Discovering Northwest Myanmar 3: Pale to Gangaw

As explain in  the video, April in Myanmar is sort of equivalent to autumn in more temperate climates. See, it hasn’t rained much in this part of country I’m in for months, and so everything is kinda brown and lifeless. How soon all that will change in a few weeks when the monsoon hits.

Day three had me very angry as I checked out of my hotel room in Pale. See, I hadn’t paid up front, and paid on leaving, and so I got to see the ledger for all the other guests who had arrived after me in this medium-sized, small time hotel. My room wasn’t at all good. No breakfast. No fridge. No mini-bar. No kettle. No coffee, and yet I had paid 27,000 Ks (USD$21). As I looked at the ledger, it showed what every other guest had paid who’s arrived after me. 22K, 18K, even down to 14K. No one else had paid even close to 27K, even those with 2 or 3 in one room.

My hotelier couldn’t understand my  anger. Of course I had to pay more. I’m a foreigner. 

Out on the road, through the dry, desolate hills of Sagaing, I made my way to Gangaw, a town on edge of Chin State, in the valley of the Yaw River, that’s the home to the Yaw people. According to this 2005 article, the Yaw people are a subset of the Bamar who make up the majority of the people in Myanmar, but they have their own dialect and have a notorious reputation.

Gangaw: Home of some high grade shirt!

Gangaw is supposedly known for its witchcraft.The people from this area are mistrusted and feared in  the greater community because of this reputation. Some Burmese won’t even eat food cooked by the Yaw people. 

Well,you're doing it all wrong! That's not how witches ride a broom!

The Yaw are also known for their exquisite longgyi, the traditional sarong of people arounf here. I bought one. But I think I made the wrong choice. I bought a special one.  Great for the next time I’m invited to a formal occasion, but it’s kind of like I bought a tuxedo. Not too useful for everyday wear. 

At the longgyi shop. They don't loo like witches to me.

So, this week happens to be “bluegrass” week at my ukulele club. I’ve been so taken by this music that I think I may make it the theme for the entire series of “Discovering Northwest Myanmar”