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Travel Malamyaung on Your Own: Discover Photos of Mae Chee Mameeya's House in Malamyaung
Discover Photos of Mae Chee Mameeya's House in Malamyaung http://www.hotsia.com > Travel Malamyaung on Your Own > Discover Photos of Mae Chee Mameeya's House in Malamyaung Information for traveling Malamyaung city, Mon State, Myanmar on your own Travel Malamyaung on your own Recommended restaurants in Malamyaung The Breeze Guesthouse Local Malamyaung cuisine Guesthouses in Malamyaung Getting to Malamyaung Photos + Mae Mameeya's house in Malamyaung Mon-style massage in Malamyaung Malamyaung night market Nopura Pagoda Tree Rock
Forest Monk Win Seng Taw Ya Photo of Mameeya at age 20 in Malamyaung Discover photos and stories of Mameeya, a young female merchant from Malamyaung, Myanmar. The song by Charan Manopetch that many people love—is it legend or truth? I wondered like others. On this trip to Malamyaung, I made sure to search for Mameeya, her history, and photos. Finally, I found them. I will share the detailed process of my search with mr.hotsia.
For future travelers, here is the information about mr.hotsia's journey. October 2013, mr.hotsia traveled from Mae Sot to Malamyaung by Nok Air. I stayed one night in Malamyaung, then continued to Dawei for two nights on October 19-20, 2013. On the night of the 20th, I researched Mameeya and found real stories about her. I had heard some before but never tried to find her. On the 20th, I discovered they swore love at the Jaitalan Pagoda.
I decided to try to find Mae Chee Mameeya to see if she really existed and if there were photos to view. For those interested in this Lanna legend, click to read on Wikipedia. On the 21st, I left at 5 AM and arrived in Malamyaung at 3 PM. I immediately searched for Jaitalan Pagoda around 3:30 PM on October 21, 2013. I hired a motorcycle to take me to Jaitalan Pagoda, a large pagoda in the center of Malamyaung city, a popular spot to watch sunrise and sunset.
This pagoda is highly revered by the people of Malamyaung. I searched for old photos and the monks who might have sworn their love there but found nothing. I walked around the ubosot of Phra Maha Muni temple, took photos of three old women on the wall, assuming that if Mae Chee Mameeya died at 75, there might be some photos of her. I showed these photos to two Burmese guides nearby. They said these were donors who built the temple and the queen of the area.
So, today I found nothing. I had to return empty-handed in 2013. I thought if they swore love at this pagoda, the ordination should be near this temple. I asked my motorcycle friend to take me to the temple next to Jaitalan Pagoda. There, I met a 74-year-old Mae Chee who said she had been ordained since childhood and had never heard of Mameeya. When she was 20-30 years old, she lived at this temple, but there was no old Mae Chee aged 75.
Before I lost hope, I asked her how many temples in Malamyaung allowed Mae Chee ordination in the past. She said there were five: Tuja Marama Temple, Kematiri Temple, Kemarama Temple, Menbu Temple, and a fifth one she couldn't remember. I then visited the second temple to ask if there was an old Mae Chee who died in 1962 (according to the legend, Mae Chee Mameeya died at 75).
I met the first Mae Chee who had come to this temple after Mae Chee Mameeya passed away. She didn't know much but said there was a Mae Chee who had heard about this and that three people had searched for Mameeya before and even took photos of her. That Mae Chee was at the market and hadn't returned yet. I waited about 30 minutes until she came back. I then started recording a nearly 20-minute video conversation until I saw a photo of Mameeya at age 20, with notes on the back about when it was taken and her age.
The conversation was through a Burmese interpreter who joined the search. I met this interpreter at Tuja Marana Temple. We discussed many topics; please see the clip. Mae Chee Mameeya had a Thai boyfriend and one daughter. She gave the child to others to raise, and the child died at nine months. Mae Chee Mameeya was ordained and died at this temple. Her teacher told me that Mameeya shared her life story before ordination. On October 24, 2013, I traveled from Malamyaung to Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock Pagoda).
On the 25th, I traveled to Pa-an, the capital of Karen State. I took a boat back to Malamyaung again. Upon arrival, I had the photo of Mameeya at age 20 enlarged and framed at a photo shop. I then presented it to Kematiri Temple in the evening. I talked more with the Mae Chee there, learning that Mameeya studied Thai at this temple and met a Thai teacher. Their houses were close, so they fell in love and lived together until Mameeya was three months pregnant and returned to Thailand with him.
Mameeya returned again before giving birth to deliver in Malamyaung. After birth, Mameeya gave the child to others to raise. She was heartbroken and used Dhamma to heal her mind. It seemed she was not very old when she died. She also came from a wealthy family, not poor. Mr.hotsia attended a merit-making event at Kematiri Temple, invited by the Mae Chee. We had breakfast again at the temple and talked more about Mameeya. Someone invited me to visit Mameeya's house. At 4 PM, I talked with elderly locals near Mameeya's home.
They told me which house was Mameeya's. I took photos and videos. There were two old houses there. The one on the right when facing the houses was Mameeya's. The left one belonged to someone who often traveled with Thais, possibly a place where Thais stayed in the past. I don't know for sure; they told me. This is the story of Mameeya that a traveler, mr.hotsia, discovered and shares. I don't know if she is the same as in the legend, but the name and ordination match.
She had a Thai boyfriend and a child. She was three months pregnant when going to Thailand and returned to give birth. The age details seem to differ from the legend. The truth cannot be changed, but how future generations perceive it is up to them. I spent several days watching sunsets at Jaitalan Pagoda. Each time I sat there, I thought of a young couple who loved each other, swore love, and watched the sunset together overlooking the Salween River.
Life is like this: birth, existence, and death in their time. Living to maximize happiness before death is what matters. I still have to continue traveling. I don't know when I will die. I don't want to be a legend for traveling all provinces of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar because after death, it doesn't matter. I want to live happily before I die. And then the sun set, disappearing beyond the horizon. Mr.hotsia October 2013. Enjoy your travels. Recommended affordable and good hotels in Malamyaung.
