Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[Windpower]

I Durian fruits are called "stinky Fruit" in Taiwan

I didn't try any when we were over there

great pics !

[glenn kangiser]

I read that they can get so bad that they are not allowed in some places.  The ones I saw were pretty fresh looking but Myo didn't want me to eat any as they were at a road stand and there was the possibility flies had been on them.

My friends always looked out for me and made sure I was safe from food problems ... and if there was anything I needed?

As I neared cleaning up my plate they would often put more food on it. 

The Irrawaddy or Ayeyawady  River is a lifeline to Myanmar though there are several other rivers also.  It flows past the old capitol city of Bagan, a major tourist attraction with over two thousand ancient pagodas still standing and and the majority of monuments ranging in age from 1044 to 1287 when the city was invaded by Kublai Khan.



Groups of child salesman were always present at the monuments trying to make sales and support themselves as well as their families, sometimes being the main family provider as with my friend Miss War War (Wah-Wah).





The ancient pagodas were very impressive and there are now restoration efforts being made to help assure their continued their existence into the future.





There are also very helpful and talented adult sales people at the pagodas.  They will generally spend a very long time educating you about the history of their monuments whether you are going to buy something or not. 




This lady made paintings replicating the murals that were inside the pagoda on the walls and ceiling.  Footware is prohibited in all of the pagodas anywhere in Myanmar.....gotta be barefoot...  I only forgot a couple times.... [ouch]

Generally my friends reminded me.  I did not buy the paintings due to my cramped luggage space and thinking I would ruin them before I got back.  This was near the start of the journey.... the place I dropped and destroyed my first camera so had to switch to my backup.... these pix are courtesy of Myo.



Everything is plated with gold or gold leaf here... yeah... that would last about 30 seconds in Fresno....

This is a country with some of the monetarily poorest people on earth yet one of the lowest crime rates on earth also. 

[glenn kangiser]

All smiles and helpful though she is supporting a family of 5 at 15 years old, Miss War War (pronounced Wah Wah) is telling me of the Pagoda and its history.  I know I said some of that before but I am really impressed.  She was a real sweetheart.  Continuing to spend time with us she took us through the area then invited us to her shop.



She didn't resort to telling false stories or being pushy to sell her wares.... she just treated us as a friend, told us the truth about why she worked so hard and did her best to educate us on the methods used to make her laquerware.



Burma is a country where the women put the men a little higher most of the time.... sometimes too high and some men there resort to too much drink while the women do the work.  Unfortunately her dad took advantage of that leaving the family fatherless as he succumbed to his excesses.  As many of the kids in Burma are... fatherless or not, Miss War War, as Soemoe calls her, is a very hard working asset to the family seeming intelligent and businesslike far beyond her years.....


I know - repeating but I can't help it.... [ouch]

The reclining Gold Leaf Plated Buddha over a hundred feet long as I recall...





Mostly Myo's pix here as I got into editing them... he knows just how to take a photo that makes you want to think... see more... what was the young monk thinking and looking at...





A couple of gals Myo spotted along the way.... Myo says one of them was an actress ... I think it was in a commercial as I recall....





Brass rings are added as they grow and their neck gets longer.  They need the rings to keep their heads supported as their neck is stretched.


Jumping back into my pix... one I missed earlier... boats along the shore of the Irrawaddy...





I was wanting to find some pix of Miss War War's shop but got sidetracked....

Here is one of her family and friends workshop in the village where she gave us a detailed explanation of how they make their laquerware.  Here they start with woven bamboo to make the purses, little boxes, etc.



Lets see if I can find a shop pix somewhere in the roughly 106GB of pix and video... maybe more... no... I know there is more because I know of another camera I did not download.... [ouch]

[PEG688]

There's a lot of bare footed people in your photo's , 50 % or more appear to be bare footed. Is that a  pretty accurate guess / estimate?

[ben2go]

An interesting culture there.

[glenn kangiser]

At this place there is a reason for the bare feet, PEG.  Most wear sandals but when on the grounds of the pagodas they leave their shoes outside the entrance even if that entrance is a step or short brick wall.  Footwear is prohibited at any of the Buddhist Pagodas so 100% will be barefoot there.... even me. 

I have a picture of a sign that says "Foot Wearing Prohibited"... I will post it when I get to it...

Outside of the Pagodas sandals are standard wear and generally they are made with bamboo.  I didn't buy any as I had a new pair of moccasins I bought for the occasion.  The sandals are similar to our rubber thongs but the strap between the toes kind of bugs me.... [ouch]

Great people, Ben.

I was  at first thinking the Thanaka looked odd but it grows on you.  Nearly all of the women there wear it and many of the men also.  It is a fragrant ground bark of a tree and cools as well as decorates.  It smells very good.  I was there in the cold season with the local population wearing sweaters or jackets .  Cold was between 60 and 80 degrees, so the cooling effect of the Thanaka is welcome when temps may go to 120F or higher in the hottest areas.

I thought I lost some of my pix but found them in another file on my spare hard drive.... whew... I was having problems with a program importing pix so went to copying the files directly later.

This little guy was so cool... had to post his pix....




Had a break from starting this posting... Sassy and I are now signed up for TEFL.... Teaching English as a Foreign Language.  It will be something we can do to help the villagers....  and gets us credibility from the training course certificates.  It is done in a manner that can be used no matter where you go.

Learning English will open doors to the people so they can advance in a much greater capacity.  English is quite universal.

My lost pix of Miss War War, family and friends Laquerware Shop.



Here she is selling me a box full of coasters I gave to Sassy.



Maybe about $5 as I recall. More than a days work I am sure.

Her beautiful friend....



Nicely decorated with the Thanaka.


I had to buy some cards from her....




Seems it was about 10 for a couple dollars or so...   2000 Kyat I think.


Her other sweet little friend or relative and baby.  She hung out with us while we were there also.





An example of why we want to teach TEFL or ESL (English second language).... All of these kids could speak some to pretty good English so were able to make sales to support themselves. 

Since most foreigners are illiterate when it comes to Burmese, it really improves their ability to support themselves... and remember... for the vast majority here, they do not want handouts... they just want to be able to work and sell the products of their labor.

[altaoaks]

Just finished reading your posts Glen.  What an incredible journey!  I am so glad you got to have that experience.  It is great how things in life just sorta happen, then as the journey of life twists and turns, who would think the journey would go to Burma?  It will be amazing to see what future twists this life journey has in mind for you.  Amazing!

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks altaoaks.  I am glad you are enjoying it..... Yes .... Likely no Underground Complex, no Sassy,  no airplane, or a million other variables, it would be no trip to Burma.  Kind of mind boggling when you think about it.  [ouch]

CLICK ON THE PIX BELOW below for a video of Miss War War and friends showing us around the village shop where they make the laquerware, as we took her up on her invite to go to  her home.  Here she is explaining some of their techniques. Switch to full screen HD Quality  for the best view......you will think you are there with me......

[Redoverfarm]

Glenn all I am getting is a Google sign in page.   

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks, John.  I will have to do it different then I think. [ouch]

[glenn kangiser]

OK - I had to get some instruction on sharing Google+ stuff.... Hopefully everyone can see it now.  Could someone please verify that and let me know... thanks.  [ouch]

[Redoverfarm]

Finally.  I thought you were pulling our leg.     Nice clear video.  Your camera did a excellent job. 

[glenn kangiser]

Yes...before I ruined it....second one I ruined on that trip. [ouch]

Got great pix and video with my Samsung Note 2 after I wasted the second camera. Also had the Muvi sports camera and Myo backed me up.

[Windpower]

Great video Glenn

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks Windpower.  I tried to do a few short and sweet ones along with the longer ones in case I don't get to editing for a while.

Here Miss Wah Wah (Changed to the way we would pronounce it) and friends demonstrate the work they go to cutting each decoration on the laquerware boxes by hand.





I find items that are of interest to tourists from Myanmar are a great bargain as compared to other countries.  They seem to be working for about $3 or $4 American money per day including the materials that go into their crafts.





I would estimate the same type of item in Singapore or Korea would be around $20.

Seems I spent around $35 or so in one of those places for refrigerator magnets and a couple trinkets.  Unlike those places even the airport has nice gifts for $1 or $2 and up in the departure duty free shops in Myanmar (Burma).  A bargain place to travel to at this time.



The cutting punch and decorated palm fiber strip.


Each piece is placed and glued individually on the laguerware box including little elephants that are each hand cut individually on some of the boxes.




I still remember what the girl told me at the pagoda... "I don't want free money......I just want you to buy from my shop."

[glenn kangiser]

Finally found it... Google already had it, though I don't remember authorizing instant uploading... Oh well... [ouch]







I love this sign..   

[glenn kangiser]

Heading toward Miss Wah Wah's house....


Continuing the Laquerware lesson .... making bamboo weave into a solid object...


Talking with Myo about alternative building practices here also regarding using bamboo fiber in a way similar to the way the money purses are made as a way of reinforcing and preserving bamboo fiber as well as preventing it's degradation in a couple of years by UV damage from the sun.  Simply getting a cement coating with sand over it will stop UV damage of the fiber underneath even if it is thin.  [idea]

We have been brainstorming over alternative building techniques using low cost materials that are readily available locally...Portland Cement is readily available and cheap in most places in Burma.  Bamboo mats and fiber are readily available and cheap. 

The US Army experimented successfully with bamboo reinforcement of concrete even for bridges where there was a lack of steel.


Check out the techniques used by the craftsmen in this video to make a solid box purse with bamboo weave mat.

Click the picture to go to the video... again - in HD so full screen and HD option if you like...

[glenn kangiser]

Seen one of these lately? 

Many Singer and other brand treadle type sewing machines all over Myanmar... looking just like new and these people know how to use them.  Many look to be in use daily for long hours per day.





What do you think... could this technique be useful on one of our projects?


hmm .... It's common in Myanmar.....






Come on guys.... use your heads... see if you can get your wives to carry the heavy stuff for you.....


I'm afraid I may be in a bit of doodoo for that one....   

[rick91351]

Glenn in China we visited a farm that they were using neck yokes with watering buckets to water their huge collective garden.  I gripe when I have to drag a hose in the orchard.  By the way you have sort of made us home sick for some of our friends over there in that part of the world.    

One of our friends here in the States worked through an organization, they set up schools in that area of the world to teach ladies a trade that are rescued out of slavery.  Mostly sex trade in the larger cities.  One of the things they do is set up sewing shops after the ladies get out of school so they can make money in other ways then ______.  Funny when they started; the indigenous instructors were wanting to set up shops with those treadle machines.  They don't need power and they are use to them.  My friend of course is thinking commercial machines.  I got in on a couple of those discussions via interpretative means.  Some seemed rather heated but everyone survived.

We have Ellen's moms treadle Singer.  We just had it rebuilt and tuned up.  It's ready to go if we ever get a house built.  It was kited years ago to electric or treadle   When we were at the Road to California Quilt Show this year down in Ontario, Ca.  Ellen purchased a 1941 Singer Feather Weight while she was there.  Last model to be made with the nickle flywheel and front cover.         

[PEG688]

How where the weld joints on that railing? They look to very nice in the photo.

[Ernest T. Bass]

Seen one of these lately? 

Many Singer and other brand treadle type sewing machines all over Myanmar... looking just like new and these people know how to use them.  Many look to be in use daily for long hours per day.

Keep it coming! Those woven boxes are awesome, and I'm still looking forward to learning more about their oil-pressing methods.

Believe it or not, we actually picked one of those up (on a decent cabinet) at our local thrift shop for $5 a couple years ago. With a little oil and a homemade belt it still runs great! Circa 1920s I believe..

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks for the input, Rick.  Nothing like making plans to go see your friends then actually doing it, eh?  Waiting for your report. 

PEG, that handrail was obviously professionally done in place or possibly carefully measured, shop built in sections, and delivered with all of the weld joints polished out.  I would guess at least some field work in place. They are not totally without trades but very short on skilled labor as we think of it here. I have see some welding being done in Yangon with an arc welder at night about 15 feet up on the side of a building .... awning repair maybe.  In town I note lots of muffler shops with their wares... pipes.. mufflers etc... put up on a metal tree as an advertising method.  Quite common though likely gas welded there.  Myo knows of carbide hopper acetylene generators in use in the area.  Last time I saw one of those was near 45 years ago by an old craftsman in Oregon. 

Another thought is that the Burmese have been going without anything for so long that they know how to do things manually that it would do us well to learn from them.  Right now I am longing for my own Bamboo plantation.....

Andrew, it is great that you have on of those.  We have one of some other brand ... a bit rusty but will work and an Electrified Elgin Rotary made by the Elgin Watch company - 40's I would guess, powered by Westinghouse Electric... an early conversion.

I had another video uploading last night but Firefox crashed again.... maybe today. 

[glenn kangiser]

Another stop as we headed toward Miss Wah Wahs house.  The crafts people were very happy to share their knowledge, methods and techniques.... 

Watch this new video to see what secret ingredient makes the soup bowls so smooth before the lacquer is applied....

Click the picture below to watch the video for the answer...




Yummy... all sealed inside the finish though....

We continued on down the path between the houses of the village and finally got to Miss Wah Wah's house....


I think she ran in ahead of time to say.. Hey mom... I have invited a house full of guests in for a bit of tea and a snack...





Reading up on Burmese culture I found that this is common there.... in fact if a neighbor or friend is in need of food it is common for them to drop in and get a meal themselves or even if the host comes in and finds them there in need of food, they will cook for them.  People look out for and help each other there.  Many have very little and are willing to share it with each other, but I noticed that they were nearly always happy and nice.

Miss Wah Wah fixed me a snack of a kind of wonton (may have been a fish flavored one as I recall) and tea.





The family chicken comes into the house and lays her egg in the clean nest material but seems to be trained to use the restroom outside.  We left our shoes outside at the doorstep and the simple bamboo mat flooring was very clean.

[glenn kangiser]

Dr Myo learned a bit more about why Miss Wah Wah was breadwinner of the family from her mother.......





...while I was a bit overheated from the hot day and the hot tea....






...so Miss Wah Wah fanned me to cool me off....





ahhhhhhh that feels good... more please....   







Possibly Miss Wah WAh. you could send written instructions to...... ok.... bad idea...   it would never work... never-mind...   [ouch]



When these wonderful people open up their homes, their hearts and their lives to you like that... it really makes it hard to leave without being pretty doggone sad..... 

[ben2go]

That is so cool.

What are there weather patterns like there?I noticed a lot of the houses and buildings are more of an open air design.