Yangon, Myanmar. Tuesday, 29 July 2003.
We set out early in the wee hours of Saturday morning for the 550km journey from Yangon to Hlaing Thet. 'We' meaning Mr. Kesu(our supplier), his son, his helper and I; the purpose of the visit being to witness the cutting and drying of ginger by machine. We also wanted to examine samples of black pepper and garlic powder.
The first 150 kms or so passed peacefully, with some nice vistas comprising vast, open paddy fields and mountains in the distance. Bamboo houses raised on stilts spread among the rice fields also made for interesting viewing, not to speak of the full, flowing rivers that we passed occasionally.
All of a sudden, after we had passed the village of Nyaung Le Bin, our vehicle ( a tiny Daewoo Tesco) suddenly ground to a halt! Try as he did, Kesu could not get it to start. When after some more jugglery which included pushing the car with the help of obliging bystanders, the car refused to yield; we decided enough was enough and had the vehicle towed back to Nyaung Le Bin by a friendly truck driver. We found a garage and thankfully handed over the vehicle to expert hands. It was 09:30. After initial examination, the verdict was that the engine needed a change of gasket and that it would be accomplished in a few hours! With a groan I resigned myself to our fate. We lunched on Chicken Fry and Chicken with brown sauce, accompanied by draught beer, at a local restaurant. That was to prove the 'highlight' of the day, as the car was finally repaired, or so we thought, by 6:15 p.m. !!
Our truncated journey resumed at 6:30 p.m. and for half an hour everything was fine. Dusk was approaching and just as we were entertaining thoughts of a night halt at a decent hotel near our final destination, the car's engine spluttered and choked and the vehicle just refused to go any further! After a couple of uncertain hours in the car on the highway in that black night, we were for the second time that day towed back to Nyaung Le Bin!! It was as if the village was a magnet that refused to let us get away.
It is at times like these that even the most educated and rational amongst us start believing in fate or 'naseeb' or the hidden hand of the devil! You will pardon an average person like me for believing that we were just not fated to see the processing of ginger.
Back to the same garage, at 10:00 p.m.! "Car needs a complete overhaul, will attend to it tomorrow, may take the whole day," was the triumphant proclamation of the garage owner.
We made our way to a dilapidated 'motel'(my bathroom in Yankin centre, Yangon; is cleaner!) and were forced to spend the night in a dingy room with buzzing mosquitoes for company.
By the next morning I had had enough and Kesu could sense it too. His suggestion of my returning to Yangon was music to my ears and I caught the first available bus back, reaching Yangon at noon. A quick visit to the toilet, a shave and a much needed bath helped in getting the abortive journey out of my system and I spent Sunday afternoon at my favourite spot in Yangon - Inya Lake.
Now, the reasons for the failure of the trip ! Wrong day, improper time, bad planning, just not fated to visit, etc. etc.
What do you feel?