The Number 8

We've never visited a military dictatorship before. On the surface, everything seems incredibly peaceful. The people are friendly. They aren’t trying to sell us a bunch of stuff. They smile a lot. There are hardly any beggars in Yangon. Have they been removed? We don’t know. There are no military personnel patrolling the streets. In short, there are no obvious signs of the terrible things that can happen in Myanmar. There are spies in civilian clothes among the locals, reporting back to the government. In return, they get a little extra rice for their families. If you make Burmese friends, they might get caught and interrogated when you leave the country. Nothing will happen to tourists, but the locals have to answer to the government for what they've said and done with their foreign friends. The clothing is quite striking. The men wear shirts and have wrapped a cloth around their waist, which must be the most comfortable thing in this heat. The women wear pretty much the same kind of attire. However, all the women and children sport a thick layer of yellow sunscreen on their cheeks and foreheads. They often look like circus clowns. We don’t want to support the government by staying in government-owned hotels or eating at their restaurants. Often, the Burmese flag hangs outside. Hotels are frequently named after places in the country. You’re not supposed to ask if a place is government-owned. Just use your common sense. No matter how hard we try to avoid these places, money will inevitably end up in the government’s hands, as they come around to collect "taxes" from EVERY location. Perhaps the biggest attraction in Myanmar is right here in Yangon. It’s the world’s largest stupa, known as Shwedagon Paya. The top of the stupa is made of solid gold, while the rest is covered in gold leaf. There are actually hardly any tourists in the country or at this site. Still, it’s packed with people. The Burmese want to visit this stupa at least once in their lives. It’s the holiest place for Buddhists in Myanmar. The story behind Shwedagon starts with two brothers who meet Buddha meditating under a tree. They offer him two cakes, and in return, they receive eight hairs from his head, which they take back to Yangon. The wise men of the city designate a spot where the two brothers, along with the king, will bury the hairs. They dig a 20-meter deep hole. Along the way, they discover traces of four previous Buddhas who lived on Earth. These traces come in the form of a hair, a water filter, a walking stick, and a loincloth. In honor of these finds, the two brothers and the king build a 20-meter tall stupa over the hole. Later kings have added to the stupa and covered it in gold. The number eight is significant in Buddhism. There are eight corners around Shwedagon, each symbolizing one of the days of the week. There are eight days in their calendar. Wednesday is split into two days. Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoon are considered two separate days. People born on a Monday worship the same Buddha in the same corner. Each weekday symbolizes different concepts, from which all children’s names should be derived. This way, they are never in doubt about which Buddha to worship. The number eight also symbolizes the uprising that occurred years ago. It took place on the eighth day of the eighth month in 1988. Not many people can afford or have the energy to eat at nicer restaurants or enjoy a cold beer after work. There are a few places in Yangon where it’s actually possible to do this. We went to Mr. Guitar Cafe, where there was live music. A couple of girls played some good old American songs. We struck up a conversation with a couple of girls from China. However, they spoke almost no English, so a waiter played translator. The girls live in China near the border with Myanmar, which is why they speak Burmese fluently. It was actually more interesting to talk to the waiter. We tried to ask very open-ended questions to steer the conversation towards how he really felt about life in Myanmar. He couldn’t understand why his people were so dissatisfied. They just need to adapt to the conditions, and then they won’t have problems with the government/military. This statement meant he works for the government!! We immediately pulled back our open questions about the country, the regime, and living conditions, and started chatting about sights instead.