Viewing page 139 of 168

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

294 

Mandalay -
Monday. Feb. 21  
[[strikethrough]] October 20 [[/strikethrough]]

3 months of feeling settled in Rangoon. The flight brought back bitter memories & tears.

We arrived at noon - & hired a jeep for the entire day. After lunching - we drove to Mandalay Hill, saw the Marble Buddha - The Arahayan Buddha, visited the bazaar inside the pagoda - & D. bought toys for the children - beautifully painted horses, dolls - saw interesting brass ware [[other?]] native materials. Drove afterwards to Amapura & visited two factories producing hand woven cottons (two of which I bought) & hand woven silks. It is fabulously interesting to watch the spinning of the threads on the loom before they are worked on. What delicate, intricate work - all by hand. The owners of both places showed us around. The owners of the silk works had 200 machines & employ 100 workers, working a 45 hr. week (6 days weekly)



295

Mandalay.    
Feb. 21
[[strikethrough]] October 21 [[/strikethrough]]

(met on boat w/ Mr. Anil de Silva-Vigier who has published - The Life of Buddha' Phaidon Press & [[strikethrough]] Khim, photo [[/strikethrough]] Khin Loy Maung, photographer) 
- Returning to Mandalay, we met Baird Helfright with his wife, Pat, & spent a short while with them before driving for a visit with Mr & Mrs U Sein Nyunt. He is the director of the Mandalay School of Fine Arts - Music, Dance & Painting. He is a painter as well - in impressionist manner, naturally, & exhibits his work. His wife has her own business, managing a book store in front of their home - specializing in school text books - mostly in English. They sell a few literary works - many American mysteries & comics as well as the distressing adventures of Superman, etc. Wonders will never cease, I can't understand an Easterner liking these things. The cinema, of course, more than any other factor, I imagine, is