GSH 2019: Incredible Ingle Lake & Bangkok

It is hard to find words to describe Ingle Lake.  It is a truly special place in the world.  An entire water village world – in the middle of the lake – where people live, shop, work, eat and never set foot on dry land.  Their houses are on stilts and they can only leave home by boat.

The fisherman uniquely row their boats with their legs and feet … while they use both arms to cast their nets. It's a tightly choreographed dance.

Water school bus: Even getting kids ready and off to school is a totally different experience.

Many of the homes are basic:  one room, thatched walls and galvanize sheets for a roof.

What it’s like to try and “Keep Up With the Jones-es” when their house has real windows and paint and yours is just plain thatch?  Income inequality and class distinctions are everywhere.

We spent almost the whole day on the lake.. visiting temples and stupas and handicraft workshops.  Amazing.

Good works: We spent a few hours - on the last day in Myanmar - volunteering at a Youth Development monastery in Yangon.  The monks take in, house, feed and educate orphans from far-flung and remote villages around the country.  My favorite part was eating lunch with the kids. They sing their prayers before they can start eating.. magical.

What it looks like when you are the very last person at the table and you aren’t allowed to get up until you clean your plate.  It’s a lonely position to find yourself in... 

Eternal Meditation:  To get points, we had to meditate – FOR TWO HOURS - at a center.  I’m not kidding … TWO hours.  Eternity is a shorter period of time.  But how weird it this?  When we arrived, they told us to wait and a meditation guide would come to help us.  When she arrive - what a shock.  The Buddhist nun is an American woman from Chicago who has lived at this center, in the middle of Yangon, for the past 25 years. What? Remember, Myanmar was under military Junta control for most of those years and the country was considered a dangerous place to even visit.  There is definitely a story there… and probably a good story …  but she did not share it.  

Instead she talked us through various meditation and breathing techniques and then had Rainey and I do an hour of walking meditation … when we were supposed to only concentrate on our steps.  I, instead, tried to self diagnose why my left foot creaks and pops a little when I walk very slowly, heel to toe.  Then we did an hour of sitting meditation when we were supposed to only focused on our breathing... in and out .... but I deeply contemplated the bones of my ankles and how much they hurt when I sit cross-legged.  Basically, I was a total failure at the clear-your-head thing.  I twitched and wiggled and was a D- student.  But I have to admit it… the Center was restful and serene.  Maybe Nun From Chicago is on to something here.

High Tea:  A favorite scavenge .. have high tea at the old colonial hotel, The Strand. Who can turn down scones and clotted cream and mango jam (not strawberry, a clear nod to the tropics)… all served by a waiter wearing white gloves? Super fancy!!

LAST MYANMAR OBSERVATIONS:

Monks:  The “Serious Monk” face photo to send home to Mom to show that you are alive and doing well at the monastery. Whatever you do ... don’t crack a smile.

Knock-offs:  My youngest son, Jordan, LOVES the “Supreme” fashion line, but since I am never paying that kind of money for a simple T-Shirt … his love is more like unrequited yearning.  However, in Myanmar, “Supreme” knock-offs are everywhere.  This scene made me laugh: We are in a village more than an hour from the nearest city and we come across this old man who has very few teeth and lives in the thatched hut behind him … but he does have a Supreme Hat…!!! Eat your heart out, Jordan.

Weird street food:  Some fried crickets … with scratchy legs and wings but a fat juicy body that pops in your mouth when you crunch it.  YUCK. Anthony Bourdain has nothing on me!

Milk in bags:  Having been born and raised in a third world country, when I was a child, our milk came in a bag.  No cartons.  Just a plastic bag.  Myanmar is still in that era.  Brought back memories.

BANGKOK:  Our next stop - after Myanmar - was a lay-over challenge in Bangkok.  We had 7 hours between flights, so we had to rush out of the airport, scurry into the city and see and do a bunch of stuff before getting back in time to catch our flight to Abu Dhabi.  My favorite Bangkok scavenges:

Wat Arun:  Right on the water, we took a longboat water taxi to Wat Arun's jetty.  It is made of thousands of white and jeweled dancing gods... piled in layers on top of each other.

Phra Kaew:  Second wat (or temple) that we had to visit.  This one has been bedazzled within an inch of its life.  Every flat surface sparkles with gems and glittery rocks.

And guarded by glittery warriors

The King of Siam: Thai people loved their king.  He died two years ago and was succeeded by his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Maha has ruled the country since his dad's death but he will only be officially crowned next week. The Thai people we talked to were pretty ambivalent about him.  They loved his dad ... and are willing to give him a chance... but he's not been particularly impressive yet.  You can see why... in his official photograph (which is everywhere in Thailand) ... he looks terrified.  Does this man inspire confidence?

The competition: Since people have emailed me about this, I will give you all a quick update on the competition and how it is going.  Remember, each leg is weighted depending on time in country, difficulty etc.  At the end of each leg, the total amount of points you earned are turned into a Par Score.  The team with the lowest Par Score at the end of the competition wins.

After the first 4 legs - and before Bill opened the Abu Dhabi leg - the leader-board was as follows:

#1 - Lawyers Without Borders (that's Rainey & me) - Par score: 13
#2 - Lazy Monday (Palo Alto couple, he's in tech) - Par score:  22
#3 - Ying 2.0 (My friend Alan Ying and his daughter) - Par score: 34
#4 - Order & Chaos (the two California doctors couple) - Par score: 42
#5 - SLO Folks (Last year's winners, Paula and Tom) - Par score:  44

GSH 2019: Magnificient Myanmar

We had an amazing time in Burma these last few days.  But I have whittled this blog down to the truly impressive or interesting experiences.  And even so, this is just Volume 1. There is more to come.

The Green Market:  We had to spend an hour one morning … and I mean EARLY morning (from 4-5AM) at an enormous fruits and vegetables market in Yangon.  The place was just waking up: people were setting up their booths and carrying giant bundles of stuff on their heads and waiting on customers.  

Think of this:  for many people, this market is their entire world.  They sleep in their stall area … parents and children lying next to each other on the hard concrete.  

Or they sleep on top of their push carts.  

Or on plastic chairs as they guard their produce.  

They bathe in an open washing area and pay pennies to use truly gross public toilets. 

They work seven days a week.  This is their life.  Never has the phrase “There but for the grace of God” had such a powerful meaning to me.

Betel:  The scavenge was to “Chew the betel”… which is a rolled up piece of leaf packed with white goop, shredded tobacco leaf and many mystery ingredients.  

It is apparently very addictive and turns everyone’s teeth dark red like they have been drinking blood.  I bought the betel wrapped-up leaf package. I stuck it in my mouth... between cheek and teeth.  I sucked.  And my face says it all… Betel tastes like you dumped an ashtray into your mouth … with some added sticky stuff that makes the inside of your cheek go numb and tingle.

Smoke a cheroot:  There were also points for smoking the green leaf, stubby cigars that are sold as singles on the street.  So, I lit up.  Apparently puffing on a cheroot is NOT a female activity… just look at the guy and the young woman’s face in the background.  And they flat out howled with laughter when I immediately started coughing up a lung.

Pagodas:  When you get to the pagoda and you are wearing shorts … they rent you the traditional skirt and wrap you up in it. Equal standards of modesty for men and women.

Total dedication to religion: We were there at 6:10 in the morning and throngs of people were already at the Temple: praying and singing before work. 

And pouring water on the heads of the special (now very clean) flower Buddha.

Beware the Buddha that is guarded by double demon dogs

The Pottery Village:  We had to visit a very-out-of-the-way village where the people dig up the soil, wet it down with water for a week, and then knead and beat it into a clay-like substance that can be used to make pots.  This older woman stoops like that (my knees hurt just watching her) for hours every day in her back yard.  

When she's ready to actually shape the pots, her daughter pulls a wooden stick back and forth in a repetitive rhythm - which spins the antique potter’s wheel - while the woman creates basic pots for carrying water and storing stuff. Primitive.  But it works.

Bagan: This city is actually a valley with over 4,400 Pagodas … all shapes and sizes and colors. It is one of those magical places in the world where the globe's vortexes align and the world just feels more serene and calm and almost holy.   Everywhere you look is some ancient stupa or shrine.  It is a bucket list place. We flew up there the second morning and spent the entire day.

 We originally set out walking...  but the road was long and the heat was intense... so we rented bikes ... and rode among the pagodas.

Lunch at a riverside restaurant… finally … some shade

Even the cows have to get out of the noon sun.

At the end of Day 2, we boarded the bus for Ingle Lake. According to the rules of the competition, we were NOT allowed to fly between Bagan and Ingle Lake (which is an easy 1 hour flight). Instead… we had to suffer through an overnight 10-hour bus … across the country. The joy. 

More observations:

Equality:  Like most places, Myanmar is struggling with gender inequality issues.  Women are “capable” and “respected” enough that they can chip up rocks - in the blistering heat - to make roads (while being well-supervised by a male boss who sits in the shade) but they cannot get close to the Buddhas… as only men allowed. Typical !!

But the part I liked.. was at the fish market... every booth had a woman handling the money.

Washing Day:  OK, Monks, how do you know which robe is yours?

Buddha’s toes:  Why do the reclining Buddhas have painted toe nails? And why is “Scarlet Letter Red” the favorite color choice? 

Kids:  Children all over the world charm and amuse me. Quick smiles or stoic calm.  Pensive or bright eyes. 

How do you stand out in a country where everyone looks so similar?  Dye your hair multiple shades of rainbow. There is always one in every crowd.

And, as children are everywhere today, not tending their stall in the market because they're …instead … totally engrossed with their phones !!