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Published: February 16th 2010
Check out what I’ve been up to:
"By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm trees, and the temple bells they say:
‘Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?’
-"Mandalay" by Rudyard Kipling
I spent the past two weeks in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. My trip began in Yangon (formerly Rangoon). What a pleasant surprise this city was. No longer the capital, but by far the largest city, it is full of parks, lakes, wide avenues, and crumbling but charming colonial buildings. It is easy and pleasant to walk around. It is also the home of several large golden pagodas, a couple of them 2500 years old. There are so many pagodas in this country. I had dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in Yangon - shaped like a dragon boat, it sits on the lake. For $12 you get an all-you-can-eat buffet
and cultural performance. Nice, but why did they put salt in my pineapple juice?! On the other side of the river from Yangon, life is completely different, with people living in villages of bamboo huts, with no electricity or running water. These villagers rarely if ever see any foreigners, so they were quite excited when I arrived (that’s some of them in the video clip). In fact, I needed a special permit to take the ferry there. There are not many travelers in Myanmar in general, and like in Bhutan, I kept seeing the same ones in different places.
In Myanmar, I quickly got used to men wearing sarongs called “longyi”, but I never got used to seeing women with thick, yellow paste on their faces. This is called “thanaka” and is made from ground tree bark. It’s something most girls and women, and sometimes boys too, do here. They believe it is good for the skin. They apply it in different quantities and shapes - sometimes lines, other times circles, and sometimes all over their face.
The infrastructure in Myanmar is quite poor, but the roads are still far better than in Nepal. Power is
out most of the day, and everyone who needs it relies on generators. Larger hotels, restaurants, and businesses all have them. Internet is very slow, and the government blocks many sites, such as Hotmail, Youtube, news sites, etc. But every internet café has ways of getting around these, via proxy servers located overseas.
Most people who follow world affairs know that Myanmar is ruled by a military dictatorship. There is no freedom of expression. The leader of the opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is under house arrest. In 2007, dozens of protesting monks were shot. In 2008, the country was hit by a devastating cyclone (hurricane), killing a roughly equivalent number of people as the recent earthquake in Haiti (between 140 and 300 thousand, though the exact number will never be known due to the nature of the government). The government did not allow outside aid for fear of “foreign influence”. All this has brought on sanctions by the US and EU, and a travel boycott campaign by some. Even worse, it’s also made the Burmese Army a target of Rambo’s rage in his latest movie (2008).
Nevertheless, except for one
English language propaganda newspaper, and a few billboards, as a tourist I was rarely aware that I am traveling in a military dictatorship or that there is fighting between the military and rebel groups - usually ethnic minorities - in parts of the country (all off limits to foreigners and well off the tourist trail). Except on the day I went from Mandalay to Maymyo, I hardly ever saw soldiers. Also, the generals who run this country may not be nice people, but they’re not megalomaniacs. They didn’t put their picture on the money, nor do you see it anywhere else for that matter. They didn’t build huge statues of themselves.
But people are afraid. Those who can speak English are happy to practice it, and will gladly talk to foreigners (reports I heard to the contrary are baseless). But when I did my Mentos and Coke geysers (see the Youtube link above), and I did many of these, in Yangon, people kept talking about police, I could get arrested, I shouldn’t do this there, it’s illegal, etc. In the end, the police came over and watched along with everyone else. Also, it was hard getting anyone to agree
to film it, even after offering to pay them, in a country where people are desperate for money. People just seemed afraid. One initially agreed to help me film, then kept saying we shouldn’t do this on the street, and eventually ran away when he saw a crowd assemble. In the villages where I did them, like in the above video, nobody seemed afraid or said anything like that.
After Yangon, I visited Bagan. Bagan is a huge field with thousands of temples and pagodas scattered throughout. Visitors get around by bicycle or horse carriage. If you know me, you know that I opted for the horse. The temples were built from the 11th to the 13th century, and are impressive in their quantity. Some of them are quite beautiful and collectively, it is quite a sight. Although no one coming to Myanmar should miss seeing Bagan, individually the temples are not nearly as impressive as Angkor Wat (Cambodia), where every temple was jaw droppingly gorgeous with intricate details. As I said before, when you travel a lot, it’s inevitable to compare.
From Bagan, I visited Inle Lake. Inle Lake is known for its colorful local
markets, houses on stilts, and small fishing boats being rowed with one foot. It is also known for having villages, each specializing in a different type of handicrafts. One of these villages is supposedly the only place in the world to make textiles out of lotus thread. There are also weavers, silversmiths, pottery, wood works, and more.
After Inle Lake, I headed to the second largest city in Myanmar, Mandalay. Though I knew little about it before coming here, I had heard of Mandalay, and for some reason had a romantic image of it. Not sure why; maybe because the name has a nice ring to it, maybe in part because of the Mandalay Bay, one of my favorite hotels in Las Vegas. For whatever reasons, apparently this image is shared by many. Here’s how Lonely Planet describes Mandalay: “For those who’ve not been, the mention of ‘Mandalay’ conjures the most peaceful and serene settings imaginable. But those who go see what it really is - a rather scruffy, booming city with many uninspired modern buildings”. So both my guidebook and other travelers warned me that Mandalay would be disappointing. And, sadly, it was. Mandalay is a sprawling,
dusty city, without the parks, lakes, charming downtown or old buildings that make Yangon a far more attractive city. Most of the attractions of Mandalay are actually outside the city. I took a boat down the Irrawaddy, the main river in Myanmar, to visit Mingun. The village is home to a huge unfinished pagoda and supposedly the world’s largest uncracked bell. A picture seller showed me around her village. When we passed some children, their mother said something. I asked her what she said, and she said she asked me to buy sweets for the children. Some tell you not to do this, but I’ve never seen the harm in a bit of candy - for myself or anyone else - so I did buy some, and gave them out to many of the children, until there were dozens of them literally chasing me.
The next day I visited Pyin U Lwin, formerly known as Maymyo (May’s town). Located in the hills not far from Mandalay, this town is a bit of England in Myanmar. Established by the British as their summer capital, as it is a bit cooler in the hills, Maymyo has a large botanical garden,
many smaller gardens, a vast lake, and many colonial buildings. You get around by horse carriage, which adds to the charm and nostalgia. Some of the colonial buildings are homes, some are hotels, and several of the larger ones are now used as schools or government buildings. Most were built in 1903 and 1904. This was only a day trip, but if I come back, I would probably prefer to spend several days here staying at one of the old hotels, than in Mandalay. Very cute and quaint little town.
Finally, I visited the main attractions of Mandalay itself: Mandalay Hill, where there are many temples and you get a view of the whole city and surrounding area; and the Royal Palace, where the old Kings of Burma once resided. The original palace burned down, and the current one was rebuilt in the 1990’s. Near Mandalay I also visited the world’s longest teakwood bridge, which wasn’t quite as beautiful or impressive as it sounds. I also saw a fun puppet show in Mandalay.
In addition to the many nice places I visited in Myanmar, it is the people who made an impression on me. Generally friendly
and not very aggressive compared to some other countries in the region. But like elsewhere, struggling to make ends meet. Like the rickshaw driver I befriended in Mandalay, who has 5 children and some days has no customers, some days makes a couple dollars. He pays 50 cents a day to rent his rickshaw. If he could only save up $100, he could buy his own used one. For $150 he could have a brand new one. He is 43 years old, but has never visited Yangon or some of the other places that I and most tourists get to see in his country. And not for lack of desire. There was also the postcard seller in Yangon. Still in her teens, she lives in a village across the river from Yangon, in the area worst affected by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Her father died in the cyclone, her mother remarried, moved to Mandalay and abandoned her to take care of her younger siblings. She pays $10 a month to rent a house in the village. Though she works in Yangon, and it would be easier to live there, it’s $20 a month to rent a place in the city,
and she can’t afford it. For $200 she could buy her own house in the village. These people were not asking me for money, I know this because I asked them about their lives. Even though I am just a tourist briefly passing through, knowing nothing of the language and little of the culture, I tried to get a glimpse into people’s lives whenever someone spoke English and was willing to talk. I wish I had the ability to do more to help the kind and struggling people I met. What is clear to me is that these are the kinds of people most hurt by sanctions and a travel boycott. The generals are doing just fine, making most of their money from oil and gas deals.
There are many different ethnic groups in Myanmar, and like in other parts of the world, some of them want independence. And a small number are fighting against the government. There is also an Indian minority, brought over by the British during the colonial period. As a result, one sees Hindu temples and mosques.
Traveling in Myanmar is a cash only affair. Due to sanctions, there are no international
banks, no ATMs, and no credit cards. I almost ran out of money at the end, especially as it was difficult or impossible to use or exchange any dollar bills that were folded too many times, had even the slightest mark or were worn out. I knew this before coming to the country, but didn’t realize the extent to which every single bill would be studied and scrutinized before it was accepted (or rejected). To be accepted, a bill has to look like it just came out of the US Mint. And yes, they prefer dollars. Even Euros are not easy to change.
Well, it hasn’t always been easy traveling here. It’s not developed or tourist-oriented like Thailand. But it has been very rewarding as there are many special places, and the people are friendly and easygoing, despite their troubles.
Finally, I would like to recommend the book whose title I am borrowing, which I read while traveling here. “Burmese Days” by George Orwell (“1984”, “Animal Farm”) is about a disaffected British man who befriends the Burmese and respects their culture, and pays a price within the racist British colonial society of the day. In some
ways, this work is autobiographical, as Orwell spent 5 years here in his 20’s (and in the 20’s; the 1920’s that is), as a British police officer, and eventually left because he grew to loathe the colonial system. This is a well written and captivating book, whatever your level of interest in Myanmar/Burma, as it deals with human themes that overshadow the setting.
My next and final stop on this trip is the Philippines. The only Catholic country in Asia. I think I’ve seen enough Buddhas and pagodas for one trip, if not one lifetime!, so that’s OK. I also haven’t had any beach time since Indonesia, and I am looking forward to some sun, sand, swimming, and snorkeling on the islands.
Many more photos from Myanmar:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pfnjobs/Myanmar
Postscript: I'm now back home, and it's been several weeks since I left Myanmar; though it feels like much longer. Of all the countries I visited on the trip, it's the one I find my thoughts returning to most often. It's also the one people have shown the most curiosity and interest about. This blog entry has received over 500 views, and will soon
be the most popular entry in my blog (it's currently #3, but is quickly closing in on the top 2, which were written in December). When I tell people which countries I went to, they almost always have the most questions about Myanmar. "Can you go there? Is it safe? Is it hard to get a visa?" (Yes, yes, and no, in that order).
My thoughts have also gone out to the long suffering people of Myanmar. This weekend, I am attending a Free Burma (they prefer to call it Burma) event to raise money and awareness to the political situation. Finally, I asked a friend who was in Myanmar last year if it had a bigger impact on her than other countries. She said yes, and that many people she spoke with had the same feeling. There's just something about Myanmar...
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chattster
non-member comment
very helpfull
hi there, just read your thread with interest, actually i have been to burma, but i found your thread exelent, in fact through reading i will return, i'm sure it will inspire many folks. thank you for an interesting, and true thread. mark