Myanmar 41 From Monywa to Bagan

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Myanmar
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BAGAN
Monywa
From Monywa to Bagan
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Monywa hotel
Monywa is a city in central Myanmar, 136 km
north-west of Mandalay and situated on the
eastern bank of the Chindwin Rive. Mandalay
Division. It lies 136 km north-west of Mandalay
along the Mandalay-Budalin branch railway line.
Monywa serves as a major trade center for India
and Burma through Kalay Myo road and Chindwin
river. From Monywa 112 km on road to Pakkoku
where will stop at the Jetty and board a private
local boat for a cruise down to Bagan which takes
approximately two hours. On the way we see rural
villages of a typical river community. For many
centuries Irrawaddy or Ayeyarwady was Myanmar's
principal communication route (a river of Myanmar
flowing about 1,609 km southward to the Bay of
Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the chief river of
the country
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Caryota is a genus of palm trees. They are often
known as fishtail palms because of the shape of
their leaves. There are about 13 species native
to Asia and the South Pacific. One of the more
widely known species is Caryota urens, the
flowers of which are used to make one type of
jaggery (an unrefined sugar), and also to make
palm wine.
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Monywa hotel bungalows around small but nice
gardens. From Monywa 112 km on road to Pakkoku
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Toddy palm (Borassus flabeliferus) is by far the
most common palm, and one of the most common
plants. The fruits are used to make a drink
called tanti. At first it is quite sweet and
tasty but if you let it sit around for a day or
longer it starts to ferment and becomes
alcoholic. It's jokingly called jungle juice
because it is the cheap way to get happy. The
interior of the nuts taste somewhat similar to
coconut jelly meat...very nice tasting. Every
part of the palm is used. Even the roots can be
roasted or boiled and eaten. A sugary sap, called
toddy, can be obtained from the young
inflorescence, either male or female ones. Toddy
is fermented to make a beverage called arrack, or
it is concentrated to a crude sugar called
jaggery. The 'Borassus flabellifer leaves are
used for thatching, mats, baskets, fans, hats,
umbrellas, and as writing material. The stalks
are used to make fences and also produce a
strong, wiry fiber suitable for cordage and
brushes. The black timber is hard, heavy, and
durable and is highly valued for construction.
The young plants are cooked as a vegetable or
roasted and pounded to make meal.
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Visiting a thanaka plantation A practice dating
back to at least the 14th century, thanakha is a
yellowy paste applied to the face and body. It is
made by grinding the bark of trees, adding water
and then turning it into a paste. Frequently, the
tree of choice is Limonia acidisima also known as
the wood apple. It has a pleasant scent similar
to sandalwood. Purists will want to make their
own thanakha, so you will also need a kyauk pyin,
the circular stone slab you use to grind your
wood into a paste.
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Thanaka trees are perennials, and a tree must be
at least 35 years old before it is considered
mature enough to yield good-quality cuttings.
Thanaka in its natural state is sold as small
logs individually or in bundles, but nowadays
also available as a paste or in powder form.
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Thanaka cream is made by grinding the bark, wood,
or roots of a thanaka tree with a small amount
water on a circular stone slab called kyauk pyin
which has a channel round the rim for the water
to drain into.
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The enormous monastery complex on the edge of
Pakkoku town (more than 80 monasteries) prepare
their monks to minister to the wider world in
Myanmar.
Its a great place to find out more about the
strictures of Buddhist life in the country some
of the monks are English speaking and will be
only too happy to answer your questions.
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Pakkoku is located 30 km northwest of Bagan. It
is a lively, typical Burmese town with a strong
craftwork tradition, producing colourful woven
blankets, mung beans and traditional sandals.
A school
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Pakkoku markets
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the old town of Pakkoku was contemporary of Bagan
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Pagoda in Pakkoku
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Irrawaddy or Ayeyarwady, the chief river of the
country
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Teak is a tropical hardwood tree species Tectona
grandis. It is sometimes known as the "Burmese
Teak". Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it
is freshly milled. Teak timber is particularly
valued for its durability and water resistance,
and is used for boat building, exterior
construction, veneer, furniture, carving,
turnings, and other small wood projects.
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Natural teak forests grow only in four countries
on the planet - Myanmar, India, Laos and
Thailand. Thats made it expensive and its about
to get way more expensive. Starting April 1,
2014, the Myanmar government will ban the export
of virgin teak. That will deal a big blow to
global supply around 75 of the worlds teak
market originates from Myanmar forests. The
country has long dominated the market despite
import bans that the US and the European Union
instituted in the early 2000s. Teak traders have
evaded sanctions by shipping Myanmar logs to
neighboring countries, which process the teak
and sell it to the luxury boat industry and other
luxury wood-working industries in Western
countries. India is by far the biggest market,
followed by China, Thailand and Vietnam 
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the Burmese like their salads chin-chin,
ngan-ngan, sut-sut, which means sour, salty and
hot.
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad Recipe
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traditional Burmese fermented tea leaf salad
(Lahpet Thoke pronounced la-pay toe) is an
eclectic mix of flavors and textures.  The young
green tea leaves are steamed and buried
underground for around six months for the
fermentation process to take place. For salad
they are traditionally washed and pounded with
garlic, seeped in oil, and then served with
sesame seeds, nuts, fried beans, dried fish and
fried garlic. It is considered an honourable dish
and is served at all important ceremonies. But
the Burmese are also said to eat it if they need
a caffeine hit!
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In Myanmar to be ei wuk kyay, which means to be
hospitable, is the criterion of perfect social
behaviour.
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The original pagoda Bu Paya was completely
destroyed in the 1975 earthquake and was fully
reconstructed using modern materials
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After two hours on Irrawaddy river, at sunset we
are in Bagan
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Bagan Kumudara hotel
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Bagan Kumudara hotel Plumeria (Frangipani)
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Tecoma stans 'Gold Star'. (Esperanza, Yellow
Bells, Yellow Alder)
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Cassia leptophylla gold medallion tree (Ngu War)
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Christmas Eve
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Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Khaung-yan)
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Bagan from my window
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Text Internet Pictures Sanda Foisoreanu
Internet All  copyrights  belong to their
 respective owners Presentation Sanda
Foisoreanu
2014
Sound Arakan lady song