My room was small but I didn't complain. On the way to the end of the aisle for washroom after I woke up, I heard happy laughters from the lobby,which was so comforting . (The staff were teaching Burmese to a couple of Europeans.) Is there anything even better, when you are traveling by yourself, than those funny jokes,laughters from friendly people?
The moment was stopped abruptly, as least I felt this way, when one girl standing by her door, was shouting ' I told you my room doesn't have hot water. I have to take medicine. Why should I wait so long?' When I looked up, it was the strong-willed Chinese girl who stayed at the same hotel in Yangon. Quickly one housekeeper came with a bottle of hot water, but with obvious cold silence on her face.
'Then where can we dry our clothes?'
'Oh, up on the roof.'
I nodded to them for meeting again. Minutes later, we sat on those soft sofa in the lobby and began talking about our own plans again. Since they were so determined to go to Nepal, even though the original flight was canceled, so their prime plan was to arrange the ticket flight with China Eastern airliner from here to Kunming, then further. And because the bus station to Maymeo seemed to be on the same road only two blocks away, we went out together.
On the way I bought some bananas as lunch. I played the same trick as I once bought corn. I asked the price in Burmese and waited for the reply. Then I passed over a little big note for honest change. 300 kyat for 5-6 bananas, good deal. Just around the road corner of 33rd and 83rd( there was no station), a fat man in middle 40s answered my inquiry, and told the time and fare of 1500k to Maymeo. There I said goodbye to the girls and began my exploration.
The streets were wide but really noisy with so many motorcycles but fewer cars, running at a killing speed. At big intersections, the traffic police in white, thick( too thick and too warm, as I see it) uniform managed the flows. Firstly, I walked along the wall and moat of the Palace, but it turned out it was so long; I gave up my walking plan to the middle gate. Instead, I walked back on 37 street to the Zegyo Market,very city center. To be honest, the market was nothing except some cheap daily commodities and fabric. However, a small roadside market behind was way more interesting. It was a produce market for vegetables, meats, herbs, hand-woven bags and flowers, with no handicrafts from tourist. Everything local,local shoppers and vendors! It was the best and local market I 've seen here.
From there , I continued to a temple by the river, small but with two big golden pagodas. Since it was not on a must-see list, there was no tourists at all. The doormen were a little surprised to see me, but pointed to my sneakers with smiles, meaning I had to take them off.Inside there were quite a few locals kneeling down and enchanted their prayers, but among them, some were dozing off on the cool marble floors. Don't worry, none of snored.
Wandered among the narrow alleys in the non-tourist neighborhood, smiling at the common response from the locals,of half confusedness and half surprise. As I happened to walk past Lashio Lay's restaurant, I hesitated between it and a very local tea house just across the street. I was very hungry, and gave Lashio Lay a try, since it was recommended by Lonely Planet. The food was tasty but due to my wrong timing, around 5 pm, the foods ( kinda buffet left from lunch ) were perfectly all cold.
Went back to Royal guest house among curious looks from the school pupils,just off school, in white and green uniforms. In the now-a-little-packed lobby I chatted with some visitors, the majority of who were going to watch the puppet show after dinner.Par Par Lay( moustache brothers troupe was their most popular, more because of their legend behind and publicity from Lonely Planet. But I was not much convinced, considering I have seen the best in Chengdu, China.
About the Par Par Lay, on Lonely Planet:
Pwe comedians often work subtle political commentary into their routines. U Par Par Lay,... was arrested fro comparing farmers' hats with his cohort on stage. The cohort said 'my hat is so large it protects my head from sun and rain all day long', to which comedian replied,' my hat is so large it protects all Myanmar,' a reference to the star-topped hat that served as a symbol for the national League for Democracy before Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested in 1989. Par Par Lay spent six months in jail for that innocuous sounding reference. He and 13 other performers were arrested again following an independence day performance at Aung San Suu Kyi's compound in January in 1996 in which more pointed satire poked fun at the generals running the country.At this time the pwe comedian was sentenced to seven years hard labour in a Myitkyina prison camp;even his family was not permitted to visit him.
After serving his seven years, Par Par Lay was released in July 2001, and the occasion was celebrated by the Moustache Bro with a series of gala performances attended inevitably by government agents with video cameras. On July 26, P ar Par lay was summoned by the regional commander and told not to perform any more at home. By the time he returned home ,some
Westerns had already gathered to see the evening show, so he and his family cleverly decided to perform without costumes and makeup. Thus they performed for the tourists but explained they were really just demonstrating a performance since they couldn't do a real performance without costumes and makeup. By the end of the evening even the sheepish- looking MI people put some money into the hat . Since that defiant evening they have generally been left along by the authorities, except that they are still banned from performing outside their home.
Instead, I went out for the night market, which was really dark and boring, with almost nothing but some really cheap clothes, and magazine. And I was happy I survived way back with the help of my flashlight, in the dangerous darkness, with only one street lamp around Zegyo market in the whole town.
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