MYANMAR (Burma)

I have lived in Belgium since 1993 , and I was recognized as political refugee in 1998 , I have been to several countries since then ; to North frican , rabian , !uropean countries and "uba ; and after four #ears I began to travel to sian countries $ I have been to %#anmar twice,m# first time was in &''& , and it was m# first travel to sia $ (hat travel was the most impressive one till then and after $ It was a cultural shoc) to me in all the aspects * culture , people , food , climate + $ Take for instance the visit of ,-hwedagon .a#a/ in 0angon the capital ,what ,1ipling/ called it ,the 2olden 3agon 4m#ster#5/$ It is ver# big ,huge and the biggest stupa rises about 1'' m above the base where its great golden dome 4bell6shaped monument5 is shining the whole da# and #ou can see it from far awa# $ (he temple has man# gates with rising grocious coverd stair6wal) entrance full of Buddha7s statues in ever# corner and in man# shapes and sizes $ I have never seen such an impressive religious house an#where $ (he difference in building material , in moulding the statues , in the manner of the relics7 protection 4relics of Buddha )ept inside the biggest stupa5 and the serious of the devotees in comparing with other shrines of the world , it was 8ust an amazing $ Or the ,Bado7s temple/ with its huge riclining Buddha$ Or a ,.inda#a Natural "ave museum/a cave of more than 8''' Budda images made from alabaster ,marbale , bric) , and cement which have been put there over the centuries in a form of a lab#rinth in the various cave chambers $ Or the visit to ,.agan/ the cit# of thousand stupas $ (hese stopas are e9tended with the horizon in different sizes with the most agruable material of building$ Or the ,In#e la)e/with its floating villages and mar)ets and with the manner of people getting their drin)ing water from wells out of the depth of that la)e ; Or the ,palace of %andala#/ a fabulous palace of spiritual touch on humanit# and uncomparble palace with the others in the world $ 4 after few #ears I visited the palace of )ing :uan "arlos6 -pain5$ Or the ,%andala# foundries/64the casting industries5 which ma)e statues of buddhas in different shapes, sizes and how the wor)ers did their finishing on those statues before the# were imported$ I wondered how came in gods name the person who fabricates such a statue can odore it later ; (hen what is the difference between that and west churchl# statues which also made b# a person how later odore them ; The Burmees have three meals per da# $ (heir brea)fast of veg , porc , chic)en , shrimps7 nouddle soup or a fried rice with a ba)ed egg above $ (he !uropean can get their own brea)fast as in their countries but don7t e9pect to find croissant + (r# their food in the local restaurant to en8o# their eating tradition but #ou should be sure that #ou don7t have a sensitive stomach $ The traditional men wear are long#is , a s)irt li)e waist clothes with one size fit all $ I have visited %#anmar , <ietnam , "ombod8e two times and =aos , India one time $ I was there in the period of mid November and end %arch , because those countries have a common climate and the# are involved #earl# with the monsoon between mid pril and mid November$

I have learnt a lot of my travelings