Kyaingtong

Kyaingtong was absolutely amazing. We weren't sure how much time we'd spend there, but we loved it so much that we ended up spending seven full days there, and nine days in Myanmar altogether.

I don't even know where to begin, and since we are catching a bus to Chiang Kong and the Laotian border this afternoon, I'll have to keep it short.

The city is full of wats and crumbling colonial architecture. There is only electricity from 6 to 10 pm, and even then, many of the shops and windows are lit with candles in the evenings. The people are incredibly friendly and we made some wonderful contacts. There was a teacher from a nearby village who took us to a Lahu village where he had once taught. There was a monastery where we played takraw (basically a cross between hackysack and volleyball with a rattan ball). There was the Venerable Nyanavara, a Buddhist monk with which we have meditated the last five days. There was the Nepali sweets shop where we went almost everyday.

Unlike Thailand, which is very westernized, Myanmar is much more undeveloped. It's also very poor due to the policies of the current government. For the most part, we didn't talk politics because the punishment is severe for the Burmese if they are caught. However, we did get the opportunity to have some talks bordering on this subject, and they've quelled any reservations I once had about visiting Myanmar.

I will try to write more about Kyaingtong in a future post, and will also try to upload some pictures. For the time being, though, I'm still overwhelmed by all the things we experienced. I'm also feeling more culture shock at returning to Mae Sai than I did flying into Bangkok from the U.S. Kyaingtong is an altogether different world.