Life in Myanmar: End of field mission 1

Towards the end of our Field mission, Dr. Win Myint and Lara agreed that it would be very nice to spend some time relaxing in some nice location. Since we were staying in Dawei already, we thus decided relocate to Maungmagan, a village 10km northwest of Dawei. After 3,5 weeks of continuous project work we were starting to get tired and thus really excited to have some time off. On Tuesday 17 May we checked-in at a “resort” at Maungmagan Beach, where we were pretty much the only customers. As you can see here (google_map_Maungmagan) our bungalow (third one from the bottom) was very close to the beach! We had very nice weather but due to the cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal, there was a decent swell and nice waves at the beach. Overly excited about the waves, Flo could not wait to jump in and so did the rest of the crew. Despite using an SPF 50 sunscreen, the roughly 1,5 hours in the waves shortly after arrival were enough to turn Flo into Dr. Lobster. The next day, the fun in the ocean for Flo was therefore limited to the early morning and evening time. During the hot time of the day Flo joined Dr. Win Myint and U Myint Thein (our driver) on a short trip to Myaw Yit Pagoda, while Lara, Thidar and Thu Zar had to work on the report of the first field mission. We all really enjoyed the two days at the beach and I’m sure that we’ll be back at this place in the course of the next field mission. In the meantime, one can only hope that the village is not overrun with tourism, but that’s probably just a romantic idea considering the immense touristic potential.

our bungalows on Maungmagan Beach....

...very close to the sea!

Dr. Win Myint (right) and Flo enjoying the nice sets of waves

Dr. Lobster

Stunning scenery on the first evening at Maungmagan beach

Dr. Win Myint, U Myint Thein and Flo visit Myaw Yit Pagoda...

...while the PhDs are working on the final report of the first field mission.

Enjoying a cold Myanmar Beer in the restauraunt nearby. Notice the enthusiasm in Dr. Win Myint's face and the giggling girls...apparently it's funny to see someone (especially Lara) drinking a beer!

After the last swim at Maungmagan beach

After the two days at the beach it was time to head back home to Yangon. Still in Dawei we dropped off Dr. Win Myint at the airport. He had to join another field mission in Myeik, where they work on an inventory of plant species (Win Myint is actually a Botanist). Instead of driving back to Yangon directly, we had already decided to spend a night at KyaikHteeYo, the famous Golden Rock, a very important place for Buddhists. When we arrived at the foot of KyaikHteeYo mountain, we caught one of the last buses bringing people to the small town on the mountain top. Squeezed in like battery chickens on the back of the truck together with our backpacks, we started driving up the insanely steep hill. Looking at the scaringly dark clouds we already anticipated the heavy shower which struck us a few minutes later. The sudden nightfall, the intense rain, the raw driving and the uncomfortable position on the back of the loud truck contributed to an overall unforgettable experience of arriving at KyaikHteeYo. Close to the top of the mountain, we hat to get off the truck and walk the last five minutes in the pouring rain and strong winds. Lara had some difficulties with her very slippery flipflops and Flo was soaking wet as he had not bought one of the plastic raincoats before getting on the truck. We were thus very happy to check in at the hotel and we did not care about the foreigner price of 60’000 Kyats/ night (as a comparison: in the small shop close to one of our offices we can get lunch for1’000 Kyats/ person). Half an hour after check-in, we again stepped out into the now just windy and moist weather and visited the famous golden rock.

Group picture at Dawei Airport, including awesome layout. From left to right: Nwe Nwe (assistant of Dr. Win Myint and organizer of the whole field trip), Thu Zar (PhD from Mandalay), Flo, Dr. Win Myint (Seniour Researcher on the R4D Project), U Myint Thein (our crazy driver), Thidar (PhD from Yangon), Lara.

On the battery chickens truck bringing us to the top of KyaikHteeYo, sceptical of what's about to happen...

One reason for our scepticism.

Looks like we've got some incoming weather...

Arriving at the hotel on the mountain top.

Still some rain and strong winds on our night visit of KyaikHteeYo.

The next day, we got up early and went to the golden rock again. Now that the sky was clear and the sun was shining it felt like being in a completely different place – the view from KyaikHteeYo mountain was absolutely stunning. When we got to the golden rock, Thu Zar, one of the PhDs and a very passionate Buddhist, bought five sheets of gold leaf and handed them to Flo. Since traditionally, only men are allowed to touch the golden rock, Flo of course accepted the request of Thu Zar to go and stick the gold leaf on the rock and thereby honour it on her behalf.

According to the legend, one woman once went to touch the golden rock. The moment she did so, a heavy storm immediately formed and she was struck by a lightning. Ever since then, only men are allowed to get close to the golden rock. Today, there are two security men making sure that no woman passes through the small entrance bridge leading to the golden rock. Another rule says that while men are allowed to touch the golden rock, they must never try to push it off the bedrock it balances on. If you try to push it, you will turn to stone yourself, just like the few Karen men who tried to push it down in ancient times. Deeply convinced Buddhist additionally believe, that there is actually no physical connection between the massive golden rock and the underlying rock. Instead they believe the stories of men who proved that the rock is floating in the air by slipping threads and very slim strands of bamboo underneath it without catching to a barrier.

After a big breakfast we again sat on the battery chickens truck. Compared to the night before, it was a very different ride with the sun shining on our heads and a view of more than just a few meters. All in all we could not have asked for a better visit at KyaikHteeYo. It was a very nice way to wrap up our field mission.