When I got up, there were already cattle quietly foraging for breakfast in the rubbish near the Drop In Centre.
Ko Dut D.I.C.: Cattle foraging for breakfast.
We first went to the house and shop of one of the D.I.C. teachers, Shu Lwum, for breakfast.
Ko Dut D.I.C.: Breakfast at Shophouse of Shu Lwum
The meal was accompanied by loud music from a couple of streets away which, when we left, I tracked down to a 'Wall of Sound' outside a private house (I talked about the 'Wall of Sound' in the earlier post here). The Doctor explained that the 'Wall of Sound' was part of the celebrations for a wedding and that the music helped guests unfamiliar with the area to locate the correct address. This installation comprised 10 base speakers, two exponential horns and a group of 'tweeters', all held together by a ratchet strap.
Ko Dut 2018: 'Wall of Sound' to celebrate wedding.
Back at the D.I.C., I was presented by the staff with a beautiful red and black longyi in a traditional Mon pattern which they insisted I put on straight away.
Ko Dut D.I.C.: Jan with new Longyi and the seamstress.
After the inevitable 'group shot' outside the D.I.C. there was a traditional, formal thanksgiving by the staff for the donations they had received.
Ko Dut D.I.C. Volunteers and teachers.
Doctor Hla Tun has established a tradition of taking the staff and volunteers at Ko Dut Drop In Centre for a meal during his annual visit, as a way of saying 'Thank You' for their work throughout the year. This year, it was extended into a full day out. The Doctor, his wife, two staff from the Drop In Centre (the manager Yu Mon and teacher Shu Lwum) and the writer took a taxi, the others followed in a covered pick-up with seats. We headed south towards Ye Township (sometimed spelled as Yaye) to visit the extensive Ko Yin Lay ('Young Monk') pagoda.
Ko Yin Lay Pagoda near Ye, Mon State, 2018
Here I was delighted to meet again the nun who had accompanied us on a visit the previous year. What I now discovered was that she is the sister of teacher Shu Lwum.
Ko Yin Lay Pagoda: Jan, the Nun and her sister Shu Lwum.
The latest project is a pagoda surrounded by hundreds of miniature pagodas, apparently in tribute to the Kuthodaw Paya in Mandalay (I described a visit to the Kuthodaw here).
Near Ye, we stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. Whilst we were there, a car apparently struck a motor cycle right outside the restaurant and a girl from the motor cycle, clearly shocked, sustained a cut ankle. Staff from the restaurant immediately seated her inside and bathed the ankle with water. Doctor Hla Tun provided adhesive plasters and antiseptic cream but otherwise was not required. Myanmar people accept this type of minor mishap with equanimity.
After an enjoyable meal, we continued to the beach at Ka Byar Wa. It was a very pretty bay with a safe, sandy beach popular with local people. Food was available, there was a row of steamer chairs shaded by large umbrellas for hire and inflated lorry inner tubes could be hired as flotation devices in the sea. There were a couple of inflatable boats on the beach fitted with outboard engines, but neither was in use.
The beach at Ka Byar Wa
I watched with interest as two boys in a 2-man kayak attempted to 'surf' their boat on the incoming tide. The first time they did remarkably well but a number of subsequent attempts all ended in a capsize. After a pleasant interlude in the sun at the beach, we boarded the taxi and the pick-up truck.
I assumed we were returning to Ko Dut but, after heading north we turned off into the hills, travelling for some distance on very narrow roads carrying unexpectedly heavy traffic. We ended up in a car park in a field accessed by a very steep slope. It was all very puzzling for me until we left the taxi and walked to the improbable destination: a shallow river with lots of people, adults and children, bathing and swimming. The Doctor explained that the location, Chaung Gwa, had become a popular destination, particularly for parents with young children, because of the crystal-clear fresh water and safe bathing. The one river bank was very low and I assumed it would be subject to flooding at times. This bank, formed from flat, rounded stones formed the unlikely location for a extensive market.
Chaung Gwa river bathing and market
Up river from the market, a number of long-tail boats were coming and going, man-hauled near the boarding place but starting their engines once clear. The Doctor explained that the boats provided a shuttle service to and from the nearby Chaung Gwa Pagoda and offered a visit, which I readily accepted, although I'd already seen boat passengers having to wade through the water across the stones to enter and leave the boats.
Well, with my European soft-soled feet and general tendency to wobble, I needed plenty of help from my friends to safely board the boat but the boat trip through the twisting river valley was wonderful.
By long-tail boat up river to Chaung Gwa Pagoda
A final twist in the river revealed a surprisingly small pagoda perched on the hillside, with modern statues on an adjacent tall, square, painted concrete pillar set in the river.
Chaung Gwa Pagoda, viewed from the river
On our arrival, leaving the boat proved a little easier than boarding, although it still involved wading through water over stones in bare feet. An uneven earth footpath then led to the base of a long, straight concrete staircase which led to the pagoda platform. At a slightly lower level, a horizontal walkway led across to the pillar with the statues, giving visitors commanding views downstream.
Chaung Gwa Pagoda: View looking downstream from the pagoda platform
The return boat trip was equally enjoyable but, by this time, I was starting to fade and the walk back through the market (across the stones) to our taxi was tiring. This time, our destination really was Ko Dut. It was dark when we arrived but they started the petrol generator so we had light and I was able to charge my computer and camera before retiring for the night after a splendid day with my friends.
Related posts on this website
This is one of a series of posts describing my 13th visit to Myanmar. The post Travelling again is the first post in the series.
Clicking on the 'Next report' link will show the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report
Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Burma-2018 reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Burma-2018 reports.
My pictures
La Mine and Ko Dut D.I.C.
Ko Yin Lay Pagoda and the beach at Ka Byar Wa.
Chaung Gwa, Chaung Gwa Pagoda and back to Ko Dut.
All my pictures on this trip to Myanmar can be found at Burma 2018.
[Pictures linked 10-May-2018, Pictures inserted 26-May-2018]
