In earlier posts on this trip, I described my impressions of the Bagan Medical Clinic over three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
The next day, Monday, the clinic was closed but the Doctor had arranged that, before flying back to Yangon, we would visit two of the schools supported by the RTM Social Contribution in the Bagan area. The two newly-qualified doctors accompanied us but, unfortunately, Emily's travel arrangements meant that she would not be able to see the schools.
Monday 27th April 2015
I took breakfast at my hotel in the open air restaurant, looking out across the river and then checked-out.
View across the Ayeyarwaddy River from the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.
As arranged, I was collected from my hotel at 07:50 and taken to the monastery. The Clinic was strangely quiet on a non-opening day but, as usual, I was offered another breakfast at the monastery. I accepted congee (a rather watery 'rice pudding' flavoured with salt) and then one of Dr. Hla Tun's assistants had brought in a home-made vegetable soup for me to try. It was good.
Unusually, the Head Monk was not present but, as we were finishing breakfast, he appeared and summoned Dr. Hla Tun and I to the monastic school building I'd not been in before. A prize-giving ceremony was already in full-swing and the head monk resumed his elaborately-carved chair at one end of the assembly room, flanked on either side by two monks, each seated on carved chairs. The room was crowded with schoolchildren and their parents.
Prize-giving at the monastic school.
Having completed their examinations, this was the annual prize-giving. I've mentioned before the Myanmar has not succumbed to the "all must have prizes" syndrome which afflicts the United Kingdom. Children are respectful, disciplined and expect to work hard if they are to succeed. Each prizewinner was being presented with a framed, coloured certificate and a gift, the audience would applaud and what appeared to be an 'official photographer' would record the scene. Dr. Hla Tun made one presentation then I was instructed to make the next presentation. The Doctor and I were only there for a few minutes so I couldn't observe too much but I felt privileged to have seen the scene.
The oldest monastery building is mainly wooden and heavily decorated.
The monastery 'people carrier' was being packed with stationery which we were to distribute that morning. This Toyota vehicle was equipped with a wheelchair lift at the rear and a sign in the front window indicating that we were engaged on monastery-sponsored work. I noticed that, at the the main road toll station leaving Bagan, the road toll was waived. Monks are held in high regard in Myanmar.
We left the monastery and made the short drive to the 'Hotel @ Tharabar Gate' (yes, they use the ampersand, presumably to indicate how with-it they are). Here, we collected the newly-qualified doctor from Myanmar and her parents, together with her Chinese-American doctor friend. Our route then took us past the Ananda Temple onto the dual carriageway which, somewhat improbably, heads across the Bagan Plain, with pagodas all around.
At Nyaung Oo we took the dual carriageway out of town and I noticed 'kerb painters' at work. On dual carriageways, the right-hand kerb (remember, they now drive on the right) is painted white but the left-hand kerb is painted alternately red then white. Groups of male and female workers were quatting in the gutter (ignoring passing traffic) each with a pot of paint and a brush re-painting the kerbs. One group had white paint and, in a couple of hundred yards, the next group would have red paint and so on. When we returned in the afternoon, the work was still being done.
'Kerb painters' at work on the dual-carriageway leaving Nyaung Oo.
The changes taking place in Myanmar are very visible in this area - various construction projects are in hand: hotels and apartments (I think). Once we'd passed the airport and railway station turns, the road became single carriageway but still with a decent 'tarmac' surface' apart from the section across the currently-dry river bed. We passed a number of filling stations which are either new or still being completed. Eventually we passed into the sandy plain filled with Toddy Palms and, dotted around, the simple bamboo houses equipped with a still for producing the rum-like 'Toddy'.
The short, brick chimney on the simple bamboo house indicates a still.
I wrote a brief description of 'toddy' in a 2009 post here (with a link to a few photographs).
We turned off the tarmac road onto the sandy track which, after around two miles of careful driving, took us to Chauk Kan.
The sandy track to Chauk Kan village.
Chauk Kan
This was my fourth visit to the school here (my last visit is described in Visiting Bagan Schools and that post has links to the earlier visits).
Although the school was currently closed for the summer holiday, the assembly hall was full of excited pupils, anxious to receive their distribution of free stationery.
Excited but well-behaved pupils in the assembly hall.
The headmaster first offered us refreshments, then we joined the pupils in the assembly hall and ten girl dancers entertained us, accompanied by 'pop' music from a sound system. In the meantime, the stationery had been set up out of doors for distribution.
Pupils queuing to receive stationery.
The doctor had also brought a selection of spectacles allowing local elderly people to each select a suitable pair.
Villagers pose with their new spectacles.
After the visitors had been shown around the school buildings, we returned to our car and retraced our route back to the main road, where we continued to Htee Pu. The village is reached by another long, sandy track which diverges from the tarmac road to Mount Popa at a junction marked by a concrete signpost.
Concrete signpost at the junction with the road to Mount Popa.
Htee Pu
Htee Pu was the first school I visited in the Bagan area, back in 2009. Since then, I've returned in 2010 (when a new, donated school building was opened), 2011 and 2012. In 2013, I visited schools at Nga-Minn-May and Chauk-Kan but time did not permit a visit to Htee Pu. But I visited in 2014 and, as described below, 2015.
Part of Htee Pu village.
We drove into the monastery compound and parked near the main monastery building. The head monk greeted us and explained that the headmaster was away on a training course since the school was closed for the summer holiday. The visitors were each presented with flowers in welcome.
The Myanmar doctor, her parents and the Chinese-American doctor, presented with flowers.
A large, colourful, bamboo-framed temporary shelter had been erected in the monastery compound and, school holidays or not, it was packed with waiting children, a group of lady teachers and villagers. The children were seated on the ground but a number of moulded plastic chairs had been provided for the visitors and some of the elderly villagers. A wooden stage covered with matting had been erected across one end, flanked on either side by serious-looking loudspeakers mounted on oildrums. Our visit was clearly being marked by a concert. Once the visitors were seated, we were treated to a variety of dances by different groups of children.
The audience was torn between watching the dance and their exotic visitors.
A boy-and-girl dance, with lots of actions.
A dance with handkerchiefs.
Younger children performing.
During the more energetic dances, we worried about the strength of the stage but all was well. Everybody then turned to face the visitors and there were brief speeches from the Head Monk and Dr. Hla Tun during which the visitors were introduced to the audience.
A short video of part of the performance is available here. After seeing the video, the 'Back Button' will return you to this post.
A series of tables was then set up in the compound and the stationery we'd brought was set out. Helped by the lady teachers, each of the visitors distributed the stationery to the children.
Jan distributing stationery to a group of young monks.
As at Chauk Kan, spectacles were available and there was a flurry of activity as the appropriate prescriptions were selected.
Spectacle selection.
The visitors were then taken on a conducted tour of the facilities, after which there was a group photograph of visitors and lady teachers outside the building opened in 2010.
Visitors and teachers outside the building opened in 2010.
The elderly villagers then posed for the cameras with their new spectacles.
Elderly villagers from Htee Pu.
We were then invited to the monastery for for a snack before we left.
A snack in the monastery.
Mount Popa
The Doctor decided that there was time to show his visitors the area around Mount Popa. Mount Popa, an extinct volcano, is a special place for the Burmese. Adjacent is the rock pinnacle of Taung Kalat, topped by a number of temples. My first visit was in 2009, described here. I was so impressed, I returned in 2011 and stayed at the Mount Popa Resort. That visit is described here and here.
Arriving at the town, we stopped at what appears to be a privately-developed 'Taung Kalat Viewpoint'. This attraction is still under construction and it was interesting to see the numerous concrete religious statues in various stages of completion. Having taken pictures of the rock pinnacle of Taung Kalat, nobody seemed keen to climb it. Instead, we went to a well-appointed restaurant and took a very pleasant lunch.
Taung Kalat, from the Viewpoint.
We drove back to Bagan, returning four people to the 'Hotel @ Tharabar Gate' before driving to the Bagan Monastery, collecting our luggage and saying our goodbyes. We were then driven to Bagan Airport to check in for the Air Bagan flight to Yangon. The flight, operated by Air Bagan's hardworking ATR72 (registration XY-AIH) was on time. Back at Yangon, we drove to the Doctor's house where I was to spend a final night.
Air Bagan's ATR72 XY-AIH on arrival at Bagan.
The following morning, the next 'segment' of my trip was to start with a flight to Putao, in the far north of Myanmar.
Bagan Medical Clinic opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week. On my trip to Myanmar in 2015, I was travelling with the founder and senior clinician Doctor Hla Tun, so I was able to get a non-medical impression of the activities over a complete three-day "Weekend".
In Part 1, I briefly described the Clinic and the activities on Friday 24th April 2015.
In Part 2, I described what I saw on Saturday 25th April 2015.
It might be worth pointing out some of the differences between Burmese and Western cultures. Some readers will be surprised that I have been able to publish pictures of patients receiving treatment. What about patient confidentiality? What about personal privacy? I was appalled myself at first, but these concepts don't seem to exist as Westerners might understand them in Myanmar (and, indeed, many other countries). Secondly, when charitable donations are made, they are frequently recorded in photographs. Even if photographs are not made, contributions may be otherwise recorded. For instance, many pagodas display a list of recent donations and buildings which have been donated frequently carry marble tablets naming the donor.
Sunday 26th April 2015
Once again, Emily and I were picked up around 08:00 by car and taken to the Clinic. On arrival, we discovered that, despite Dr. Hla Tun and his staff working until 02:10 on Sunday morning, 28 patients from his Saturday list had been 'held over' and he started seeing them at about 09:00. In addition, about 200 more patients had registered. Since Sunday is the last day of the 3-day clinic opening each week, it's not possible to 'carry over' untreated patients and so the Doctor may 'close' his list earlier on Sunday to ensure that everyone is seen.
The newly-qualified doctors mentioned in Part 2 once again practiced their diagnostic skills on Sunday.
The 'group shot'.
The cases which Dr. Hla Tun deals with frequently involve various simultaneous problems. Poverty often leads to poor diet and the body's immune system becomes weakened and less able to deal with diseases. Mobility problems are widespread and joint pains can prevent people from working and earning a living. As appropriate, different strategies are used by Doctor Hla Tun but aspirating fluid from joints followed by various injections for pain relief and to improve the body's immunity is a common approach. Sometimes dietary supplements in powder form are provided for the patient to take. In more serious cases, an infusion of amino acids may be made at the clinic. The rigours of travelling long distances in Myanmar to reach the Bagan Clinic may add to the problems.
A patient receiving an intra-muscular injection.
Lunch
The physical well-being of waiting patients is taken very seriously and there are various dormitories which can be used by waiting patients plus toilets with washing facilities. On each clinic day, a hot lunch is provided for waiting patients and accompanying relatives at around 11:30. During the morning, a number of monastery people had been involved in the preparation of those meals.
The Head Monk overseeing vegetable preparation for the patient lunches.
At about 11:30 a queue of waiting patients formed and, as usual, the Head Monk started the distribution himself but, on Sunday, he then invited me to take over and, within a few minutes, around 220 meals had been distributed. The business of making an offering has great cultural significance in Myanmar, with its Buddhist traditions. On some clinic days, an evening meal is provided as well.
Distribution of hot lunches.
After the patient lunches, the Doctor continued consultations until about 13:30, then there was a break, allowing some of the medical staff to take lunch in the monastery, as on previous days.
Additional Tests
From time to time during the day, Dr. Hla Tun referred patients to the laboratory for specific tests on blood/urine or for E.C.G. tests. Remarkably quickly, patients would return, clutching the completed results sheet or the E.C.G. plot.
The benefits of these in-house facilities are enormous, in facilitating timely confirmation of a diagnosis. It is not practical to recall patients, many of whom have travelled long distances to the clinic, so treatment must be completed in a single visit.
The laboratory technician and well-equipped laboratory.
The Afternoon Clinic
The afternoon clinic continued in a similar manner with a lot of help given to improve mobility and various other problems.
A patient receives an injection.
A woman from Mandalay suffering from cirrhosis of the liver had been treated in the morning and given an infusion of amino acids. She had travelled with her mother by train from Mandalay (fairly cheap but not a journey to undertake lightly). She seemed little improved in the afternoon but the Bagan Clinic could not provide further treatment so the Doctor made a cash donation towards hospitalisation and transportation costs.
Dr. Hla Tun giving a donation towards cost of hospitalisation.
I'm afraid I left the Doctor at 16:30 and returned to the comfort of my hotel - the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.
Next?
The plan for the following day was to re-visit two schools in the Bagan area with Doctor Hla Tun. These schools are supported by the RTM Social Contribution. Later in the afternoon, we were due to fly back to Yangon.
Go to next post on this trip.
All my posts on the Bagan Medical Clinic can be found here.
All my posts describing this trip to Myanmar can be found here.
My pictures
The internet in the Bagan area seemed much improved, but was not suitable for uploading all my pictures. I finally made them available after my return to England. The following albums (on Flickr) are relevant to this post:-
In Part 1, I briefly described the Clinic and the activities on Friday 24th April 2015.
Saturday 25th April 2015
After a good night's sleep at the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort, I took breakfast before exploring more of the hotel grounds. Adjacent to the hotel access road, I'd seen a restored temple and I examined this more carefully. A sign informed me that the site was the Kaladha Koun monastic complex, dating from the 13th century. Some parts remained only as ruined brick walls but the one temple had been restored. A marble tablet commemorated the completion of this work, sponsored by the hotel on 2nd May, 1998.
The restored temple in the hotel grounds.
A little after 08:00, a car arrived to pick me up. We drove to Emily's hotel to collect her and we were then taken to the Bagan Clinic. When we arrived, about 150 patients had registered but when I enquired later in the day, that number had already risen to 250 and the 'List' had not been closed so the final total for the day may have been higher.
Patient registration.
The newly-qualified Burmese doctor we'd met the previous day was joined by a newly-qualified Chinese-American Doctor and they were allowed to practice their diagnostic skills. Of course, this meant that Dr. Hla Tun was frequently interrupted to confirm the correct diagnosis and treatment.
The two newly-qualified doctors (in blue 'scrubs') are briefed by Dr. Hla Tun.
On initial registration, each new patient is issued with a record book with basic information. This is handed to the doctor giving treatment and completed to show the details of treatment. This book is then retained by the patient and, should further treatment be required, the record book is brought back by the patient when registering.
Dr. Hla Tun's Treatment Room
Dr. Hla Tun is assisted by two dedicated members of staff whom he has trained and give him high-quality support.
Dr. Hla Tun's assistants.
The treatment room in which they work has three examination couches and various racks holding commonly-used items. A remarkable number of injections are required and the assistants will pre-prepare a small number of various injections to reduce the treatment time.
Pre-prepared injections.
When a patient is 'referred' to Doctor Hla Tun by one of the clinic doctors, the patient's record book is placed in order on a pile in the treatment room. As each patient's treatment is completed, Dr. Hla Tun writes up their record book which is returned to the patient. The next record book on the pile identifies the patient to be called in from the covered waiting area immediately outside the treatment room. This is done by one of the assistants who measures blood pressure and obtains details of the problem whilst Dr. Hla Tun is attending the patient on the third examination couch. There is thus no wasted time as one patient leaves and the next enters.
As necessary, Dr. Hla Hun will carry out checks with a stethescope, check the pulse and carry out simple diagnostic tests. He will ask the patient additional questions, and this occasionally brings problems. Because patients often travel long distances from other parts of Myanmar to reach the clinic, they may speak in an unfamiliar dialect with the possibilities for misunderstanding.
Additional Tests
Through the generosity of donors, it has been possible to add a well-equipped laboratory and various blood and urine tests are produced as required. An electro-cardiograph machine allows heart performance to be monitored and ultra-sound facilities are being added. A standard lab report form is completed by the Doctor indicating the required tests and the patient takes this to the laboratory, returning later with the results added to the same form by the technician.
A completed lab report form.
Additional Facilities
Many patients display impaired mobility and joint pain from a variety of causes. The availability of a well-equipped physiotherapy unit at the clinic offers the possibility of helping patients to improve their situation.
Treating knee problems.
Lunch and beyond
Once again, the Doctor broke-off at 11:30 to show his visitors the distribution of the free lunch. This time, the Head Monk and Emily shared the handing out of the plates of food whilst I, with help from the jolly Monk who calls patients for their initial assessment, handed out the pressed metal spoons.
Distribution of free lunch.
The Doctor had hoped to break for his own lunch at about one o'clock but some tricky cases (one requiring an infusion) meant it was after 14:20 before his morning surgery was finished. Once again, we were treated to lunch in the monastery.
Lunch in the monastery.
At the start of Dr. Hla Tun's afternoon surgery, three patients were brought in initially but, thereafter, as one patient left, another was admitted whilst the doctor was treating one of the other two patients. Each patient may require a number of injections but if the injections are straightforward, they may be carried out by one of the Doctor's assistants. The aim is to reduce lost time so that, as far as practical, the doctor and his two assistants are each working with a different patient.
Back treatment.
Physical Records
Doctor Hla Tun has always insisted on comprehensive records. In addition to the patient's record book, written records are maintained at the clinic about treatments given. There is not a computer in sight but the Doctor can extract statistics in various ways. A surprising statistic is that, although the original concept was to provide health services to the Bagan area, now 90% of patients are from outside the Bagan area. Neither the Head Monk nor Dr. Hla Tun have any reservations about the involuntary expansion of services. They continue to aim to offer the best service possible.
I feel privileged to be able to report on this inspirational project but note that all errors are my own.
An Interlude
During the afternoon, I decided to explore the local area a little more. The monastery compound which houses the clinic is on a sandy cliff overlooking the Ayeyarwaddy River. Steep concrete-faced steps led down to the river, with a tablet acknowledging the donor:-
"The renovation of the stair case, its steps and railings is meant for the welfare and wholesomeness of the children at Taungbi Le Yar village and for the safety of staff who sail with the "Road to Mandalay" Supported by MICHAEL PERRY The Chef Road to Mandalay 1999 - 2003."
Steep steps leading to the river.
In a couple of places, electric pumps connected to long pipes were provided to lift water directly from the river to storage arrangements in the monastery compound.
One of the electric pumps on the river bank.
But my eye was drawn to a moored ship, probably little more than a hulk but with paddle boxes either side, conjuring visions of the 'Irrawaddy Flotilla' and Kipling's words "Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?". There's more about Kipling's Burma and his famous poem here.
"Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?".
Part of the fascination of the Bagan area is the sheer number of surviving pagodas - some large, some small, some in deteriorating condition, some carefully restored and built in differing architectural styles, according to their age. Within a few hundred yards of the Medical Clinic, I was able to explore a number of pagodas.
Pagodas protected by a pair of mythical Burmese lions (Chinthe).
A pagoda in a different style.
Yet another style of pagoda.
Exhausted by my explorations, I returned to the Bagan Medical Clinic but, after observing treatments for a while, Emily and I were taken by car to our respective hotels for a relaxing evening. The next morning, we would have a chance to observe the final day of clinic opening for that week.
Go to next post on this trip.
All my posts on the Bagan Medical Clinic can be found here.
All my posts on this trip to Myanmar can be found here.
My pictures
The following albums (on Flickr) hold pictures relevant to this post:-
In my last post Visit to Mon State, (Part 6), I described our return to Yangon. After an all-to-brief night's sleep at Dr. Hla Tun's house, we were to fly to Bagan where Dr. Hla Tun would spend the weekend seeing patients at the Bagan Medical Clinic.
Outline of the facilities at Bagan Medical Clinic
The Abbott at Bagan Monastery and Dr. Hla Tun have been the driving force behind this remarkable medical centre which provides virtually free medical care. Since August 2011, when the clinic first opened, it has seen rapid growth in facilities due to its popularity, thanks to the support of local and international donors including Belmond.
The first Clinic Building (opened in 2011 - see post here) remains in use as Patient Reception, Dispensary and Consulting Rooms. This has been supplemented by a larger building used for consultations, E.C.G., Laboratory and physiotherapy. That building had been open on my last visit, but it has since acquired an impressive array of second-hand gym equipment and specialist machines for heat treatment and remedial therapy and been divided to provide a consulting room, E.C.G. and Laboratory. A third building, slightly larger than the original building, was under construction on my last visit and is now fully commissioned. A central entrance area is flanked by a general consulting room one side and the consulting room used by Dr. Hla Tun on the other.
The original aim had been to provide care for the people of Bagan but the lack of affordable care in Myanmar has meant that patients are willing to travel long distances to receive treatment. Patients arrive from all parts of Myanmar using bus, train, boat and road vehicles (most commonly the passenger-carrying pick-up trucks but sometimes ancient heavy goods vehicles) and motorcycles. It's not uncommon for patients to have been travelling for two days to reach the clinic and the journey may aggravate the underlying problem. Patients from the new capital Naypyidaw, Yangon, Chin State and as far away as Magwe Division are common. To keep travel costs down, a group of patients from the same area will often club-together to hire transport and they must be prepared for a round trip lasting up to five days.
This means that looking after the welfare of waiting patients becomes a significant task. A number of shelters have been provided for waiting patients together with male and female toilet blocks. The Monastery provide a free hot lunch at around 11:30 on each clinic day and sometimes a meal is offered later in the day as well. A team of people prepare the nourishing meals which are distributed in just a few minutes to hundreds of waiting patients and their families. In addition, a number of privately-operated businesses have sprung up providing snacks and general goods.
Some of the monks are closely involved in the running of the clinic and the Abbot himself is a frequent sight around the clinic.
The Clinic is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week but patients start to arrive from Wednesday. There are usually three doctors on duty, including Dr. Hla Tun. They are supported by physiotherapists and laboratory technicians. There is then a staff to assist the doctors, dispense the medication and manage the patients. Much of this work is carried out by volunteers.
Events of Friday 24th April
On Friday, 24th April 2015, I flew with Dr. Hla Tun, his son and Emily (a medical student from Ohio in the U.S.A.) on the 07:20 Air Bagan flight from Yangon Domestic Terminal to Nyaung Oo.
Nyaung Oo Airport, now polluted by huge western-style hoardings.
We were collected by the Bagan Station Manager for the luxury tour company Belmond (formerly Orient Express) who provide support for the Medical Clinic which is situated in the Monastery Compound at Old Bagan. The nearby Belmond Station at Bagan serves as the landing point for the Belmond river cruises by both 'Road to Mandalay' (which I've described in numerous earlier posts) and the new ship 'Orceila' (which I've yet to try).
When we arrived at the Monastery, we were immediately greeted by the elderly Head Monk who had arranged breakfast for us in the monastery.
We had breakfast in the monastery.
After our breakfast, Dr. Hla Tun took us on a conducted tour of the centre.
Dr. Hla Tun and Emily outside the first clinic building.
The most recent of the patient shelter buildings is of durable construction.
Patient numbers are unpredictable and tend to vary with the seasons. Friday was a "quiet" day. When we arrived, 180 patients had registered and a further twenty arrived later in the morning. Auxiliaries take the blood pressure of each case before they are seen by one of two doctors.
The two doctors who work with Dr. Hla Tun at the clinic.
More complex cases are referred to Dr. Hla Tun and these tend to take longer so his caseload was around 45 out of the 200 but, of course, he remains 'on call' to all the staff so there are frequent interruptions.
At 11:30, Dr. Hla Tun broke off briefly to show his visitors the offering of the free lunch. The kitchen team furiously made up the individual meals on a series of metal plates as the patients lined up to receive them.
The kitchen team serving lunches.
At first, the Head Monk offered meals to each member of the queue, next Emily was invited to make the offerings and then the writer took over. Dr. Hla Tun, together with a newly-qualified lady doctor from Myanmar who trained in the U.S.A., Emily and the writer were then invited to the Monastery for our lunch where the Head Monk kept a watchful eye to ensure we all ate enough.
Lunch in the monastery.
After taking lunch, consultations then continued in the afternoon.
Dr. Hla Tun's consulting room has three examination couches.
Emily and I left the Clinic and were taken to our respective hotels at about 17:30. This time, I was booked into the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.
My comfortable accommodation at the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.
After a shower, I took a light meal at the hotel's open-air restaurant, offering views across the Ayeyarwaddy River. As it grew dusk, a young lady played traditional music on a Burmese Harp called a Saung.
View from my hotel's open-air restaurant.
I'm afraid Dr. Hla Tun did not expect to finish his consultations until around midnight. He admitted the following morning that, in fact, he didn't finish until a quarter to one in the morning. Stamina is needed to work at the Bagan Medical Clinic!
Go to next post on this trip.
All my posts on the Bagan Medical Clinic can be found here.
All my posts describing this trip to Myanmar can be found here.
My pictures
The following albums (on Flickr) hold pictures relevant to this post:-
Jan's blog will be maintained, both in her memory and also as a source of reference material in many areas of interest. New posts will be added, to continue to record the ongoing influence of Jan's work and life.
Jan:
I've been an electronics engineer for over 57 years and I'm interested in travel, history, architecture, the industrial revolution, science, railways and, well, lots of things. I believe in what one of my heroes, Richard Feynman, called "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out".
'Labels to select a blog topic' (below) will select the posts on a particular subject.
The Search Box (with the magnifying glass symbol) in the header will find posts including any particular word or phrase.
'Links to photographs' (below) will take you directly to my photographs on 'Flickr'.
View across the Ayeyarwaddy River from the Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort.
Prize-giving at the monastic school.
The oldest monastery building is mainly wooden and heavily decorated.
'Kerb painters' at work on the dual-carriageway leaving Nyaung Oo.
The short, brick chimney on the simple bamboo house indicates a still.
The sandy track to Chauk Kan village.
Excited but well-behaved pupils in the assembly hall.
Pupils queuing to receive stationery.
Villagers pose with their new spectacles.
Concrete signpost at the junction with the road to Mount Popa.
Part of Htee Pu village.
The Myanmar doctor, her parents and the Chinese-American doctor, presented with flowers.
The audience was torn between watching the dance and their exotic visitors.
A boy-and-girl dance, with lots of actions.
A dance with handkerchiefs.
Younger children performing.
Jan distributing stationery to a group of young monks.
Spectacle selection.
Visitors and teachers outside the building opened in 2010.
Elderly villagers from Htee Pu.
A snack in the monastery.
Air Bagan's ATR72 XY-AIH on arrival at Bagan.
