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Pulling up his longyi, Naung Naung proudly shows us the tattoo of a rabbit on his right thigh, surrounded by a faded swirl of Pali inscriptions. "This one makes me jump higher", he explains, his face deadly serious, before pulling open his tattered shirt to reveal a tiger on his chest. "And this one gives me courage!" This goes on for a few minutes, as he shows us a succession of significant tattoos - each located on a specific part of the body - and tells us the blessing each one bestows. I'd read a little about this custom before, (sometimes precious stones and amulets were inserted just beneath the skin to complement the inks and enhance the mystical significance), but hadn't realised it was still practised. I'd read that in times of war, many Burmese soldiers asked for tattoos over their hearts, as this was believed to render the wearer impervious to bullets. Another man told me that some monks are allowed even more powerful tattoos, such as one which can make them invisible when they wish it.

Burma Three: Lingering a little longer with the lotus-eaters

Michael Meadows
2007-03-08 16:37:11

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spent the afternoon wandering around Yangon's markets, (where, I have to admit, we spent most of our left-over kyat on pirated movie DVD's rather than 'cultural artifacts' of any kind), and then went out to the same places that night. Unfortunately, Jonny couldn't join us this time, but we met plenty of other interesting characters and had a great night.

Sitting on my AirAsia flight early the next morning, wearing my crisp new longyi with great pride, I grinned back at all the quizzical, sidelong glances I was getting, and reflected on what had been an amazing trip - perhaps the highlight of the past year's. How to describe Burma? Imagine a sort of country-hybrid between Thailand and India, twenty or even thirty years in the past... As in India, life is
lived on the streets in Burma - men sit at little outdoor tea-shops for hours, women gossip & giggle on corners, children kick balls around honking cars and swerving bikes. No need for 'community' halls and events here! But in terms of temperament & personality, the Burmese people reminded me more of Thai's, perhaps those of an earlier age. Imagine how Thailand might have been before the tourist dollar - especially the unsavoury variety paid by hordes of sex tourists - had worked its black magic. Gentle, quick to laugh, considerate to a fault, (I occasionally forgot to take something to eat on the buses; families sitting near me would always insist I share their meagre lunch, further dividing what wasn't enough in the first place)... Of all the countries I've travelled in, I've never enjoyed and respected a people as much as I do the Burmese.

I could certainly begin to understand Percy Fitzgibbons, an Australian retiree we met at a bus-stop in Kalaw, who moved to Burma after retiring, married, and hasn't left since. Incidentally, Percy was quite a character - look out for him if you visit Kalaw any time soon. Waiting for the bus when
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