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Published: August 3rd 2009
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 suggests if travellers do visit to really talk to the locals and understand the conditions they live in and not just see Burma from a car window or package tour. That is what Matt and I wanted our Burma experience to be about. Not only to explore the beauty of the country or the designated areas the government permits you to visit, but to get a sense of the country, diverse culture and to get to know its people. Although foreigners are forbidden to travel to Karen and Karenni State where most of the refugees I work with come from, meeting
the people we did in Burma gave me a greater understanding of what it is like to live under this military regime and the country refugees have fled from. As the junta has strict laws and penalties on its people against freedom of information and expression and controls censorship in all media and forms, the locals are reluctant to speak negatively about their government or their hardships and if they decide to, respect their privacy, hence I will only comment on what we saw and the experiences we had.
Burma was a fascinating destination and what made it so special was the people. We had countless memorable moments with locals and after meeting those that rely on tourism as their only source of income, you would find it difficult to question whether or not you should travel to Burma. Not only do you gain from the experience but you expose locals to the outside world and your culture, information which is not easily accessible to most people. While the Burmese are among the friendliest and most hospitable people I have ever met, you also get a sense that they are constantly living under a cloud of fear and apprehension
about what could happen to them. The junta has informers everywhere, even undercover monks act as aides and with Big Brother watching every move you make it is no wonder people feel constrained in their country and trapped in their own home.
With this in mind, our first day in Burma, Yangon was met with much trepidation. Would we have people following us around on the streets? Would our room be bugged? Was it really that safe to be carrying around US$2,000 cash, considering that was the only way with no banks, credit cards or traveller cheques accepted here? (How did travellers survive in the past without modern technology?) Could we cope with no contact with the outside world for 2 weeks - no phones or internet access? (Actually that was the easy part!) Stepping into Burma was like going back into time. The cars, buildings and technology were reminiscent of what was once used decades ago. Most shops run off generators and there are continual power cuts and blackouts throughout the country.
Our first and last day in Burma was spent in Yangon. Although it is Burma’s biggest city, you can tell by the photos of the
buildings, roads and cars it has not seen much development. We spent our first day walking downtown taking in the sights of Sule Paya, City Hall, Immigration Office, Immanuel Baptist Church, the High Court Building, Strand Hotel, the crowded Indian and Chinese quarters and made our last stop at Bogyoke Aung San Market. We managed to find a good street vendor exchange on Mahabandoola Road for our US dollars to kyat, the only problem was trying to hold the big bunch of notes, (1USD roughly equals 1050 kyat). Many of the colonial buildings of the British era still exist in Yangon and it is a great place for people watching especially at Zawgayi’s Café. You can get lost wandering the streets and taking in the sights, stalls, sounds and people. I did however feel more under surveillance in this city then any of the other places we went to in Burma.
Being rainy season in Burma, we were fortunate to get only 2 days of rain and that was in Yangon. On our last day it was torrential so we did not get a chance to visit the famous Shwedagon Paya. However, we could see it from our hotel
and were a little over the experience of visiting payas (pagodas) after having been to Bagan.
*Burma or Myanmar? In 1886 it was internationally recognised as Burma however in 1989 the military junta enforced the use of Myanmar as the country’s official title. It is a politically sensitive choice as the opposition and western countries refuse to use the name change initiated by the junta. During our trip we referred to the country as Myanmar but generally I refer to it as Burma.
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Bridget
non-member comment
AMazing
Hey B, That was so well written and informative. Its great to use your blog as a way of educating people through your experiences. My collegue next ot me is very well travlled in Asia, hope u dont mind me sending this blog to him. Take care xx Marathon went well 3:52, not the best but i got thru it which was the main thing!!