Tingyan Water Festival

This is the biggest event in Myanmar, held on every year before their new year. Everybody have holidays during this time of the year for almost two weeks. Its actually same as Songkran water festival in Thailand, only its bigger and crazier.

During the 1st day of my visit to Myanmar i woke up to the sound of loud music from the streets. Its just 7 am in the morning and everybody is preparing for this event. In front of every house they prepared water buckets and water guns, wheres in the big junction they set up a big stage with 20 to 50 water jets for the public in called this "Panders". At first, i don`t know whats this is all about, but going to breakfast that very morning i got splashed by kids in front of their houses. Luckily my phone is not wet, so i stuffed it into a plastic bag.


Passed 10 am, everybody already pouring into the streets, either into one of the Panders or into pickup trucks. I got a friend in PETRONAS Myanmar operation, so i went into their sponsored Panders to join in the celebration. Armed with 2 waterjets I hit everyone came in front of our Panders especially in the trucks. This better than Wet & Wild, Sunway Lagoon! They even got local artists perform on some of the Panders.


The next day Ive got a chance to join into one of the trucks. We droved into all the major street to be jet by the Panders. However, we didn't came there unarmed. We got a big bucket of water full of ice! If a jet were pointing at me, I just splash this freezing water back to stunned them. This thing lasted for another 2 days. I really have a good time during Tingyan. It is said that the water splashed of jet is to cleanse the sins for the whole year.

Adaptive

       Recently i traveled to Myanmar. Its not a really good country to go. Its a rainy season there and it will last until November. I spent 3 quarter of the day in the rain, everyday. Malaysian shoes was not suitable for this weather, mine only last the first 3 days. I walked most of my trip, seeing the shiny gold gilded Shwe Da Gone Pagoda towering in the middle of city, everywhere I go. Much like the experience walking around KL with our beloved KLCC around. We used to have watery dishes in our Malaysian cookings, but here we can only find oil. Thats right! oil! To wet your rice, so you can eat them. You can imagine how I have to endure their food there. I got food poisoning the same day my shoe wear out. Even the toiletries (only local brand available) make you cannot smell them. The smells is so weird, and it takes me a couple of days to get use with it. The cars here cost 4 times the price of our cars, and motorcycles is banned by the government. Public transportation is the veins of Yangon. Like them, I also use buses here. All the buses is the secondhand bus from Japan. You can see all their stories riding in one of their buses even though you cant communicate with them. Its a good thing Burmese are honest people. I just give them a thousand kyat note and they will give the right change back. I used sign languages too. Its amazing how much I can communicate by just using sign language and their limited English. But hey, you have to give and take their error when ordering your food. I once ordered a spaghetti and milkshake just to end up with milkshake and a sparkling water.

      Thats roughly my story about how i adapt with the harsh environment in Myanmar for 2 weeks. Probably other people than me can adapt better or just bought their return ticket to Malaysia after 3 days. Im not trying to say im really that adaptive but the idea of adaptive is a survival thing, one I should have to have to face another rainy days. Its only me with my mind of my own.

Shwe Da Gone Pagoda

trying to adapt with my worn shoes

o ouh..one yucky yoghurt comin' up