Final day in Myanmar

After a lovely few days in Bagan, I returned to Yangon and had just one day left in Myanmar. What’s a girl to do with only one day left in a country? Stick around the ship and rest? NO WAY! Instead I was up bright and early for a Noviciation Ceremony.

Myanmar is a primarily Buddhist country and all men have to go to the monastery at least twice in their lives: when they are around nine years old and again when they are about 18. Women can enter the monastery as well but they are not required to do so. The children have to stay for at least a week but most stay longer. While they are at the monastery, the children study Buddhist texts. There are three groups of 20 Buddhist books per group which the monks must memorize and the books get more difficult as you progress through them. Most people pass group one, fewer pass group two and less than 10 monks in the whole country of Myanmar have passed through all three groups.

There is a special ceremony when the little boys become novice monks: a noviciation ceremony. Semester at Sea sponsored a noviciation ceremony for five new novices and myself as well as a number of other members of the shipboard community got to be part of the ceremony.

Parade featuring the new novices.

We arrived at the monastery just in time for a parade of sorts to occur. The parade featured many novices, monks and nuns (female monks) already in the monastery as well as the little boys who were entering the monastery for the first time. There was drumming and dancing as the parade marched around the monastery and down a nearby side street, letting everyone know that the ceremony was about to begin.

During the ceremony, the little boys were introduced to the head monk and recited what seemed like an oath of some kind (they were speaking Burmese so we didn’t really know what was happening). After reciting the oath, the boys’ heads were shaved and they were dressed in official burgundy monk robes. Next they recited their prayers for the first time as novices and were finally presented to the crowd as novice monks. The boys’ families were present for the ceremony and a big cheer roared through the crowd when the new novices were presented. You could tell this was important to the families and they were very proud.

After watching the ceremony, we were able to serve lunch to the monks, novices and nuns in the monastery. I was on banana duty and I have to say, some monks were not excited about the fruit options, or lack thereof (hey, I understand their feelings after eating ship food for the past three months!).

Overall the noviciation ceremony was a unique way to spend the day and offered a small window into Myanmar culture and religion.

Have you had enough of Myanmar?! All right, all right…the next post will be about India, my final port in Asia. Stay tuned!

Boys will be boys, whether they are monks or not.

Feeding the monks, all 1,400 of them!

Presentation of the new novices.

Presentation of the new novices.

Shaving the novices' heads.

Saying their prayers for the first time as novices.

New novice.

Female monks.

Bagan, land of 2,200 temples

If you are templed-out from reading all about the Shwedagon Pagoda in my first post about my Myanmar travels, do not continue reading because MANY more are coming your way!

Umbrellas for sale at one of the temples.

On my second day in Myanmar, I took an early morning flight to begin my 4-day, 3-night trip to Bagan. Bagan is located in central Myanmar in what is considered a dry zone. The dry heat could be felt immediately, as the humidity I experienced in Yangon had completely vanished when I stepped off the plane in Bagan. The landscape reminded me a bit of some areas in Texas and the southwest U.S. with sandy, reddish dirt and scrubby-looking shrubs and trees that crackle when the hot air blows through.

The unique thing about Bagan is that red brick and gold temples pop out of the semi-arid landscape. Now, I’m not talking a few temples here and there. Bagan features over 2,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries! The sheer number of temples is amazing; they stretch across the Bagan plains for as far as the eye can see.  I tried to take pictures of the expanse of temples but my camera doesn’t do it justice.

Ananada Temple

My trip included visits to several temples and pagodas (including Mount Popa, which included a 700+ step staircase to get to the very top temples!) but also to a monastery to distribute food and hygiene products, a local village to see what life is really like for Myanmar citizens as well as a sunset cruise down the Irrawaddy River. The trip culminated with a candle- and temple-lite dinner and dancing elephant performance. The dinner was like something straight out of The Bachelor-so romantic-and the dancing elephant performance was very unique. I liken the elephant dance to the dancing dragons that you see celebrating Chinese New Year, just with a different animal.

Aside from the beautiful temple visits and chance to see a “real” side of Myanmar, I enjoyed this trip as well as the remainder of my travels in this country because of the people. Myanmar has not been open to foreigners for very long so tourists are still an oddity. I was welcomed whole-heartedly everywhere I went and people were genuinely friendly and interested in me. Despite having a fairly new tourist industry in Myanmar, they are well set-up with nice, cheap hotels and amazing restaurants serving great, safe meals. If you are interested in traveling somewhere in Asia where you won’t be hassled at every stop and instead welcomed to the country, Myanmar has my vote. Visit Myanmar and visit now.

Horse-cart ride through the Bagan plains.

Htilomirelo Temple.

Htilomirelo Temple.

Local monastery. I don't blame this dog-it was HOT!

Mount Popa in the background.

Fellow SAS staffer Cate and I on the Irrawaddy River.

This guy was very proud of his cattle.

Shwesandaw Stupa.

Shwezigon Pagoda.

Sunset over the Irrawaddy River.

Sunset over Bagan temples.

View from Bagan Muo Temple during sunset.

View from Bagan Muo during sunset.

View from the top of Mount Popa.

View of the temples in Bagan.

Dancing elephant at our farewell dinner.

Candlelight farewell dinner.

Myanmar, my favorite

Following my not-so-great few days in Singapore, we had three days at sea before arriving in Yangon, Myanmar. Of all the countries I will visit this spring, Myanmar was the one I was most looking forward to. Why might you ask? Well, Myanmar is a country I know absolutely nothing about so I was excited at the opportunity to learn more. In addition, Myanmar has only been open to foreigners for a few years and has therefore been claimed to be a “real Asia,” a glimpse back in time before tourism and Westernization raged throughout the continent. Semester at Sea visited at a unique point in the country’s history and I was excited to be part of this ever-changing place.

I’m pleased to report that Myanmar did not disappoint. I absolutely LOVED my time in Myanmar! So much so that I’ve prepared more than one blog post for this country. So sit back, relax and get ready to read all about my Myanmar excursions.

We arrived in Myanmar in the late morning and I was off immediately to lead a Semester at Sea tour of Yangon, the city nearest to our port-of-call and the country’s largest city and most important commercial center. The hour-long bus ride into the city proved this country is still developing. Trash lines the streets, traffic is chaotic, buildings built during the 19th century British rule are decaying and typical houses feature little more than a roof with walls seemingly optional. This was a stark contrast to the cosmopolitan metropolis of Singapore which we’d left a few days prior.

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

In the midst of Myanmar’s chaos and lacking infrastructure you’ll find gold. And by gold I mean many shiny gold temples, pagodas and stupas. The whole country seems to radiate a heavenly glow from the Buddhist temples, pagodas and stupas throughout.

On our city tour, we visited the Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset which is the country’s most sacred pagoda because relics of four Buddhas are enshrined within. The Shwedagon Pagoda grounds were much larger than I expected and feature the primary, large pagoda as well as many smaller pagodas and shrines. There were small pagodas dedicated to different birthdays and washing the Buddha brings good luck. I gave it a shot but I’m hoping the guy wasn’t pulling my leg about the day of the week I was born (Was it a Wednesday afternoon , Mom and Dad?!).

After a lovely dinner, my city tour group returned to the ship late in the evening. I went straight to bed because the next day, I flew to Bagan for a four-day, three-night adventure. More about this in the next blog post!

"Washing" the Wednesday afternoon Buddha at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

Shwedagon Pagoda at night.

Sparkling gold at Shwedagon Pagoda.

Singapore…meh…

Following my surprisingly wonderful 6 days in Vietnam, we set sail for two days before arriving in Singapore for the weekend. I was very excited to visit Singapore, as I’d heard good reviews from friends who had previously visited, but in the end I think one weekend in Singapore is enough for me. It wasn’t my favorite city but regardless, I’ll tell you how I spent the weekend.

We arrived in Singapore on a Saturday morning. I was very busy working that morning because one of the field labs I’d planned fell apart the afternoon prior so it was a hectic few hours as I tried to find something different for these students to do. I confirmed the new field lab itinerary one hour before the student’s departed-talk about cutting it close! I continued working into the late morning, making sure everyone got off the ship, and my co-worker Andrew and I were treated to a wonderful dim-sum lunch in Singapore’s Chinatown by Semester at Sea’s tour operator! It was a-mazing – so much food and the tour operator was very nice and generous. This is the first time the tour operator has provided my field office co-workers and I with any kind of meal or gift, so it was a welcome surprise!

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

After lunch, the tour operator brought Andrew and I back to the ship and I went out into the city on my own. First I made my way to Raffles Hotel, a hotel named after Singapore’s founder Stamford Raffles. It is a beautiful hotel and rumor has it that the “Singapore Sling” drink was created at this hotel. The hotel has capitalized on this and the Slings were far too expensive for my taste!

I then walked about the city and made my way to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel area. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a futuristic hotel with an infinity pool on the top floor offering amazing views of the city. Many students reserved rooms in the Hotel and rumor has it that an evening of shenanigans occurred. I kept my distance, not wanting to see my students completely wasted, and just took some pictures from afar.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

I then made my way back to Chinatown for dinner with 3 friends from the ship. Singapore boasts a number of “hawker stands” which are basically like cheap, but clean and safe, outdoor food courts. I loved it! I got a whopping portion of chicken rice and a berry smoothie for $4. My friends and I went out for a few drinks, visited some markets and made our way back to the ship for the evening.

I worked again on Sunday morning and had the remaining day free. The cruise terminal was connected to two malls, so I looked around for a bit, spent the rest of my Singapore dollars and made my way back to the ship shortly after lunch. I worked on my capstone paper for the rest of the day.

I’ll admit I didn’t take full advantage of all the things to do in Singapore (for example Singapore boasts a world-renowned zoo and botanical garden, neither of which I visited). Regardless, I enjoyed my weekend in Singapore but also enjoyed the chance to get some homework done. It was a good balance and I felt like I had accomplished more than just spending money as we pulled out of Singapore on Sunday evening. Adios Singapore. Maybe I’ll see you again.

Lanterns in Chinatown, Singapore.

Mix of old and new in Singapore.
This is at the oldest temple in Singapore, now featuring a background of modern skyscrapers.

Funky architecture goes throughout the city.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel area in Singapore.

Reflections of Vietnam

A few weeks ago we docked in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Although I've already posted a few pictures from my time in Vietnam I haven’t properly reflected on my time in this country.

Vietnam!

 I wasn't sure what to expect from Vietnam and stepped off the ship somewhat cautiously. I’ll admit that I don’t know much about this country. Thanks to my [insert sarcasm] wonderful high school education, my history classes never made it past the Civil War and therefore I don’t even know about the U.S.-Vietnam War let alone the country’s history or culture. I feel that Vietnam is a sensitive topic in the U.S. due to the War’s outcome and because of this, I was a bit hesitant to visit this country. During my time in Vietnam, I tried to be quiet and present to soak up as much information as possible.

While in Vietnam I spent time in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. HCMC is in southern Vietnam and is very modern and cosmopolitan, just like any other big, Asian city. Hanoi is located in northern Vietnam and has a more historic feel. The buildings are older and streets narrower. Hanoi is heavily influenced by French colonialism and if you squint, you might think you’re sitting at a cafe in Paris rather than Vietnam. My tour guide explained that there is some tension between the north and the south. The south has been westernized and the north thinks the south is losing the country’s history and culture.

Downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Overall, I very much enjoyed my time in Vietnam. Three things allowed me to have a great time in this country: the people, Ha Long Bay and shopping. The people were incredibly welcoming and wonderful. They helped me cross the street despite the hectic traffic and were honest when I gave too much money trying to buy souvenirs. The people of this country made a HUGE difference in my travels. 

Also, I really enjoyed Ha Long Bay. It’s no wonder this place is a natural wonder of the world – it’s gorgeous! It was foggy and mysterious with rocks jutting out of the water and suddenly appearing right in front you;  I loved it! I recommend that you go see it because my pictures just don’t do this justice.

My love of shopping came out full force in Vietnam. Things were CHEAP! I’m talking $3 pants and nice, $5 sandals. You have to bargain in the markets but the merchants were pretty good about giving decent prices.  

So, would I go back to Vietnam? Yes. Wholeheartedly yes. And you should check it out too!

5 things that have happened since I last blogged

I know – I’ve been slacking on the blogging. I never have been very good at keeping journals and such so I’m not surprised by my performance as a blogger. However, I have to say that a crazy work schedule, dicey internet connections and several weeks of travel have delayed my blog posts. But enough with the excuses – you are probably wondering what I’ve been up to lately! Here are 5 things that have happened since I last blogged in February:

1.  I have visited 3 countries including Singapore, Myanmar and India and taken 1,308 pictures. Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me a new camera for Christmas. I’d say it was a good investment!
2. Myanmar has entered my list of “favorite places in the world.” I had no idea what to expect but loved visiting Myanmar. I went to Bagan, which I’ll blog about and post some pictures because it was a really great trip and so beautiful. There's a little preview at the bottom of this post...
3. March 5 marked the halfway point in the voyage. It’s hard to believe that we are over halfway done already. The time has flown by so quickly and we’ve visited most of our ports of call already. I can feel the pace of the voyage changing as we slow down and prepare once again for long stretches at sea.
4. Remember that I’m still in grad school while working on the ship? Yea, sometimes I forget too but I did manage to submit the first draft of my capstone paper last night! Although it’s not the final draft, I feel good knowing that I’ve submitted something and will continue working through early April to complete this final paper. I’m inching slowly towards graduation at the end of May.
5. I treated myself to a pedicure on the ship! While getting a pedicure might seem like an everyday event, it’s hard to schedule time for yourself when you’re working 12 hour days and also doing homework until the wee hours of the morning. However, before we arrived in India I decided it was time for a little TLC so I splurged on a pedicure on the ship’s spa.

Over the next couple days, I’ll be updating my blog with information about my travels in Vietnam up to India and I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts.

Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar.