From the Land of Green Ghosts by Pascal Khoo Thwe

From the Land of Green Ghosts: 

A Burmese Oddyssey 

By Pascal Khoo Thwe

Photo: Harpercollins

This beautifully written biography gives a rare insight into one man's fight against an oppressive regime and his dream of going to Cambridge University to study english literature.

You follow his life from his childhood in the Padaung tribe in Burma/Myanmar's Shan State, to student life in Mandalay until he escapes into the jungle becoming a guerilla fighter. Finally his dream comes through and he's able to go to England to study English literature at Cambridge University.

Book description by the publisher:
In 1988, Dr. John Casey, a professor visiting Burma, meets a waiter in Mandalay with a passion for the works of James Joyce, and the encounter changes both their lives.

Pascal, a member of the Kayan Padaung tribe, was the first member of his community to study English at a university. Within months of his meeting with Dr. Casey, Pascal's world lay in ruins. Burma's military dictatorship forces him to sacrifice his studies, and the regime's brutal armed forces murder his lover. Fleeing to the jungle, he becomes a guerrilla fighter in the life-or-death struggle against the government. In desperation, he writes a letter to the Englishman he met in Mandalay.

Miraculously reaching its destination, the letter leads to Pascal's rescue and his enrollment in Cambridge University, where he is the first Burmese tribesman ever to attend.

From the Land of Green Ghosts unforgettably evokes the realities of life in modern-day Burma and one man's long journey to freedom despite almost unimaginable odds.

This book was first published in 2002.

Source: Harpercollins

Romance by George Orwell

When I was young and had no sense
In far-off Mandalay
I lost my heart to a Burmese girl
As lovely as the day.

Her skin was gold, her hair was jet,
Her teeth were ivory;
I said ‘For twenty silver pieces,
Maiden, sleep with me.

She looked at me, so pure, so sad,
The loveliest thing alive,
And in her lisping, virgin voice,
Stood out for twenty-five.

Ngwe Saung Beach

Ngwe Saung beach is roughly a 5 hours drive from Yangon. It's less developed than the more known Ngapali beach, and fewer tourists find their way here than its more known counterpart. The beauty of Ngwe Saung can't be argued about. The beach is more or less deserted and not many tourists find their way here yet. The locals are always keen to interact with foreigners, as everywhere in Myanmar.

Local fishermen hauling in the days catch. This took around an hour. Slowly and steady they pulled in the net full of small fish.

Nat celebration

All photos November 2013: © innwa.blogspot.com

Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling

Mandalay

        by Rudyard Kipling

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
        Come you back to Mandalay,
        Where the old Flotilla lay:
        Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
        On the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat — jes' the same as Thebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
        Bloomin' idol made o' mud —
        Wot they call the Great Gawd Budd —
        Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
        On the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kulla-lo-lo!"
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek agin my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.
        Elephints a-pilin' teak
        In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
        Where the silense 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!
        On the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

But that's all shove be'ind me — long ago an' fur away,
An' there ain't no 'buses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
        No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
        But them spicy garlic smells,
        An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
        On the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?
        Beefy face an' grubby 'and —
        Law! wot do they understand?
        I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
        On the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

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!
        O the road to Mandalay,
        Where the flyin'-fishes play,
        An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

Burma by Benedict Rogers

Burma:

A Nation at the Crossroads

By Benedict Rogers

Photo: Ebury Publishing

Book description by the publisher:

For more than 50 years, Burma has been ruled by a succession of military regimes which rank among the most oppressive dictatorships in the world. Accused of crimes against humanity, they have brutally mistreated their people.

Yet in the last couple of years, and in spite of sham elections, the pace of change has been breathtaking. Much is now hoped for. However, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in Southeast Asia: there are roughly seven major ethnic groups living along its borders. They have a long history of conflict with the government and have been cruelly treated by the current regime. Their future affects the country as a whole, as Benedict Rogers explains. Drawing heavily on his many fact-finding visits inside Burma and along its frontiers, he gives a unique appraisal of the current ethnic situation and its implications for the nation as a whole.

Wide-ranging, expertly researched, and full of brand new accounts of the courage and determination of the Burmese people, Burma: a nation at the crossroads explains the country's conflicted history, as well as its contemporary struggle for justice. Burma stands poised for freedom, or for further repression. No one can be sure. This fascinating and accessible book describes what is really happening inside this beautiful, secretive and potentially prosperous country.

This book was first published June 14th 2012.


Source: Ebury Publishing

Twilight over Burma by Inge Sargent

Twilight over Burma:

My Life As a Shan Princess

By Inge Sargent

Book description by the publisher:

Just married and arriving by ship in Rangoon in 1953 to begin her life in her husband's native land, a young Austrian woman stood ready to disembark with her Burmese husband. On the dock she could see hundreds of well-wishers displaying banners, playing homemade musical instruments, carrying bouquets of flowers. Was some important person aboard ship, she wondered. Then her husband reluctantly explained: he was more than just a recently graduated mining engineer - he was the Prince of Hsipaw, ruler of an autonomous state in Burma's Shan mountains. The welcome was for him and his bride, the Princess of Hsipaw.

For the next ten years, Inge Sargent experienced a life most of us can only dream about. She immersed herself in day-to-day Shan life, eagerly learning the language, culture, and history of Hsipaw and its people. As a "reluctant ruler," she worked at her husband's side to improve the remote region's education, health care, and economic well-being. Their efforts on behalf of the Shan people made them one of the most popular ruling couples in Southeast Asia. Then in 1962 a military coup shattered their idyllic existence, and life irrevocably changed.

Twilight over Burma is the story of a great happiness destroyed by evil, the overthrow of one of Burma's most respected local leaders, and one woman's determination and bravery against a ruthless military regime.

This book was first published September 1st 1994.

Source: My own copy of the book

Thanaka

Children and women in Myanmar/Burma wear Thanaka, a cosmetic paste made from ground bark, to protect and cool down their skin. Some women won't leave the house without wearing Thanaka. The wood from several trees growing various places in Myanmar/Burma are used to make Thanaka. The paste is most commonly applied to the face in round circles at the cheeks, down the nose and in the forehead, but variations exist as to what each individual prefers. Many also apply the paste to their arms. Women in Myanmar/Burma has been wearing Thanaka for over 2000 years.

Making Thanaka

Kids wearing Thanaka at Saddar Cave close to Hpa-an in Kayin State.

Source: Wikipedia.com
Photos: © innwa.blogspot.com

Ohn No Khao Swe

Ohn No Khao Swe is a delicious dish made out of wheat noodles, in a curried chicken and coconut milk broth. On top you garnish with crisp fried bean fritters, sliced raw onions, chillies, crisp noodles, and hard boiled egg. Squeeze some lime over it and finish with fish sauce.

Ohn No Khao Swe bought in a small village close to Hpa-an.

Here you can find a good video demonstration in English on how to make ohn no khao swe.

Source: Meemalee.com
Photo: © innwa.blogspot.com

Kaw Ka Thaung Cave

Kaw Ka Thaung Cave is situated close to Hpa-an in Kayin State. Stone Monks with their alms bowls line up the street. Inside you can see Buddha figures of various shapes and sizes, and all the way at the back there is a narrow candlelit passage that leads to a small worship chamber.

Inside the worship chamber.

Locals come to Kaw Ka Thaung to have a refreshing swim in an enclosed part of the cool lake.

The cave where locals come to have a swim. You have to climb the steep rocks to get into the underground lake. Now many people swim in the new enclosed part of the outside lake.

 The new part where people come to swim, with restaurants encircling the basin.

 Locals fishing in the lake.

All photos November 2013: © innwa.blogspot.com