what borders on Burma?

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Burma is a small nation bordered by 3 giants: China, India, Thailand. It appears to be in many ways stuck in time. At times I felt like I was back in the Beijing of 12 years ago: what is possible, what is not, what people will and won’t say, what is allowed and what is not. I felt like I was in a house of mirrors, where nothing is what it first appears to be, and every thing I see has something else behind it.


It's been awhile. Here's why. To travelblog requires 3 things difficult to come by in Burma: electricity, technology, and access. Government supplied electricity, even in the cities, is spotty. Most guesthouses have their own generators for backup supply. During our visit to the Yangon central market, candle lit stalls stood right next to those with the foresight to install battery operated florescent tubes. In one major town (Kalaw ) we were told that a week before, the government had announced there would be power for 5 hours a day. Technology in Myanamar appears to be largely rooted in the colonial period. Not much is manufactured in the country, and steep (upwards of 300%) import fees make purchases of new equipment difficult for those few who could afford it. Yangon is the only city where I have seen an alley dedicated to the sale of reusable circuit boards and other technological computer components, all laid out on the sidewalks for comparison shopping. It’s reflected in other ways as well: tailors, mostly women, use old Singer pedal sewing machines. Most taxis and cars are at least 20 years old, trucks and buses older, some streets of Yangon look like a 1950s movie reel. Internet access isseverely constrained by the government; many computer sites are blocked for their news content, including the main yahoo page. Other sites are restricted to Burmese, not English, meaning not available at all. Forget wifi, DSL or high speed; we’re talking dial up.

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Photos

Yangon bus
and the can get even more crowded...

·Burmese Buddhist temple mirrors
extensive use of glass pieces, and tales of the Ramayana, show Indian influence

corner fruit stand
check the label...apples come fom China

Yangon temple stupas
note the Thai-like gold leaf covering

Irrawaddy river shipping
the Irrawaddy river basin still produces teak for export; down the river it goes! this from our boat crruise from Bagan to Mandalay

Burmese tourism
in Bagan on the weekend lots of Burmese come in groups to tour the temples as a sort of religious visit

riverside dining
Burmese entrepreneur on the Irrawaddy riverbank

train travel in ·Burma
Steve and I undertook a trek in Shan state; I hurt my hip (not badly) & wound up on this train, which rolled side to side more than most sailboats

low head hydro
anything can be a power source in Burma