Myanmar: Weeks 28 to 32
During most of our second month in Myanmar, I conducted surveys in 45 villages across central Myanmar. Most of my pictures are from those visits.
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We flew to Mandalay during our first survey trip to visit villages in Sagaing province. This picture was crossing the bridge from Mandalay into Sagaing city.[/caption]https://youtu.be/OLvMrXlaBs4
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On the way to the first village, we stopped to admire the sunflowers.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2819" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
A market stall selling beans, vegetables, and other goods.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2818" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The street of the last village surveyed on our first day.[/caption]You can see some of the surrounding environment in the video below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQJS16cMMX4&w=560&h=315]
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A solar powered telecom tower. The panels are very dusty.[/caption]During a rest break, I found an ant hill in a tree!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwHxmT5KuGk&w=560&h=315]
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Batteries charged by solar panels are the most common way for Myanmar people to use electricity. TV's are neither common, nor rare, though only wealthy households have them.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2821" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The inside of a rice grainery where people store the harvest to be eaten throughout the year.[/caption]During our second day, we came across a wedding celebrate where they were making huge amounts of pork.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV6JEzLSdcc&w=560&h=315]
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On our last day of our first round of surveys, we came across a big agricultural dam.[/caption][youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCt7A0wThQY&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bk9OOlBIJU&w=560&h=315]
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Dustin ft. big gold pagoda[/caption]After the first trip, we drove down to Naypyitaw, the national capital, to do two more days of surveys.
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The rode up to our first village that day.[/caption]We stopped at the market to get some snacks. I put my phone in my pocket to get a video.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-w1LXp7mw&w=560&h=315]
The last village we visited had a donated solar minigrid. The water pump didn't have a regulator so the pump was running all-day, every-day – a poor design choice.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6sxxgxWPeE&w=560&h=315]
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And our bbq feast at the end of the day! Myanmar bbq was my favorite part of Myanmar food.[/caption]Tasha joined me on the second day of surveys, while Alakesh, my boss, went to a conference in Naypyitaw on minigrids.
There were often narrow crossings as our car shared the road with ox carts.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpGWy420VsI&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbZWnzi64bw&w=560&h=315]
A view of the fields in between villages.
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Over the weekend, we got more bbq![/caption][caption id="attachment_2828" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The beginnings of the feast! Nithya is taking the picture. We played cards, had cheap drinks, and enjoyed bbq for at least 4 hours at that table.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2829" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The next week, we were back at it. Natasha and I flew up to Bagan to do more surveys around a city called Pakoku.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2830" align="alignnone" width="3024"]
The harvest during the last village of our first day around Pakoku.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2831" align="alignnone" width="13546"]
Our car visiting a telecom tower.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2832" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The sun setting on our second day of surveys.[/caption]During our fourth day, we crossed many riverbeds.
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At the end of the third day in Pakoku, we came across a nice lookout over the river.[/caption][youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeUPplSjWpc&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAHS613hlZc&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUGxTdjfxIE&w=560&h=315]
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During the weekend, we were back in Yangon. We visited a pretty lake park in the city.[/caption]Tasha was going to southern Myanmar for a week to do field research while I continued doing surveys in central Myanmar. After her field work, Natasha's aunt Sarah was visiting, and they were going to tour around the country. Even though we had 3 weeks left in Myanmar this weekend would be the last time we were together in Myanmar until the last three days in the country.
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On the boat, you can watch Myanmar opera while having dinner.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2837" align="alignnone" width="6404"]
It's a tourist attraction but still very pretty. Next time we are in Myanmar, we may stomach the $30 ticket price and visit.[/caption]On Sunday Tasha headed to Myek in the south and I headed back up north to conduct more surveys around Magway.
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More fields.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2839" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
A monastery.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2840" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The house of General Aung San, the first leader of Myanmar and father of the current leader.[/caption]Here are several videos of fields.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9taWmiy3oo&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEX-c-0cbBo&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5pM8Lbc7u0&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VoYvBVLjyk&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nknY1gFF2uM&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZYMjIpJXDU&w=560&h=315]
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A view of the pool from the hotel. I walked around it at night talking to Tasha but never went in.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2842" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
There is a fair amount of oil drilling around Magwe. The iron horses look smaller than those at home.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2843" align="alignnone" width="3024"]
During our third day in Magwe, we visited a beautiful pagoda that overlooks the river.[/caption]A video from the pagoda outlook.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dimeXHSfkrc&w=560&h=315]
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Pagodas along the roadside.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2845" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
To my right is our translator and all the way to my left is a representative from the NGO we are partnering with. The rest of the people in the picture are people from the village.[/caption]A herd of goats!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuNlaS2TbmM&w=560&h=315]
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Back in Yangon all by myself, I could help by take selfies with the pink panther.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3215" align="alignnone" width="11392"]
A random panorama. Not sure from where.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3216" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
And another random picture.[/caption]After a few days reviewing the survey material in the office, I finished my internship with Micropower and headed to a town called Hpa An to do a little touristing with Sarah and Tasha.
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Hpa An literally means frog vomit. A folk store tells of a dragon that eats a frog without knowing it was his brother and so the dragon throws up the frog. Obviously, there is more to the story. Google it if you'd like.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3218" align="alignnone" width="11884"]
Overlooking the Irrawaddy river.[/caption]A video from the overlook.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9KsS81a0ns&w=560&h=315]
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Women washing clothes below the overlook.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3220" align="alignnone" width="3024"]
A boat taxi. If you look closely, you can see a Haier-brand refrigerator in the boat.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3221" align="alignnone" width="3924"]
We visited a few temple caves in Hpa An.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3222" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
The gold pieces on the walls are buddhas put together to make a larger picture.[/caption]
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Buddha elephant.[/caption]A vide inside the caves. Most temples in Myanmar are filled with statues of Buddha.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JzQErceeB4&w=560&h=315]
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At the end of the cave walk.[/caption]After walking through the cave, we stopped at a little restaurant in the bottom left corner of the picture above for some refreshments and snacks.
We then took a boat ride back to the entrance.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPW4t3mld7A&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNb9HPmfGDc&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFEK32vGgtY&w=560&h=315]
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At the end of the boat ride.[/caption]
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On the way to another cave temple, we stopped a baby cow - Tasha's favorite.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3229" align="alignnone" width="3024"]
Into the second cave temple.[/caption]
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The brown object in the middle of the picture is a hanging bees nest.[/caption]
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At our final temple of the day. We walked to the middle of the tower. Don't ask me how that thing got there. I think it is a rock formation.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3242" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
Looks like Africa![/caption][caption id="attachment_3243" align="alignnone" width="3024"]
Big buddha.[/caption]
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Sunset in Hpa An.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3246" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
I took this the next morning while waiting for Tasha and Sarah to pick me up.[/caption]I took a motorcycle ride to Tasha and Sarah's hotel to pick up my room key that I forgot in their room. This video below is the ride back into town.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLvMrXlaBs4&w=560&h=315]
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I think I took this on the road from Hpa An back to Yangon.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3248" align="alignnone" width="4032"]
To cap off our time in Myanmar and Sarah's visit we he some more street bbq![/caption]We have surely missed Myanmar since leaving there though it seems more and more likely that we will come back to stay for a longer time.
