A new start (25-11-2008)

Since Stinker is nowadays usually busy with Xenne and doesn’t want to come to the internet café anymore, I thought it might be nicer to start with my own blog. Stinker tried for a while to have me type all his stuff, but that was a bit too much.

So a new blog site with loads of empty bites to fill. I’ll try to keep this blog a bit more updated than skunkonthego. Not that Stinker is completely out of business. When we travel, he might still place some travel related observations on his site. But if all goes well, this site will be a bit more busy. That is, if the internet allows me too. At school my computer hasn’t been working for ages. Not that there is anything wrong with my computer, but the electricity supply is so bad that many a time the generator is running. And somehow that means a lot of difference in my classroom. When the generator runs, I have 1 (one!) light and aircon. Nothing else. Apparently they need a bit more than a weekend to fix it. Luckily we have the Christmas Holidays coming up.Hopefully, it’ll be better after that. And in the computer lab the connection has been awfully slow of late (probably not only in the computer lab but since my computer isn’t working most of the time, I have no way to check if it is something in general or not….).

Ok, so what is there to tell? First of all, Papa and Jet have been here. They’ve finally seen Yangon. Last year when they came over it was at an especially bad time (end of September…) so we left Yangon immediately to avoid the troubles… But this time all was fine. And they’ve even seen Shwedagon. Not that that was their biggest attraction here. Kyaw Kyaw tried to get them on all kinds of day-trips (and longer) not realising at first that their biggest attraction was right here in our living room.

Nowadays Kyaw Kyaw and I are completely into cycling. It took a bit of searching but now we have two very nice, second-hand, japanese city-bikes (a mountain-bike kind of bicycle). I cycle to school every day and it is fun. Ok, sometimes I get very little fresh air and a lot of diesel fumes but most of the time it is nice. And, of course, I try to be away from the main roads as much as possible. Especially since on one, you’re not allowed to cycle. Officially that is. But of course, being a westerner and having no clue (or pretending not to have one) I cycle everywhere. And all the security people let me. The other day I was even allowed to cycle on the road that has been blocked of for the last 2 years. It is the shortest way to school but unfortunately it is blocked again. Why? Nobody has a clue. But it was interesting to pass a certain place I wasn’t allowed to pass the last 2 years at least.

Oh, other interesting news: We finally got mail! Thanks Cathja for the lovely invitation. It came a day too late but it did come here. I hope the brunch was really nice. All the postcards that everybody sent before have gone… well, I have no idea where. But it was a huge surprise when I came home and to hear that we had mail…..

And then I need to write something about Xenne. He’s sleeping in bed now, right behind me. Tired of pushing the chairs all around the living room no doubt. Something he started during Papa and Jet’s visit but now is a regular exercise. We’re even using the shoes we bought in Thailand a month ago since he does want to ‘walk’ outside too sometimes. And I really don’t want him to walk barefoot around in our local teashops for example.

Oh, and I almost forgot another surprise. Long live (and love J ) the internet. The Friday before last we suddenly had a very unexpected visitor. I had read a quick email about her but hadn’t given it much thought. It was a woman who came to travel here in Burma and she had seen my posting on Hyves. After some quick questioning of my Hyves-friends she got my address and came over to bring me liquorice (yummy), cheese (double-yummy since Kyaw Kyaw likes that as well) , some Dutch magazines and a newspaper. Absolutely super!! The cheese didn’t survive long and the liquorice is also down to a fair few. She’s traveling around Burma right now. We’ve provided her with as much info as we could come up with so hopefully she’s having a great time. She said she might drop by again before she leaves. I hope she does. For one thing, it is always interesting to hear what others think of this country. But besides that, she was really nice.

Thursday 27-11-2008

Very early in the morning. I’m typing in the dark since both Xenne and Kyaw Kayw are still asleep (right behind me). Xenne woke me up at around 5 am since it was too hot for him. But the electricity was not enough to have the aircon on. So now the windows are open which is quite nice since there is a pleasant breeze. And since it is almost winter time the air is cool. Xenne is back asleep but I could not sleep. Luckily we’ve moved the laptop back to the bedroom table so I can write. At least this way I have something to do and I won’t lay still in bed writing in my head… A little while ago the gong sounded for the monks in the nearby monastery. Time to get up (between 5 and 5.30 I think it is, depending on the monastery). Soon they’ll be coming around here in a long line, ready to collect their daily rations from the people who live in these apartments. A quick look at block A and C shows that there are already quite a few people awake (and it is before 6 still). The number of people that give food in the morning is rather substantial though I suspect it is usually the maid who does the actual cooking in the morning. Me being me I wonder what that means for the merit that they (think) they get from handing it out…

Looking out over the lake (yes we have a lake view, of Inya Lake to be precise, it helps being on the 11^th floor) I see the apartment blocks that are right next to my school. Unfortunately, to get there, I have to go all around the lake. Looking at it, I realise it is actually already a lot lighter than before. Almost time to really get up and get ready for school. And cycle my way around the lake to those 2 buildings I can see in the distance. One is finished and one is half finished, with a huge crane standing over it. Not that I’ve seen or heard any work being done on that building in the last 4 months. Not sure whether it is a temporary delay or just a full stop like what happens here so often when money runs out or when the owner just decides to move elsewhere (like the government did with the national library. That huge half-finished building is a great example of this kind of abandonment).

My alarm clock will almost go off so time to put a stop to this writing. I also hear the small gong and the ‘warning’ of the monks who come for their daily breakfast. I might have a quick look out of the window. It is quite a sight. In front walks a man, no monk, who sounds the gong and who ‘chants’ the warning (not sure if it is a good description it is a repetitive phrase in a kind of like singsong voice). Then comes a long line of monks with their alms bowls, followed by the novices with their bowls. Some of those novices are very young (even around 7). And along the line there might be laymen carrying the food (packets) that are handed out. Sometimes they assist one monk; sometimes they do it for all. Oh well, time to ‘get up’ so I’ll write some more about monks some other time. I’m sure the topic will come up again.