Meeting the "dictatorship feeling"
I don't know. Maybe I just took more notice of my surroundings this time. Or if it was easier to talk to me because I was not busy talking with the monks. Probably both. During this trip, I discovered that I was being watched. Like basically any Western tourist in Burma. Still... it's a little disturbing...
- First one was at the border. A man asks me where I go, with who, how long, first time, stresses on the "organised by monks ?" He says he's a Thai tourist who is fed up with travelling alone and that he would like to go on a tour next time. Sure... So why were you sitting next to a Burmese soldier and talking to him ?
- Mong La market, I'm walking alone. A man in white shirt, black suit trousers and a good belly comes to me. Where are you from, are you alone, why are you here, is it the first time ? Many questions that people ask me in Thailand too. But beware of well-dressed, well-nourrished Burmese people. To have too much food is not for ordinary citizens.
- When arriving at the Guest House, two officers (from the police maybe ? didn't recognize the uniform) with a huuuuge belly are talking with a tourist girl. They are drunk and have been talking with her for some time. When I come in, one of them stands up and cries out to the girl : "You are German !! I LOVE HITLER ! You are German, You must love Hitler too !!", all this outburst while doing the Nazi arm-streching salute. I stand shocked-still.
The poor girl was not even German but Iranian. This guy just wanted to find someone to share his love for a dictator...
The family of the bride is suspicious too, I think. I loved so much the youngs Tai Yai that I came back to talk with them 3 hours on the Sunday afternoon. But I would not trust the family of their friend. Why ?
- Because the mother and one of the uncles have this behaviour that say P"I am used to being obeyed to so do it". We told them "no" for the food because we were way too full already and they just kind of exhale an glaring atmosphere which carried "I said, do it" Not exactly threatening but... they don't accept a No. Not so common here...
- While I was chatting with the youngs on Sunday afternoon, a "guest" in grey suit and wearing sunglasses just sat on a seat at the other side of the terrace and watched us for about 30min. Oh, he could have been one member of the family who were passing by quite often but... I doubt it.
- The bride's sister, who studied in London, was the only one speaking English among the youngs. She asked me "did you come to Myanmar for Human Rights ?" Warning. Either she is totally sure that no-one understand English, or she is totally sure that everyone around here share her opinion concerning the Burmese dictatorship... or, more likely, she's involved too. No-one speaks of politics in public. Especially not in the street, with wedding guests wandering around. If she was genuinely in favor of human rights, I would have loved to talk to her !! It was a superb opportunity ! But for the sake of caution, it was just a "no, I came here to participate in a Buddhist ceremony"