Traditional Burmese culture in Pakokku

For most travellers, a minuscule backwater town **Pakokku **serves only as a stopover between Bagan and West Myanmar destinations, such as [Mrauk U](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/or Mindat) or Mindat. Rather typically, this is a big mistake since little towns in Myanmar are always packed with concentrated traditional culture. The old, exceptionally cozy center of **Pakokku **hosts a number of cheroots (Burmese cigar) manufacturers and some imposing old **temples. **Even a smaller settlement of Pakhangyi nearby has one of Myanmar's best examples of **traditional **teakwood architecture, and a sandy bank across the river is the site of an annual spirit worship festival. **Pakokku **was also the focal point of the "Saffron Revolution" in 2007 when a rebellion of **Buddhist monks **against the merciless ruling junta fit for a Shaolin action movie had sparkled a movement of reformation all over the country. 

Pakokku old town

The old center of **Pakokku **feels even more rural, peaceful, and medieval than most **Burmese **towns. Half of the buildings are wooden, many streets are unpaved and overgrown with tropical greenery. One could shoot a historical drama here without much preparation. Temples, **markets **and workshops are spread randomly through the town, and the riverside displays the usual activity - cargo boats, fishermen, women collecting water. One **temple **of note is Thiho Shin Pagoda, famous for a large annual paya pwe (festival) in May or June. Shwe Ku Pagoda has rare pieces of old woodcarving and a very relaxing stupa garden. For impromptu lectures on politics, modern **Burmese **history and survival in a totalitarian state, talk to **monks **or visit Mya Yatanar guesthouse (officially closed, but sometimes an ultra-cheap room can be arranged). **Pakokku **is where the "Saffron Revolution", a quick, forceful shift towards freedom from the oppressive regime, had started in 2007 when a number of **monks **were injured during a demonstration of protest. Mya Mya, the gregarious and well-educated owner of Mya Yatanar guesthouse, may share a few stories of those violent times if she is free.

Cheroot making

**Traditional **crafts still remain the backbone of the **Burmese **economy, and Pakokku is no exception. It has an unusually large *thanaka *(cosmetic paste, local skincare solution made from the bark of a specific bush) market, but the main local specialty is tobacco. Remember that line by R. Kipling? "Burma girl a-settin', a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot..." This is where they make them in little factories and private yards. Cheroots, Burmese cigars, come in dozens of varieties: white, green and brown, huge and tiny. Everything is done by hand (no, Burmese women do not roll **cigars **between their thighs, this is not Cuba - although they actually do not do it in Cuba either), it is fun to see, and if you are a smoker, do not miss the chance to try a few samples.  

Pakhangyi

The only "official" sights in Pakhangyi, a small town 20 km away from Pakokku, are a totally destroyed ancient **monastery **and the nearby archaeological museum. Both are, in fact, of little interest, but a short jaunt out of town will bring you to Kyaung Dawgyi Monastery, a fine example of old-school **Burmese **teakwood architecture. The **monastery **is sadly rather unkempt, visibly falling apart, with does not prevent it from being an active center of **Buddhist **practices. A beach and a grove across the river from Pakhangyi house one of the country's most interesting *nat pwe (*spirit worship) festivals. This **festival **usually occurs around February and is dedicated to Ko Gyi Kyaw, the patron deity of undeserved easy life, gambling and alcoholism. Like many on the *nat *(spirits), he used to be a human, a nobleman, before his post-mortal ascension to a divine status. Unlike most of them, he was not a great scholar, a ruler, or a warlord, but a drunkard and a hedonist. Defying the binary moral standards of sin and righteousness, reward and punishment, so intuitive to a Western person, this **festival **is an ideal insight into the pagan mentality and the funnier side of traditional Burmese culture. Expect lots of gambling, cross-dressing nat kadaw (spirit priests) spreading the offerings of rice whiskey between the worshipers, and a lot of general drunk revelry.