I don’t have anything really insightful to share about the people of Myanmar, but have collected a few interesting photos (at least I think they are).
The people around Lake Inle tended to mainly be drawn from the Shan population (a distinct ethnicity in Myanmar) and had similar features. Men usually wore the longyi (a loose wrap) or sometimes trousers; women dressed conservatively, also in longyis but in brighter colors. Men tie theirs at the front and the ladies secure the longyis at the side. Children wore green bottoms to school (usually longyis, although boys occasionally wore trousers) and white shirts, but otherwise wore what they pleased.
A couple of old gents enjoying the shade.
Women heading home from the market.
Heading home from school
Once we got back to Yangon though I noticed a much broader mix of ethnicities in the population. We saw a great many people who were obviously of Indian background, with darker complexions, facial hair and wavier hair. There were also people who looked more like the mainland Chinese, with lighter skin tones (and may in fact have been Chinese, given the amount of economic integration now happening between Myanmar and the PRC). The dress was pretty much the same, though I did see slightly higher hemlines on some of the women in the big city.
A fashionable local with the kids.
There are also quite a few Buddhist monks roaming about. Apparently it’s common for most boys (and some girls, judging by the color of the robes) to spend some time as an apprentice monk, even if it’s only for a week or so. We met a nice monk, 33 years at his 100+ year old monastery, who showed us around as we showed up unannounced. He offered us good wishes, and a tasty banana. Mainly, the monks do most of the same things as the rest of us, including take pictures of Charlie and A.J.
Elderly monk with the kids.
Monks playing football. Note Aon branding (Tim’s former employer)
The population seemed pretty young overall as well. The country could reap economic benefits from this demographic boom before too long, another reason to be excited about their medium term future.
Kids everywhere!
Notes from a Big World 