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Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and is currently under house arrest. In December 2004, the junta announced it was extending her detention for at least an additional year. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed. To be updated

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By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 12th 2009

Idyllic Inle Asia » Burma » Inle Lake

Wow, this is Inle Lake!

Before we left Kalaw we paid a visit to the Catholic Church (photo in previous blog) and met the lovely priest, Father Paul. It was interesting how many places of worship there were in this small town - a mosque, various Christian Churches and numerous temples. Nevertheless the government has been known to discriminate against those who are not Buddhist, so while people practice different religions their freedom of worship is often inhibited. We were told that the government had tried to open up schools and businesses on Sundays in Burma and had to retract their plans once they realised tha [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 10th 2009

Trek two from Kalaw to Aungban Asia » Burma » Kalaw

Spectacular scenery of the Shan Mountains

Joseph wanted a rest after our day trek so his co-worker Mr Aye took us on the second day. Mr Aye also spoke English well but was Chin ethnic. He had served in the military 30 years ago and had battle scars as a reminder of his service. Although you would never have guessed it, he was as fit as a 20 year old and it was like running behind “Road Runner” when we were nearing our destination for lunch. The best way to describe Mr Aye would be to say that he was the Burmese equivalent of Mr Miyagi (the [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 9th 2009

Visiting the Pa-O on our first trek in Kalaw! Asia » Burma » Kalaw

She Wu, an absolute delight

While it took us quite a while to eventually make it to Kalaw, after a long flight delay in Mandalay, we were not disappointed. Shan State was one of my favourite destinations in Burma (both Kalaw and Inle Lake) because of its spectacular mountainous scenery. If it wasn’t for all the government restrictions and red tape, Shan State would be a lot easier for me to access from MHS because they practically border one another. We arrived into Heho airport and then caught a taxi for an hour to Kalaw. The town sits on the western edge of the Shan Plateau [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 7th 2009

Seeing more Burmese payas, “it’s only just Bagan!” Asia » Burma » Bagan

Bagan's payas - View from Tayok Pyi Pya

By the middle of the second day (or it could have been at the end of the first) many of the ruins started looking quite similar to me. Don’t get me wrong Bagan is an amazing place, however knowing little about architectural styles except a slight understanding of the difference between Thai, Khmer and Burmese, it can get slightly monotonous. At least the vistas from the top of the payas remained amazing no matter which one or where it was located because they overlooked different viewpoints. On the second day we broke up the monotony of temple hopping and cycling by [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 6th 2009

Bagan, an archaleogical haven of temples, payas and ruins Asia » Burma » Bagan

Sunset over Bagan

Bagan is one of Burma’s most famous attractions. It is a notable archaeological site and has over 2000 pagodas and temples of the 11th-13th century. At one time there were 13,000 temples, pagodas (payas) and religious structures. UNESCO has been unsuccessful in trying to designate it as a World Heritage Site, which is unfortunate as it is worthy of such a title. Bagan is located in the dry central plains of the country on the Ayeyarwady River, 145km from Mandalay. While the distance doesn’t sound too far, on the rough, rugged roads it takes 8 hours by bus. We decided to [View Full Entry]

One of the four Buddha images in Ananda Temple

Matt and I in front of Thathyinnyu Temple

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 3rd 2009

Reliving the colonial days at Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo) Asia » Burma » Pyin U Lwin

Anisakan Falls

Formerly known as Maymyo, Pyin U Lwin is a hill station 69km out of Mandalay, about an hour and a half drive. As it is 1000m above sea level and enjoys a relatively cooler climate it once was the summer capital for the Raj in Burma and a retreat for the British from Burma’s scorching heat. As a result, Pyin U Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses. There still remains a large Indian population because during British times it was the military centre of the Indian Army. Pyin U Lwin is a production centre for silkworm rearing, pharmaceutical [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 2nd 2009

Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing Hill Asia » Burma » Mandalay

Beautiful baby wearing tanaka makeup

This was one of the best day trips we had. It was full of Burmese history, culture, food and people. The highlights included: Mandalay (photos in previous blog) Visiting the stone carvers workshop Purchasing longyis (Burmese traditional wear and getting help from the locals), a wall tapestry and a puppet at the weaving and handicrafts shop. Amarapura It is 11 km south of Mandalay and most famous for its teak bridge and lake. Maha Ganayon Kyaung: a monastery currently home to around 1300 monks. We arrived before 11am to watch them queue for [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 1st 2009

Mandalay, it has such a poetic name! Asia » Burma » Mandalay

Matt and I at the top of Mandalay Hill, west view, Ayeyarwady in the background

After initially stepping off at Bagan airport and not realising it until the nurse checking our ears for swine flu informed us, we counted ourselves lucky to have made it back on the plane to Mandalay as planned. Located approximately an hour away from the airport, there was something I found charming about Mandalay instantly, even with its dusty potholed roads! With a population of around 7.7 million, mostly Burmans including a large Indian and Chinese community, Mandalay is Burma’s last royal capital and second city. It has more of a relaxed vibe and laid back atmosphere to that of [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
June 30th 2009

Our Burma experience, traversing a country less travelled Asia » Burma » Yangon

Shwedagon Paya

To go or not to go to Burma? This is the question that plays on most people’s minds about travelling to a country where the military government’s human rights record is abominable and by visiting you put money into their pockets through tourism revenue received in taxes and various charges. It is particularly a difficult decision to make when you have been working with refugees from Burma and are exposed to the kinds of atrocities they have fled from and survived under the junta. Aung San Su Kyi asks foreigners to boycott travel to Burma but in another interview sugge [View Full Entry]

By Asienneuburg
June 28th 2009

Myanmar Asia » Burma » Inle Lake

Fiakerfahrt

Der zweit groeste See in Myanmar. Ein Bootsausflug zu auf Stelzen stehenden Doerfern. Optische betracht eine Mischung aus Venedig und Neusiedler See, jedoch von beidem nur das Schoene. (Also Taubenscheisse auf alten Tretbooten) Bekannt ist der See fuer seine schwimmenden Gaerten und den einbeinigen Ruderern. Das ist kein Behindertenintegrationsprojekt sondern eine Technik die eine schnelle Fortbewegung des Bootes und ein gleichzeitiges Netz in den See werfen ermoeglicht. Fuer uns war es ein Highlight, weil eine touristenfreie Zone und die gesamte Umgebung verdient den Begriff idyllisch. Am z [View Full Entry]

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