used to have a pair of jack purcells, all white leather. loved them so much that for years i wore them everyday, everywhere. UNTIL ONE DAY, MY MOM DECIDED TO THROW THEM OUT. (what?!?) of all things, she picked the JACK PURCELLS!!! i mean, there are things that are more deserving to be thrown away loh... (okay, felines, u all know who mimi and lumlum are right?) see?? these 2, my mom, up to today, asks "did u forget lumlum?" BUT MY JACK PURCELLS??! if it was so unsightly to her eyes, she couldve sent me to wash them mah, right? eeesh. anyways, i would like to get another pair of whites, and then try to love them all over again... the one above is the chuck taylor, all star, all white, Dble Tongue. hmm...
the double tongue chuck is twice as tempting : stick ‘em out. upper canvas with its signature patch. accent foxing stripe matches inner tongue. vulcanized rubber outsole for increased traction and flexibility. this one is of another colour - blue/ red/ grey
Chuck Taylor was a classic, but he also had a wild side. That’s why these low-cut All Star shoes come in a dangerously-out-of-control range of colors and combinations. They can match your mood or your clothes. ever since i visited cambodia, i have this sudden urge to start a camouflage collection - apparels mainly... at the landmine museum, i found myself looking at the gadgets on display with such awe... all those things look damn cool loh... those bombs that the locals buried underground... the water containers the army used... and other life-saver gadgets...
eeee!! come money come!! i shall then buy my comfort shoes!! fai tit!! fai tit!!
One of the highlights of my Myanmar trip was my train journey from Pyin U Lwin to Hsipaw (pronounced Thi-paw). It was a scenic railway route that crawl across the famous Gokteik railway viaduct, 55km from Pyin U Lwin. The Gokteik Bridge was built over the Gokteik Gorge in 1903 in only 9 month, making it the second highest railway bridge in the world. I didn't get to take any photographs as the government does not allow the bridge to be photographed from the train. I tried my luck but was stopped by a marshall in the carriage.
Dahlia motel offered a lot more comfort and warmth compared to Grace Hotel.
I was on a high. Breakfast consisted of everything organic - organic eggs, homemade butter and strawberry jam (Pyin U Lwin is strawberry central!).
I had a breakfast companion too!
Gokteik Bridge photos courtesy of ayeyarwady.com
The Gokteik bridge was not all. Travelling by train, albeit the long hours (9-10 hours) really gave me the chance to meet the locals and offered me an insight into what travel was like for them. I sat in ordinary class amidst baskets of tomatoes and sacks of other vegetables.
It didn't matter that I was seated on a wooden bench and the train carriage rocked like a horse almost the entire time - I had such an amazing time I'd do it all over again!
The entire area where the train stopped was littered with garbage - they throw everything out of the window!
Women and children usually congregate where the train stops. They sell drinking water from pails (you hand them your water bottle, they fill it up).
The superb scenes that accompanied my bumpy train journey. Throughout the journey I got so immersed in my thoughts. I felt so light and free I thought I was in heaven but in reality, I was just drunk with the simplicity and richness of the land.
The following day U Siri, the monk I befriended in Mandalay showed up at my guesthouse whilst I was having breakfast. He bought tickets for a sightseeing tour of Pyin U Lwin. We walked towards the Win Yadana taxi stand where I met James the day before and I noticed people staring at us. He told me sometimes in smaller towns people aren't accustomed to seeing monks walking with females, particularly younger females. At more remote places, such sights are even frowned upon but he said, "...it is okay. Don't worry. I have other friends who are girls".
When I first saw U Siri in Mandalay Hill, I was actually engaged in a conversation with another person called Kyaw Kyaw. Kyaw Kyaw was telling me about his studies in university, his family and his aspiration to become the President of his country. Yes, I'm not kidding! He spoke English fluently and offered to take me to the ancient cities in his friend's car but I said I had already visited them.
Kyaw Kyaw has big dreams. I bumped into him the next day on my walk to the monk's monastery.
In the midst of our conversation this monk walked past. I noticed him because his robe was draped slightly different - usually monks drape their robes in a way that their right shoulders were left exposed - but this monk had the usually hanging end of his robe pulled up, covering both shoulders. Yea, I know I sound like a freak to even notice that but I guess you just pick up these kind of details after being in a country with so many monks! Anyway, I didn't notice him just because of that. I usually greet almost everyone whom I had eye contact with and I greeted him "Mingalaba!" cheerfully when he walked past us. He had this amusing, twinkling look in his eyes as he nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Half an hour later with Kyaw Kyaw's email and phone number scribbled on a piece of paper, I continued walking down the hundreds, if not thousands of steps. I came to a rest stop where a local guy had his drawings sprawled out on a small table and he invited me to have a look to see if I was interested in buying any.
From the corner of my eyes I noticed a monk sitting on a chair nearby and further investigation revealed that it was the monk whom I had seen earlier. His nose was buried in a brownish, worn little book but as I approached him he looked up and flashed me a smile. I immediately felt very drawn to him. There was just something about his face, his smile, his entire mannerism that made me feel so peaceful. Yes, peaceful. I feel as though his face was the epitome of kindness and it made me think of all the good in the world. In a way, it was weird - but good weird.
We chatted for awhile and he introduced himself as U Siri. He spoke slowly and paused occasionally to find his words. "My English bad," he said from time to time especially when he had difficulty making me understand him. He told me he had been a monk for 13 years and that he had stopped studying English for awhile to master the Pali language, an important language for monks and even more important for a monk who wants to train to become a preacher like himself.
U Siri
Somehow we ended up agreeing that we both wanted to go to Pyin U Lwin the next day and he suggested that we go together. My first reaction was, yeah sure, why not? Then what followed in my head was, "Eh...how? Issit okay for him? I have to be very careful not to come in contact with him (females cannot touch monks)... Is it wrong for me to agree to go together? All these things were running through my mind the entire time when he suggested that I meet him at his monastery in the morning the next day. He was also worried that I might not be able to find the monastery as it was only my second day in Mandalay, not to mentioned the country. So we looked in the guidebook and I said, "Okay, I'll be there at 9am tomorrow."
So the next morning I hauled my backpack and walked ten blocks to his monastery. I arrived late, at 9.20am because it was on a back alley and I had to walk in and out of several teashops to get directions. He must have thought that I was not going to show up because I saw the surprised look on his face whilst I was standing at the monastery door. I was invited in, he showed me his sleeping area and introduced me to every monk there. They insisted we stay for a Rakhaing curry lunch before starting our journey. So of course, all my troubles thoughts from yesterday went away immediately.
Going back to our sightseeing tour in Pyin U Lwin - half an hour after my breakfast we found ourselves cramped, yet again, on the back of a similar pick up truck to the one we sat in yesterday. I was very glad that it was a local tour.
U Naung Gu, natural cave containing several Buddhas used by local meditators
After our first stop at the cave, everyone was on to U Siri about the girl from Malaysia that he was travelling with. Towards midday, everyone on the pick up was offering me strawberries and other snacks bought from snack vendors. This family of three even 'adopted' me and told me to hush and not breath a word of English when we got to the National Kandawgyi Garden so I didn't have to pay 'foreigner fee'. I guess I do look Burmese after all. U Siri said to me, "Now you have a lot of friends!" By the end of the trip, we were one big happy family and few of them even extended me invitations to their homes, mostly in another province altogether.
My 'adoptive' family in Pyin U Lwin. Mother and daughter travelled something like seven hours to see son/brother who is a cadet in the Defense Academy. The mother jokingly pushed her daughter to me saying that she should go with me to America for a better life. They don't speak English, U Siri did translation for us the entire time.
They were seated right opposite me in back of the pick up and I remember thinking that it was one of the very few times that I actually look on a family with real envy. They were so attentive toward the child and affectionate to each other at the same time, you know. 
Chinese Temple. Built by Yunnanese immigrants, the temple is unlike other Buddhist sites in Myanmar. It is also home to an orphanage and nursing home. The shoe friendly grounds include a six-storey tower with seating areas. Shot taken from tower.
After the sighseeing trip U Siri asked if I wanted to meet his friend who has worked in Malaysia for 10 years. He said, "He knows Malay language, you can speak Malay to him." One quick phone call to Phoe Kwa from the Win Yadana telephone stand sent him riding his motorbike to meet us. He then invited us to visit his home, a few minutes bike ride away. I climbed onto his bike and U Siri hailed another moto driver for himself.
In his home I met his mother and sister. The moment we sat down on their sofas, Phoe Kwa's sister disappeared into the kitchen to fetch us drinks. His mother went to a table in the sitting area and stuffed a few Kyats into an envelope. Phoe Kwa's sister, Ngo Pa Lone came back with two glasses of orange juice and placed them on the table in front of us. They then proceeded to kneel on the floor facing U Siri and bowed to him a few times, just like how I've seen locals pay respect to the Buddha in temples and shrines. Then the envelope containing the donation was passed on to U Siri. I felt really weird and uncomfortable, mainly because I felt really self-conscious about my being so casual with U Siri whilst they actually bow to him! The whole thing was over in a few seconds but left me with a lot of questions.
So when I started talking to Phoe Kwa in Malay, I took the opportunity to ask him a lot of those questions. Is it true that it is not good for a monk to be seen with a young female alone? Is it the norm to give donations and bow to monks like what just took place? Of course on top of those things I also asked about his experience working in Malaysia. He said that he entered illegally because it costs too much to have to pay for the permit. That was the reason why he never came home for holidays, as it would be troublesome to go back.
When asked for the reasons for coming back, he said his mother finally couldn't stand it anymore and begged him to come back, even though he was doing well and the money he made in Malaysia was more than he had ever made in his entire life. It paid for Ngo Pa Lone's schooling (she was 13 when he left), the motorbikes they own and on top of that they've also extended the house - now it has a full size kitchen. Now he grows flowers in the backyard to sell in the local market.
Phoe Kwa then gave U Siri a ride back to the main road to catch a pick up back to Mandalay. I told him I will look for him in his monastery when I am back in Mandalay in a few days.
L-R: Daw Than Than Aye, Phoe Kwa, Nyo Pa Lone.
Phoe Kwa's sister gave me a ride back to the main road and I was checking out from my guesthouse when this lady started talking to me in Burmese. I told her I don't understand but she kept pointing to my backpack. Then the person at the reception said to me, "She said your bag is very big. Not heavy? She is asking you where your friends are."
I asked if she speaks Chinese (some Burmese, depending on the area they are from, speak a little bit of Chinese) and she was very delighted. She said, "Yi tien tien. Hua ren?" So we began our 'chicken and duck' conversation with a little bit of Mandarin, a lot of smiles and some head nodding. She wanted to know where I was going and why I was checking out at this time of the day. I said I was headed to another guesthouse. She grabbed me by the arm and said, "Coffee. Coffee." She insisited on buying me coffee.
With her arms linked around mine, we walked into a busy teashop. She ordered for both of us and again, insisted on paying when our drinks arrived. Somehow these two guys who were sitting on the table next to us picked up our difficulty in communicating and translated for us a few times. They ended up joining us for quite an interesting tea (or coffee) time!
Ye Htut (in my mind he is the rock & roll dude) speaks very 'American' English.
I recently got an email from Vandamme saying "...in Myamyo (Pyin U Lwin) everyone is very happy because of water festival but I am not happy because my dreams have not come true." Vandamme dreams and prays for a better life everyday. He said, "...if only there is a way, I will walk there (America)". I said I will send him a postcard of New York's skyline to cheer him up.
Ma Maw Maw Aye, who was so adamant about buying me coffee. She invited me to visit her home in Shwe Bo, a long way away. Her sister recently left for San Francisco after winning the US green card lottery. She asked if she can visit me in NY if she ever make it to America.
Later that night I met up with James and he took me out to dinner at a friend's restaurant. I met the owner's daughter, Sarah who will be going to Taipei to further her studies.
Sarah Li
In the cool foothills, 69km east of Mandalay, Pyin U Lwin evoked the vibe of the British colonial era. As Lonely Planet put it, stately colonial-era buildings on the town's main street house Nepali tea houses or sweater shops, and country cottages sit on grassy plots outside town.
Pony-led colourful minitature wagons trot the town. There is a big military population in Pyin U Lwin as the Defense Services Academy is located there. It is also a bit of a holiday destination for domestic travellers.
Pyin U Lwin was originally a Shan village and was renamed Maymyo in 1887 after British Colonel May who was stationed here. From 1896 Pyin U Lwin was a British hill station and during those days an influx of south asians moved here. Today more than 5000 Nepali and 10,000 Indians live in town. Most people here are well-versed in English.
My ride from Mandalay to Pyin U Lwin. It was a four hour ride on a wooden bench at the back of a pick-up truck loaded with people as well as goods. It was so jam-packed that by the end of the ride, we were one big happy family. Oh, it also had to stop almost every hour - tea houses or restaurants usually have hoses ready for those heated up radiators.
Main street Pyin U Lwin
Nat pwe (spirit festival). Burmese people believe in nat, or spirit. Nat are known to like loud and colourful music, so these people go around banging away at full volume on their gongs, drums and other instruments.
The Purcell Tower on the main road in the town centre was a present from Queen Victoria. An identical tower was also offered to Cape Town, South Africa. The tower's chime copies Big Ben by playing 16 notes before the hour.
Cheeky local kids
My dingy USD5 sleep for the night.
I had travelled with U Siri to Pyin U Lwin in the back of the pick-up but when we got there it was quite late in the afternoon so he said he needed to go and meet his friend at the monastery. We said our goodbyes, I thanked him for lunch at his monastery before our journey to Pyin U Lwin and set up a time to meet the next day. I wandered around town on my own.
Whilst exploring town, I met James. When he first introduced himself as James I was really curious about him; his air of amiable disposition, his Christian name and the way he spoke English really intrigued me. It didn't occur to me then that missionaries during the British occupation had influenced some locals to convert into Christianity.
I liked James straight away. He asked if I needed a guide or if I wanted to go to the Anisakan Fall, a popular waterfall 9km from Pyin U Lwin. I said I would like to but not on that day as it was already quite late in the afternoon. I told him that I was more interested in visiting some Shan villages closer to town. He said, "Okay, let's do it!".
I climbed into his pre-WWII Toyota. He turned the ignition key but the car wouldn't start. He popped the bonnet, went around the front of the car and kicked start the engine from there. I was nodding my head in admiration thinking, "Wow, they really make everything work around here".
James apologised for the condition of his Toyota. As a guide and taxi driver, he said he 'rents' the car from a friend of his because he cannot afford to buy one himself. The government apparently charges a ridiculous sum of USD30,000 for an import permit - I didn't even bother asking how much a car would cost on top of that. How accurate is this information? I am not sure. James had been driving tourists for a long time now, using the Win Yadana taxi stand on main road Pyin U Lwin as a base. He said that he got bored working as a preacher and decided to become a taxi driver because he enjoys travelling. When asked about his childhood he told me that he was baptised when he was a young boy living in Yangon (then Rangoon).
One of the three Shan villages around the area. 
Shan children at railroad. She is so cute isn't she??! I feel like biting her.
Flowers, strawberries plantations and paddy fields dot the entire landscape.
James insisted on me seeing these Banyan trees. With their huge portruding branches growing in all directions, it is a wonder they still stand tall.
After the Shan villages, we visited nearby Pwe Kauk Falls, a popular picnic spot.
Aung Htu Kan Tha is a shrine facing the fall that houses a Buddha that fell here off a Buddha-laden China-bound truck in 1997. When the Buddha couldn't be hauled back on, the driver claimed that he had dreamt that one of the Buddhas didn't want to leave Myanmar.
Aung Htu Kan Tha
James Vossion. I promised him a large-print copy of Crime & Punishment as he struggles to read the small-print copy that he owns. He also enlightened me on how Burmese people keep track of the outside world despite the oppressive regime - BBC radios.
Dropping me in town in the evening, James asked how long I plan on staying. I said I am not sure yet. He said, "Look me up tomorrow near the taxi stand and we will go for tea. I enjoyed talking to you and would like to see you again," he said.
I placed a few thousand Kyats (Myanmar currency, pronounced 'jhat') on his dashboard. He looked at me and said thanks. That was the only time he had ever allowed me to give him money as a token of appreciation for bringing me around in his car. All the other times in Pynn U Lwin, even when we met up in Mandalay again and I was sick from food poisoning, he always said, "No, Jessy. It is okay, you're my friend". If he wasn't so nice, I would have killed him for calling me Jessy.