Kandawgyi is a difficult lake to walk around. There are parts you have to pay to enter (more if you want to also take photos), parts where you have to exit the lake grounds and walk on the street, and parts that make no sense and link up with nowhere. But it was still an enjoyable walk.
Or as John Okell would romanicize it, “beh-lauq-lèh”. Which is to say “how much?”, which is what I said when I started on my first all-Burmese language interaction. It went a little bit like this (translated for the English speakers amongst us):
Me, pointing at a bowl: “How much?”
Stall holder: “600”
Me: “600?”
Stall holder nods, I hand him 500 Kyat (not in any ham-fisted attempt at bargaining, I heard him say 600 and I know the word for 600, I just had a minor brain explosion).
Stall holder, in a slightly exasperated voice: “600”
Me, handing him an extra 100 Kyat note: “sorry”
Stall holder hands me the bowl and I thank him. His friend starts laughing uproariously, no doubt partly at my apparent inability to count to six, but I think mostly because I massively overpaid for the bowl. But 600 Kyat is about 60c, so I did ok.
Since then I have unsuccessfully tried to barter with taxi drivers (mainly saying “it’s expensive” then “much lower price x”), misunderstood the lady I was trying to buy limes from (three limes for 20c!), and said a lot of “sorry” and “thank you”. My language study is very much a work in progress.
We woke this morning to an unseasonable downpour, which has brought with it equally unseasonably cool weather – I’ve even got the balcony door open and the aircon off!*
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o’ a grace
As lang’s my arm.
Unfortunately the story isn’t actually that interesting, sorry.
At the moment we’re living right next to Kandawgyi Lake* which has a lovely boardwalk around its circumference, for boardwalking.
This morning I got up early and went for a walk.
Chronologically these photos are in reverse.
It probably doesn’t actually matter.
Continue reading Jonathan walks round the block. A photo essay.
Is a very fine house. Although not really ours. We’ll be here about 10 days or so while our actual apartment gets repainted. But here’s some pictures of our current place anyway.
So we’ve been here over 24 hours, and are essentially locals now.
As proof of our settlement I offer this non-exhaustive list:
Continue below for photos of things, if you’re into that kind of thing.
