Nats (A Visit to Mt. Popa)

 

Mount Popa

Today, our last day in Bagan, we went to Mt. Popa.  It’s only about 30 miles from here, but takes about an hour to reach.  It is the home of 37 nats which are spirits.  We didn’t know what to expect, but when we arrived, our guide took us into a temple where there were 37 ornately dressed statues, each with a “theme” of sorts.  Some were riding tigers or carrying things including one guy who likes to drink and had several bottles of rum!  These guys are based in Animism and there are rules while on the mountain – no peeing on the ground, no cursing or bad language, no mean talk and don’t wear red or black.  We didn’t want to piss them off, so we followed the rules!  This religion was in Myanmar long before Buddhism and only by making concessions to include the animist beliefs was King Anawrahta able to introduce Buddhism. 

Lucky House Nat - Monkey Not Included



Some Nats

 

We then climbed over 700 stairs to a monastery perched on a hilltop and with lots of scrappy monkeys on the way up!  Not a fan of the monkeys!  We also stopped at a chicory farm which (I didn’t know this) comes from a palm tree.

Gathering Liquid

Making Sesame Oil

 

They harvested liquid and made great tasting drinks, including a fairly potent alcohol!  They made candy from the seed part, chairs from the wood, placemats and baskets from the leaves – I don’t think any part of the tree was wasted and they did all of this with very primitive methods, using an ox to make sesame oil and a small woodfire oven to heat and distill the liquor.  It was fascinating but really not surprising.  If I have learned anything while here besides that most of this country’s inhabitants are very friendly and extremely honest, it is that the people of Myanmar have learned to be resourceful because many of them do not have much; in fact, they have very little.  We ended the trip with a visit to Be Kind to Animals The Moon vegetarian restaurant and the food was GREAT!  We then got rained on walking back to our hotel in the dry season!  Go figure!  Tomorrow to Mandalay and on to Thailand.

The Path Up the Mount