MY ASIAN CHRONICLES: BURMA Part 1
4-03-08
I am standing beneath a mango tree in Burma. The Temple to Lord Baik Tha No has a quiet knowing power. The sun is a hazy eye sleepily fanning open it’s lid, casting gentle white light on the leaves.
I have waited for a place like this.
The birds speak loudly, proudly. In a natural habitat they are not as shy. I pick white orchids off of a tree. A milk bursts from its stem reminding me of life. I tuck them in my head wrap.
All this before my first show on the Asian tour.
The Yangoon River is still. I must be wrong, it really acts like a lake (note: there is a Yangoon River, but the hotel is on the Royal Lake). Palm trees and tropical air make me feel relaxed. Dancing statues hold positions around the grounds, unaffected by any stare, they stand amused and angled in a melody I’ve yet to hear.
Last night we walked across the road and ate at a restaurant named “White Rice.” Surprisingly, they did not have brown rice. Finally, vegetables everywhere! Every single plate was subtly different and yet distinct. Unlike in America where there is mostly a lazy excuse for seasoning, each plate of sautéed vegetables tasted as though it were done with respect. My stomach thanked me. Lychee juice is cool. We ate outside on the wooden deck, a privilege that can’t be done in cold New York just yet. Ginko lizards chased each other on the rafters. I felt impenetrable because of the insect repellant I had on. Susan (our temporary tour manager/over-seer from Jazz at Lincoln Center) and Ivan (my drummer) looked like they were getting bitten. Can you believe I had a 2 hour massage? The hotel spa is open late, and at 11PM myself and Ivan took advantage of 2 traditional Thai massages for $35! My first Thai style massage. I have been particularly in love with the Chinese massage I get in New York these days. In NY, where else can you get a full body massage for $40? Money aside, I love the technique. The Thai massage was new to me and I also enjoyed it. I have never, in all my life, had a massage that took as much time on my legs and feet. I have a knee issue that needs to be fixed and it was acting up yesterday after my swim in Hong Kong. The Thai massage really helped. The young lady gets up on the bed with you and kneads your muscles with her thumbs and elbows. She pulls and twists your legs, pressing them into positions for massage around her own legs. It was really cool.
I wake up to see Burma in the daylight and I am in love at first sight. I look forward to interacting with local artists and the concert we have tonight.
BURMA Part 2
4-04-08
Words are not deserving of the task of describing last night’s show/experience. The one thing I am glad of is, this tour is designed to make sure we have opportunities to connect with people personally. We get a huge context of the people, their daily environment, and stories of what they are dealing with – the current social/political climate. When I performed in Sarajevo last year we drove through the city, ate at a local spot, and were surrounded by their story…it gave me such a closeness to the people for whom I would sing later that night. It is like that on the tour.
The Burmese are SWEEET, sweet, sweet, warm, loving, cool, generous, affectionate, lovely people. They have an air of shyness that they don’t mind casting off in the right moment. To cast off shyness is liberating and a treat. When we performed our concert outside in the grassy yard of the American Center, the young people we met earlier were right up front. One of the Embassy reps told me later that we had our audience from the first song where there is a resounding note on the word: “freedom!” [The American Center is where the Burmese can come safely to openly study, discuss their ideas, their woes, politics, and speak about freedom] The audience came close to the stage and looked on with inspired smiles. They cheered. They danced. They embraced us and we embraced them through the music. At the end of the show, during the last song, Wash Over, people came up on stage one at a time while I was singing, to bring me single flowers and kiss me on the cheek, or hug me. It was spontaneous and unplanned. It was a motion of inspiration. It was one of the most incredible showings of thanks I have ever had. The whole night had so much beauty and love. It was powerful and gentle at the same time. I feel I am the most blessed, luckiest girl on the planet in moments like that.
During breakfast the following morning, one of the Embassy representatives explained that a lot of the families and youth who were at the show are dealing with intense stress. They have family who are currently political prisoners, or who have suffered direct harm from the oppressive dictatorship. She said that what we did was very special to them and lifted their spirits.
BURMA Part 3
4-05-08
The abundant generosity of people blows me away. Bob Riski, Director of Course Studies from the American Embassy picked us up at 1PM in the hotel. We loaded into 2 taxis and went over to the Bogyoke Market…a span of closely packed indoor and outdoor cubicle shops. Essentially, it’s a closely packed sprawling flea market with everything from paintings, textiles and furniture, to sandals and jewelry. Of course there are beggars on the stained cobble stone streets. They beg because I am with 3 white guys. Bob showed us his favorite spots, including where to get the best price on the velvet flip-flops worn by the monks. Bob went out of his way to take us to his favorite lunch spot, to show us around, to share stories - and all this right before he had to go to work for a 3PM meeting. Bob is still very tan from his last post in Indonesia. Only a few weeks in Burma, he’s is still learning it’s idiosyncrasies.
Bob shoots off and passes the baton to Elvia and Julie who met us at 3PM. They really knew how to get us the deals. Julie, a Chinese born woman who grew up in Burma, could intervene at any time to clarify that we were not “tourists.” Elvia, a Peruvian expatriate and wife to an American Embassy military man, bursts with energy. She is gorgeous, physically fit and knows how to aggressively bargain. We met her at the American Center on the first day, when she was teaching salsa to the youth. What an angel this woman is. She energetically took us to all the cool spots and basically harassed the shop people, crippling them at their own game, until we got the best possible deals. Her two daughters Jasmine (4 years), and Sahara (1 year) both loved me….Seriously, her one year old is fussy and doesn’t like to be held, but she reached out for me to hold her, and cried when I left. They are such a beautiful family. Elvia has enough energy to make your head spin. It stands out in Burma because the average Burmese person doesn’t outwardly express as much, due to fear of being singled out by the government. Julie and Elvia took us to Burmese tea at a beautiful outdoor tea restaurant on the lake, and later went to a local barbecue restaurant where you pick what you want for the table, throw it in a basket, and they barbecue it, serving it family style with beer.