Experience the beauty and splendour of Myanmar, through the lens and words of German photojournalist Barbara Prinz.
Presented previously in the third issue of High Life: Living the Good Life, this article has now been repurposed for the digital world – exclusive only on Voice of Asia.
Myanmar was once a country not easily accessible for tourists and laboured under decades of restrictive rule of a military dictatorship. Now the nation is gradually opening its arms to outsiders and things are changing, with many people drawn by the opportunity to travel to this fascinating country, as we explore through the lens and words of German photojournalist Barbara Prinz.
Leaving Life Behind
My own fascination for Burma stems from a curiosity about its Buddhist culture, golden stupas, a myriad of temples, lush landscapes, gentle people, and the lingering charm of this former British colony. Before I started my journey, I prepared well ahead. Things are changing fast in Myanmar and luxury hotels have sprung up almost everywhere, with only a few areas inaccessible to travellers. However, tourists are required to apply for visas in advance, and they are only valid for 28 days. It is also best to organise and pay for hotels, flight tickets, guides and transportation in advance, as credit cards are not widely accepted and one should take enough cash along, preferably smaller US dollar notes, as there is a lack of ATM’s, and ensure they are crisp – old crumpled bills are often rejected by money changers. One should also be prepared to do without your beloved mobile phone, as network coverage and reception is practically non-existent across the country with no international SMS service and one of the slowest internet speeds in the world. Myanmar is a getaway in every sense.
On the approach to Yangon International Airport, I caught my first glimpse of golden stupas rising from lush green forest. The adventure was about to begin and I relished the anticipation of the experience to come. Yangon International Airport, though not big, was efficiently organised and quite modern, and I left the next morning on an early flight to the ancient city of Bagan.
A Bagan Adventure
The early flight was a wise decision as I had a beautiful aerial glimpse of a Bagan vista, the light catching the roofs of the golden stupas which peek out of the tree-tops, beside the Ayeyarwaddy River. I immediately understood why Bagan is the main tourist attraction in Myanmar and one of the richest archaeological sites in Asia. The city is located on the eastern bank of the river, covering an area of 42 sq km containing over 2,000 well-preserved pagodas and temples of the 11th-13th century. As the former capital of the first Myanmar Empire, a visit to this place feels like stepping into the past.
My first contact with the delightful locals was a ‘novitiates’ ceremony’. All Burmese men have to go through the experience of living like a monk at least once in their lifetime, though in reality this happens on a more regular basis as less privileged families send their children to monasteries or nunneries for education.
A totally new experience for me was the natural sunscreen that, on all my travels, I have only seen in Myanmar. Thanaka is a distinctive yellowish-white paste made from ground bark, commonly applied to the face, sometimes the arms, of face, sometimes the arms, of women and girls – and to a lesser extent men and boys.
Apart from the wealth and majesty of impressive archaeological sites, I was extremely touched by the natural kindness and gentleness of the Burmese people on the one
hand, and their strong Buddhist belief on the other. The daily alms rounds to collect donations of food are part of daily life for the monks and nuns, and the humility that is part of each of these collections is touching, especially to an outsider such as I.
Among all the temples in Bagan, the Shwezigon Paya is probably the most significant. Built by King Anawrahta – the first of the great builders of Bagan, who initiated an era when Bagan became known as the ‘city of four million pagodas’ and completed in 1090, it is the architectural prototype for many other stupas across Myanmar.
From Bagan it is approximately an hour’s drive to Mount Popa, a 1,518 metre-high mountain that is believed to be the core of an extinct volcano last active 250,000 years ago. This is the home of 37 nats, or powerful spirits, which are worshipped in Buddhism and ‘live’ in a monastery on the crater. The mythical mountain, also known as the Mount Olympus of Myanmar, has given rise to traditional tales of strange characters in search of magic herbs.
Clockwise from top right:
A lady carrying out backbreaking rural work. Pagodas poking out through the lush green trees. The Shwezigon Paya in Bagan catches the glint of the evening sun. A young boy at a novitiates’ ceremony. Toothy grins from a farmer and his son.
Monks on the move, at Htilominlo Temple (right) and collecting rice on the daily alms trek. Nuns bow their heads as they wait to receive lunch. The resplendent Shwedagon pagoda.
