Myanmar

Inle Lake

temples in Bagan at sunset

Fisherman at Inle Lake

Oh, right. So we went to Myanmar. If you get a chance to go, you really sure make the effort. 2 years ago, we turned down a job in Yangoon and we sometimes think about how different life would be if we had taken that job. It's amazing when you think about certain choices you make can impact your life forever. What if I never took that job in Egypt? What if we chose Myanmar and not Singapore? One of our last nights in Yangoon, we ended up at this trendy, 1950s style bar surrounded by expats and we just HAD to know what life is like there. I ended up talking to a girl who is from Tennessee and living/working in Yangoon. It would have been another adventure as Egypt was, but I'm glad I live in a developed country.

However, the country is beautiful and such a mix of East meets West. It's a perfect mix of India meets China. The temples are extensive, you just see them go on forever. I really can't wait to go back to see more of the country and it's definitely on my list of favorite countries. When you see all of these temples and see people praying so intensely and giving offerings to their gods, it makes you think about how Christianity must look in America. It's really not that much different. We got to see a few ceremonies at some of the temples and they seemed a lot like church services back in the states. What's so different? There are temples made of tacky gold paint and there are churches covered in tacky stained glass windows. People bring their families to worship and give offerings, money, etc. They would pour water on the buddha just like people take communion and have other rituals just like the Invitation and holding hands and singing at the end of a church service. When you travel and get to see a lot of other religions, I totally get why people think Christianity is crazy. It does look crazy just like every religion's traditions. So what's different about Christianity? Aren't you supposed to love people? Do Christians show love more than others? Why are people so worried about socialism ideas- isn't that what you're supposed to do? Support and give money to the poor? Of course people will take advantage of your kindness, but does that mean you should hate them for it? I don't know where I was going with that.

Anyways, we went to the temples of Bagan which are too many to count. Rode bikes around those at sunset. Went to Inle Lake and saw the one-legged fisherman which is amazing to watch. I wish I had taken a video of this. We ran into a huge festival where all these dancers met together in the middle of the lake which happened to be right in front of our stilt cabin. We are already planning our next trip back. I can't wait to see the beaches and Mandalay and go back to Bagan. It was absolutely stunning and I love seeing Burma in the news with positive steps the government is taking. It's definitely an amazing country and I feel like this post did not do it justice.