Yawnghwe is located in the approach to Inle Lake. Near here, there’s a monastery that I visit every time. It’s by the roadside and the buildings are in the traditional Shan State style, so a lot of tourists come by.
One day when I went there, the monastery was overflowing with tour groups, so I headed for a building that was a short distance away in the same ground. When I got closer, I heard a forceful voice, so I took off my shoes and slipped inside. And I spotted a young monk from behind, walking the corridor and reading a sutra book in his hand.
I spoke to him when he came out of the building and he told me, “I get sleepy when I study sitting down, but I like it here because I can walk and concentrate”.
It was worth every step of the hard and uneven climb to the top. I was speechless at the sight of the innumerable temple towers that stretched out across the landscape, turning orange in the evening light. These towers, some of which were built as early as the 11th century, have been damaged in places by war and earthquakes, but still number between two and three thousand. Bagan, located on a plain along the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy river central basin, is one of the three great historical Buddhist sites in the world, alongside Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia.
On the day I arrived at Lake Inle, I sat on a bench outside the hotel and watched the sunset.
As the sun went down between the mountains, it lit up the sky and clouds and made beautiful colors. The reason I visited Myanmar was that the owner of this hotel – Miss Ann – is anacquaintance of mine.
Miss Ann is a person of influence in an ethnicminority, the Intha Tribe, and works on behalf of the biggest temple in Lake Inle area, the Phaung Daw U Pagoda. She also manages this hotel and its restaurant. Additionally, she is involved in activities to build schools, orphanages and hospitals using the earnings from the business.
I have been inspired by her energy and idea, and hope that I can helpher activities, if it is within my power.
Location: Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort Hotel, Inle lake, Myanma
July 25, 2010
While walking on a pilgrimage route to a monastery, I met a child and a teacher on their way home from school.
I remember clearly the beautiful Asian landscape that stretched out behind me from the gate of the monastery.
Inle Lake, which I visited, is in the center of Myanmar.
It is an extremely beautiful lake, set at an altitude of approximately 1,000m, surrounded by mountains and with a comfortable climate.
Location: Taung to, Inle lake, Myanmar
July 19, 2010
When I ask people from Myanmar where they’d most like to visit, many of them say “Shwedagon Pagoda”. They are extremely devout Buddhists, and they live their lives believing that building up good deeds will bring them a better next life.
For the people of Myanmar, offering prayers and devotions at Shwedagon Pagoda has a significant meaning. The Pagoda itself is constantly thronging with pilgrims from across the country.
I also visit it whenever I am in Myanmar. As I pass through the prayer route, barefoot, I see the tower glinting gold in the southern sunshine which dazzles me. I close my eyes and hear the voices of people praying, and the ringing of the bells from a belfry, and I finally know I am in Myanmar.
