It's water festival, day 1, in Kalaw, Myanmar and it's raining, it's cloudy and grey and also little cold...and I am alone again, after few days with a travel partner, and now I got little nostalgic....but the detox day I did yesterday (just fruits) helped at least my body to recover from too much fried and sugary street food I was abusing of...
I also changed accomodation today (or better stepped up to a single and cosTLy room) and then opted for my favourite activity, strolling in a local market!!
All the people from the villages nearby, the tribes living around came to sell and buy basic necessities, there were only products for them, no stalls selling western stuff...
A lot of colourful people around me; the Shan people are amongst the biggest ethnic groups of all south east asia and here I am in their state adding some curls to their traditions and customs!!
I felt a little bit like if I had jumped in south america though, for few minutes, I thought I was in Bolivia to be honest, no tourists at all to be seen, and amongst colourful spices next to mountains of garlics and eels, wild orange berries (looking just like blackberries but bright orange!, and tasting sweeter) and bamboo shoots I decided to let go and I allowed myself to auto overcharge me when buying my fruits and veggies without relying on my bargaining skills!!
The kids in town are so happy standing on the side of the road with their chinese made water guns (if they are lucky..) or a simple plastic container and splashing any moving being!!
I was happy too walking out of the market and back to my hotel with my grocery until this spicky hair smurf (ops sorry I meant kid!), at first looking doubtful, approaches me with a full small pot of water, but then he laughs and that's when I realised my turn arrived!!!...so I closed my eyes with a semi excited smile and splash, I got nicely soaked!!I accepted it feeling part of the celebration too and like a local, he liked it so much that he filled up the pot twice and came back after me to complete his job!
Temperatures have dropped seriously with the rain and it feels strange to wear jackets and some locals even woolen hats for this event that it's meant to purify the past mistakes, to wash away the sins of the ending year and start fresh and clean the new one!
I wish it was so easy, in our life, to forget or just simply pour water over past situations and flush them away so to feel released and lighter, but the human mind is much more complicated..... or do WE make it too complicated? (et voila', my philosophical note!!)
If anybody has met me, would know that I am not that enthusiastic about celebrations, in general, or drunk teenagers or just wastages, (in this case of water, even the fire fighters are involved in the party, yes... watering with their hydrants the crowd!!!!!) yet on the colourful and childlike looking stage local performances, music and singers and even the burmese version of yellow submarines of the Beatles!!!
I also changed accomodation today (or better stepped up to a single and cosTLy room) and then opted for my favourite activity, strolling in a local market!!
All the people from the villages nearby, the tribes living around came to sell and buy basic necessities, there were only products for them, no stalls selling western stuff...
A lot of colourful people around me; the Shan people are amongst the biggest ethnic groups of all south east asia and here I am in their state adding some curls to their traditions and customs!!
I felt a little bit like if I had jumped in south america though, for few minutes, I thought I was in Bolivia to be honest, no tourists at all to be seen, and amongst colourful spices next to mountains of garlics and eels, wild orange berries (looking just like blackberries but bright orange!, and tasting sweeter) and bamboo shoots I decided to let go and I allowed myself to auto overcharge me when buying my fruits and veggies without relying on my bargaining skills!!
The kids in town are so happy standing on the side of the road with their chinese made water guns (if they are lucky..) or a simple plastic container and splashing any moving being!!
I was happy too walking out of the market and back to my hotel with my grocery until this spicky hair smurf (ops sorry I meant kid!), at first looking doubtful, approaches me with a full small pot of water, but then he laughs and that's when I realised my turn arrived!!!...so I closed my eyes with a semi excited smile and splash, I got nicely soaked!!I accepted it feeling part of the celebration too and like a local, he liked it so much that he filled up the pot twice and came back after me to complete his job!
Temperatures have dropped seriously with the rain and it feels strange to wear jackets and some locals even woolen hats for this event that it's meant to purify the past mistakes, to wash away the sins of the ending year and start fresh and clean the new one!
I wish it was so easy, in our life, to forget or just simply pour water over past situations and flush them away so to feel released and lighter, but the human mind is much more complicated..... or do WE make it too complicated? (et voila', my philosophical note!!)
If anybody has met me, would know that I am not that enthusiastic about celebrations, in general, or drunk teenagers or just wastages, (in this case of water, even the fire fighters are involved in the party, yes... watering with their hydrants the crowd!!!!!) yet on the colourful and childlike looking stage local performances, music and singers and even the burmese version of yellow submarines of the Beatles!!!
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