Bagan

[Above photo: One of the many and greatly varied temples seen from above.]

3 November 2019

Two days after graduation I jumped on a plane for Bagan, the massive temple area in mid-Myanmar where 10,000 temples once stood. Now there are “only” 2000+, reaching back to the 11^th century..  Some are small but some are massive, as above.  They are set on a flat plain abutting the Ayeyarwady River in a largely rural area where ground nuts and sesame are planted together in alternating rows.. I visited here with Poki (my-ex) and friends in 2012. A huge earthquake in 2016 caused significant damage to the tops of some of the larger temples; they are currently being repaired.

It is hot and dry in Bagan this time of year. You visit the temples in the morning and late afternoons, lazing by your pool with a book after lunch for a few hours. While you can get around by tuktuk or a horse-drawn carriage, I prefer the new e-scooters. They are silent, max out at 30mph, and run all day on one charge: $4/day, with helmet.  They are a bit dicey in the deep sand found around some of the temples.

I stayed at the Bagan Thande Lodge in Old Bagan. It was built for a visit of the Prince of Wales in 1922. It has been well-kept and has spacious grounds, shaded by massive acacia trees. I got an economy room which was terrific, overlooking the lovely swimming pool. The expensive rooms are stretched along the river with fine views. There is a nice riverfront bar from which to watch the sunset and the breakfasts were excellent.

On day 1 I walked for a few hours  but got too hot and hailed a tuktuk. After taking me to the market in nearby Nyaung U, he pulled into a hotel parking lot and stopped. “What’s up?” “I thought you might want to go in here.” Ha. He obviously gets a commission for delivering tourists to Golden Eagle Balloon. I hadn’t planned on it but I signed up anyway, recalling how much fun it had been in Cappadocia. After a swim and a rest at my hotel, he picked me up and we visited a Kayeh weaver and then a terrific lacquerware shop in New Bagan, where I bought some things after touring the workshop and watching the artisans decorating it. It is so lovely and durable, lacquerware.

I was picked up at 5AM the next morning for the balloon ride. We assembled in a field where 5 companies had numerous balloons being readied. We had coffee and a pastry while the pilots sent up trial balloons, testing the wind. It was too strong so the flight was cancelled. I asked a woman across the table from me, the only other solo traveler, if she’d like to visit temples on the back of my scooter. She assented and I had good company.

Her hotel was several kilometers from mine so after I rented an e-scooter, I picked her up. and we spent the day driving around. You are not allowed to climb temples as they are wearing down from the traffic of tourists so I paid a kid on a motorbike $3 to lead us to an elevated spot from where we could watch the sunset. It was a crumbling brick structure several miles out on the plain and numerous other tourists were there as well. It was festive as we watched Sol sink into the Chin Hills, blushing as he went.

We travelled around in the day and ate together most meals, simply enjoying the company. She was on holiday by herself and had travelled to Bagan from Inle Lake.  I wondered about a single woman travelling alone but she had not had any difficulties. Myanmar people are so kind and helpful, as I keep repeating.

She left Bagan a day before I did and I just continued sightseeing, eating good food in inexpensive restaurants, and having my evening beer by the riverside as the sun set. All these temples, like any massive monuments (the structures in Siem Riep, the pyramids, the great cathedrals) make me think of slavery or impoverished workers driven too hard.

I realized how much more fun it is to travel with someone than myself. I never would have done the 2 months in southern Africa last year without Linda. I might have done small bits of it like Vic Falls, but so much of the pleasure comes from the interaction.

I am back inefficiently preparing for the short course (3 days) I’ll teach to 30 psychiatrists this week in Yangon and next week in Mandalay. I’ll do the first two days and Dr. Khin Maung Zaw, who practiced and taught in UK for 40 years, will teach Day 3. We lunched yesterday and aligned our teaching message. It is pretty impossible to achieve much in 3 days. We agreed that maybe they won’t use quite as much medication with children and can begin to think about them more.

Ed Levin just sent a terrific Perspective article from the New England Journal of Medicine about Psychiatry’s Identity Crisis, which fits right into the course. I submitted a letter to the editor suggesting that teaching programs need to reinsert Human Relationship back into the center of psychiatric training, so the practice of new psychiatrists isn’t simply match-the-diagnosis-with-the-drug. With my luck (skill) it will not get published but it helped me clarify my thoughts, so all is not in vain.

I’m very excited about heading to the US on 18 November. I’ll go to Maine first, so as to get my driver’s license and see friends and family. Then I’ll head for California for almost 3 weeks to see many pals. I’ll return here during the first week of January to finish out the last 3 months. I met an entire coterie of new people last night at a 2 for the price of 1 buffet at a fancy hotel and had a great time. It is possible, I think, to develop friendships and companionship here, although it has been a pretty solo year. I’m acutely aware of it now that I no longer meet all day 4x/week with my students.

America has the chance to demonstrate if we deserve a democracy founded (mostly) on freedom and honesty or if we’ll choose a demagogue. How the Senators sleep at night I cannot imagine. Even mesmerized, his lies and self-dealing must impress them a bit. Pretending that what he does is OK is puzzling and worrisome. Do they really think it is all right? Do they just not want to cross him and risk his wrath and their re-election? Some of both? Hopefully the public hearings will help sway public opinion.