The next morning started early for Ben, Vannessa and me. After taking a light breakfast (with some extra-sweet tea) at a local coffee shop, we took a short stroll to the banks of Salween River (Thanlwin to locals). Here, we paid a fisherman 1000 kyat/person to take us across the river to the foothills of Hpan-Pu Mountain.
A trip with Ben is never complete without a good hike, so the three of us decided to take a morning walk up the distinctly-shaped mountain. From the little quay on the other side of the river, we walked past a little village before arriving at the ascending pathway leading up the mountain. All through the hike, we were treated to some incredible views of Hpa-an and it's neighbouring cities. After going past a monastery and a couple of deceiving false peaks, we finally reached the peak of Hpan-Pu.
The view from atop was quite special - the peak was towering enough above its surroundings that our view stretched far and wide on every side of the mountain; yet it was low enough for the details to be clearly visible. The tireless fishermen rowing their boats across the mighty Salween; the innocent kids diving into the river from the aforementioned quay; cattle grazing the lush, green plains; serenity under the morning sun. It was a sight to behold, and perhaps the most lasting memory of my Myanmar trip.
Shorty thereafter we left the Soe Brothers' guesthouse and bade goodbye to Hpa'an for the last time. We caught a bus back to Mawlamyine (i.e. Moulmein - I just like to use the names interchangeably). Upon reaching Mawlamyine, we decided to head back to Breeze Guest House. It was unfortunate that we didn't have much time to spend in Mawlamyine this time around as we had to depart for Yangon that night. Khan Ruey and I, having already taken the train ride from Yangon to Mawlamyine, decided to take the bus back. Ben and Vanessa on the other hand were keen on experiencing the bumpy rail ride and were to depart to Yangon by train. I recalled Raju mentioning the Chitra Pournami celebration, and how he would have loved to take us there to show me how the Burmese Hindus celebrated it. When we reached the guest house, we asked for Raju at the front desk. Within 10 minutes, a smiling Raju was at the doorstep with his tuk-tuk, ready to take us all for a quick trip to a few attractions. I informed Raju of the situation, and how we didn't have too much time in our hands. He simply smiled, and assured me he'll manage to take us to the festival (including the Chithra Pournami celebration) and dinner before directly dropping us off at the train and bus stations accordingly.
Soon enough, we arrived at the Murugan temple - Moulmein's very own Batu Caves. Hundreds of stairs lined the path to the temple at the top of the cave, and with the hordes of people walking around the temple the experience was almost reminiscent of Batu Caves during Thaipusam. Raju informed me that Hindus and non-Hindus from all over Myanmar come to the temple every year during the three-day festival. It was only the first day though, and Raju humbly declared the crowds will really grow over the next couple of days. As we walked up towards the temple, we came across a group of Burmese Tamils who were over-the-moon at the sight of a fellow Tamil boy from outside Myanmar visiting their temple. We excitedly exchanged pleasantries in Tamil, as they explained to me about their celebrations as well as the Hindu community in Myanmar as a whole. They were quick to note that their celebrations cannot compare to the Thaipusam celebrations in Batu Caves or Penang, yet they take a lot of pride in putting together a joyous celebration every year for the community in Myanmar. I still found it amazing that I was actually conversing Tamil in this trip, having been totally unaware of the existence of Tamil communities in Myanmar; let alone them passing-on our language and culture down from generation to generation.
Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey with the same folks who were overjoyed at the sight of Malaysians (on the way down)
Once we were back downstairs, Raju invited us to have some temple food served for free at the common hall. I understood what it meant to him for us to join them. I truly wished I could have sat down with the local Tamils and ate with them. It's a joy to see our Indian culture carried-on and practiced with such pride and verve, that I felt compelled to join them. But alas, time was of the essence and Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey weren't too keen on the idea - so I decided to gulp down a couple of 'vadais' with Raju before we proceeded to the same briyani shop Khan Ruey and I had dinner at three nights prior. Raju proceeded to drop us off at our respective stations, where I literally hugged him and thanked him profusely for all he had done for us. I had never expected to come across another Tamil-speaker during my Myanmar trip.. but how he immediately took me as he would his brother and went out of his way for us was incredible. For some reason, I was elated and proud at the thought of people like him existing in Myanmar and upholding our subtle Tamil virtues.
It was midnight by the time we reached Yangon, and Khan Ruey and I proceeded to check-in at Sunflower Hotel - another Lonely Planet guide recommendation for cheap accommodations in Yangon. Heh. This was, in many ways a pivotal point in the trip. The point where I looked back at our quaint adventures in Moulmein and Hpa-an and wondered if I'll ever get the chance to return to those wonderful towns - and looked forward to the many splendors that lied within Yangon.
Foreground: 'Bennessa'; Background: Hpan-Pu
A trip with Ben is never complete without a good hike, so the three of us decided to take a morning walk up the distinctly-shaped mountain. From the little quay on the other side of the river, we walked past a little village before arriving at the ascending pathway leading up the mountain. All through the hike, we were treated to some incredible views of Hpa-an and it's neighbouring cities. After going past a monastery and a couple of deceiving false peaks, we finally reached the peak of Hpan-Pu.
One of them falsies. Certainly wasn't deceiving the hovering eagle above
Goddess Durga?
The view from atop was quite special - the peak was towering enough above its surroundings that our view stretched far and wide on every side of the mountain; yet it was low enough for the details to be clearly visible. The tireless fishermen rowing their boats across the mighty Salween; the innocent kids diving into the river from the aforementioned quay; cattle grazing the lush, green plains; serenity under the morning sun. It was a sight to behold, and perhaps the most lasting memory of my Myanmar trip.
View of Hpa'an town from the peak of Hpan-Pu
Troubling signs of industrialization spring from afar
Shorty thereafter we left the Soe Brothers' guesthouse and bade goodbye to Hpa'an for the last time. We caught a bus back to Mawlamyine (i.e. Moulmein - I just like to use the names interchangeably). Upon reaching Mawlamyine, we decided to head back to Breeze Guest House. It was unfortunate that we didn't have much time to spend in Mawlamyine this time around as we had to depart for Yangon that night. Khan Ruey and I, having already taken the train ride from Yangon to Mawlamyine, decided to take the bus back. Ben and Vanessa on the other hand were keen on experiencing the bumpy rail ride and were to depart to Yangon by train. I recalled Raju mentioning the Chitra Pournami celebration, and how he would have loved to take us there to show me how the Burmese Hindus celebrated it. When we reached the guest house, we asked for Raju at the front desk. Within 10 minutes, a smiling Raju was at the doorstep with his tuk-tuk, ready to take us all for a quick trip to a few attractions. I informed Raju of the situation, and how we didn't have too much time in our hands. He simply smiled, and assured me he'll manage to take us to the festival (including the Chithra Pournami celebration) and dinner before directly dropping us off at the train and bus stations accordingly.
Soon enough, we arrived at the Murugan temple - Moulmein's very own Batu Caves. Hundreds of stairs lined the path to the temple at the top of the cave, and with the hordes of people walking around the temple the experience was almost reminiscent of Batu Caves during Thaipusam. Raju informed me that Hindus and non-Hindus from all over Myanmar come to the temple every year during the three-day festival. It was only the first day though, and Raju humbly declared the crowds will really grow over the next couple of days. As we walked up towards the temple, we came across a group of Burmese Tamils who were over-the-moon at the sight of a fellow Tamil boy from outside Myanmar visiting their temple. We excitedly exchanged pleasantries in Tamil, as they explained to me about their celebrations as well as the Hindu community in Myanmar as a whole. They were quick to note that their celebrations cannot compare to the Thaipusam celebrations in Batu Caves or Penang, yet they take a lot of pride in putting together a joyous celebration every year for the community in Myanmar. I still found it amazing that I was actually conversing Tamil in this trip, having been totally unaware of the existence of Tamil communities in Myanmar; let alone them passing-on our language and culture down from generation to generation.
The entrance to the temple
Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey with the welcoming Burmese Tamil folks at the temple (on the way up)
The reverse - yours truly with a group of curious onlooking kids. Photo credit to Ben.
Once we were back downstairs, Raju invited us to have some temple food served for free at the common hall. I understood what it meant to him for us to join them. I truly wished I could have sat down with the local Tamils and ate with them. It's a joy to see our Indian culture carried-on and practiced with such pride and verve, that I felt compelled to join them. But alas, time was of the essence and Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey weren't too keen on the idea - so I decided to gulp down a couple of 'vadais' with Raju before we proceeded to the same briyani shop Khan Ruey and I had dinner at three nights prior. Raju proceeded to drop us off at our respective stations, where I literally hugged him and thanked him profusely for all he had done for us. I had never expected to come across another Tamil-speaker during my Myanmar trip.. but how he immediately took me as he would his brother and went out of his way for us was incredible. For some reason, I was elated and proud at the thought of people like him existing in Myanmar and upholding our subtle Tamil virtues.
It was midnight by the time we reached Yangon, and Khan Ruey and I proceeded to check-in at Sunflower Hotel - another Lonely Planet guide recommendation for cheap accommodations in Yangon. Heh. This was, in many ways a pivotal point in the trip. The point where I looked back at our quaint adventures in Moulmein and Hpa-an and wondered if I'll ever get the chance to return to those wonderful towns - and looked forward to the many splendors that lied within Yangon.
No comments:
Post a Comment