12 November 2009, Thursday (25 Zulkaedah)
Day 2 Story 1, Yangon, Myanmar
Day 2 started very early for me, as I got up at 4:50 a.m to perform my subuh prayers. I got up even before the alarm went off. In any case, I managed to fall asleep again after that, and woke up again at 7:00 a.m.
For breakfast, I had fruits and durian cake, and several spoonful of serunding which I had brought from home.
Uni Shopping Mall
Later, Sharon and May War came to take me to Uni Shopping Mall, a newly opened shopping complex (hardly a month old). Nothing much fancies me. I just bought a couple of things plus some drinks from the supermart.
Mini Myanmar
Entering the heartland of Burma is like stepping into
the past. We proceeded to a place called Mini Myanmar, a most enigmatic and fascinating location. It was astonishing to discover that Myanmar comprises more than 100 races.
Myanmar is a union of 135 ethnic groups with
their own languages and dialects. The major races are the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin, the
Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine, and the Shan. The name
Myanmar embraces all the ethnic groups.
I enjoyed being here as I got to sample a cross section of the culture, customs and lifestyle of the major races in Myanmar. Dignified and proud, the Burmese people regard foreign
visitors as guests in their country and take pleasure
in
introducing their customs
Lungyis (Longhi) and Thanaka
Men wear lungyis, loose-fitting
cotton wraps; I had asked Tun Tun (who came with Sharon and family to greet me at the airport) why men in Myamar wear lungyis. And, tongue-in-cheek, he had replied, "It'e easy and free!!!". Hmmm......
Young women and young boys brush their faces with Thanaka,
a powder made from ground tree bark, both for beauty
and for protection from the bright sun. Ancient traditions
that have disappeared elsewhere survive in the valleys
of the Irrawaddy.
Nasi Briyani
May War brought me to KSS Restaurant for lunch, a halal restaurant that serves Nasi Briyani. Yes!!! Yummy Nasi Briyani can be found in Muslim restaurants in Yangon, Myanamar, although halal food is quite pricey here. Nasi briyani for two cost me RM35 (11,000 kyat).
"Have Handphone, Cannot Use"
On
day 1, miracles of all miracles, I managed to send an sms to my husband
to tell him that I had arrived safely in Myanmar. He was frantically
calling me and smsing me to no avail.
The funny thing was, I could send him smses but I
couldn't receive any. But my joy was shortlived as soon after that, I
wasn't able to get any line or connection.
I managed to send an sms telling my
husband the hotel number and that I was going to be traveling and
wasn't sure if i could contact him again along the way.
That night he
called me at Panorama Hotel and that was the last phone contact I had
with my husband.
Cyber Cafe (CC)
After coming back from Mini Myanmar, and as I was almost cut off from my family back in Malaysia, I headed to the Cyber Cafe near Panorama Hotel after I had performed my Maghrib prayers (Maghrib/sunset is at 5:30 p.m in Myanmar) to tell my husband of the latest update and what the tentaive plans were for the next couple of days.
The CC was my lifeline in Myanmar. And thank God, the charges were filthy cheap, i.e 400 kyat for an hour (RM1.36). I spent 2 hours at the CC, and came back to the hotel to have dinner which consisted of Maggi Mee again, and some fruits.
I retired to bed early, given that I didn't have sufficient sleep the night before, and in anticipation of the long traveling that I was going to do the next day.
