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Published: November 8th 2010
A few years ago Bagan locals were forcibly removed from their homes and made by the government to move a few miles down the road. What had been up until that day peanut plantations overnight became a "town" without shade or accompanying infrastructure. We went with some trepidation but again the Burmese strength of determination was demonstrated and the locals have made the best out of an abominable situation.
Bagan itself is truely breathtaking however we wanted to make sure our visit was much more than just the temples. Aung San Suu Kyi said that she did not want tourists that came to Burma just to take photos, so more than ever we spent time talking to as many people as possible about their daily lives.
A typical conversation would start as follows; Where are you from? Answer: England Response: England, ahh nice country - you know Wayne Rooney?
I have had a rapid education on the premier league and without fail whereever we were in the country we would get locals telling us football results. While I know little about the so called beautiful game, Mr Rooney holds such sway with the locals that I believe
he could certainly light a match and ignite a revolt.
Bagan, the pinacle of the tourist trail allowed locals much more interaction with foreigners than elsewhere. Many were acutley aware that we had free education and healthcare and were angry that their government did so little. One man told me that his wife had died of cancer after the hospital discharged her because they couldn't pay the bills. Children as young as six or seven could fluently speak 5 languages while clearly they had so much potential their familes couldn't afford to send them to school so they were out selling postcards. Even so they counted themselves lucky to live in a place which was a hive for tourists as this made them well off.
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