Getting the Message Across

I always like to look at the communication media in foreign countries.  It can be very telling.  We watched a little TV - pixelled out plunging necklines and thigh high slits in the Miss Universe contest were quite hilarious.  My mother would approve.  

But, needless to say, we spent the main part of our day visiting pagodas and temples - the former housed Buddha relics and the latter Buddha images - or the opposite - anyway, these were lively, vibrant places where people do lots of things and generally hang out.  So they are prime advertising spaces.  Like in the cathedrals of Europe where the teachings of the Bible are displayed in stained-glass windows and bas relief carvings, many pagodas featured the story of Buddha and his teachings in different media, mural paintings, glass mosaics (shown below), carvings, statues etc. 

 

However, there were often panels with very modern messages as well.  One in particular caught my attention as it seemed to give the rules and regs for good living.  This one is apparently 'Don't Drink'...

This one I couldn't figure out exactly, but I think the gist is 'Don't Talk Smack or you wil really annoy your neighbor'

In the street, there were other messages.  This one warns against bad driving.  I love the close up of the terrified guy.

This one was displayed in a tea house where we had lunch one day.  It was not a tourist restaurant by any stretch of the imagination, but the sign was in English, which I appreciated.  Again, good advice.

And finally, by our western standards, you would think that this is an ad for Large and Lovely clothing, but it's just a regular ad, for regular clothes with nice, plump women for models.  There were the same types for jewelry and cold relief medicine and coffee.  The message? "Plump and White is Beautiful."  Who knew?!!  

Paleik - A Nice Surprise

This little village was a highlight for me because of its contrast with the bustling, glittering Yangon that we had just left.
 Simon, our guide in Mandalay picked us up after our flight from Yangon, and immediately proposed an off-the-beaten-track (and not on our program) visit. I was a bit weary, because the last unexpected proposal we had brought us to the saddest display of animal captivity I have ever seen - 3 white elephants chained to a cement slab - for eternity.
 He promised that it was a nice site, so on the way into town we stopped in Paleik, "The Little Bagan." Like Bagan, Myanmar's premier tourist site with hundreds of stupas dotting the plains, Paleik had a few hundred stupas to its name. However, unlike Bagan, the village was not forced to relocate to make way for the tourists.  Paleik was a historically wealthy town because of trade with China coming from the river running through it.  The stupas were built by wealthy individuals who wanted to gain Buddhist merit and show off a little of their wealth at the same time.  Some of the stupas have been renovated recently with golden spires, by some of today's wealthy villagers, but most were in a natural, beautiful state of erosion.

The village was also home to a monestary.  This is a teak temple that is used by the monks of the village. In the foreground are monks robes drying on the line.

The trees among the ruins were gorgeous and the path took us from the main road, through a forest of stupas, past the monestary and on to the village where we meandered and solicited the curiosity of the villagers.

Some of the monks lived inside the stupas. They took care of them and slept inside. Monks live off of donations by the people for food and clothing. Mandalay was a big Monk hub.  I can't remember the exact numbers, but basically that's where a good part of them live.

Here is one sitting on his front porch taking in the rays.  Behind him, notice the Italian archways on a building in the middle of Burmese stupas. Another nice contrast!

The village was a buzz with preparations for the upcoming pagoda celebrations in addition to the daily activity centered around its specialty, weaving.  Every house had a loom and they all seemed to be clattering away.  We were invited to visit one, with no pressure whatsoever to buy anything (there was no shop anyway) or even give money.  They just seemed proud to show off their workshop and have some foreigners come in.

We were surprised to see children working at the looms.  Everywhere we went, we saw children working at various jobs.  Some were in school, others were at work.  Hopefully, more and more will be in school in time.

The Safran Touch

Ten percent of Myanmar's populations are monks.  Is that right?  Maybe not, but I know that it's a big percentage.  So it's alot.  In Myanmar, every boy must spend at least a little time in a Buddhist monestary at some time in their lives.  The resistance of the monks to military rule in the 80's is sometimes referred to as the "Safran Revolution," referring to the color of their robes.

Girls can be monks too, but I don't think it's as big a tradition for them.  This girl was an orphan, that is why she is at the monestary. 

The monks live off of donations of food and clothing.  Sometimes they live in temples, like the one below.  Sometimes in monestaries. 

Many of the younger monks come to the tourist spots to chat with the foreigners to help them learn foreign languages.  Antoine was often approached, and the first question was always, "Where do you come from?" the second is "How old are you?" The boy talking to Antoine in this picture is 16 years old.  He was surprised to hear that Antoine is only 12! 

We visited a Buddhist university near Myanmar. Here is a dorm room.

These guys were supposed to be studying, but it was a bit difficult with the foreigners distracting them.  They didn't seem to mind, however.

The ladies dress in pink, the silver bowls tucked under their arms are for collecting alms,

and they often had lovely umbrellas with them to protect from the sun.

This guy is taking pictures of my boys.  For some reason, there was a group of ladies that wanted to have their pictures taken with the boys, one at a time.  The monks were responsible for approaching us and asking our permission.  After the first lady had her picture taken, others lined up.  The boys were willing and patient through a few shots, but once we started gathering a crowd, they became a little uncomfortable and we moved on.  After sneaking and asking for so many shots ourselves, it was funny to have the cameras turned on us!

Weekend in Hoi An

Hoi An is a picture postcard town on the central coast of Vietnam and an easy getaway from Hanoi.  We spent a weekend of visiting the old town and playing in the waves.

The city was spared the ravages of bombing during the American War and has benefitted from substantial funding from Japanese cultural foundations for its restauration.

The coiled incense below is sold to wishers and burned in this pagoda. Inscriptions in Vietnamese and occasional other languages request favors, prosperity and other successes.

Our hotel was on the river. One evening we came back to our rooms to see these lanterns floating magically along in front of the hotel restaurant.  They were set afloat upstream and then collected a little ways downstream, creating a dancing light show in the pitch black night.
















Simple boats set out to sea in front of Cham islands.
















No cars allowed in the center of town.  This is a happy change from the honking and pollution of the streets of Hanoi.
















The weekend ended with dragonboat racing on the river in front of the hotel.  The banks were lined with spectators and racers waiting their turn.  Men's and women's teams lined up to paddle ferociously up and down the river.  All under the watchful, benevolent eye of Uncle Ho, pictured below - can you find him?

Long Bien Arts Festival

Next year, Hanoi will be 1,000 years old. Last weekend, the city kicked off a year of celebration at the 999 year anniversary. At the Long Bien Bridge arts festival, the art was not very prolific, but pedestrians were able to take a leisurely stroll without the noise and dust kicked up by the thousands of motorbikes that cross the bridge each day.

The bridge crosses the Red River. In several spots, there are islands in the middle of the river and every inch of these islands is covered with cultivation, flowers, corn, bananas and other unidentified vegetation.

On the sand bars along the river, you could see camps. Boats dotted the river along these encampments and some of the buildings of the neighborhood of Tay Ho look like they are about to slide down the embankment.

Caligraphy by a very finely attired, white-haired man. On the spot art.

Back in the day...

Today, anytime you take the train to go north of Hanoi, you will pass over the Long Bien Bridge. The long leisurly walk we took, gave us a nice perspective on the river and the city beyond its banks. Unfortunately, it also gave us an upclose look at the iron structure that has survived over 60 years of rusting and various wars. Apparently, this doesn't keep it from holding up this train.

One Saturday Morning

Still in PJs, playing computer games and watching cartoons with the friend that had spent the night, the kids were surprised to hear the sounds of drums approaching one Saturday morning. Outside, a parade of dragons was snaking its way through the narrow alleyways behind and around our house. The view from the ground floor was limited, so we raced to the top floor terrasse to get a better look.
A band of 30 or so drummers and dragon carriers both children and adult were gathered in front of one of the houses occupied by a Vietnamese family in our neighborhood. Were they being honored? Bestowed with good luck wishes? Solicited for refreshments (they did pass around something to eat)? After about 20 minutes the parade left our neighborhood in its normally peaceful state.


















Later on that day, biking down to the tennis courts, we saw the dragons majestically displayed in front of our local Dinh (community center). The Dinh was decked out in flags and banners. There were balloon sellers and hot dog stands. The empty comquat field next door had a kiddie train set up and loud music was blaring in between announcements.

It was a village festival. The ancestors were being honored and the living were presented with certificates of some sort.


Young people took advantage of the time to socialize, older generation wore the traditional attire and the kids reveled in the color and excitement. It reminded me of the fais do do's in Louisiana. I never really understood what the precise occasion was or what kind of "official" activities were taking place. What I did understand is that street parties around the world can be so different and so similar at the same time.

The Ladies of Hanoi

I only have one picture so far, but I will get more. It seems that these women are the recycling and/or retail distribution force in Hanoi. You can see them everywhere in the residential and downtown areas of the city with their plastic or paper treasures strapped to the bicycles in various ways.
This lady seems to be collecting paper and cardboard. When we moved into the house, some lady got rich off of the cardboard boxes and packing paper she collected in front of our house. When I saw a shop keeper fling 2 large plastic bags into the street, I thought, how could he litter right in front of his shop. Not 2 minutes later, a lady like the one pictured above came by and collected those 2 bags. What seems to be a careless disregard for cleanliness, is actually sorting out the recycling - Hanoi style.

The other activity predominant among the ladies on the bicycles is retail. They meander through the neighborhoods calling out to residents. Potatoes, brooms, feather dusters, flowers, wicker baskets all sorts of things. Here is a photo from a museum, but it gives you an idea how much stuff can be transported by the bicycle vendors.

Morning on Ho Tay Lake

We live on the edge of the Ho Tay (West Lake), and the children get the bus on the lake road every morning at 7:47. So we take in the sights as they wait for the bus. Yesterday the light was very nice and the lake was very smooth. A perfect photo op. The 2 main activities on the lake are fishing and rowing. No sailing, no jetskis, no water skiing. The relatively silent activities are a nice contrast to the noisy streets of Hanoi.

While I'm at it, here are 2 totally unrelated shots.Nice Soviet propaganda style poster about the liberation of Vietnam from the French in 1954. At least I think that's what it's about.And a nice pack of banana leaves sitting in front of a small restaurant waiting to wrap up some Bahn Chung, no doubt. I haven't tasted this dish yet, but I will soon.

Holidays are Upon Us

As everyone in the US celebrates Thanksgiving, the holiday season starts. Every year, many people buy beautiful poinsettas to decorate churches, homes and holiday shopping displays. During a Saturday afternoon walk in our new neighborhood, I saw a lovely TREE with bright red blossoms. It was a Poinsetta!! Here you see the tree overhanging the lane. Above a closeup with a pretty butterfly. There is an abondance of very large and different types of butterflies in Hanoi.

You will also notice the multitude of electric wires. This is very common here. Apparently when a house gets hooked up to the circuit they add a wire. When something goes wrong, they add another wire. But don't take down the old wire. The result is a ton of wires that useless and forgotten. I read somewhere that over 50% of the wires are unclaimed. The city has asked people to claim the wires that they use. They plan to put all city center wires underground by 2010. The other interesting wire fact is that 4 men were sentenced to 21 years combined for stealing some of this wire and selling it for scrap. The conviction was basically a crime against the state as the wires are property of the government owned electric company. They are useless and unclaimed, but don't think that you can just take them!