I got back from Myanmar and promptly came down with pneumonia. I do not recommend getting pneumonia. It is tiring, and I am bored with it. But now that I am recovering, it is time to finish up my Burmese blogs. Emerging Country I don’t like the term “third world country,” it seems so condescending. So I’m taking a phrase from the financial pages: “emerging market,” or “emerging country.” Emerging seems to fit Myanmar very well; this is a country just emerging from the cocoon of an oppressive regime, and the people are curious about the world and eager to learn more about it. Books and More Books There are bookstores and second-hand bookshops everywhere. In some parts of the city it is common to see a bookseller spread a tarp on the sidewalk and arrange ... read more

All flights within Myanmar are operated by Burmese airlines. At last count there are eight Burmese airlines, which is rather a lot for a country only 581 mile wide, and 1275 from north to south. They all have similar prices, so it’s just a question of picking the airline that flies to where you want to go, and choosing the departure time that fits in your schedule. Yangon Airport is new and clean, with some distinctly Western touches, like the Gloria Jean’s Coffee counter, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. What isn’t just like every other airport is watching Buddhist monks get patted down by airport security. When you fly with a Burmese airline, you check in at the ticket counter and in addition to your boarding pass you get a sticker to put on your ... read more

Getting to Yangon was probably more difficult than getting into Yangon. First, a little background: Up until the elections held in Myanmar in December 2015, when the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won in a landslide, the United States had placed sanctions on Myanmar for human rights violations. The US lifted the restrictions on certain financial transactions in May of 2016, and lifted all sanctions in October. I waited until The NLD took office in April 2016 before booking this trip, because, you know, human rights violations and sanctions. Pretty much everyone needs a visa to enter Myanmar, except citizens of ASEAN countries. (Curiously, Indonesia, though an ASEAN country, does not qualify for a visa waiver.) The good news is that you can get your visa online, and the ... read more

Food, glorious food What is there more handsome? Gulped, swallowed or chewed, Still worth a King’s Ransom! What is it we dream about? What brings on a sigh? Piled peaches and cream about- Six feet high! Food, Glorious Food, from the musical Oliver, lyrics by Lionel Bart I thought I had seen the most beautiful and perfectly laid out food when I wandered through Borough Market. And then I went to Harrods. You may remember the name from the time of Princess Diana’s death. When she died in 1997, she was dating Dodi Fayed, the son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was then the owner of Harrods. Mr. Al-Fayed has since sold the store to the Qatar Investment Authority, but the memorial he put up to his son and Princess Diana is still on display in the ... read more

I like markets, the bigger and more varied the better. I’ve made appoint of seeking out farmers markets and wet markets wherever I travel. So, with that in mind, I headed out to visit some of the markets in London. Borough Market Everyone I asked about things to do in London told me I should go to Borough market, so I did. Borough Market is on the south bank of the River Thames near London Bridge. There has been a market on this site for at least 1,000 years. The great Norwegian chronicler Snorri Sturluson mentions the market in his account of Olaf’s battle against King Canute in 1014. Of course the market today is much different - butchers no longer bring live cattle into their stalls. The traders here have some of the most beautifully ... read more