Foot and Fire

Laphet thoke is another symbolic dish of Burma, albeit a snack. It consists of pickled tea leaves soaked in oil eaten with an assortment of fritters including roasted groundnuts, deep fried garlic, sun dried prawns, toasted sesame and deepfried crispy beans. Laphet is served in a traditional 'oat' - a lacquer container with individual compartments for each ingredients. Lahpet was an ancient symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in the history of Myanmar, and is exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute.

Across this river are portions of the white-temple-dotted hills we conquered. *** We started the day with a van-trek to the hills of SAGAING, where a temple filled with sitting statues of Buddha and one standing Buddha, which represent his enlightenment, is located. It was a sight, not of gold temple grandeur this time, but of the numbers of serene-looking Buddhas, each represented a stage in the life of Buddha. It was sure hot but the temple housed us and our bare feet away from the sun. We saw interesting way of life such as a family eating their lunch in circle at the temple floor and a painter doing his watercolor paints using blades, and later, a lady in the restaurant where we lunched giving spoonful of rice to  the nuns who gather them. *** This is the facade of the U Min Thonze Cave that houses many Buddhas in sitting positions with the last one as the enlightened one, the Standing Buddha.  *** The Public Drinking Fountain. *** ...

This is a nice side trip when one is already at the Reclining Buddha (Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda) as this is located just about 10-minute walk a little across the street. The face of the Buddha is likewise charming but lacking the effeminate impression I got upon gazing at the reclining Buddha. But samely, the lips and the nails are painted. Wikipedia entry is quite short: Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda also Nga Htat Gyi Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma, located off Shwegondine Road, A distinct five-tiered pagoda, the original 20.5 feet high Buddha image was donated by Prince Minyedeippa in 1558. A Buddha, 45.5 feet on a pedestal, 30 feet (9.1m) high and 46 feet (13.9m) wide was erected at the temple in 1900. *** http://www.renown-travel.com/ mentioned this temple in the entry for the Reclining Buddha and noted that : Just across the street from the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda is another temple, the Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda that contains another huge Buddha ...

A vacation to Myanmar is not about food or shopping or art. It is about religion, observing Myanmarese culture and way of life, it is about walking barefoot (and eventually accepting it!) in each house of Buddha. Arriving in Yangon, one is welcomed by buildings, old and new, big and small. But being in Yangon means one can visit Mayanmar's oldest pagoda (and the world's!) called Shwedagon Pagoda.  *** English writer Rudyard Kipling who is best-known for his "Jungle Book" is said to have had set foot in this Pagoda in 1889 and exclaimed that, "Up till that sight my uninstructed eyes could not see that the land differed much in appearance from the sunderbuns, but the golden dome said: 'This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.'" (Wikipedia) No wonder about that, because the Shwedagon's crown or umbrella is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shape...

I believe almost all visitors of Kuala Lumpur won't miss Batu Cave, next to the Petronas Twin Towers. I was doubly excited to visit this karst-formed Batu Caves when it was featured as a photographic location of the 2014 Asia's Next Top Model (By the way, the Malaysian won and her two runners-up are both Filipinos). This is a Hindu temple first and a tourist attraction next. But contrary to my high expectations, I was dismayed by the dirty stairs and floors. While I know that caves are supposed to be bat-inhabited and dim and unswept, at least I expected Batu Cave to be clean and well-lit given the temple and shrines in the interior of the cave. In the ANTM episode, I saw a newly-painted, well-lit and decently clean stairs, so I had these in my mind. At any rate, this did not stop me from climbing the Temple or Cathedral Cave.  *** But despite its apparent uncleanliness (good thing, we need not remove our shoes), further readings on this religious site silenc...

Lights are candies to the eyes. Hence, December is always the time to forget electric bills and delight in the twinkling lights. La Carlota is dubbed as the City of Lights but I must admit there is nothing ultra special to its lights but then, since locally, it strives to be known as such,  I commend the consistency of establishing this tradition of lights which usually opens on the midweek of December and usually culminates every fiesta the next year, January 24.  Here are my quick tour of our humble town plaza. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***