Trip Report: Taung Byone Nat Festival, Myanmar, August 2010

For some reason, I've delayed posting this report of my August, 2010 trip to Myanmar and the Taung Byone "Nat" festival (19 - 25 August, 2010) until after the "elections" just held November 7, 2010 in Myanmar. For that same reason, whatever it is (procrastination?), I might just then delay this report fUrTHer due to the recent Thai/Burmese border problems, but I have decided to post this report, finally, today, on November 13, 2010 (it's still Nov. 13 in NY where I have just gotten off the plane from Bangkok), and in honor of today's absolutely wonderful news that the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winning Burmese leader who was imprisoned since 1990 after winning Burma's first democratic elections, never allowed to take her or her party's rightful leadership role, Ms. Aung San Su Kyi, has FINALLY been released from detention. Good luck to you, Su Kyi.

Over the past few years I had pencilled in another extended trip to a most wonderful country, Burma, including Mandalay and the nearby Taung Byone Nat Festival, and finally did it this August, 2010. Someone had been posting about this festival in our dispersed universe of GT message boards; it caught my interest. The festival is billed as the "Myanmar Gay Festival of the Nats". Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe a gay Myanmar tour operator is posting this news? To 'aller droit au but' (skip to the chase), what I conclude from my trip to this summer's Nat festival is that if you expect something like the annual June gay festivals in San Francisco, Cologne, ... , and elsewhere around the globe then you might be disappointed :-(. What the festival was, in fact, was a wonderful 'Woodstock and state fair like' rural folk festival, with a carnival atmosphere and a distinctively gay twist.

At Mandalay/Taung Byone I found the usual number of farang, obviously gay travelers, that you'll find everywhere else in Asia at any one time. But most reasons given for traveling there then seemed inconsequential to the festival. There were a few familiar Thai faces from Silom (hehehehehehe ;-) ). There were many handsome young masculine browned skinned Burma boys from all over Myanmar there. Lean boys, muscular boys, ... . I was told that MANY of these boys are gay. I couldn't be sure. Seeing public displays of male-to-male (even girl to girl) affection (hand on shoulder, arm in arm, walking close to each other, ... ) among pre-teens through adults (behavior that might be considered 'bugger-ous' behavior in the west) are quite common and accepted (or just ignored?) in rural Asia. Asia just doesn't seem to suffer the same stigmas as in the US, etc. The behavior doesn't necessarily mean that they are "gay" (but good chance they are). Also, I observed the element of Burmese transgenderism famous for this Nat festival. The Taung Byone is officially a religious festival worshipping the Nats who are animist (pre-modern day Buddhism) religious spirits. The Nats are gay. The Nat are spirits who are outside of the cycle of rebirth and can see into the future and the past. The Nat-ka-taw, or ladyboys/transvestites are the spirit intermediaries.

This "gay" element was obvious. It was interesting and entertaining but while not being overwhelming it could have been more outstanding. In the days before the festival I saw Nat Ka Daw shopping in the fabric section of Zegyo plaza and touring Mandalay's extensive monuments sometimes with celebrity like reception. I went two mornings to the festival, days 2 and day 4 (day 4 was considered one of the festival's "best days"). The Nat Ka Daw were festival goers on day 2. They just blended into the crowd and were difficult to get the camera ready as they went by in the streaming crowds. On day 4 they WERE the festivities. They were difficult to get to. Anyway, the REAL reason I didn't get much of the Nat Ka Daw in pictures was that my camera's eye seemed trained on other things. It wasn't the girls! The camera eye was following the smiling, gorgeous hordes of boys surrounding me; there were lots of them. Burma is one of those places where everyone gives eye contact and the men smile at you. Often they mean it! :-)

I've posted below a number of pictures from the Taung Byone festival. They are just snaps of the crowds, mostly. Some important points are noted just below ...
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COMMENTS
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Below, I put together a few comments to address issues noted by other posters in the past on Myanmar topics here at SGT and the other forums. Comments here apply to travel within the 'well-touristed' parts of Myanmar including the areas around Yangon east as far as Kyaiktyo, west to the Bay of Bengal beaches around Chaungtha and then north as far as Ngapali Beach, and then central Myanmar (Mandalay, Nyaung, Inle, Bagan, Lashio ...). This is not to suggest that travel outside these areas is dangerous. Travel to much of the rest of Myanmar is probably as safe as anywhere else.

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Taungbyone Festival - Gay or Nat?

I did not put "gay" in the title to this thread. As many of us have predicted, I find that the Taung Byone Nat Festival is a FAR cry from a "gay festival". But I REITERATE: The Taung Byone festival is a WONDERFUL 'Woodstock and state fair like' rural folk festival, with a carnival atmosphere and distinctively very gay twist, and a very good reason to travel to Myanmar in August. Let's hope some of the gay tour operators that seem to be promoting it as a gay festival do things like plan events, etc., just a little bit, to enhance that "gay twist" in the future. Regardless, I recommend all travelers put Taung Byone Nat Festival into their future extended travel to Burma plans.

There is also the issue that the current government is a little "unpredictable". SHOULD we be labelling the festival as "gay" when western culture is so adverse toward gay identity, in general. It might not help people from otherwise gay-agnostic cultures outside that lead unihindered lives when their governments are so reactionary. We have seen this closely as well with $"elected"$ governments outside of Burma. Reactionary regimes get "elected" and then include attempting to rid the country of its "gay" identity in the media, etc. as its own self invented criteria for its own eventual self identified measure of success. Why stir the worms?

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Taungbyone Nat Festival Timing

The very crowded 7-day Taungbyone Nat festival takes place usually in August in Taung Byone village about 20 km north of Mandalay during the 7 days leading up to the full moon of the lunar month of Waguang according to the Burmese Buddhist calendar.

There was, however, considerable confusion as to the dates of the festival this year (2010). Apparently everyone was getting the same wrong information from the same 'Myanmar Festivals' website (links now dead). Was a webmaster thinking he'd modernize Myanmar to a western calendar or something? The dates given on gay websites, particularly, changed more than once, too. Come on, guys, get the dates right to start? For the future, the Taung Byone festival WILL BE in that week up to the full moon. Nothing is going to change that. The only trick is being sure which full moon it is. It's usually in August. For 2011 I get one full moon in August on the 14th as the last day of the seven-day festival.

Do not be confused by seeing dates of other "Nat" festivals in Burma. For instance, there is another nat pwe (spirit festival) a week AFTER the full moon of Wagung at Irinaku (Yadanagu) not very far away from Taung Byone.

Here is a link to info on next year's (2011's) festival ending on August 14, 2011 ...
http://www.journeysmyanmar.com/festival ... val11.html

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The Rainy Season Makes Travel to Myanmar and Mandalay in August PLEASANT

Like Bangkok, dry and cool December is considered to be the best time of year to visit Myanmar. December is high season and tourism, both Burmese and foreign, is most crowded then. Outside of that avoid hot and dry seasons especially in what then becomes DUSTY Mandalay! August (Taung Byone Festival) is in the RAINY season. I think for 1/4th of my time there it POURED rain, most of the rest of the time being overcast. It ruined, kind of, one day of touring at Kyaiktyo. But the rain and overcast is wonderful. The rainy season cools things down making nights bearable and dining comfortable in what are mostly open-front restaurants. It limits summer sunburns. It washes away the dust and keeps it out of the air. The rainy season makes August desirable for visits to Mandalay. Try to avoid Taung Byone Festival mud. Bring good shoes you do not care about and an umbrella.

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Appropriateness of Travel to Myanmar

There are two camps! One says BOYCOTT travel to Myanmar blaming that spending there, no matter, helps the junta stay in power. Others say go there and try to avoid nourishing the government's coffers as much as possible while putting some money into the hands of the people.

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Gay Friendliness

Yangon's (Myanmar's capital) gay scene has come to the surface among the many 'mixed' nightclubs areas scattered across the city and attached to hotels. The Utopia-Asia Myanmar page of Yangon listings was found to be mostly up to date, and aside from a couple closures and reopenings at least gets you everywhere. I feel the mixed element makes Yangon's gay nightlife "less tame" than Bangkok's. It's good idea to have a Burmese speaking friend with you or your group when navigating the night plazas. Mixed means that there are "girls" present. I don't think its the "girls" that are the problem but I seem to easily fall into minor problems when the crowd that follows the "girls" is present. Hopefully Yangon will have more exclusively gay venues to in the near future.

There have many questions here about the "gay friendliness" of tourist facilities in Burma. The Burmese ruling Myanmar junta (S.L.O.R.C.) has abandoned Yangon as the capital. Certainly, now, anything goes in Yangon. The situation may be different in the rest of the country. Certainly, the tourist industry in Myanmar is keen and quite appreciative of gay western travelers. But as far as hotels go, you may never get past the notion that everyone in Burma seems to believe that ALL unregistered guests are impossible. My Yangon tour guide advised me that my hotel in Mandalay was "gay friendly". Perhaps it may have been so that way for me as while checking in it was curiously confirmed that I was there as recommended by my Yangon guide. I never had a chance to test that. Both tour guides that I tried to get to accompany me to my floor (to get payment or documents from me in order to save myself a walk up and down many flights of stairs) REFUSED to even consider it. "It is illegal in all of Myanmar, sir". The Myanmar boy I had carefully maneuvered to the ice cream stand across the street from my hotel wouldn't even think of trying to walk past reception, either. There were always too many ears around to discretely pop the question to the hotel reception. But I got the impression that the GENERAL guest house industry norm outside Yangon is NO unregistered guest, be it your girl or boyfriend, a crooked tour guide, "gem" or opium salesman, dissident being interviewed, thief that would steal a passport that might require a police report, ... . I think it's just the way the tourist industry 'polices itself' there, for now, and not necessarily law. It's like that in many other countries in the guest house system as well. Consider your Myanmar tour guides' recommendations for hotels.

However, nowhere in Myanmar is excluded the "registered guest". Your new Myanmar-boy friend can be your platonic travelmate or accompanying tour guide as the situation warrants. He'll be well acquainted with comfortable enough, lower cost hotel and transportation options. He'll know the best cheap local restaurants. He'll get his lodging free as guide or, at any of the many fully legal guesthouses everywhere in Myanmar, you should expect to get half the foreigner rate plus half the local rate instead of the double room rate that you might have to pay anyway. There's always a hill station or other resort somewhere nearby (where he is not so well known) just an hour or two escape away by bus or motorbike from whereever you are! He's probably already got an idea of where to go. It's a great way to get out and visit more of the country, and a lot of fun, too LOL.


Myanmar or Burma?

The country previously commonly known as Burma was renamed "Myanmar" recently by the ruling military junta. Also renamed was Yangon (fmr known as "Rangoon" as a result of english mispronunciation) and other entities. US and British state departments still refer to the country as Burma. Burmese do not seem too sensitive to either designation and either/or is commonly used to refer to the country.

Money

There are no ATMs yet in Myanmar except that I believe there is one at the airport that only dispenses "official" kyats (kyats are the Myanmar currency) which can be used to pay some US$ quoted expenses, like temple permits, at par. Cash advances on credit card (Visa only?) are possible but possibly problematic (ask anyone in Burma which hotel in Yangon or Mandalay to try). Bring enough cash to cover your trip. US dollars (crispy clean and NO "CB" series US$100's) and Euros and many other currencies are readily accepted for exchange on the "local" market. This is still technically illegal but common and accepted practice so feel completely free to do this directly, that is do not trust your currency for exchange to a cab driver! In my last day/night in Yangon I had run out of (spent) all kyat converted from my supply of Thai baht and US dollars. Before leaving Bangkok I had and grabbed a hodgepodge of currencies collected over the years including Indian rupees, HK, Singapore and Canadian dollars, Ringits, Euros, and more. My plight was understood and all accepted as a package to get almost exactly what I thought I should get in local kyat to enjoy my last day's stay there. No problem!

Internet and Email

Like in Thailand and communist China, Burma's internet is actively censored by the ruling Myanmar military government (junta). Bring your circumventor software on your pen drive or familiarize yourself with other web based circumvention before going, or just ask any Burmese internet cafe staff what to do if what you want isn't available. You may find your favorite message board or online newspaper 'unavailable' but the internet cafe next door's gateway may be configured differently. Manjam and GayRomeo have sporadic ups and downs in use and GayDar finally added Myanmar to its "whose online". Window's Live and Yahoo mail are banned. GMail/GChat is used widely. "VZOchat" seemed to be on every PC. If you get "the page" going to gmail.com then try "mail.google.com/" or "google.com/mail". YouTube is banned. Connection errors, timeouts, and lookup failures, etc. are common and can be mistaken as censorship.

Carrying Your Passport in Myanmar

The general consensus among tour guides, hotel concierges and managers and all others involved was CONTRARY to the advice given by various government state departments that all persons travelling in Burma should have their passports on their persons at all times. You should carry your passport in Myanmar only when you need it. But always have on hand a couple black and white copies of your passport details page plus enty visa page (fitting on one A4 size paper - and a business card of your hotel) handy. Keep your passport safely tucked away in your room or hotel safe. You should expect to show your passport for hotel/guest house and airport check-in. Nowhere else was I expected to have a passport. On a long intercity bus leg I had left my passport deeply buried in my backpack in the boot (all busses taken had checked baggage procedures, and I am always careful to WATCH it get in the boot). Surprisingly we stopped at a Government of Myanmar ID check point where scores of busses were unloading passengers into a line for ID checking. The authorities understood that I had left the passport in the boot and seemed PLEASED to get from me JUST that xerox copy which they could retain in order that they could conveniently enter the foreigner details into the log at a future less busy time.

Visas

Earlier this year most western nationals could suddenly acquire visas on arrival at Yangon and Mandalay airports however this was suddenly suspended until "after the elections". Visas can still easily be acquired at Myanmar embassies abroad, whether by post or courier. I know that many Bangkok travel agents will be happy to handle obtaining applications and obtaining your travel visa. Give it five business days, maybe much less on your own. There should be very little problems, however, be aware that tourist visa availabilitity can be subject to the whims of the Myanmar governmant.

Photos

The photos posted here are anonymous of the general crowd at the 2010 Taung Byone festival north of Mandalay Myanmar. Photos are randomly sampled and in NO WAY imply anything about "preference" of the persons photographed. Some explanation is included in the text, above.

See you all at Taung Byone in 2011 !!!

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