The tiny hamlet of Butamya Myo (literally translates to 'Ruby Town') is situated in the agrarian flatlands that stretch for miles beyond the city limits of Rangoon. It's not in any tour book and is decidedly off the beaten path. My In-Laws own a piece of land there where they grow mangoes and a variety of vegetables, and we decided rather 'spur-of-the-moment' to swing by for a peek on the trip back from Bago.
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The most enjoyable aspect of this unplanned detour was the relaxing atmosphere of the surroundings, particularly given the quality of the late afternoon sunlight. The area is typical rural Burma, with many of the simple dwellings that sporadically bracketed the well-worn one and a half-lane road comprised of natural wood beams, blonde woven wall panels and thatched roves which stand amid small cultivated fields flanked by spindly white bamboo fencing, and ox carts and bicycles sharing the pock-marked tarmac with the occasional aged automobiles that lumber by.
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I was intrigued with the technique that one of the farmers across the road was using to irrigate his field and had to walk over for a closer look. He was drawing water from a deep open well perhaps four feet in diameter (which could prove to be a hazard for someone walking through the field at night) by using a long counter-balanced bamboo pole that pivoted like a railroad crossing arm about fifteen feet away from the well with a bucket suspended from the end of it. He would lower the arm to dip the bucket deep enough to fill with water then retrieve the bucket and use it to fill two large watering cans that were suspended from a shoulder yoke. He would then walk up and down his row of crops and pitch the buckets to and fro to produce two constant streams of water that showered the crops.
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No hotels or hostels were evident.
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Outside of a wandering vendor or two, I didn't see any.
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Published on Thursday February 20th, 2003
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