Dinner at the orphanage was great. The kids entertained us, cooked for us, waited tables and we paid 5000Ks (about 3 quid) for the privilege. They all call Tommy 'daddy' which is really cute and the place radiates love, happiness and hope.
The majority of the children have lost their parents in the conflict; the hill tribes have been treated very badly by the military. Myanmar is split into 3 areas, white, grey and black. Tourists are only allowed in the white areas and the government controls what we can do and see. Black areas are at the borders and only the military can travel here. This also happens to be where many hill tribes have their land so it is difficult to document the atrocities. Tommy has been arrested many times for being caught in the black zones which are outside his jurisdiction.
Myanmar is also split into 7 states all with their own flag, language, beliefs and customs, all of which consider themselves to be an independent country so gawd knows how that will turn out. There are borders with Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and their influences can be seen. Apparently there is conflict between the Muslims and Buddhists but I didn't fully understand the explanation as to why.
Why is it that where ever you go little girls want to dress up, wear lipstick and sing and dance...
And little boys want to look 'street', get embarrassed and want to talk about Manchester United.
Day 11 saw us drive to Nyaungshwe the gateway to Inle Lake, via the Pindaya caves.
Legend has it that 7 princesses sheltered in the caves and were captured by an evil Nat spirit taking the form of a giant spider. A valiant prince heard their cries for help and rescued them which now means folk leave statues of Buddha there. Why? I have no idea!
Check out the spider, tasteful as ever lol.
There are over 8000 statues in the caves, many are life sized, it was a real spectacle.
This is a 500 year old Banyan tree.
Finding it hard to find my happy place at the moment but
I'm keeping myself going with the excitement of the unknown and the notion that fortune favours the brave. Tomorrow we will spend all day on the lake.
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