Cool cuz & I had our hotel breakfast on the roof deck of the "Remember" it was a good one today.
This morning was a bit chilly so we went to the inside dining area (I hadn't known to this point existed) and realized they have other items on the menu than Shan or fish noodle soup.
I had a veggi omelet and a banana pancake! Wow. What a start to a day!
After breakfast we met Sho & our new Israeli friends downstairs. With a short walk to the docks we found ourselves on a private boat taxi enroute to the lake.
Cool and I had done a mini tour a couple days ago when we first landed but today would be different. Today was an all day tour and would include market hopping as well as a view of the sunset passing over the west mountain range on the way home.
Initially the same beautiful sites on the way out.
The fishermen were still out doing their thing.
We stopped and hung a bit but the girl in the group wanted to shop. Me, I'm not a big shopper but being a lover of people (and crowds), I figured, "take me to the market".
Unlike the previous day's boat trip, we cruised into the inner waterways and found ourselves at a village town with a floating market.
On entering the floating market I immediately saw a table with traditional tattoo pens. These are heavily ornamented hollow steel and brass sticks with anywhere from 1-12 fine steel needle ends. The ones I saw on the table were 2 & 3 needle tips.
I got into a conversation with the local vendor and turns out he is the nephew of the village's elder and traditional Tat teacher. He spoke very little English but by his body language I was able to decipher enough to allow him to lead me through this vast market place with what I believed (or at least hoped) would end in a visit with his grandpop.
Down river streets filled with vendors, across a couple bridges, past tons of Pagodas,
(View from U Josep's back deck)
a journey of 15 minutes or more. I was beginning to consider that there were 5 others in our boat who may be wondering where I disappeared to on our first stop in a river town I had never been but the excitement of meeting a Burmese tattoo master had convinced me to be selfish and I followed my new market tour guide at rapid pace toe to heal. When we finally arrived he ran into the beautiful stilted river bed home and disappeared as he motioned to me to hang tight. Moments later he reappeared, motioned that he had to get back to his kiosk table in the market, told me to take off my shoes and go in. I had no idea where I was.
There were certainly no tourists walking around back in this section of the village and I had no idea how long it would be before my boat captain or the others would be leaving.
So I went in, of course! The house was gorgeous. A big open room with a small TV, a dining room table with fresh oranges in a bowl and an open kitchen in the rear with an old woman standing in the doorway staring at me surprised to see a white dude with no shoes in her living room.
Without a word she simply pointed to the amazing wooden staircase and motioned me upstairs.
I gotta admit I was caught up in the moment forgetting where I was and I followed her prompt upward.
At the top of the stairs I heard speaking in the room ahead of me.
I entered to find an old man sitting in lotus on the floor in front if the Buddha shrine showing a younger man a book. As I entered I was greeted with a nod and smile. The old man, who I assumed was grandpop waved me in and motioned to sit.
I immediately knelt in front of the shrine and bowed traditionally to Buddha (3xs), turned to the two others and sat in lotus position next to them.
They must have been impressed that I honored Buddha as I came in because they seemed delighted by my attempt to do it properly (I'm sure I didn't).
The old woman from downstairs appeared with 3 cups of tea and left without a look at me.
The old man was indeed the grandfather & 4th generation Burmese tattoo artist and village tat teacher. Here, it's not just skin art. A tattoo is a symbol of the connection we have to the spirit world.
A traditional method of tapping the spiked spear into the skin after being dipped into a capful of a mixture that I thought was ink on first (& 2nd.. ) glance.
The word "Tattoo" originated from "Ta tap" which means to tap, signifying the motion that is used to drive the ink needle tips into the skin leaving a design based on the chosen direction of the master (in this case U josep, Grampa).
U josep could speak zero English so nods, grunts & smiles were how we communicated along with a few English words from his young student which helped me understand essentially the jist of what was to happen.
Apparently before he left, my unofficial tour guide (U Josep's nephew) told him I was coming in for a tat. After I realized what the intent was I did my best to explain that I'm an American on a boat taxi tour (with 5 other people) who just happened to stop by and meet his nephew, liked the tat pens and found myself here drinking tea with him, the master.
Nothing was actually understood and the meeting progressed I to a tatfest. I ran downstairs to pee and stuck my head out into the market to see if I saw anyone from my group.
Miraculously I saw the Isreali couple walking away from the direction of the boat. I took that as a safe cue to get more master time. Upon my return upstairs the Master had the inks and the pen out to start my tat.
Common sense prevailed and I explained that I didn't trust the ink or needles and didn't want to get a virus with a dirty needly or contaminated ink. All that was interpritated by the young monk as "this no ink", "it fish heart".
"Oh", I said in irrational amazement.
"No, no me need clean needle, but you get one and show me how it's done ok?" I responded.
This he understood and U J smiled an agreement as the young monk lifted his sleeve and the tattin began.
It was amazing to be present to witness this. I have video of the whole thing but not sure I can do anything more than pics with this equipment.
While I was there I chose an image of a Buddhist Human/Spirit figure out of the masters 300 year old, leather bound design book for a future date and installation on me (after I locate new needles and safe ink of course).
All of a sudden I realized I had been there too long and thanked them all profusely as I ran down the stairs, grabbed my shoes and ripped through the market, hoping my boat and group hadn't left me behind. I knew if they hadn't they'd probably be pissed but shit what an experience!
I made it back in time but not without a lashing from the Israeli chick. I bought her a bouquet of flowers from an old woman in vendor canoe bumping against our boat as we were leaving and considered the $0.30 they cost me to be appropriate Buddhist penance for my self centered deed.
We boated away to our next experience.
The rest of the day included a paper making factory,
A cigar making (and smoking) joint,
A loom/textile factory,
A traditional teak canoe building shop &
Tons of cool temples
Cool and I even headed back into the canal at one stop and helped the locals build a stilted house.
By this time we (Cool & me) were having the time of our lives (honestly not even drinkin, just pure adrenaline and joy of being here) and the couple in our boat were not lovin us.
Shit, she hated boats and was petrified of water apparently! This came as a total surprise to me and only came up as she hollered to me to sit down in the canoe when I tried I shared a cigar with our captain in the back of our vessel, who looked like he could really use a smoke.
In any respect I could respect the fear factor and behaved on the way back to the open water where we were to stop and enjoy our 2nd lake sunset of the week.
That is until we stopped to view the incoming backdrop. Turns out our captain has seen the sunset more times than even I and took no care to provide a boat position that was adequate of a first time lake viewer (our couple) boat mates.
Respectfully, I stood up and hopped back to our captain with the grace of a drunk kitten, grabbed his wooden orr and rowed the canoe into a perfect vantage point view for our boat mates.
She freaked but soon enjoyed the repositioning and stopped squealing.
We (even her) made it back to port fully in tact. We bid farewell to the lovely couple and headed to zodiacs (as usual).
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