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Published: November 5th 2006
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Myanmar, a country that you find your self loving at the same time as feeling so guilty for being there… It is a strange, strange dilemma. On one hand you have the people that are incredibly friendly, generous and peaceful, rivalled only by those I met in Lao. On the other hand you have the cruel, brutal, dictatorial Military Junta, who oppress and terrify there own people to the extent that they are petrified to even whisper its name. A government whose members live in lavish mansions, while the population struggle to find their next meal, who have a close relationships with the Opium barons, splitting the profits 50/50 and even commission the army to protect the fields. A government who have spies everywhere and cart people off in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. It amazes me how there can be such a contrast of good and evil and why such incredible people should have to suffer such injustice.
All in all my experience of Myanmar was wonderful. The areas of the country I was allowed to visit were incredibly peaceful and you are always greeted by “Menga Laba” (hello) and a Betel Nut reddened
smile from everyone you pass. One of the first things you notice is that you are completely isolated. Your mobile phone does not work, there are only government owned newspapers, distorting the truth and the vast majority of internet sites are banned and blocked by government firewalls, so that you cannot legally access email site such as hotmail or yahoo. It is quite funny being without communication, but also in a strange way quite refreshing…
I arrived into Yangon from Bangkok and immediately felt at ease. There is a gently feel to the place and a nice bustle. It is a very hot and dusty, but a treat to the eye. In every nook and alley there is something going on and the street life is in full flow. I visited the Sule Paya and met up with a Burmese man called Tun Tun. A very friendly guy who informed me that he was taking a guide exam and wanted to practice English. We spent the day together and he showed me around the city, taking in a huge reclining Buddha and majestic, gold laden Shwezigon Paya. In the evening we went and had a great Indian meal at
a local’s eatery. It was a nice experience, as I also got to travel around the city on ancient colonial style buses and really see things from a local persons perspective.
After Yangon I made my way to Bagan, an incredible area with over three thousands ancient temples, which are as impressive as Angkor Wat, with the added benefit that you get them all to yourself. I met up with a German guy (Steffan) and French girl (Sandrine) who were travelling together and we spent two days cycling around the different sites.
We saw only a handful of foreigners... It really feels like I am the first person to discover the country - the feeling I was always craving. I remember at one point sitting on top of a large Paya in the sunshine, looking out on an empty field of temples surrounded by trees and grassland, thinking to myself I could spend the whole day here. Just looking, thinking and immersing myself in the tender energy that was as apparent as the gently breeze ruffling my hair. One of those wonderfully tranquil moments in life.
From Bagan it was a short trip to Mandalay, the old Colonial
capital of Burma. I met up with American called Enis, an artist from New York and we got a motorbike and explored the city together, visiting the Mahamuni Paya, an old teak monastery, the Myanmar Hill, where I played some football with a group of kids with a wicker ball, and finally Shwenandaw Paya. At the latter we were invited to join a young monk, who was keen to talk to us about our countries and the state of Myanmar. He was only nineteen, but spoke with excellent English and a maturity and knowledge far surpassing his age. He was the only person I met who would talk openly about the government, informing us he was not afraid of the consequences and urging us to spread the word of the terrors that were happening in his country. The conversation was fantastic and lasted long into the night. I left with the impression that if half his generation thought like him, there was a sliver of light for the country and maybe in a few years things would change for the better. I really hope that this is the case.
From Mandalay Enis and I made our way to the
temperate hill town of Kalaw, famed in the past for Opium production and now for Trekking. We were informed later that the Opium fields were under military guard sixty miles to the east, in an area off limits to tourists. In fact Myanmar is only surpassed in Opium production by Afghanistan.
On the way to Kalaw we had one of the best journeys during our time in Myanmar, perched on fist the roof of a pick up truck and then the roof of a bus with local people. In this way we wound up through the hills in the sunshine, breathing in the cool mountain air and waving to people working on the side of the road.
The following day we took a day trek into the mountains, taking in the rolling hills, rivers and villages along the way. In the afternoon the heavens opened and the mud tracks turned to rivers. We were soaked and dirty, but it all added to the adventure.
After Kalaw it was a short journey to Inle Lake. Here we were able to bike some way around Inle’s banks and on the second day rent a boat to explore the lake.
Inle is an amazing expanse of water, containing stilted villages, pagodas and monasteries and even a kilometre long floating garden, where Tomato and Bean bushes bob happily on the mirror like lake.
From Inle we took a trip to Tonggyi to take part in the annual Balloon Festival, where the locals give thanks to Buddha by releasing “Fire Walkers”, unmanned balloons that release candles on parashoots and shoot out fire works as they rise to the heavens. It was the first time I had seen Burmese people partying and they did it in style, consuming copious amounts on Myanmar Beer (which is surprisingly as good as BeerLao) and gambling their Kayts away on home made contraptions, where tennis balls are released into a labyrinth of nails and will fall roulette like into numbered slots. I lost, although it is so cheap here that it was only a few dollars for a whole evening’s entertainment!
Before I left for Bangkok I shared one night in Yangon with a Spaniard called Pepe. We had a bite to eat and a few drinks and found our self on an open road where a group of teens were playing football. We asked
to join in and were soon playing bare foot on the tarmac. It was great fun, although the heat and beer had me dripping in sweat. I had to stop when I realised that the bottom of my feet had blistered horribly, which unfortunately has left me limping for the last few days… Definitively a small prise to pay for the fun we had.
It would have been easy to spend more time in Myanmar and there are many other areas I would have liked to have seen. Maybe next time!
As I write this I am now back in Bangkok, spending the days relaxing and preparing my self for India. I can’t wait to see what is in store for me there. I have just over six weeks left before I get home and it seems like the last seven and half months have flow by. I have had such a wonderful, life changing experience and am still really enjoying the adventure, but I am also really looking forward to being home and seeing Nina, friend and my family. I miss all of you like crazy! Looking forward to seeing you soon….. Bye for now :-)
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