Sunday 15 September 2013

Burmese days

First Impressions of Myanmar started with a view of a pagoda through the rain whilst landing - this is the land of about 5000 pagodas and probably at least 50000 Buddhas, there are pagodas with golden  stupas everywhere!

Next was the red betle nut juice stained teeth of taxi driver, the traffic in Yangon was mad - even for a Saturday evening with monks in maroon robes in the back of a pick up truck being a common site.

The other immediately arresting thing is both men and women in skirts! The national dress is the longi - men wear it to look like culottes and women to look like a normal long line wrap skirt - trousers haven't caught on here like the rest of South East Asia and it seems practical given the climate.

All the women have the home made beauty/sun cream made out of sander wood - decorating their faces like a yellow blusher.

Also notable is the rain - well I am here in rainy season! At least it makes everything green and lush.


1 comment:

  1. Ps forgot to add that the Burmese days of the title refers to George Orwells book on Burma in the days of the raj - the Burmese people think he wrote a trilogy about Burma - with Animal Farm and 1984 being the other two books... Examine the themes...

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