(^10) Unfortunately, the traffic from Myawaddy to Pha-An was that day,
meaning I had to wait a day before getting underway. Little did I
know this was just the beginning of a problem-studded visit to
Myanmar.
Myawaddy
I woke to a racket from the street below and hurried out the door to
check what was happening. Following the clanging and drumming, I
encountered a ceremony filled with colour and spectacle.
During the summer school break, boys enter the Buddhist Order for a
week or more. These young boys, dressed like princes to imitate Lord
Buddha, a prince until setting out upon his spiritual path, were
carried shoulder-high through the streets to the temple. According to
my understanding, they spent the entire day being carried around on
the shoulders of their older male relatives. The procession included
cars and trucks with deafening music, followed by what seemed like
the entire village on foot, chucking popcorn and sweets at the
youngsters. It was all rather festive, and I felt fortunate to have
caught this unique ceremony.
Food in a foreign country becomes an adventure, which is
undoubtedly true in Myanmar. ‘Wet thar dote htoe’, or pork-on-a-
stick, consists of pork offal, which can be anything from pig lungs and
intestines to tongue. It’s cooked and eaten fondue style in soy sauce
and skewered onto a bamboo stick. Wet thar dote htoe was almost
always eaten on the streets while huddling on small kindergarten
plastic stools and dipping the skewered meat in the bubbling, black
sauce—no ordinary meal.
leana
(Leana)
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