Hugs Are The Universal Medicine

The Land Of A Thousand Temples – Bagan, Myanmar

Many of the majestic temples were severely damaged during the August 2015 earthquake Myanmar experienced directly prior to my visit. Before dawn I’d taken my scooter out to witness a beautiful sunrise atop a famous pagoda, and whizzed by a closed temple site soon after.

My inner Journalist had to stop and explore why so many local Burmese were congregated around one temple and no tourists were to be found anywhere.

As I passed the Oxen plowing fields and parked my scooter to investigate, a female farmer began smiling and waving to me. The group of 50+ Burmese began pointing and waving at me, and I chuckled, waved back and walked up to them.

The woman in the photo threw her arms around me in a huge hug and laughed uncontrollably. This made me laugh too, surprised by her friendliness, and soon everyone was laughing.

I didn’t speak Burmese and she didn’t speak English; this wasn’t necessary because hugs translate into love in any language.

This group of local farmers were volunteering to repair a damaged temple and didn’t see a lot of tourists like myself. It touched my heart as a line formed for each one to take a photo with me, including a monk, and we all just giggled or hugged despite the lack of language translation.

An open heart and curious spirit can yield such magical experiences like this…let’s hug each other more, because as we do, we heal humanity with the medicine of love.

Explore More of Myanmar’s Majesty

Tour the ancient temples and local culture of Mandalay.

Take the bumpiest bus ride to Bagan.

Rise before dawn and bike to watch the sunrise from a temple.

Explore the “Land of a Thousand Temples” in Bagan.

Discover authentic village life from a 13-year-old local guide.

Take a self-guided walking tour through Mandalay’s temples and marketplaces.