Nini's Village

The next morning we all decided to rent bicycles so that we could explore the back roads on our own.  We rented four electric bikes for $5 for the day.  After we mastered our bikes, our jitters, and the bumps on the roads, we decided to head toward a white pagoda we had seen at a distance from our tower viewpoint the night before.

Once there, we discovered a pagoda not made of marble, but a fairly simple pagoda well maintained with fresh “whitewash.”  Fairly few visitors were at the pagoda that morning.   There were a few locals, including two older women smoking cheroots (large greenish-yellow cigars). 

 

Smoking a cheroot

The four of us explored the pagoda and its grounds at our own pace.  As I was walking alone towards the back, a man in a motorcycle jacket approached me and asked if I wanted to buy some gems.  He started pulling little packets of stones out of inner and outer pockets.  

Usually I automatically say “no, thanks,” but for some reason I stopped.  I ended up buying - either two matching blue sapphires or very nice cuts of blue glass! 

Talking with Nini

Afterwards as I was waiting for the others (and kicking myself a little for my impulsive buy), I started talking with a young girl.  Her name was Nini.  She was 11 years old, but looked younger.  When the others came, we walked to our bikes.  Nini got on her own bicycle, and we chatted some more.  We asked her where she lived.  She asked us a question in return, “Would you like to see my village?” 

Of course, we followed her.  She took us down the road to her village, where we parked our bikes in the shade of a tree.  She told us that her village had 160 houses and 600 people, and started showing us around.  First, Nini took us to a weaving loom – “This is how we weave cloth.”   

Then, she took us to a barnyard and showed us how grasses are chopped into silage for the oxen. 

She took us through one of the houses, showing us the cooking area.  Finally, she brought us to a house that just happened to sell drinks – and scarves.  

Of course, she had this in mind the whole time, but she was a delightful “tour guide entrepreneur” and none of us minded.  We sat, drinking our cool drinks and talking.  Nini was smart as a whip, speaking at least four languages - all of which she learned from escorting tourists.  She had completed the primary school available in her village, but didn’t have the money to go the neighboring village for seventh grade.  She hoped to go next year.  (We sure hope so, too.)

Melting and hammering silver

While sipping on our drinks, Jim and I had been discussing what I in the world I was going to do with the two loose blue sapphires.  

Well – it turned out there were silversmiths in this village!  Nini takes us to them.  At the second one, we agree that they would make my gems into earrings.  They told me they would need to create the molds, melt the silver, and set the gems – and yes, they could do it yet that day!  Four hours later, Jim picked them up.  They were absolutely beautiful.  Whether glass or gem, I considered my new blue earrings quite a treasure!

My last favorite part of Nini’s village tour was her explanation of the make-up that we been seeing people in Myanmar wearing – male and female, people of all ages.  Nini told us that it is called thanakha, and is made from the bark of a local tree.  People scrape the bark against a circular stone, then mix the scrapings with water until it becomes a thin paste or cream.  This face cream is applied as sunscreen, but also for beauty.  They believe it helps keep one’s complexion clear.  And, individuals had their own unique facial patterns, such as squares, or zigzags, or circles.  Nini was happy to share some with us!

 Thanakha

 

We fondly said good-bye to Nini and headed back.  We had tickets to a local puppet theater that night.  Later over dinner, we decided that the white pagoda may not have been grand, but it did lead us to a grand adventure!