Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
kicking merely a way to soften up one's opponent; knee and elbow strikes are de-
cisive in most matches.
Before the match begins, each boxer performs a dancelike ritual in the ring to
pay homage to Buddha and to Khun Cho and Khun Tha, the natwhose domain in-
cludes Myanmar kickboxing. The winner repeats the ritual at the end of the match.
Chinlone
Also known as 'cane ball', chinloneis a game in which a woven rattan ball about 5in
in diameter is kicked around. It also refers to the ball itself. Informally, any number
of players can form a circle and keep the chinloneairborne by kicking or heading it
soccer-style from player to player; a lack of scoring makes it a favourite pastime
with locals of all ages.
In formal play six players stand in a circle of 22ft circumference. Each player
must keep the ball aloft using a succession of 30 techniques and six surfaces on
the foot and leg, allotting five minutes for each part. Each successful kick scores a
point, while points are subtracted for using the wrong body part or dropping the
ball. The sport was included in the South East Asian Games held in Myanmar in
December 2013.
A popular variation - and the one used in intramural or international competi-
tions - is played with a volleyball net, using all the same rules as in volleyball except
that only the feet and head are permitted to touch the ball.
Colonial & Contemporary Architecture
While many buildings erected during the British colonial period have been demolished or
are facing the wrecking ball, those that survive are often well worth seeking out. They
range from the rustic wood-and-plaster Tudor villas of Pyin Oo Lwin to the thick-walled,
brick-and-plaster, colonnaded mansions and shophouses of Yangon, Mawlamyine and
Myeik.
Yangon in particular is stocked with spectacular, if often crumbling, colonial gems
such as the Secretariat, seat of British colonial power, and the Lokanat Gallery Building.
Some such as the Strand Hotel and the Moseah Yeshua Synagogue have been spruced up
either by commercial investment or private donations and overseas grants.
The military junta turned its back on the city to build a new capital at Nay Pyi Taw, but
there are signs in the post-2010 era that the authorities may be having a change of heart.
The Yangon Heritage Trust, set up in 2012, has had high-level meetings aimed at getting
a conservation zone up and running in the city along with statutory guidelines to protect
historic buildings (
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)
. Around 180 key buildings have been recognised by Yan-
