How is life in a wealthy village in Burma?

Sergey Dolya says: “I warn you, in this post there will be an off-scale level of wealth and luxury. I will show you a real pearl of Southeast Asia - a wealthy Burmese village.

How did it happen that in a country where most of the inhabitants live on $ 5 a month, this oasis of beauty and chic arose? It's very simple: during the day in Bagan there is hellish heat and harsh sun (even in the winter season). Tourists languish from idleness and boredom, waiting for the evening. The locals realized that it was not worth it for them to lie around idle, and began to invite the curious to their home for a small price. Over time, the business began to take on a systematic character, and advanced Burmese began to open small handicraft industries. There were souvenir shops, home shops and stuff like that. Income from tourists settles in the village, and in recent years, when the flow of tourists to Burma has grown strongly, the inhabitants of an unremarkable village have begun to live in a big way. To understand the difference between this and the usual village, I recommend refreshing the memory of the previous post, and then return to this one.

Tourists usually charge as much as five dollars for a tour, but today for my readers I will conduct it completely free of charge. Walk - so walk!

(Total 46 photos)

1. We approach the Burmese Barvikha. On the way you meet the first "rich people".

2. Golden youth.

3. Amazing cactus hedge. Wealthy Burmese can afford gardening art.

4. For beauty, cacti are decorated with wet, washed clothes.

5. Our tour guide is an energetic young woman on maternity leave.

6. First of all, we go to the residence of the hospitable hostess. A huge, gigantic hall where one and a half villages could easily spend the night. Handmade wooden tables, cane loungers and a truly royal "one and a half" for an afternoon nap.

7. Collection of family photographic canvases

8. You can hide from the bustle of the street on the second tier of a Burmese mansion. Now there is a playpen for children. Another tier above is the master bedroom, as well as an item of exceptional luxury - a dressing room.

9. Heir to this wealth.

10. The kitchen has been moved to a separate building. Everything a Burmese woman could dream of is here: modern crockery, pots, firewood and handy hanging basket hooks.

11. The bathroom is also located in a separate building. A real Burmese spa for discerning hosts.

12. Preferring everything natural and natural, the inhabitants of the luxury village do not deny modern technologies. Despite its success in tourism, the village cannot yet afford electricity.

13. Our family has a pair of oxen. They are parked in a separate garage.

14. Just look - what a handsome man!

15. Oxen work on environmentally friendly cane or bamboo fuel. Dear oxen are voracious, so a whole warehouse has been built for supplies.

16. Feed production is located right on the territory of the village.

17. Spent fuel is waiting for a long heat treatment under the sun, after which it will be suitable for agricultural and agronomic needs.

18. A small garden with aloe vera is a hobby of our hostess.

19. There is absolutely no crime and theft in the village, so bundles of firewood are lying right on the street.

20. You are probably already wondering: how did this woman make such an impressive capital? It turns out that she has her own profitable business for the collection and preparation of betel - the Asian analogue of tobacco. It is a very popular tonic in Asia. If you have seen Asians with red teeth in photographs, this is it.

21. Betel is used here in much the same way as coca leaves in South America. They are chewed along with slaked lime, which allows the beneficial substances of the narcotic content to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

22. In addition to lime, pieces of catechu palm seeds are placed on the leaf, which provoke profuse salivation. Various flavors complete this tobacco shawarma.

23. Practically a bar counter.

24. "Delicacy" is ready! 10 cents from you.

25. While we were photographing the betel, an old lady came out of the house opposite.

26. Let's go further along the Burmese Barvikha. This is a medical clinic. A couple of years ago, Japanese tourists visited this village, and then, chipping in, built a clinic in it. And not only in this village, but also in four neighboring ones. True, there is only one doctor for all five clinics. Therefore, he works one day a week in each of the hospitals. All residents already know what day of the week the doctor will be in their village.

27. And again golden youth. They lie on their belly all day and stare at the tourists. Real life burners.

28. This family has its own business of weaving all sorts of trinkets: frames, coasters and glasses. By the way, here almost every house has its own craft and point of sale of finished products.

29. Another kitchen of a large family. There is a lot of food around, even fish is dried in the sun.

thirty.

31. Withered tree with a ring. Used to park visiting oxen. Since there were none at the time of our excursion, we attached Dima Shatrov.

32. Another luxury home. The owner of the mansion is so rich that he can afford even walls.

33. We caught a rare event - the bride. The large family clan of the village gathers at the groom's house. The seating arrangement is classic: ladies in one direction, gentlemen in the other.

34. A bride is brought to the bride from a neighboring village and introduced to her future family and neighbors.

35. No, this is not a bride. This is most likely someone's future mother-in-law. Women in their years without exception smoke some strange pipe stuffed with herbs. Does anyone know what it is?

36. Another kitchen.

37. Look: this is the coolest house in the village. It has a high fence, lockable windows and two floors with an attic. It seems that this is where the local oligarch or bandit lives. The cost of such a house can reach a fabulous 3 thousand US dollars by local standards.

38. Peanuts.

39. It is dried in the sun, and in order for the drying to take place evenly, the children are allowed to run.

40. Another local business, this time weaving.

41. We noticed a huge concrete cube, in which a woman constantly carried water.

42. On the other side of the tank, a man performed water procedures.

43.

44. Unlike our curved yoke, the Burmese carry a straight stick. Apparently they can't bend. So they came up with two ropes on either side to make it easier to lift and carry buckets.

45. And even smarter residents went further.

46. I hope you enjoyed the tour. In the next post, we will continue our journey through Burma and look at Inle Lake from a bird's eye view. Stay Tuned!