Once you get over the fact that there is no mobile signal (due to the embargo there are no international roaming agreements) or Internet connection, and that you're completely disconnected from the world, Myanmar emerges as a beautiful and untouched jewel, completely unspoiled by tourism and external influences. It's the Golden Land. You may think that globalization has hit every corner of our world, but there still are places where commercialism and true authenticity prevail. Myanmar is one of those rare places. And consequently, the question arises … 'for how long', for the potential for tourism is tremendous.
Just imagine, the majority of people still wear non-western clothes. Both men and women wear longyi's which look something like long skirts. Similar to sarongs. Women still adorn themselves with symbolic chalk markings on their face, which are made from tree-bark paste. In an odd way it looks like primitive makeup, yet it is defiantly original given today's world of L'Oreal and Revlon girls. The roads, especially outside of the largest city Yangon, are devoid of cars. Instead, ox carts can be seen moving along and rickety trucks transporting hordes of people, many of which are hanging off the sides. And mobile phones? A gadget that is indispensable in today's globalized world? Barely seen! In fact, still today the cost of getting a SIM card is over $1,000, thus it is a luxury that very few can afford. Actually, the locals have realized that it's more economical to share the SIM card amongst several family members. People are ingenious! Likewise, international calls are prohibitively expensive. So instead, the locals talk to each other, smile and interact in a humanly way and not via electronic means. Believe me, it can be surprising to experience that. The Burmese actually take time to talk to you, with no sense of rush or urgency. I read in several guide books the adage 'Why use 10 words when a thousand would do'. I have to say that the Burmese really have a knack for talking and talking and talking. It's most probably because they don't have an iPhone. How refreshing.
As Asia streaks by on the highway of development and commercialism, combining its heritage with a mixture of modernism, Myanmar is the Asia of 75 years ago. Slow moving, beautiful, peaceful and full of smiles and curiosity.
As with many other South-East Asian countries, Myanmar also has a very distinctive colonial past, which to some degree the current government is trying to shake off. Once the British colonialists left, a lot of the city names reverted back to their original form. No different with the country name. Burma is the name the Brits gave to Myanmar, simply due to the original name being unpronounceable to the Anglo Saxons. Burma originates from Burmese which is actually the main race in Myanmar. Today however, the country is once again known as Myanmar and the main city, formerly Rangoon, is now again Yangon. I always find it amusing to observe how various countries in the region have shunned the old British rule. The classic example in Myanmar has to do with the road system. The colonialists of course introduced left-hand drive, but as soon as the Brits left some 35 years ago, the government decided to switch to right-hand drive. Perfect. Except, all the cars on the road are still left-hand drive! After many decades, the transition is still in process.
Myanmar is the largest of the South East Asian countries. It is the size of both UK and France combined, with about 41 million inhabitants. It's still a deeply religious country which thankfully you can still observe on a daily basis. Given that it's 89% Buddhist, this is the land of temples and pagodas. And monks everywhere. You will notice the young boys with burgundy robes and shaved heads walking down the streets with pots in their hands, asking for their daily food donations. After noon their diet consists of liquids only, so till then they must obtain and consume all their solid food rations.
Of course, there is always that pesky question re the military regime in Myanmar. I'm not going to delve into political questions. It's not my interest. Yet all I can say is that there were very few visible remnants of military power. I never felt unsafe, the people we talked to never held back with their opinions, everyone smiled and was content and to my knowledge I wasn't followed (which is what the Lonely Planet and the other guides continuously warn) and going through immigration was a breeze!
Yes there is poverty. But there is also happiness and authenticity. Smiles and kind gestures. History and rich culture.
And if there is one line that stayed with me after our trip, which beautifully encapsulates the feel of Myanmar, is the buddhist teaching 'if you can control your hunger, you can control your anger.'
ANECDOTES:
During our week long stay, I had heard and read many interesting anecdotes that I must share:
> Bad news only lasts seven days
> Treatment of Myanmar by other nations seems to be governed by how far from the border they are: the closer, the less offensive the regime - even though the US and EU have an embargo on Myanmar, energy hungry China and Russia seem to make up the trade difference by buying up vast amounts of Myanmar's natural resources
> At some point, you will be followed, although you will never realize it. And if you do ... Go into a church to ward them off! - I read this in several guides, and if we were followed, the agents were very much incognito!
> 9 is a lucky number - 8, unlike in China, is unlucky. There is a reason why the pro-democracy marches where the government clamped down on the protesters were on 08.08.88
> We have 100% democracy ... in our car!!
> misuse of words: 'cosmetics for land' means fertilizer, and when the waiter in a restaurant says to you 'please, you can repair food' he means feel free to add spices to your meal
> is it history or mystery?
HOW TO GET THERE:
Mynamar is a an easy two-and-a-half-hour flight with SilkAir from Singapore. There are not many international flight connections with Myanmar so Singapore, along with Bangkok and KL are your best points of departure.
> Visa requirements: as with most other Asian countries, Myanmar requires a visa to enter the country. As of July 1, 2010, the government has introduced Visa on Arrival which is a great relief. We had actually gotten a visa prior to entering the country and out of all the visa forms I've had to fill out up till now, this one was the most arduous! They wanted to know hair and eye colour, height, complexion and much, much more. However, ultimately we had no problem entering the country. And we've heard from several tourists that Visa on Arrival (VOA) had worked just fine. So kudos to the Myanmar government for making entry to their country much easier. (Note: I now hear that the government has revoked VOA, so you better confirm the status of this prior to departure)
> Technical equipment: we were told by several people beforehand to leave your laptop, iPad, mobile phone at home for they may be held at the airport and returned to you on your departure. Don't believe everything you hear! No one even checked for these items as we landed in Yangon.
> Domestic Airlines: Besides the national carrier Myanmar Airways, there are also 4 other 'private' airlines in Myanmar, connecting the big 4 cities: Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Heho (Inle Lake). The airlines are Air Bagan, Yangon Airways, Air Mandalay and Myanmar Airways. We flew with the first two and the planes were modern and the service very respectable given the short flight times. Beware that all flights leave very early in the morning since the planes have a shuttle route type service … like a bus they go from point to point, dropping and picking up passengers enroute.
> Departure Tax: don't forget to have USD 10 per person ready to fork out while departing Myanmar
MONEY:
> there are no ATM's in the country and credit cards are rarely accepted, so the cash you bring with you is the cash you're going to have available for eating, shopping and all your other expenses. There are some tricks to getting additional cash, yet it's going to be costly. Some hotels will allow you to get cash off your credit card, but the exchange rate you will get is shockingly low.
> bring along new, crisp US dollar bills … and I'm not joking! Those are the easiest to exchange. If the bills are creased, marked or crumpled, you're going to have a very hard time exchanging them. Also remember that the difference between the official exchange rate and the black market is huge. Officially (in August 2010) for 1 USD you would get around 400 kyat, yet on the black market that can go as high up as 1,100 kyat. You do the math :-)
> Euros are less easily exchanged, but not entirely impossible. US dollars, however, are definitely your best bet.
TOUR GUIDE:
We had one of the most amazing tour guides ever in Myanmar. His English name is Shine and he was very knowledgeable, proud of his country, funny and spoke great English. Spending a week with him was an eye opener into Burmese culture and life.
We booked the whole trip through an excellent Singapore based tour operator called Country Holidays, which focuses on high-end travel. They took care of all the flights, hotel reservations, transfers, tipping and our wonderful guide Shine. You can also access Shine directly at:
Nay Win Oo (Shine)
095-9-517 9075
leoshine007@gmail.com
VISIT ...
> Yangon
> Bagan
> Inle Lake
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