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Myanmar
The Holy Bottles

If you get sick in the Burmese Shan State mountains, you will only find a rudimentary medical infrastructure. But don't worry, in this case you might be lucky enough to be cured by a very lovely and beautiful nun. She can heal just by touching you gently - at least, if you got a little cash.

Shooting Location: Hsipaw
Coordinates: 22°37'11.4"N 97°18'01.6"E
Thanks to: Thura Aning, http://thuratrips.page.tl

We got back from a motorbike tour through the mountains of the Shan State into the small town of Hsipaw, which is located 200 km north-east of Mandalay and around 250 km away from the Chinese border. There was Lawrence, an American with knee complaints, Klaus, a German with tinnitus and me, who had developed tonsillitis in the mountains. I had a niggling pain when swallowing. The tour took a massive toll on our bones. We were exhausted and were looking forward to our hostel beds.  

As we got closer to the town center, we noticed that a striking number of people were carrying water bottles. This was rather strange, as the standard Burmese water bottle was being sold on every street corner at 50 cent a piece, yet, from what I saw, people rarely bought them. We drove in the direction from which the people were coming and found the source of the water bottles a few blocks further: a temple where the temple servants were handing the water bottles out over walls and through windows for about one euro. Wherever the servants appeared, the bottles were prized straight from their hands. 

The 100% markup, or so we learned, was due to a divine blessing, which a nun had performed on the bottles in the early hours of the morning. Therefore, thousands of water bottle caps had been unscrewed a little by the helpers, so that the blessing - however it might have looked – was able to reach the liquid. The people now attributed a vitalizing and healing effect to the "holy water", which could fight against minor ailments and illnesses. Wow! That sounded incredible! But of course, we clever foreigners knew that the pure belief in it could produce a healing effect.  Yet, the longer we watched what was going on, the more we began to doubt ourselves. Our fingers began to tingle and even we were tempted to sample the magic potion ourselves.

Therefore, each of us bought a bottle and felt the liquid as it poured down our throats. We waited eagerly in the sun, but nothing happened. A temple servant explained to us that the nuns would visit the temple again and, if we required, we would be allowed to join the queue of the sick, which the nun would later cure. He would grant at least one of us this honor. The servant showed us a checklist, which detailed the number of people successfully cured by the nun. In the morning, she had helped a paralytic man to walk and several mutes to speak by simply laying her hands on them. The man and the helper, who flanked him, were doubtless proof of her abilities.

Two hours later, a brightly polished, black Nissan SUV forced its way toward the temple. The news of the nun’s return evoked a feeling of euphoria in the masses. The helpers pushed the people aside in order to allow the convoy to get through. I searched for an elevated platform so that I could take photos of the hustle and bustle from above and climbed onto a tree, but there were branches in my way. I climbed onto a wall, but the ledge was much too small to be able to stand on. In the end, I ran over to a table, on which a helper was trying to organize the mob with a megaphone. Moments later, the convoy ground to a halt and the nun stepped out onto the dust. I had now found the best vantage point and took one photo after another. To my surprise, the nun herself climbed onto my table not long after. She smiled into the camera and winked at me. I was taken aback! Did the sexy nun really wink at me? I was suddenly wide awake and felt alive. The difficulties I had swallowing had vanished.

Then, the nun addressed the people, who listened to her reverently.

As the nun later devoted herself to the severely ill in the temple, we introduced Klaus to her. The nun placed her hands on his ears and diagnosed him with tinnitus. She held his ears in her hands tightly and said a prayer. She said that his suffering would end in three nights’ time. We beamed at the nun in awe; we were speechless and deeply moved.

We bowed and thanked her.