C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

AtoZBlogChallenge:P is for Padaluang Tribe and Mt. Popa

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My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so I looked forward to returning to Southeast Asia. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

A Land of Old and New

The Kayan tribe live in Burma’s northeast They’re also called Padaluang (sometimes English spelling is Padaung), meaning long necks. Actually, their necks do not stretch, but their collarbones are pushed down slowly as the rings are added. If they use the old traditional number of 31- their necks are so weak they can’t remove the rings and hold their heads upright. Today that practice has changed and girls only wear 20. They can take the rings off if they choose.

A Padaluang Weaver with 30 Neck Rings

A Younger Padaluang Woman With 20 Neck Rings and  an Older One With Traditional 30

The irony is these are lake people. Imagine trying to swim with about 30 pounds of brass around your neck.  I picked up one set of these rings and knew just how long I’d stay afloat with them on me.

So why do they do this to themselves? One version is it’s to protect themselves from tiger attacks. They encircle the throat and put brass at their shins. Their hair pins are weapons in case of attack. Of course, the men don’t follow this practice, and today, tigers in the area are rare to none. 

Looking Across the Canyon at a Cloud Shrouded Mt. Popa. This was an infinity pool on the edge of the mountain.

Mt. Popa When the Clouds Lift

Mt. Popa is a monastery. You have to hike to the top, wave off monkey attacks and be careful of where you step. Monkeys poop a lot.  

Answers to O
F 1. People believe that giving offerings buys them a place in Nirvana. (They believe it’s an act of generosity, and that the offerings symbolize giving the best of who they are to something higher than they are. I think of it as a way to visualize goodness, but I’m not a Buddhist, so I could be off base.)

T 2. Offerings are a way to pay respects to the wisdom of Buddha or the Dharma, the Truth. (I suppose this is somewhat similar to the lighting of candles for others. Well, not quite, but offerings focus our thoughts and, in my mind, so do candles in churches.)

NOW what do you know about the Padaluang Tribe?
T/F 1. While the practice of using neck rings seems abusive and sexiest-since men do not wear them-this was a vestige of a matriarchal society.

T/F 2. The rings were considered magic and could cure illness by touching them.

Answers tomorrow.

AtoZBlogChallenge: O is for Offerings

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My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos so I looked forward to returning to Southeast Asia. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw. 
Flowers is the third offering to signify the awakening to the beauty around you.

Buddists’ offerings are the way to disconnect from attachment to material things and greed. All offerings are done in sevens. Seven bowls and seven meanings for the offerings.

These are the offerings with VERY brief explanations about their significance. I hope the Buddists will forgive these simple explanations.

  1. Drinking Water: (I saw many containers of water at the entrance to the shrines and asked why.) Offering #1 is to bring the end of suffering through thirst.
  2. Bathing Water: Those who offer this water gain merit and dissolve interference with meditation.
  3. Flowers: These are meant to awaken all who see them to beauty around them. 
  4. Incense: This eliminates sour, unhealthy smells and invites others to a place where all smell are fragrant.
  5. Light: Lamps or candles bring light to the world, so all will gain knowledge and enlightenment.
  6. Perfume: These scents interrupt, if only for a short time) the negative patterns of things like aggression, ignorance and attachment.
  7. Food: This is to relieve suffering of hunger and bring into focus food in abundance, so meditation will not be interrupted.
Here’s a friend with her offering of flowers.

Answers to N
F 1. All women in Burma are required to become nuns and follow the tradition of what is called the bhikkhunis. (No. But it is something many choose to do. And it’s common for younger girls to sign on during vacation time. I’ve read that an estimated 30,000 women are wearing the pink robe these days.)

F 2. Nuns have an equal status with monks. (Not quite. They’re missing what is called “bhun” (glory or power), which is supposed to be stronger in men than in women. But women in Burma wield a lot of power, especially in the matter of family finance.)

NOW what do you know about offerings?

T/F 1. People believe that giving offerings buys them a place in Nirvana.
T/F 2. Offerings are a way to pay respects to the wisdom of Buddha or the Dharma, the Truth.

Answers tomorrow.

AtoZBlogChallenge:N is for Nuns

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Join in the fun! 
It only takes a minute to visit more on AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

Nuns’ Robes are a Brilliant Pink

There are about 30,000 Nuns in modern Burma. They’re called Sila-Rhan meaning “owners of virtue.” While all male Buddists become either novice monks when they’re children or monks when they are adults, not all females are compelled to enter the monastery, even for a brief period. 

On this day, I was in a market and the Nuns came through singing with their begging bowls. I contributed 50Kyat (pronounced CHAT) to their bowl and snapped a picture. I wish I had the singing to share. It was a beautiful chant.

Burma is all about Color, Even in Nun Robes
Young Nun Shopping

Answer to M
T 1. Mandalay was the last royal capital in Burma. (When the British took over Burma, they exiled King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat. There would never be another royal capital in Burma after November 1885.)

T 2. Mandaly was occupied by the Japanese for three years following a heavy air assault on the city. (The Japanese destroyed over half of the homes in Mandalay and sent people fleeing into the countryside. The conquerors remained in control from 1941 to 1945.)

NOW what do you know about nuns in Burma?
T/F 1. All women in Burma are required to become nuns and follow the tradition of what is called the bhikkhunis. 

T/F 2. Nuns have an equal status with monks.

Answers tomorrow.

AtoZBlogChallenge:M is for Money, Mandlay and Markets

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Join in the fun! 
It only takes a minute to visit more on AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

10,000 Kyat

Money is called Kyat /chat/ 1,000 Kyat is $1. In Burma they’ll take dollars, but they prefer fives and larger bills. If your bills are torn or in any way damaged, they’re not acceptable, so you have to carry new bills if you want to spend US currency. The Kyat are often in really bad shape.  

Palace Grounds in Mandalay





Mandalay is one of most beautiful cities I visited. It’s very modern and its gardens invite you to stroll, even on a steamy day. It’s the second-largest city in Burma and was the last royal capital. It’s north of Yangon and sits on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River. Over a million people live here.

Downtown Mandalay
Mandalay Street Vendor

The Markets of Burma are a sensory overload. They’re always filled with color and scents of the most wonderful spices and cooked foods. Then there’s the reality of markets with freshly killed animals. Their meat doesn’t come in tidy plastic wrap.
Each tribe has a unique scarf to mark them as members of that group.
Some bargaining going on here.
Market Restaurant

Fresh Chickens

Spices by the pound.

Have you traveled or lived in places to experience the challenges of everyday details like money, or line protocol or how to say hi/goodbye?  Have you been in cultures that do things so much differently than your own? If so, you’ve learned a lot about the world you live in. Where have you traveled or lived in this world?

Answer to L
T 1. Untreated sewage has become a problem for the health of the lake. (72% of the households use open pit latrines, and now with tourism booming, the government has some major scrambling to do to upgrade the infrastructure and handle the influx of travelers.)
NOW what do you know about Mandlay?
T/F 1. Mandalay was the last royal capital in Burma.
T/F 2. Mandaly was occupied by the Japanese for three years following a heavy air assault on the city.
Answers tomorrow.

AtoZBlogChallenge: L is for Lake & Beware The Little White Rabbit is HERE.

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Join in the fun! 
It only takes a minute to visit more on AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and saw. 
Inle Lake Transportaion
Monks on the Water

Inle Lake has the most beautiful sites, and it’s a thriving cottage industry center. Here you can watch weavers, potters, gold and silversmiths at work. The lake is 900 meters above sea level, 22km long and 10km wide. The diverse ethnic population, the floating farms, the unique leg-rowed traditional boats all add up an amazing place to visit.

Coming Across Inle Lake to the Monastery
Inle Lake Floating Store
Chanting on Inle Lake
Village at Inle Lake
Inle Lake at Sunset

This post is all about seeing the beauty of a place. Here’s more from The Lonely Planet on a visit to Inle Lake.

Answers to K: What do you know about Karma?

T 1. This Endless Knot is the symbol of karma. (People who believe in this theory, believe we are never released until we reach the perfection of Buddah and achieve Nirvana. )

T 2. In Buddhism, karma theory is used to explain the cause of evil. (They’ve been critiqued by some for their theological explanation of suffering in children by birth, as the result of his or her sins in a past life. Buddhists maintain this criticism is based on a lack of understanding of karma.)  

NOW what do you know about Inle Lake in Burma?

T/F 1. Untreated sewage has become a problem for the health of the lake.

Answer Tomorrow

NEWS!
Have to take a moment to show you this. It’s out and available today. I’m excited to be included, and I’ll be “talking” about this more. Don’t you love the animated cover?

AtoZBlogChallenge: K is for Karma & Hats Off Corner Welcomes Sylvie Grayson

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It only takes a minute visit more AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

Building or contributing to the building of stupas enhances Karma

Karma’s not a bad concept when you think about it. If you believe your actions of today are going to affect your next life, maybe you’ll do more good than bad daily.

Coming back as an aardvark would not be my choice, but there are some creatures I fancy. And that started me thinking. What would I like to return to this earth as if that’s indeed the way the universe is programmed?

Birds always seem so free. But they live a short time, and they have all that nest building and hawk-dodging to do, so maybe not a bird.

Lions are strong and beautiful. But their habitat dwindles daily and I like my meat medium, so maybe not a lion.

Horses can run long and fast. But then they have saddles and spurs to contend with-not to mention the steady diet of hay and oats, so maybe not a horse.

Writers are pretty cool. They’re a always coming up with stories and characters to capture the reader and keep them enthralled in stories. But then they have line edits to do, and agents to hire and fire, and reviewers that love them one minute then hate them the next, so maybe not a writer.

Well, those are my best choices just off the top of my head. So far I’m not keen on coming back at all. How about you? What would you come back as if you had the option?

Answers to J: What do you know about Jaggery?

T 1. Jaggery is predominantly sucrose (C12H22O12), with traces of mineral salts, iron and some fiber. 

F 2. Jaggery is digested in the same way sugar is digested.(While sugar releases in a burst of energy and can harm some internal organs, Jaggery is far more complex than sugar. It’s made up of longer chains of sucrose, so it’s digested slower than sugar and releases energy slowly and not instantaneously.)

NOW what do you know about Karma?

T/F 1. This Endless Knot is the symbol of karma.

T/F 2. In Buddhism, karma theory is used to explain the cause of evil.

Hats Off Corner Welcomes Sylvie Grayson


AMAZON
When Chloe Bowman woke to find her husband gone, never did she imagine it would take so long to find him, or that in the midst of the search she’d discover she didn’t really know this man at all. She soon realizes she has been left alone with her young son and a time bomb on her hands. Then the earthquake throws everything into question. Lurking in the shadows is the mysterious Rainman who travels under an unknown name.
Police Detective Ross Cullen was already investigating Chloe’s husband when he disappeared. Although he’s powerfully drawn to Chloe, Ross also knows that when one member of a family disappears, the first place to look for the suspect is among those closest to him. No one is closer than Chloe.
But the deeper Ross digs the less he knows, and the more he’s attracted to the young wife as she struggles to put her life back together. Can Ross break through the Rainman’s disguises to solve the case so he can be with Chloe?
Sylvie Grayson has published romantic suspense novels, Suspended Animation, Legal Obstruction, and The Lies He Told Me, all about strong women who meet with dangerous odds, stories of tension and attraction. She has also written The Last War series, a romantic fantasy set to be released in 2015. She has been an English language instructor, a nightclub manager, an auto shop bookkeeper and a lawyer. She lives in southern British Columbia with her husband on a small piece of land near the Pacific Ocean that they call home, when she’s not traveling the world looking for adventure.

AtoZBlogChallenge:J is for Jaggery

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It only takes a minute to sign up or visit more on AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

Here’s all the Jaggery I have left from my trip. It seems to be popular in our house.

Jaggery candy is a common treat in Myanmar. Jaggery tastes a lot like maple syrup candies we have here, but it’s made from the Toddy Palm that has any number of uses, from medicinal to utensils.

Here’s Jaggery under construction.

Getting the Juice

Palm Juice
Bringing the juice to a Boil
Cooling Jaggery

I’d definitely eat less candy if I had to scale a tree, cut the palm, drain the juice into pots, climb down the tree, boil the juice, stir it, cool, then shape it into tiny balls. But I have to say, it’s a tasty treat.

Answers to I: What do you know about the Irrawaddy River?

F 1. The Irrawaddy is the largest river in the world. (No. It’s the largest in Burma. It’s a toss up between the Amazon and the Nile as to which of these is the larger.)

T 2. The river has been used as a main trade route since the sixth century.
(That’s as far back as they’ve found evidence of trade in this waterway.)

NOW what do you know about Jaggery?

T/F 1. Jaggery is predominantly sucrose (C12H22O12), with traces of mineral salts, iron and some fiber.

T/F 2. Jaggery is digested in the same way sugar is digested.

AtoZBlogChallenge:I is for Irrawaddy

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My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

The poem Mandalay was written by Rudyard Kipling in 1890. The road he refers to in one line was really the Irrawaddy River. It hummed with trade from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Burma and India. In WWII the government sank many of the old British cargo ships that still were on the river to keep them out of the hands of the Japanese. Now Burma’s bringing those ship up from the river bottom and restoring them. 

Leaving Mandalay

The Muddy Irrawaddy

Arriving at Mingun

Answers to H: What do you know about the horse carriages of Burma?

F 1. Hackney Carriages have been subject to government licensing at least as far back as 1950. (I found laws regulating them as far back as 1812, under what was titled The Burma Code.)

F 2. Hackney-carriage means small vehicle in Burma. (Hackney refers to the type of light-stepping horse used to draw the carriage.)

NOW what do you know about the Irrawaddy River?

T/F 1. The Irrawaddy is the largest river in the world.

T/F 2. The river has been used as a main trade route since the sixth century.
Answers tomorrow. 

AtoZBlogChallenge:H is for Horse Carriages

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Join in the fun! 

It only takes a minute to sign up or visit more on AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.
In an old British Colonial Town, the Horse Carriage is still the Taxi

I’m the world’s worse movie maker. Well the horse carriage was bouncing, so I kept sliding out. Almost tumbled onto the ground a couple of times, so I had to hold on to the carriage with one hand and use the other one to point and shoot. It was starting to rain and the driver kept handing me an umbrella. “Sorry, fella but I’m out of hands here!”


Answers to G: What do you know about botanical gardens in Burma?

F 1. Burma can boast several amazing national gardens similar to PyinOoLwin. (There are several national parks, sanctuaries and reserves, but I could only find one botanical garden.)

F 2. Botanical gardens are totally under government control. (There are still government links ($$$), but the garden is now mostly controlled by a private company.)

NOW what do you know about the carriages of Burma?

T/F 1. Hackney carriages have been subject to government licensing at least as far back as 1950.

T/F 2. Hackney-carriage means small vehicle in Burma.

Answers tomorrow. 

AtoZBlogChallenge:G is for Gardens

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Join in the fun! 
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My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so this was a return to Southeast Asia that I looked forward to. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.
Pyinoolwin Botanical Gardens
Hundreds of Acres of Garden
If you’ve seen one orchid, have you seen them all?
Probably not.
All of these are outside and lush.
Besides the Botanical Garden, they have amazing Floating Gardens with all kinds of fresh produce.
A Tomato Patch
Answers to F: What do you know about fishing in Burma?
T 1. The Burma Banks boasts marlin of up to 1,200 pounds. (The government has opened a lot of fishing along the coast for tourism, including fishing and fishermen are lining up with their rod and reels.)
F 2. Burma has little or no licensing system like other countries in that region. ( This country has more licensing than others in the area.)
NOW what do you know about botanical gardens in Burma?
T/F 1. Burma can boast several amazing botanical gardens similar to PyinOoLwin.
T/F 2. The botanical gardens are totally under government control.
Answers tomorrow.