Myanmar. Yangon
Yangon, in the recent past Rangoon, is the capital of the state of Myanmar, which most oldly calls Burma. Until 1947. Along with neighboring India, Singapore and Malaysia Burma was a British colony. The original name of Yangon instead of the English rank of Rangne, the capital was returned in 89th, after coming to power of the military. At the same time, Burma turned into a Myanmar – so the country was called in doocolonial times. These renamations have created a certain confusion: Mianma’s citizens continue to call themselves by Burmese, and their language is Burman.
"Yangon" Translated "End enemies" or "End of hostility", But most citizens prefer more poetic option – "City of Mira". Traces of British rule in Yangon almost left. English almost no one understands. Most signs and pointers in Burmese. So without a guide Europeans in Yangon could not do. Soso Min oriented in the city with closed eyes. First of all, he led us to the so-called downtown – the heart of the Burmese capital. "This is the Chinese Quarter of Yangon. Here you can sell anything and buy anything. There will be no such price anywhere else – everything is very cheap .." Downtown is divided into several quarters: the main one is Chinese and Muslim.
In Chinatown, life does not just boil – it hits the key. Here and in fact it is possible to find everything: some used T-shirts, styled jeans laid on the asphalt. Stand – Kopeika. Sellers swear that she sewed them personally Celvin Klein for a couple with Georgio Armani. Why birmanians jeans, for me it remains a mystery. All population of the country, both men and women, are spacious skirts that are called "Lonechzhi". It is not even so much skirt, how much a piece of fabric, wrapped around the thighs.
Equality in clothing, it is necessary to think, applies to family relationships. And how can be different if the wife without the shadow of irony can declare her husband: "Dear, you seem to put on my skirt?" Assortment here is rich, eyes scatter. Skirts for every day, skirts. There are cotton. Eating silk. Unlike Tanakha’s skirts – local powder, which is made from the cortex of the tree of the same name, are exclusively women. She replaces them immediately and creams, and scrubs, and lotions, buy which Burmets is simply not able to. Yes, to tell the truth, they all this western cosmetics and do not trust too.
Ask anyone who visited Myanmar, whether he saw there at least one person who would be nervous or was in a hurry. No, they will answer you. And all because here live according to the principle "I am Ba DE". It approximately matches our "somehow cost". Most Burmese residents – Buddhists, and Buddhist believes that, only exhausted from earthly passions, you can achieve enlightenment. However, the calm of the local residents is not least the result of regular use of Bethel, which is sold here at every step. Bethel – a local chewing faucet. Its base is a leaf of a betral palm.
Muslim quarter neighboring Chinese. Muslims in a four millionth Yangon not so much – about a million. In the center of the quarter, of course, the mosque, and around it all the same endless shops. But here traded mainly sweets. The impression that the people here only eat and eat. On the shelves, donuts, buns, cakes, trays with a multi-colored jelly, which attacks the excreted flies. In Yangon, lottery tickets are sold everywhere. That neither step, then wind. I no longer saw this anywhere. That the circulation will take place in two months, Soso Min told me when I already became the owner of tickets. I had to give them to our warmed, which he was incredibly glad.
Establishments where you can eat, in the downtown Pond PRUD. But expose European stomachs such a test somehow did not want. To the nearest decent restaurant, according to Soso Mine, there were minutes twenty walking, and I agreed to take advantage of the bus. I did not have to wait. But when I realized that this is the bus, it was too late. Buses in Yangon refer to the eateled rust vans, which seem to have started labor activities in the times of British dominion. We did not drive, probably, and half a kilometer, as a terrible squeal of brakes came ..
– I will not go further that? It seems to be for a long time ..
– Let’s wait for the following ..
The next bus almost turned out to be the last in my life. His assault. Soso Min deftly broke through, I, like an air acrobat, hung on the footboard. I was enough for a maximum of half a kilometer. This bus turned out to be much straying the previous one, and we reached the restaurant without adventure.
While waited for the order, I asked our spent, that in Soso Min name, and that the surname. "And Burmese has no names. And only the name is written in the passport. Call baby depending on what day he was born. We have every day of the week correspond to certain letters of the alphabet. I, for example, was born on Tuesday. Letters answer this day "SA", "SHA", "Mya", "Ma". My name and starts with the letter "SA". By the way, Soso is a lord, and min – high"… if you access Burmetsu, then it will not add a particle to his name "W". This is the Burmese version of our "Mr". "Before" and "Ma" add if it comes to a woman or a girl.
The smell of the local dishes are so unusual that you cannot say right away, it’s appetizing or not. "We usually eat hands. I, for example, when you have to use a fork and a knife, I don’t get fun at all. In restaurants and cafes, as you can see, still put appliances. But they use mostly foreigners". "Our favorite Ngarey sauce. We, in Burmesers, this word causes abundant salivation". People brought up in European cuisine, Burmese may seem too exotic. Ngarey, from the point of view of the Europeans, it is generally impossible to take in the mouth, because it is simply a fir fish. Prepare sauce like this: Fish is put under the press and leave on the heat. So it lies a few days, after which there is a bad smelling mass as it should be pushed and generously squeezed by acute spices.
Burmese has no such concept – change dishes. All all are put on the table: and snacks, and soup, and second, vegetables, seasonings, necessarily rice. After dinner for tea or coffee, Burmets usually smoke cigar-charm. These cigars do not necessarily from tobacco, go to the move leaves from some local plants with toning properties.
On the way from the restaurant to the main attraction of Yangon – the Schwedagon Star – Soso Min brought us to the place where great Burmets were buried. Here is the tomb of Tana. In Tan is the most famous citizen of Myanmar and a resident of Yangon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the past. A lot of all sorts of stories have been preserved about this person. Here is one of them: when Tana was elected to the post of the UN Secretary General, the French were very opposed to this. They said in the sidelines: Well, why should we choose from Tana? Some one is low and does not know even French. At one of the press conferences, this phrase was voiced. Uan went to the podium and said: First, I am above Napoleon, secondly, I at least know English. Napoleon did not know this ..
From the tomb of Tana to Schwedagon – hand. Stupa rises almost on the Stater height. Sheets of pure gold with which it is covered, weigh several tons. It was covered with rubies, sapphires, emeralds and some more precious stones. On the legend of the stupa was erected two and a half thousand years ago. Two brothers Tapusa and Balika went on shopping affairs in India. There they heard about Prince Siddhart Gautam, who called the truth and the Buddha, that is, enlightened. To see the great man, the brothers committed a whole journey. The preaching of the Buddha so they got involved that they unconditionally accepted his teachings. Fast Buddha presented the Burmese eight of their hair. The casket with these relics was placed on a high mountain, and a huge stulet was erected above it. Her name of the Swedagon is formed from the word "sew" – Gold, I "Dagon" – So in those distant times, this area was called.
For prayer and meditation, many are spent in the Swedagon day. Here they eat, and appoint meetings. After the market, this is perhaps the second most important center of public life in Yangon. Soso min – as a true Buddhist – comes to the Swedagon almost every day. "All my ancestors were Christians. Despite this, until sixteen years, religion did not interest me at all. But at some point I wanted to understand what it was? I started, naturally, from Christianity, then began to study Islam, then – Hinduism. But only Buddhism truly fascinated me. Everything in the teachings of the Buddha is built exclusively on the principle of human responsibility for their actions. Nobody promises you to vacation sins. You yourself can redeem your sins, improve your karma. All in your hands. And good and evil".
After Shavedagon Soso Min led us to tea. They are even more in Yangon than lottery kiosks. Tea – Favorite Drink Burmese. Especially green, especially with milk. They drink even soup. Local tea rooms are located not only on sidewalks, but also retain a solid piece of roadway. Tiny, as if from kindergarten, chairs around the same tables. Sit behind them – a little punishment. "Now everywhere talk about politics, but not in Myanmar. Most here not to her. All thoughts of people are busy one – how to feed the family". People in Burma live really hard. Soso Min, for example, at some point he said that his salary of the employee of the Ministry of Information is ten thousand Chiant. It’s a little less than ten dollars. True, recently the situation in Myanmar is changing. Japan and neighboring China began to invest in the local industry. Roads are built, modern buildings are being built. Wealthy citizens are installed on the roofs of parabolic antennas, which on the background of gilded stars look quite well. Burmesers have someone else’s success causes. They can not withdraw anything from mental equilibrium. "I am Ba DE", in a word. Such people.
