31/05/2002
Number of pet keepers has increased recently. Colour of puppies is like white and puffy with long hair. They might be from China and a bit cheap. Sometimes, I come across shepherds. But, it is not easy to take a walk with big dogs in the rainy season. This is a photograph of a dalmatian. The dog which I brought from J pan has lost its hair as a result of skin disease. When I took it to a veteniary clinic, I bought the three-month-old puppy dalmatian with K 100,000. When I take it for a walk, the most asked questions about the dog are "Howmuch?" and "What breed?" It might be strange for them because they haven't seen the dalmatian in other places.(k.k)

30/05/2002
This is the tarmarind-tree in the compound of language. The tree is bearing brown fruits like field peas. Tamarind (Magyithi) is used in making juice and put in curries. Tamarind sauce can be used in cooking sour-duck-egg-curry. In making tamarine juice, jaggery sweet is used in stead of sugar. It makes the juice more delicious.(K.K)

29/05/2002
The shop is managed by Myanmar staff. I have reported on it again, because it is a wonderful shop for me (Kimura). Cheapness at the shop reflects the wish of the owner that he would like Myanmar people to come to the shop, not targeting just Japanese customers. One serving of curry-rice costs K 350. If it is prepared with Shan rice a little like with rice from Japan, it costs K 450. Curry gravy is made be the owner (Japanese). I was surprised that the expensive Japanese recipes like bread, snack, tonka soup, etc are said to be home-made. I had a feast there after reporting the foreign students from UFL who are always broke on the shop.

28/05/2002
Although advertisements of beer, liquor and cigerattes are banned in Myanmar, magazines and journals carry such ads. This month issue of Living Colour magazine carried a new ad ofPinyaManufactuaring Co.,Ltd, which is producting Max Juice.New products are gin lemon, wisky orange and rum cola. They all contain alcohol 5%. It costs 245 K a bottle / 320ml.

27/05/2002
Pick-pocket is called "Kha-paik-hnaik" in Myanmar. "Mind pick-pocket" is written on buses. But, I have never heard that one witnesses a pick-pocket. The other day, the driver at home found a wallet. In the wallet, there was no money but national registration card and a note book with phone numbers were in it. It took an accquaintant of mine 10 days to have his NRC card reissued in Bagan. It was a waste of money and time. Then, I called a man whose number is in the book thinking the owner would be in difficulty. On the third day after that, the owner called. He lived in Tamwe and brought a Longgyi as a token of gratitude. I thought that it was very first time for me to meet him. I have been teaching Japanese lauguage free of charge in a monastery in north Okkalapa since last year. I was surprised when he told me that he often attended my class. I have experienced incidents that although I don't know someone, he knows about me well. So, I have realized that I should be more careful when I intend to do something because I am prominent as a foreigner.(k.k)

24/05/2002
The rainy season had badly come in since ten days ago. There have been consecutive days with heavy rain. It is an unbelievable fact that the heat went up as high as 40'C during this period. Thanks to the rain, prickly heat broke out all over the upper part of my body except face has gone and I have recovered from itching of prickly heat. When it rains heavily every year, low-level roads are like creeks full of water because of blockage in drains . I saw only recently the drains are being dug on either sides of some roads.

23/05/2002
A Myanmar born Chinese who left Myanmar in 1988, has been living in the United States for 14 years, came back to Myanmar and visited our company today. He lives in San Francisco. He watches our homepage everyday and he wants to know how we create our homepage. So he came to our office. Compare to the past 14 years, there are so many tall buildings in the city and the traffic becomes much heavier than before. The cost of "Moun Hin Ga" (Thin rice noddle in fish soup) has been surprisingly increased from 2 kyats to 100 kyats and 70 kyats for a cup of tea. More details about "His experience in Myanmar" will be in the essay. Please look forward to it.

22/05/2002
I can still remember a strange incident happened at 203 rice shop. I made a trip to Chaung Tha beach with Ko Aung and his wife two years ago. We took a bus swaying side to side up to Yangon. Bus terminal, our destination, was in Swabwagyigon. From there, I took a taxi to my flat in down town sharing with a fat man who I had never seen. Everything was normal to this. When I had lunch at 203 rice shop alone one day, Ko Aung and his friend also entered. Both his house and mine were far from this shop. And the man who shared the taxi with me also came in. It was like we made a promise to meet again at this shop when we departed the day before. Later that incident, we never met again. Ko Aung event back to Singapore and worked there for two years. He came back here for a few days to meet his wife. And he went back there again. I am wondering what the sudden encounter at 203 shop will mean.

21/05/2002
Mandalay Beer Co.,Ltd has launched a new product. That is Mandalay soda rum. It costs 380 Kyats per bottle.

20/05/2002
203 is the name of a Myanmar rice shop. It is named after the number of the house. It is located in 37th street between Anawrahta and Bogyoke Aung San Roads. There are some other famous rice shop full of customers like Danuphyu and Aung Thukha in Yangon. The shop is just a small romm in the heart of city but various kinds of curries are available there. I (Kimura) think it is the most delicious shop in Yangon.

17/05/2002
I don't know when this bridge was finished. Thanks to opening of this bridge, we could travel Bagan, in Mandalay Division to Magway Division. Anawrahta is the name of the king who founded Myanmar in 11 centuries. Out of five main roads in the city from East to West, the second road from north is called Anawrahta Road. Moreover, other bridges like Maha Bandoola, Bayint Naung, Bomyattun, etc are named afterr kings and heroes of Myanmar.

16/05/2002
Pyin Oo Lwin is famous as the most beautiful town that it cannot be defeated. Especially, environs of Meikhtila is so beautiful like a painting. There is a pagoda in the lake. At night, the small bridge linking the bank and pagoda is decorated with small bulbs. Near the entrance archway to the pagoda, there is a shop that sells small fish. They are not for food or ornament but for doing good deeds. People seek merits by setting the fish free into the lake.

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15/05/2002
Applications for the use of internet are being invited at Bagan for companies. Registration fee is FEC 500 and yearly fee FEC 300. Monthly fee is FEC 55(30 hours)+extra FEC2, FEC 180(Unlimited). We can get 5 E-mail account.

14/05/2002
The weather has changed in Myanmar suddenly. Strong wind blew from 11 May to 12 May night. In other ward, storm of Myanmar has come in. It rained heavily with lightning. Electricity went out one hour later. The Shwedagon Pagoda, Maha Bandoola and Thanlyin bridges are lit up with back-up generators no matter how much electricity stortage is. But, even the lights in that places were out on that day and the whole city was covered with darkness. Then, the weather has changed from hot weather to the rainy season that usually lasts for about six months, like the change of scence on the stage.

13/05/2002
A Japanese style restaurant opened in the environs of our company. Draught beer, grilled steak, curry rice, etc can be available there. The shop's speciality is curry Monhinga. It is prepared with Myanmar Monhinga and Nangyi (Thick noodle) salad. The taste is (I'm afraid) .... But, it is interesting because it is prepared in a new style mixing Monhinga that represents Myanmar and Japanese curry rice.

10/05/2002
Meikhtila located near a big lake is a developed city with beautiful senic view since the time of kings. Near the lake is Naganyon Pagoda. The day when I visited there was a windy day. The big guardian spirit statue is standing in the wind blown from the lake. It is said to be donated by the family of a Japanese solider fallen in the war.

09/05/2002
Meikhtila is a city that is more be beautiful than I thought before. There are many of branches of banks such as Yoma, Konbawza, Myanmar Meikhtila, etc. The rail road stretching from north to south crosses the city. Big trucks, buses, etc drive across the city. Means of Public transport is bicycles, motor-cycle (which cannot be seen much in Yangon) and horse carts.(k.k)

08/05/2002
To have a look at exhibition being held these days, digital cameras are not available widely. But, there are many shops where films can be developed. when I visited Kyaikhtiyoe (Golden Rock Pagoda) together with 14 Myanmar men. I had an ordinary cameras. It broke suddenly after taking about four phptographs. So, I had to use a digital camera to take photographs. The digital camera is specially used for taking photographs for Yangon news. The trip might be the first (and the last) for my companions. So, photos taken individually or in groups are very valuable. I had 75 photos printed at the shop in Yuzana Garden Hotel at a rate of K 500 per copy. They are rather expensive. But, it was nothing to compare to sentimental value of the photos. I felt depressed, when I heard that photos can be printed at Kodak Service Centre in Traders Hotel at hte rate of K 120 per copy. But, this time, I had 20 photos printed there. The price has become a bit higher. It cost me K 150 a copy but still cheap.

07/05/2002
I once expressed that there are things in Myanmar that are more expensive than Japan. To repeat it again, it is mobile phone. It can cost up to K 4 million. With this amount of money, a separate house in suburb can be bought. After that, the price has become lower to K 2.7 or K 2 million. It has come to K 1.5 million, K 1.3 million after the news that about 100,000 mobile phones will be sold out. I have made up my mind to buy one if the price is K 1 million.

06/05/2002
The return trip from Meikhtila to Bagan was the same as coming trip. It was not not much interesting. I went to up to Kyaukpandaung by truck and changed the busto Bagan. It took me seven or eight hours to cover the trip. Especially, the bus from Kyaukpandaung to Bagan so crowded that there was no room except on the roof. To make the matter worse, the next bus was not sure to go. The bus might not leave in two or threee hours unless it was not full of passengers. At last, I had made up my mind and took the bus on the roof. I thought that the passengers were enough. More passengers were called in thirty minutes. So, it was not confortable to sit on the roof. Instead of fear for felling down of the bus, I could set my mind at ease because of the thought that I was riding with a lot of people. I arrived in Bagan safe and sound riding the shaking congested bus. Since then, I think that I could ride any bus in future.

03/05/2002
It was still summer in Yangon. The rain hasn't come yet. We might get little rain this year. The cassette tape left on the dashboard bent within three hours.

02/05/2002
Main aim of our trip is to go to a village on Chin hill. We went to Bagan by air. Then, I left Bagan for Meikhtila alone by bus. On my return from Meikhtila, I went to Chin State together with four other friends. Buses run between Bagan and Mandalay, Taunggyi and other cities from the bus terminal near Shwesigon Pagoda. A seat up to Meikhtila cost me K 1200 and I could ride comfortably through out four-hour trip. Meikhtila is a city where the last heaviest fighting took place during World War II. Japanese soldiers marched there by tanks with only a grenade in their hands. Most of them didn't have any arms and ammunition. The city is located at the almost centre of Myanmar.It is an important city for road transport.