Yesterday we
visited Pa-O villages looking for a particularly poor one in which to give away
some glasses. The Pa-O are one of many tribes that live in the Shan States: some
others are Danu, Intha, Padaung, Palaung and Shan.Often Pa-O villages are not poor
as they are successful farmers, but the further they are from the town the less
well off they are. We were headed for Padupat not far from Kalaw and about a
two-hour drive from Naungshwe.
After an hour,
at Aungban, we turned towards the hills and the countryside rolled out either
side of the road in differing shades of green. Pine trees and bamboo clambered
uphill and there were fields of cabbages, chilli, tomatoes, potatoes,
sweetcorn, sunflowers, sesame, peanuts and even a little rice - all
flourishing. Trellises appeared on one side of the road hung about with long marrow-like
‘tubes’. These turned out to be a vegetable I’d never seen before and no
English names were forthcoming: I learned they make good soup. We passed a
truck carrying a load of new and empty bamboo baskets probably off for sale at
the festival in Naungshwe.
Eventually, Win
San stopped to ask the way and the resulting conversation confirmed my opinion
that Myanmar people never use one or two words when 100 or 200 will do! At last
we were on our way again. The mountains remained in the distance: good. The
road turned into rocks: not so good. I noticed buffalo seem to have replaced
bullocks here: because, I was told, in this vegetable growing area there are
plenty of off-cuts for the buffalo to eat.
We arrived at
Padupat, which looked quite prosperous. The owner of the teashop U Chit So was
not Pa-O, but he married a Pa-O. They arrange trekking for tourists and even
cooking classes. Here I learned more
about the Pa-O people. Traditionally they wear woven cotton clothes mostly
black or dark blue. Young Pa-O men tend to wear black pants and older men
beige. Both men and women wear thick toweling turbans otherwise they would get
headaches. They wear them not, as I thought, against the sun, but it is their
custom and must always be observed. They may choose any colour but the majority
wears orange or red. Something they all carry is a shoulder bag or student bag
as it is also called.
A passing man was
called in to advise on a traditional and poor village nearby. We had to travel
half way by bullock cart, then walk through the jungle (their nomenclature, not
mine). It would take them 10 minutes, but will take you half an hour, they
advised cruelly. Let’s hope it doesn’t multiply. We bought some snacks as there
will be none at Palin village where we are bound.
Ah. Gotta go. My
bullock cart has arrived.
Bullock carts do
not get more comfortable the older you get. It is the only time I ever wish for
a bigger bottom. Oh how I loved the thick, thick mud of the track and how I
hated the boulders the bullocks took in their stride, but my bottom did not.
The bullock cart driver, U Soe, spoke Burmese as well as Pa-O so he was invaluable
in the village. We alighted from the cart (thank god) and waited while he
unfastened the bullocks and tethered them in a patch of grass to await our
return. Now came the walk. How hard would it be? In the event I managed it in the
suggested half an hour, with no falling in the river nor in any mud holes. The
view was spectacular and changed through rice paddies, vegetable gardens and
mountains reared up all around: some were forested; many had sheer rock walls.
Palin is a
village of 28 houses and 80 people. There is no school: the children must walk
for one hour to the nearest in the next village. It takes the people over an
hour to walk to Padupat. They have no bullock cart so must carry on their head
and back all the produce they wish to sell at the market in the nearest town of
Aungban. at Padupat, they must hire a truck to get there.
After we returned,
bullock cart driver U Soe took us to meet his wife. His was a substantial house
on two levels. Downstairs was where he stored his produce. We were amazed to
see sack after sack of potatoes, along with pumpkin, long beans and maize. He
told us the tragic story as to how he lost two children. He and his wife had
taken two of their five children into the potato garden. A storm erupted with
much thunder and rain. They put two of their children under a tree to keep them
dry. And then lightening struck and killed them. It is a tradition with the
Pa-O people that their daughters marry at the age of 15 or 16. Their daughter
has followed this tradition and married at 15. She now has two little boys so
has given U Soe and his wife grandchildren. U Soe tried on many pairs of
glasses and at last, thankfully, we had a pair of awegyi that will improve his
long distance vision driving the bullocks. We forgot to take his photo wearing
them.
The first pair of
glasses to be given away went to U Shwe who is 78 years old. He received anigyi
glasses for reading. How pleased the old man looked when he found he could see
to read the book Win San handed him. His wife, Daw Locke aged 61 can’t read, so
awegyi glasses enabled her to see her surroundings. U La aged 50 needed reading
glasses. A young man Aung Twe 34 years was astonished when he put on the
glasses because immediately he could see much more. When he had worn them for a
bit he took them off, tenderly wrapped them in their cloth and snapped them
into their hard case.
Daw Yin who is
50 arrived with a baby in her arms and was very pleased to be offered a pair of
glasses but reluctant to try them on. Then the baby had to be prized off the
glasses and her nose! We guessed Ma Low aged 25 was not married as she was
wearing one of the spectacularly large turban that unmarried women wear for
best. She took some anigyi glasses and Daw Ke 56 years old wearing an orange
turban took awegyi. Young Ma Nwe 35 found it difficult pushing her glasses
‘arms’ behind her ears as her turban was so tight! Next in line was Ma Gyi, the
headman’s wife. She was not helped in trying on glasses by the children who were
in fits of laughter and made her shy! U Aye 52 was the headman and wore an
orange toweling turban. Last to receive glasses was U Shwe 50 who was wearing a
green and blue turban.
Piori is the
Burmese word for happy and there were certainly lots of happy people in Palin
yesterday afternoon.
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