MYANMAR
December 2018 - Kiwi Chinlone Expedition
To quote Johnny Murphy from his Excellent Documentary Video, this is the story of six Hacky Sack playing mates who travelled to Myanmar to play Chinlone (the national sport which, like Hacky / Footbag, is collaborative, just keep the ball in the air while doing tricks and having fun). We saw the sights, met the locals and of course, played loads of Chinlone, Hacky and Sepak Takraw (kicking the ball over a net). Johnny's video is well worth watching, as this was an epic mission, team New Zealand, yeah, let's do it again!
Here's another Chinlone Video from my previous adventure in Myanmar in 2014 (overland from Thailand to India). Since that trip, Mandalay has transformed dramatically, whereas before there were few hotels and restaurants, now there are heaps! Much better food. We ordered authentic Chinese style a lot, many veggie dishes to share. Also now there are e-scooters to explore the amazing Bagan temples, which was fun as a group, but this trip was all about Chinlone, a most excellent sport, and getting friends together, for the win.
Note from 2022: We strongly wish for a peaceful end to the military dictatorship. I met a guy once who spent some time with the dictator, working as a consultant on a technology project. This guy told me that Min Aung Hlaing is possibly the richest person on Earth, if this assessment includes black market money. Most of that money comes from China in exchange for natural resource extraction, mostly timber, gems, oil and gas. Min Aung Hlaing reportadly bought a luxury airplane with suitcases full of US hundred-dollar bills. For the people of Myanmar however, especially for the Rohingya, this guy is a horrible villain. I bet he doesn't play chinlone.
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