We were able to sleep in today, which meant that I slept until 7 a.m. I haven’t been able to sleep any later than that for weeks. We were able to relax before we headed to breakfast and then off in the boat. The first thing we came across were guys that were demonstrating how everyone used to fish on the lake with these baskets. They would stand stearing with their leg and looking down in the shallow clear water and see a fish and drop the basket over the fish and then spear it when it was in the basket and then drop and pull up the net which is attached to the basket. Now the lake has more people and not enough fish to fish like that, most fisherman now use the canoe and row like that but use nets that they throw by hand so they can have more area to cover. They then slap by water with their paddles to move the fish into their nets.
We took about 1:15 minute long tail boat ride to an area where there was an amazing group of stupas, about 100 of them, many of them in ruins but many have been restored. You walk up a covered staircase that is about 3 km walk up the hill to the stupas and the temple on top. There were dozens of handicraft shops while walking up. Along the way there was a man that had only one leg and no arms and he was painting the lacquer ware with his mouth and manipulating the bowl with his feet. On the way down I purchased a bowl from him and was very impressed with his ability to make a living with his disabilities.
When we reached the top and walked out, we had no idea what we were walking to and it just was amazing to see all these ruins and stupas and temples, many with small statues of Buddhas and many that have been taken and sold to antique dealers. But there were so many and it was so fun to explore through them, it just felt like hidden treasures and when we first arrived we were the first tourists there so it was so cool to explore around and take pictures. At the temple on top there were many women in traditional dress who had brought almost like a picnic to the temple and then after noon they wont have another meal till tomorrow. This is like their Sabbath Day since it is a full moon and they are on a Lunar Calendar so they fast a meal and come to the temples on those 2 days a month when there is a full moon. We were actually supposed to go to the every 5 day market today but since it fell on the Sabbath they didn’t hold it today. We purchased a few other items there and then made our way back to our boat. The boat ride was really relaxing and we made our way to the paper making place. Nate hadn’t seen how they make paper so we stopped and saw the demonstration. It comes from the Mulberry tree, the same one that the Silk Worms eat their leaves. They take the bark, boil it, beat it, until it is like pulp and then soak in water. The pulp in water they lay evenly over a screen and allow to dry in the sun for a couple hours and then they peel off and have paper. They use this paper decoratively for lanterns, umbrellas, and wrapping.
We took the boat to another temple that has the 5 most important wooden Buddhas in this area. There is some question how old they are but they are believed to be special and almost magical Buddhas and people pilgrimage to this temple to see and lay gold inlay on top of them. They are undistinguishable as Buddhas because they are so coated in gold. For some reason women can’t step up onto the alter and lay gold on the Buddhas, only men. I found out when I was stepping up to see and my guide quickly called me back down! For a couple of weeks a year they take these Buddha statues, which again are the most sacred in this area, around on a gilded barge which looks like a phoenix. They carry them from town to town and people come and see them. The barge is pulled by long tail boats which are rowed by dozens of people. These boats they also race now during this season. We saw some of them racing yesterday- more as a demonstration since it isn’t the Pagoda Festival which is when the racing traditionally happens. There were many other Burmese that were coming to the temple again because of the Sabbath and also because they like to pilgramage once in their life to all the most sacred Buddhas and temples.
We made our way back to the hotel where Nate is now having a 4 hand massage and Sam and I are catching up on our blogs. I am about ready to head out into the town to take a look around.
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