Pilgerreise in Myanmar

by Ma Thanegi

Die Autorin schildert spannend und humorvoll mit einem liebevoll kritischen Blick auf die Menschen und die Kultur ihres Landes eine Pilgerreise durch Myanmar auf einer Route, die bereits seit Jahrhunderten zur religiösen Tradition gehört. Nur haben sich die Fortbewegungsmittel und die äußeren Umstände geändert. Die Rundreise führt von der Hauptstadt Yangoon (Rangoon) aus in "in nicht weniger als 29 Städte, zu 60 berühmten Pagoden, zu einigen außerordentlichen Sehenswürdigkeiten, zu herausragenden Landschaftswundern und ... in eine chinesische Stadt jenseits der Grenze im Norden.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Asia

255 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2005

Reviews

[Andrew]

Ma Thanegi might be Burmese, but her writing style is really quite antique – it’s the voice of the English gentleman rambler, traipsing about the countryside, amused by charming folkways. Still, it’s unique in that it’s one of the rare books written about Myanmar for a largely non-Burmese audience that actually talks fondly about the country rather than about its basket-case government. And I recognized the places (and this being Southeast Asia, of course the dishes) that I know and love, albeit not nearly as intimately as Ma Thanegi does, so there is a nice familiarity. Breezy reading – pleasant enough and by no means essential.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passports are nearly impossible to come by for Myanmar citizens, especially ones who'd served three years as a political prisoner; so, Ma Thanegi decided to go on an eighteen-day package tour of domestic pilgrimage sights - followed by a day trip into China (no passport required). Once underway, things didn't quite go according to plan, making the adventure even more of a great read.
Thanegi's observations are well-written, on target and funny -- here's hoping for more from her!

[J Thayre · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read for #WITMonth 2020, comes from 🇲🇲. A brilliant travelogue, of a woman travelling alone from Myanmar to China, mostly by bus. Review: https://aroundtheworldonefemalenoveli...

[Li-Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfort not as great as it seemed. Pretty boring.

[Ardita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blissfully funny book about a middle-aged woman who has decided to leave the comforts of Rangoon and embarked on a pilgrimage journey to visit a dozen of important paya (pagoda) scattered throughout Myanmar (Burma).

Thanegi has comically described the whole process and what has happened during the pilgrimage, especially the culinary aspect of it.

She has helped me understands more about Burmese people, the food and the belief, especially a bit about the "Nat" (spirit).