Escaping 100 degree heat, we flew to Heho, which is in the highlands of Burma. Among the pine trees of Kalaw,
we toured a Pa-O tribal village and the sacred caves of Pindaya, filled with thousands of Buddha images (click
here).
In Myin Ma Htie Village, home to the Danu Hill tribe, we saw verdant vegetable fields, and their local Buddhist
Monastery. The head monk at the temple personally led me through the Triple Gem ceremony in Pali, the
language of original Buddhist sutras. Since I follow the path of Buddhism, the ceremony was deeply moving for
me! (click here)
The next day, we departed for Inle Lake, a huge, shallow lake in the north of Burma. We were soon acquainted
with the one-leg boat paddlers of this region, found nowhere else in the world. From our resort lodgings at
Pristine Lotus, we were paddled out to visit one of the many families that live in stilt houses above the water.
(click here). The next two days were filled with water taxi tours of the vast lake, where we were able to observe
the predominant fishing culture in the region, interview women of the Paduang “long neck” hill tribe, and see a
variety of local industries (including the making of local cigar cheroots). Among our visits was a stop at the
second most holy Buddhist temple in Burma, Phang Daw Oo Paya, dating back to the eleventh century, and
inspection at Inthein village of hundreds of ancient Buddhist pagodas that were mysteriously abandoned long ago
, in the mysts of time. (click here)
Our final day in Burma was spent back in Yangon, where we encountered the inspiring birth pangs of democracy
in this beautiful nation. The generals have ruled Burma in a heavy-handed, oligarchical manner since the end of
WW II, but thanks to the brave advocacy of Aung San Suu Kyi, they have been forced to become more open to
democracy. After spending decades under house arrest—and winning the Nobel Peace Prize for her pro-
democracy efforts, she was finally released a few years ago and was able to build a viable political party to
oppose the generals. In 2015, she became the de facto President of Burma. Visiting the gate to her house (jail),
and her national party headquarters was incredibly inspiring. We were able to depart Burma with hope for their
future well-being, and our best wishes for the continuation of their budding democracy!
For a You Tube interview I put together of my Burma trip, go here.
