During my visit in Myanmar I stumbled upon a sign near the entrance of a military domain in the centre of the ancient capitol Mandalay. On the billboard I read the magical words: “People’s Desire”. The sign is located on a major intersection and every day thousands of people pass the sign without looking at it. Maybe because it is written in English and most Burmese hardly speak any English. The sign is definitely meant for the Western tourists on their way from the old Royal Palace to Mandalay Hill…
The message is clear:
* Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views
* Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and the progress of the nation
* Oppose Foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the state
* Crush all internal en external destructive elements as the common enemy
I wonder if this really is the desire of the Burmese people…
People’s Desire: propaganda
Myanmar in Black ‘n White 2
Praying monk at Swhedagon Pagoda, Yangon
Sule Pagoda road, Yangon
Praying in Yangon.
Market in Chinatown, Yangon
Shading the harsh son with umbrela’s in Yangon
DVD shop in Yangon.
Dog in Mandalay.
Bago traffic
Monks studying in Bago
Teenagers at Kyaik-htiyo
Boy in Mandalay
Bagan
Black ‘n White Myanmar
Monk at Swhedagon Pagoda, Yangon
Kyaik-htiyo-pagoda Golden Rock
Yangon Busstation
Yangon Teashop
Bus in Yangon, in front of a colonial building
Monk in a bus, Yangon
Inside a Yangon bus
Fisherman at Inlay lake
Girl in Mandalay
Children at the Swhedagon pagoda, Yangon
Women preparing foot for the monks, Bago
Village near Inlay lake
More Myanmar pics
Novices in Naung-U, Bagan.
Girl selling Postcards in Bagan
Enjoying the view in Bagan
Cow herder in Old Bagan
Herder in Old Bagan.
Women praying In Bagan
1000 year old temple in Bagan.
Young monk studying in Mandalay.
Monks, lining up for Breakfast near Mandalay.
Mandalay.
Graffiti on de wall of the Golden Palace watchtower.
Monk in the Shan mountains.
Resting farmer in the Shan Mountains
Some Myanmar pics
Playing Burmese footbal in the streets of Yangon.
A young Novice in Naungswhe.
Selling fish near Inlay Lake
Naungswhe
Restaurant in Naungswhe.
Boy, wearing Thanaka in Yangon.
Monk at Swhedagon Pagoda, Yangon
Boy in Yangon.
Monks, studying in Bago.
Teashop in Bago.
Monks getting donations, Naungswhe.
Inlay Lake village.
Pa-o tribe children in the Shan mountains.
Children in a Shan mountain village.
Young Pa-O women.
Old Pa-O woman cooking lunch.
Pa-O in a small Shan mountain village.
Shan Mountains.
Monks in Kalaw.
Naungswhe.
Naungswhe.
Yangon
Na een paar plezante dagen in Bangkok ben ik twee dagen geleden aangekomen in Yangon (Rangoon). Het weer is heet, de mensen zijn vriendelijk, Het eten is lekker, communiceren is moeilijk, het verkeer is chaotisch op de drukke plaatsen.
Gisteren ontmoette ik een Boeddistische monnik die me rondleidde langs de verschillende pagodes en me een interessante kijk op het Boeddisme gaf. Vandaag heb ik met hem afgesproken om zijn klooster te bezoeken. Dit lijkt me zeer interessant en ik hoop dat zich dit ook vertaalt in goeie foto`s. Ik vind het moeilijk o; te ontsnappen aan de toeristische stempel te ontsnappen. Hopelijk lukt dit beter als ik Yangon verlaat. Morgen reis ik per bus naar Bago, ten zuid-westen van Yangon. Daarna trek ik richting Bagan en Mandalay…
After a few fun days in Bangkok I finally Arrived in Yangon (Rangoon) two days ago. The weather is hot, people are friendly, communication is difficult, food is good, traffic is chaos in the busy places.
Yesterday I met a bouddist monk who showed me the Pagodas and gave me an interesting inside view about Boudism. Today I am meeting him again t visit his monestary. That should be interesting and I hope it will result in good pictures. I find it very difficult to escape the `tourist` thing. Maybe that will be easier once I leave Yangon.
Tomorrow I am taking the bus to Bago, South-east of Yangon. After that I will try to work up my way to Bagan and Mandalay…
Hitting the road again
Na een paar dagen Bangkok ben ik weer paraat op op pad te gaan momenteel wacht ik op mijn vlucht naar Birma. Ik wacht vol spanning om het land en zijn bewoners te ontdekken.
Sorry voor het korte bericht, maar ik ben dit op mijn ipod aan het schrijven… Later meer!
After a few days in Bangkok I am hitting the road again. Waiting to fly into Burma. I’m really excited. Can’t wait to explore the country and it’s people.
Sorry for the short message but I’m writing this on my ipod…
The road to Mandalay
Pic: Mandalay, by Samuel Bourne (1832-1912)
“Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren’t no Ten Commandments an’ a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin’, an’ it’s there that I would be
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin’-fishes play,
An’ the dawn comes up like thunder outer China ‘crost the Bay!”
————————————— Rudyard Kiplin (read the whole poem here)
Kipling is nooit in Madalay geweest, toch sprak die stad tot zijn verbeelding. Hij schreef het gedicht in de negentiende eeuw en delen van de tekst werden door Oley Speaks gebruikt in het liedje “On the road to Mandalay”. Dit liedje kreeg vooaral bekendheid toen Frank Sinatra het gebruikte op zijn album “Come Fly With Me”.
Met groeiend ongeduld kijk ik uit naar mijn bezoek aan Mandalay. Ik laat jullie weten of de stad terecht tot Kipling’s verbeelding sprak.
Kipling never went to Mandalay, yet the city tickled his imagination. He wrote the poem in the nineteenth century and parts of the poem was used in the song “On the road to Mandalay” by Oley Speaks. Frank Sinatra used this song on his “Come Fly With Me” album.
I look forward to my visit to Mandalay. I will let you know if the city deserved Kiplings appreciation.
