The decision to go to Myanmar?

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There are few times in all of our travels that we thought our mere presence in a country may actually harm it. Oh sure you walk around many tourist traps in the world and roll your eyes at the mobs of pasty consumers running around the OUTSIDE of a temple or in the gift shop ACROSS the street from the museum, but you never really think that this may contribute to the oppression of a society. Perhaps nowhere else in the world are tourism and politics so intertwined than in Myanmar.

To begin the imprisoned democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked that tourists refrain form visiting at this time as her people struggle for independence. In the military regimes greed to earn the tourist buck, many of the historical sites in Myanmar are rumored to have been built/restored using forced labor. The government controls the larger hotels and tour companies, and it is safe to say that any organized tour of the country puts money into the pockets of the military. Tourist visas and mandatory fees paid rarely go the preservation of a temple or monument rather directly into the hands of government.

Reasons to go are boundless. The people are kind, generous, and struggling to earn a living in a country where school is very expensive, health care is largely non-existent, information is held under lock and key, and business owners are subject to harsh taxes, eviction, and imprisonment. Tourism, is one of the few entrepreneurial avenues open to the average person who lacks a formal education. Traveling independently does ensure that money gets into the hands of family rather than the government. It also offers a great opportunity to speak with local people and hear their stories and experiences while they hear stories of the world beyond their boarders. It is also argued that human rights abuses are less likely to occur in areas that tourists frequent (with that said many areas in Myanmar are inaccessible to foreigners).

There is so much more to the issue of tourism here and we all know I could go on and on and on.. but we arrived in Yangon to the least aggressive touts I have ever seen and off we went.

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Comments

[JR Comstock]

hey guns.. good to see
Was just checking out Dions blog and saw a link to urs. Great to see. Burma was by far my favorite country as of yet for all those reasons and more. Have fun and safe travels on your continuing journey and a belated congrats!! JR