Opposite of déjà vu

Discovering unspoiled Myanmar

MYANMAR | Thursday, 4 July 2013 | Views [700] | View Larger Image

Every early morning, the 40-year old Manue, a son of Pushia, returns with his oxen from the nearby forest with a wagon full of wood. Dressed in his traditional Myanmar longji and a jacket to warm him from the morning cold, he has been following in the footsteps of his father since he was a child. Manue delivers the wood to some of the neighbors in exchange of goods (rice, vegetables, eggs, etc) and sometimes to the neighboring villages in exchange of money that helps him buy specific goods and medicine for his family

Tags: myanmar, shan state, nature, cart, wood collection, rural, unspoiled village

Pushia, an 86-year old retired wood collector stands in front of his hut wearing his traditional Shan pants. Now, the grandfather of 4 kids has been living in this small village since his birth and has never encountered a foreigner since the last British occupation after the Second World War. Living a life without electricity, phone or television is not a great concern for him, he only worries that the sun will never rise again, and the wood will seize to exist. He is proud of all his tattooed body which makes him feel more connected to nature.

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After preparing the campfire breakfast for the family, Hayma, the wife of Manue (her name means “forest” in Burmese) spends her morning hours cutting and laminating bamboo stalks into sheets and planks that serve as new walls for their small hut. Every year by the end of the monsoon rains, the bamboo planks have to be replaced and renewed to offer proper shelter for the family. Hamya explains that weaving bamboo is one of the ancestors’ techniques in the Shan Region: not only it shelters and protects us during the cold nights, but it also allows for the passage of the river breeze during the hot days.

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Opposite of déjà vu

Discovering unspoiled Myanmar

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