One man’s journey into the world of Agarwood
Posted in Agarwood: The Journey on Sep 25th, 2009
Today I visited the Buddhist temple next door to my hostel. From the outside, I could see it’s a modern building with a traditional temple façade. The sides of the structure are cement with square windows scattered around from the two interior floors. From the front, it is wooden with traditional ornate etchings with red [...]
Posted in Agarwood: The Journey on Sep 25th, 2009
As I entered the Rangoon Mingaladon International Airport, I could feel my new environment immediately. The air, the smell, the people, the languages – this is a Far Eastern society of a different religion and culture. Besides Burma’s people, the Shans, Karens, Kachins, Chins, Mons, and other smaller ethnic groups make up a significant minority. [...]
Posted in Agarwood: The Journey on Sep 24th, 2009
At lunch today, Sayyad told me to seek the finest Oud wood while in Burma – Kyara. He said this is the rarest and most costly Oud that exists in the world. I am not sure if I will be able to find it but I am praying that by the barakah of Sheikh Ibrahim’s [...]
Posted in Agarwood: The Journey on Sep 24th, 2009
My flight is tomorrow, direct from Assam to Burma. I called home and Zainab picked up the phone. She was so happy to hear my voice she started talking a mile a minute. She’ll be starting 5th grade in a week or so. With a new teacher and classmates, she has a lot to look [...]
Posted in Agarwood: The Journey on Sep 8th, 2009
Sayyad showed me his personal Oud collection today. He stores his Oud bottles in an intricately engraved wooden box in his master bedroom wardrobe. The fragrance from the box is so powerful that it actually permeates the entire wardrobe, causing all the clothes in it to smell of the complex and sophisticated aroma. He mentioned [...]