{"id":19765,"date":"2017-11-25T03:02:41","date_gmt":"2017-11-25T08:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.runkevinrun.com\/?p=19765"},"modified":"2017-11-25T03:02:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-25T08:02:41","slug":"november-24-2017-bagan-sights-new-bagan-nights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/?p=19765","title":{"rendered":"November 24, 2017 – Bagan Sights, New Bagan Nights"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a half-day tour today, with the promise of a pre-race pasta dinner and talk in the evening.\u00a0 But as it stands, the morning itinerary with Sheila and Thomas had us hitting five places before lunch.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start though with a bit of Bagan background:<\/p>\n

Bagan is an archaeological wonderland, generally consisting of the two cities of Bagan and Now-un (best guess on the spelling for now).\u00a0 It\u2019s got a dry climate (albeit this would NOT be true during our stay).\u00a0 Even during the rainiest years, they might see 20-24 inches of rain for the year.\u00a0 There ARE occasions for heavy rains and when that happens there\u2019s always the threat of serious damage to the multitude of monuments and artifacts.\u00a0 Probably the worst rains coupled with earthquakes in 1975 to take the 10,000 monuments to closer to 4000 still being intact.\u00a0 A few more extreme rainy years have cut that figure to about 2000.<\/p>\n

Tourism is the lifeblood of Bagan.\u00a0 Sure, there\u2019s some peanut farming, sesame and beans too.\u00a0 But the main economic engine for the region is tourism.\u00a0 Without tourism, there definitely wouldn\u2019t be enough jobs to sustain the locals and the place would be swallowed up by the desert.\u00a0 Thankfully, Bagan is hailed as one of the richest archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.\u00a0 The majority of the monuments and structures date from the golden age of 11th<\/sup> to 13th<\/sup> century Burma.\u00a0 It was around this time that the first Emperor of Burma introduced pure Buddhism to the land and Bagan served as the holy mecca.<\/p>\n

In 1991, the military junta moved the locals who were residing and working in the archeological area to New Bagan and secured the 26 square miles of \u201cBagan\u201d as a heritage site.<\/p>\n

Preservation of natural land as well as historical and cultural artifacts is of course important.\u00a0 And imminent domain is a real thing.\u00a0 But the hairs on the back of my neck bristle when I think about a military junta \u201cmoving\u201d people in relocation efforts.\u00a0 The US has done it, both reasonably well and incredibly poorly too.\u00a0 There\u2019s something about the phrasing though of the word \u201cjunta\u201d that\u2026 I just don\u2019t know how to describe it.<\/p>\n

Still, I\u2019m just a visiting tourist here so I\u2019ll do my best to stay out of the politics\u2026 at least for the moment.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Our first stop was the nearby Ochow Temple (not how it\u2019s really spelled but how I phonetically tapped it out on my phone).\u00a0 This is a reconstructed monument and thus not Sheila\u2019s favorite spot\u2026 but it DOES afford some pretty spectacular panoramic views of Bagan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\" <\/a>\"\" <\/a>\"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Next, we went to the Minnanthu Village (I knew how to spell it because I purporsefully took a photo of their local clinic).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Encompassing of 100 families, this place felt like a Hollywood backlot set for \u201csoutheast Asian village.\u201d\u00a0 But this was no movie fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Predominately making their living as farmers, people here supplemented their income via various artisan home businesses, such as weaving and lacquerware.\u00a0 And much like Hollywood proper, they took part in the age-old tourism tradition of busking photo opps by posing for tips.\u00a0 Despite that, I still had a guilty sensation like we were traipsing through people\u2019s homes and lives but it was clearly a business proposition for the locals.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After a couple of photos were snapped of a woman carrying her child, I offered her a dollar and she offered me the chance to carry her kid:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The kid weighs, um, 35 sticks?<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

From the village, we headed to the town of \u201cNow-un\u201d (again, this is the runkevinrun.com phonetic bastardization spelling so don\u2019t go looking for this name on any map\u2026 just look for the adjacent town to New Bagan!).\u00a0 This is home to the Schwezagodo (??) Pagoda.\u00a0 This one I *did* google the spelling for after the fact \u2013 it\u2019s Shwezigon<\/em><\/strong> Pagoda.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"\u00a0<\/a>\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a spot amongst this pagoda that reflected water affords a perfect shot of the stupa itself \u2013 a couple of local girls would help you frame your shot with your camera to capture the image:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

During the day\u2019s travels, Sheila would point things out from the bus.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t or wouldn\u2019t stop, such as at the very popular pagoda for locals that is renowned for possessing the power to grant pilgrims\u2019 wishes\/desires; it\u2019s ostensibly a smaller pagoda so most foreigners skip it in favor of the grander ones strewn amongst the 2000-4000 still standing monuments.\u00a0 And yet, part of me would have liked to visit that place.\u00a0 Because, ya know\u2026 wishes and desires\u2026<\/p>\n

But we did slow the bus at times to allow us paparazzi happy gawkers to snap photos from inside.\u00a0 I found it hilariously \u201ctouristy\u201d and opted to take photos of all of us trying to take photos through the windows:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

We also passed a few road construction elements and interestingly the road crews were almost entirely comprised of women.\u00a0 Sheila told us that\u2019s because a lot of local men travel abroad to find work and send money back home; the women are left to take care of the children and households and thus take jobs closer to the family homestead.\u00a0 I made a note that it sounded akin to the American Rosie the Riveter stories from World War II.\u00a0 I also noted that Sheila said the women make a daily wage of 4000-5000 kyat while men construction workers take home 6000-8000 kyat.\u00a0 I asked if the women were upset about the wage discrepancy and if they were fighting for equal pay.\u00a0 Sheila said the women had slightly easier work; I disagreed but knew I was arguing from a weaker standpoint given the gender gap in pay is equally egregious in the USA.\u00a0 Still, I was upset to hear this.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Our fourth stop of the day was at Boo Pay Yah (umm\u2026 I think that\u2019s right.\u00a0 It SOUNDS right\u2026 but it\u2019s a butchered RKR phonetic).\u00a0 This features a prime example of the 2nd<\/sup> Century Pagoda style.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the original collapsed in 1975, a year that marked the worst natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.\u00a0 Burma therefore saw many archeological treasures damaged or destroyed.\u00a0 In the late 1980s, the military junta reconstructed this particular pagoda and it serves as a prime example of the ancient style.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Taking a stairway down, we were also afforded an opportunity to see the riverside.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, just down the shore a bit (gosh… forgive me… that’s a poor phrasing…) there was an AMAZING pagoda listing that I was utterly fascinated by.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m still not 100% sure if this is a \u201cnon-proliferation, anti-nukes, world peace\u201d pagoda or a \u201cthere\u2019s been a spate of nuclear disasters and we\u2019ve endured and will continue to endure\u201d pagoda.\u00a0 Either way, when it comes to endurance, I\u2019m for it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The fifth and final tourist stop was actually my favorite\u2026 and also sadly the shortest.\u00a0 We had ten minutes to run wild through a patch of monuments that were indicative of all kinds of styles and constructions over the centuries.\u00a0 Some of the monuments were tilted\/leaning due to the earthquakes; some were damaged; most though were in great shape and emblematic of just what I was hoping to see.\u00a0 It appears the 10K course for the races tomorrow runs through this section and I was secretly quite jealous they would have a bit more time to roam whilst running\u2026 yet I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll get to see some pretty spectacular things along my 42K run.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Before I close up this entry and prep for the marathon tomorrow, I need to make a confession.\u00a0 At lunch today I became \u201cthat guy,\u201d the guy who loses his proverbial \u201cshit\u201d when in a foreign land and becomes the ugliest of tourists.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if it was the culmination of the Murphy\u2019s Law morning I had, or if I was sick of being seated at a long table with a pole behind me and feeling like the serving team kept skipping me.\u00a0 But I do know when the bill came for my Coke Zero I was raging mad.\u00a0 You see, it was 2200 kyat, already a hugely inflated price given that I grabbed an 800 kyat can just a few hours prior along the riverside.\u00a0 And I recognized that at the bottom of the drink menu there was the caveat that all prices were subject to a 10% surcharge and 5% government tax.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So at the end of lunch, the server asked for 3000 kyat.\u00a0 And he asked everyone at the table for that same amount for their canned drinks (more if they had beer, a little less if they had local water).\u00a0 I balked and said the menu read 2200 and he said there was a tax on it.\u00a0 I shook my head in dismay and gave him a 5000 kyat note.\u00a0 He returned two one-thousand notes in change.\u00a0 Angry and upset, I skipped the fresh fruit dessert plate that looked a touch dodgy and skulked off to a bench to type out my thoughts.<\/p>\n

Eventually I decided to see if I misread the menu.\u00a0 I walked into the bar and noticed most of the drink menus did NOT have the notation at the bottom regarding the taxes and fees.\u00a0 I finally found one and sure enough if was 10% and 5%.\u00a0 I\u2019m a numbers guy.\u00a0 I made my living on budgets and financials there for quite some time and so running the numbers, a 2200 charge with 15% taxes would be 2550 kyat.\u00a0 I decided it was enough of a principle thing to take a stand so I stalked back into the dining room to ask the server.\u00a0 When I confronted him he fumbled out that he didn\u2019t have change.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t the issue \u2013 the issue was he quoted from the get-go a price that doesn\u2019t match the posted fees.<\/p>\n

Not to go all Han Solo in The Force Awakens<\/em>, but that\u2019s not how math works.\u00a0 Twenty two hundred plus 15% is NOT 3000.\u00a0 It just isn\u2019t.\u00a0 Sheila intervened, as did a few Albatros Tour Leaders and I finally backed off and apologized for my behavior.\u00a0 But they seemed to understand why I was upset, whether that was just lip service to help calm me down or sincere, I appreciate their managing me down from my crazed mania. \u00a0I know I essentially threw a tantrum over 33 cents US but\u2026 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 It just really bugged me that the numbers were being treated so nonchalantly.\u00a0 And the fact that the tax was listed on only SOME of the menus made me further question the validity of the charges.\u00a0 I\u2019m also a guy who believes in the Three Musketeers credo \u2013 all for one, one for all.\u00a0 I suppose Eden BBB would argue that they DID screw everyone equally\u2026 that is until I heard other tables were NOT charged the tax at all.\u00a0 And then I raged, raged against the futility of it all.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sigh.<\/p>\n

Sigh, sigh, sigh.<\/p>\n

I apologize for creating an incident over 33 cents.\u00a0 It was not my finest hour.\u00a0 But I stand behind the principle that numbers must be treated fairly so that people may be treated fairly.<\/p>\n

And while we\u2019re at it, 4000-5000 kyat is NOT the same wage as 5000-6000 kyat.\u00a0 Equal pay for equal work.<\/p>\n

Fight the power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a half-day tour today, with the promise of a pre-race pasta dinner and talk in the evening.\u00a0 But as it stands, the morning itinerary with Sheila and Thomas had us hitting five places before lunch. Let\u2019s start though with a bit of Bagan background: Bagan is an archaeological wonderland, generally consisting of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19765\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runkevinrun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}