tour Group………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 The Common Thread – Buddhism……………………………………………………………………………. 5 Comparison –Myanmar and Bhutan………………………………………………………………………. 8 History – Burma/Myanmar……………………………………………………………………………………… 9 History - Bhutan…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 Journal – Burma/Myanmar o January 4-6 – Hello, Singapore and Yangon/Rangoon………………………………… 11 o January 7 – Yangon – The British Influence………………………………………………… 13 o January 8 – Moving Day……………………………………………………………………………… 15 o January 9 – Mandalay…………………………………………………………………………………. 17 o January 10 – All Aboard!................................................................................... 19 o January 11 – “Stupa-fied” in Bagan…………………………………………………………….. 21 o January 12 – Not on Top of Old Bagan………………………………………………………… 23 o January 13 – On to the Lake Country…………………………………………………………… 25 o January 14 – The Most Beautiful Lake…………………………………………………………. 27 o January 15 – Moving Day……………………………………………………………………………. 32 Journal – Bhutan o January 16 – Back to Buddhist Country……………………………………………………….. 33 o January 17 – Thimphu…………………………………………………………………………………. 36 o January 18 – Over the Mountain - in the Shadows of the Himalayas………….. 39 o January 19 – Snow on the Pass!........................................................................ 42 o January 20 – To the Top, or Stop…………………………………………………………………. 43 o January 21-22 – Moving Days Again; Heading Home…………………………………… 45 Fun Facts – Burma/Myanmar…………………………………………………………………………………… 46 Fun Facts – Bhutan…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 47 Acknowledgements and Final Thoughts……………………………………………………………………. 48 1 FELLOW TRAVELERS: January 5 - 15 Fred Crouch, Washington DC Kazie and John Harvey, New York, NY Missy Lynch, Quogue, NY Rosemary McAllister, New York, NY Jane Nyman, Denver, CO January 5 - 18 Elizabeth Cannon, Statesville, NC Betsy Hoover, Princeton, NJ Christie Kinney, New York, NY Michael Martin, Montclair, NJ January 5 – 21 “ The Real Die-Hards” Mara Berzins, London, UK Luly Duke, New York, NY Fritzi Kallop, New York, NY Judith and Charlie Moore, New York, NY Ruth Ross, Chapel Hill, NC LEAD GUIDES Ken “SP” Myanmar Bhutan email: [email protected] email: [email protected] 2 INTRODUCTION Each international trip we are fortunate enough to take, we exclaim, “That was the best!” This one, however, pushed the limits of incomparability. We visited two relatively small, distinctively different countries: in State Department parlance, one in Southeast Asia and one in South Asia. Burma/Myanmar is bordered by China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh, as well as 1,200 miles along the Bay of Bengal, while Bhutan is landlocked and bordered by only China and India. We were invited to join a wonderful group; mostly bound by their passion for Duke University and for traveling with the Harveys as arranged by Fritzi Kallop. That list is included on the inside cover, which also shows how our group diminished over the trip from 16 to 10 and finally to 6. Few of us had ever visited Myanmar or Bhutan; all were united around our interest in the countries, cultures and histories. In many respects, Myanmar remains a world apart. One of the most fascinating aspects of travel in Myanmar is the opportunity to experience a corner of Asia that, in many ways, has changed little since British Colonial times (e.g. no ATMs until the day we arrived and very limited use of credit cards). Still, Myanmar is a troubled land. In 2011, following the previous year’s election, a quasi-civilian government was sworn in and Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the former Burmese Army General, was released from house arrest. The tourist boycott that persuaded many to stay clear of Burma during the military regime, had been lifted. Keep in mind that the long-suffering people are everything that military government is not: gentle, humorous, engaging, considerate and passionate. It’s clear they want to play a part in the world. Indelible impressions: climactic diversity (40th largest country in the world), a longing for an optimistic future and a sense that whatever progress is made, will be accomplished by the Burmese people themselves. On the other hand, Bhutan is a sanctuary of harmonious evolution in the heart of the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. The country’s history stretches back to the origin of Buddhism, and its deeply spiritual people are earthy, enterprising, prosperous and delightfully humorous. They live in harmony with nature and have evolved a unique identity, derived largely from a religious and cultural heritage steeped in the concept of the importance of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Forest covers approximately 72% of the land; 51% is government protected. And yet, Bhutan is known as the “Land of the Thunder Dragon”. The Bhutanese lifestyle truly revolves around spirits and demons, ritual and tradition and respect for the natural environment. Indelible impressions: Bhutanese architecture, prayer wheels, prayer flags and their every-day approach to the concept of “Gross National Happiness”. So, how can one report on the amazing experience of just “sampling” these two fascinating countries: 10 days and 5 communities in Myanmar/Burma and 5 days and 3 communities in Bhutan? First, we have our photos throughout this report but they don’t tell the full story even in the towns and villages we visited. I have been consistently reprimanded on the length of my diary reports. At the outset, I committed to shortening them this time. I have failed! My “cup” of impressions and experiences simply “runneth over”. So, to make amends and provide some shortcuts, I have added 3 summary histories and “fun facts” for each country and a tabular comparison of the two countries. Take your pick or read on. A note about the food. There are so many ways the people of South Asia can prepare chilies, none of which accommodate most Western palates. Our guides were also considerate in working with the various hotel and restaurant staffs in toning down the “hot stuff” for those of us who can’t or won’t tolerate it. The four primary flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine are sour, salty, spicy and bitter. For the most part, we had rice, rice, rice and rice (brown, red and white), complimented with noodles, and lots of vegetables and fruit. The bananas are outstanding. Meats were limited to chicken and fried pork products. Most of us would have cheese omelets for breakfast, and soup at both lunch and dinner. The rest of the meals did not stray far from rice and vegetables. Curiously, I didn’t lose any weight! A note on a common vice: chewing the doma nut (Indian name, pana). The nut is mixed with lime powder (the ash, not the fruit) and the whole concoction is rolled up in a heart-shaped betel leaf and chewed slowly. It’s a bittersweet, mildly intoxicating concoction, and it stains the mouth and teeth bright red. You can see the blood-like stains resulting from spitting the juice all over the streets and even in the temples. As far as we know, our group did not indulge! 4 THE COMMON THREAD: BUDDHISM ↘ The world’s principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, although this is by no means a uniform practice. While only 6% of the world is believed to be Buddhist, our journey was all about Buddhism and its traditions. Faith and superstition go hand in hand in both Myanmar and Bhutan. Roughly 90% of the people in both countries are Buddhist but many also pay heed to ancient animist beliefs in natural spirits. The locals we met are proud of their traditions and are keen to discuss them. Freedom of religion is guaranteed under each country’s constitution. However, Buddhism is given special emphasis. The Mon people (migrated from India 11,000 years ago and settled in the southwest of Myanmar on the Andaman Sea) were the first in Myanmar to practice Theravada (meaning Doctrine of the Elders) Buddhism, the oldest and most conservative form of the religion. King Asoka, the great Indian emperor, is known to have sent missionariess during the 3rd Century BC. A second wave is thought to have arrived via Sinhalese missionaries between the 6th and 10th centuries. By the 9th century, the Pyu of northern Mynamar were combining Theravada with elements of Mahayana (Great Vehicle) and Tantric Buddhism brought from their homelands in the Tibetan Plateau. During the early Bagan era (11th C.), Bamar king, Anawrahta decided that the Buddhist practice in his realm should be “purified” of all non-Theravada elements. It never completely shed Tantric, Hindu and animist elements, but remains predominantly Theravada. Theravada Buddhism (also practiced in Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand) differs from Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity in that it is not centered on a god or gods but rather, exists as a psycho- philosophical system. Today, it covers a wide range of interpretations of the basic beliefs, which all start from the enlightenment of the Siddhartha Gautama, a prince-turned-ascetic and referred to as the Buddha in northern India beginning around 2500 years ago. In the Theravada school, it’s believed that the individual strives to achieve nirvana, rather than waiting for all humankind being ready for salvation as in the Mahayana (Large Vehicle) school. The Mahayana school does not reject Theravadism; instead