Blogs from Yangon, Yangon Region, Burma, Asia - page 13

A Ásia que permeia o imaginário dos viajantes ocidentais é repleta de povos e vilarejos parados no tempo, campos de arroz a perder de vista, templos perdidos no meio da floresta, vegetação tropical intacta e nativos hospitaleiros e surpresos ao primeiro contato com os estrangeiros. A Ásia real é um pouco diferente desse cenário. Ainda que seja bastante plausível encontrar lugares idílicos e remotos no continente, do norte do Laos ao centro do Camboja, ou mesmo em uma ilha turística na Indonésia, a realidade é que a região, guardadas as devidas proporções, ja é tão moderna quanto qualquer canto do mundo tido como exótico. Isso se traduz em megalópoles que não deixam nada a dever a cidades como São Paulo e Nova York, adolescentes vestindo grifes internacionais e trocando mensagens de texto via aparelhos Apple e ... read more

It was an early start to the day as we were dropped off at the Mawlamyine bus station for our trip back to Yangon. The bus station was very different this morning then when we had been dropped off in the very early hours a few days before. The bus station was bustling with travellers, motor bikes and vendors selling all types of products. Our taxi driver made sure we were at the right bus company before leaving us. Unlike in Yangon when our bus was called the local passengers were kind enough to make sure we got on our bus. The trip back to Yangon was very different also from the previous trip in the opposite direction. The previous one had been at night and the sights during the day were nothing like I had ... read more

My very first sight of Burma was its modern steel and glass airport, an ominous sign that I might have arrived too late. Burma, or should I say the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, was clearly ready to welcome the fascinated world it shut out these last fifty odd years. But as I scanned the width of the tarmac, I realized that there was just one other airline and it was a local one. Perhaps I am late but not too late after all. I filled up the disembarkation card in the pristine white arrival hall, having slept through most of the flight, and found a young Burmese teenage girl sidled up next to me. I handed her my pen thinking it was what she needed. As it turned out, she hardly knew a word ... read more

11 days in beautiful, unspoilt Myanmar... read more

Wow oh wow...Myanmar, where do I even begin! First off, google map where it is and if you still don't know, it used to be called Burma (I had to do the same so...). Ok, I normally don't do a ton of research of the history of a country before I arrive (lets be honest here...I never do research before). I just sort of learn along the way, but imagine a mix between Asia and India that has been practically blocked off to the western world till only two years ago (apparently CocaCola just started being sold here 3 months ago). Now imagine every rich, ugly kaki wearing, retired person thinking 'Ooooh we have been everywhere else in the world, lets go there and bring thousands of dollars to spend!' Basically, there is a massive flood ... read more