“Cultures” Myanmar Presentation by the Flatelands
Posted by Admin Asst on Jan 19, 2017 in | 0 comments“Myanmar (Burma) – Brimming with Optimism” Program, beginning with a Potluck lunch
What is life like in an ancient culture just emerging from decades of brutal military dictatorship? Jill and Byron Flateland wanted to find out, so they spent six weeks in Myanmar late last year. They will share highlights of their trip and other interesting information about this little-known country starting with a potluck lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by a talk in the sanctuary with many photographs of life in Myanmar. Byron will also provide a sampling of Myanmar cuisine as part of the pot luck.
Jill & Byron’s travels took them to several major sites as well as many out of the way places where life is still lived as it has been for centuries. There are still thousands of temples and pagodas that are more than 1000 years old, many of which they explored firsthand. Most magnificent of these are the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, more than 300 feet tall and gilded in more than 27 tons of pure gold. Other sites included Bagan with its 2,200 venerable structures and Inle Lake whose farmers raise vegetables on miles and miles of floating gardens; Inle’s fishermen are famous for rowing with one leg which leaves their hands free for casting their nets.
Other forays took them farther afield to see more remote parts of the country. These included taking the “slow boat” down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bagan, taking a seven-day boat trip up the Chindwin River northwest toward the border with India, making a day-long journey by narrow-gauge railroad across one of the world’s tallest railway trestles, visiting a camp for elephants retired from working in the timber industry, trekking to small villages, and meeting interesting characters all along the way.
Join us to experience the beauty and heritage of Myanmar through photographs and to hear about a friendly, spiritual people, ancient temples, age-old farming practices, cottage industries still being practiced, and lifestyles that are slowly disappearing as the country is on the cusp of modernizing.
This presentation is part of the the church’s 2017 Adult Education series on “Cultures.”
