Burma

Given the social injustices of a repressive government, there was, and still is, a lot of debate about whether to visit Burma. The military regime in power at the moment has, since the arrest of the Aung San Suu Kyi in 1989, effectively stifled the democratic voice in the country. They have closed all universities indefinitely in an attempt to quell any opposition. In gearing up for their "Visit Myanmar Year 1997" campaign, the government, among other things, relocated large numbers of people from urban to rural areas and used forced labour to carry out city beautification, road construction, and other projects. Many of these people were from the poorer classes and hill tribes. One or two members from each family, often children, were required to work for periods 30-60 days for no pay. These abuses are just a few for which the government of Myanmar has received international attention and criticism.

When you arrive in the country you are required to purchase Foreign Exchange Certificates to use within the country. The official rate of exchange is ridiculous, but you usually have to use these FECs for all hotel and transportation costs. The best thing to do is to exchange 30% of your FECs for the local currency, kyat. The black market rate is much better than the government rate.

The government has also made an effort to restrict the movement of travellers within the country to keep people away from sensitive regions. Myanmar Tour and Travel (MTT) authorities are set up in all "approved" destinations to regulate hotel rates, food, transportation, and crafts. Buses and trains only allow travellers to go to certain destinations, though this can be gotten around with bit of stubbornness and attitude. (I made a decision to try and spend as few of my FECs as possible on government related costs --- admission fees, tourist transportation.)

Given all of this, Burma was still one of the best countries I visited this year. Yes the abuses are there. And no, I don't agree with them. But the country itself was beautiful, and the people were some of the friendliest I met. Tourism has not yet effected this country. Perhaps its circumstance, but culturally and socially the country has been very untouched by the outside world. Buddhism is its heart. You can see it in their history and artifacts, and their present practices and attitudes towards life. Its in the way people live their daily life, and the way they survive their struggles.

I arrived in Rangoon on September 24th. I'd met a Canadian, Wendy, on the flight, and together we headed into town. Our first stop was a place called the USA Restaurant, across from the Sule Pagoda. The owner, Mr. Richard, is a wealth of information on where to stay, where to go, and how to get there. He also has a very informative guest book. Richard, a Burmese/American, was from Seattle, but he relocated back to Burma several years ago. His restaurant is a gathering point for travellers in the city. There are also several reasonable guesthouses all within walking distance.

We spent a few days in the city visiting the pagodas and museums, before heading north to Bagan. Our original destination was Mandelay, but due to excessive rains part of the highway had been washed out, so we changed direction. One suggestion when travelling by bus in Burma: Bus rides are long, usually 12 - 18 hours, so book your tickets early and arrive at the bus stations early. We had to endure an 18 hour trip riding in the foldout middle seats which do not recline --- not too comfortable.

Bagan, like Angkor in Cambodia, is the site of an ancient city. Located on the shores of the Ayeyarwady river, there were once over 5,000 pagodas and temples in the area. Built between the 11th and 13th century, many temples, and the remnants of 100s of pagodas, still remain. From a distance, the shear number of these are very impressive. Most of the sites have local tenants, usually families who are in charge of preparing alms to Buddha, taking care of and restoring the structures. They also sell local crafts and souvenirs at some of the best prices in all of Burma. If you like laquerware, buy it here.

Most travellers stay in Nyaung -Oo, just down the road from New Bagan. There are good guesthouses with rates of $3.00 - 5.00 a day. We booked into a place called New Heaven. The amenities included air con, hot showers, indoor bathrom, and breakfast.

There are several ways of seeing Bagan. For 1000 kyat we spent one day riding around on the back of a horse cartIt was fun, but a bit cramped. Our driver, Win, was also a pretty decent guide, but we had to tell him exactly where we wanted to go or else he wandered.. The next day I rented a bike from the guest house. It was a great way to get some exercise and see things at my own pace. I did get a flat tire at the end of the day. But some helpful locals loaned me one of their bikes, while they towed mine back. for a heathy tip. I lucked out. It was a good five kilometres back to my guesthouse.

After four days I headed west to Inle Lake and the festival of the five Buddhas. It seemed everywhere I went in Burma I found a festival. Inle Lake is one of the most common destinations in Burma. Its easy to understand once you get there. However if you are headed in that direction, consider making a stop in Kalaw. Its a mountain village about 90 minutes outside of Inle. It is not an MTT authorized stop, but the markets and the day hikes in the area are exceptional.

On the bus I hooked up with a pair of Canadians from B.C., Dwayne and Leah. When the bus arrived we caught a ride from one of a number of touts to the Billion Hotel in Inle. It turned out to be a great place to stay. The hotel owners were very friendly. The rooms were $5.00 a night, including breakfast. They even allowed us use of their VCR to get a much needed western culture fix.

The next morning we woke early to go see the arrival of the five Buddhas. Everyone was headed in droves down to the water. Clans of people had come from all over the region. All the different costuming made the event very colourful. The Buddhas arrived with great ceremony on a huge gold-gilded boat and were then ushered to the local temple. The Buddhas, because of all the gold foil which had be rubbed on them over the years, no longer resembled Buddha at all. They looked more golden snow blobs. Everyone at the festival came to pay homage to these images, and pray for good fortune for the coming year.

Outside the temple it was a carnival with lots of food and craft booths, games and rides. One of the highlights were the longboat races along the canal. Crews of 80 to 100 people would paddle these boats. The unique thing about this was they paddled the oars using their legs, while standing. And boy could they cruise. Food was another highlight. The vendors offered a selection of local and regional specialties, but by far the best I food I found was at a local restaurant, The Big Drum. Their selection of Shan cooking, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian was fantastic. The other restaurant recommended for its Shan food was a place called Five Sisters. Here you go in, eat, and after the meal pay what you think it was worth --- revolutionary idea, eh?

The following day a group of us took a boat trip up the lake. Though the boat ride itself was worth it, unfortunately we arranged things through our hotel and it turned out to be more of a stop and shop trip. We did get to visit the 'world famous' Temple of the Jumping Cats, several floating gardens, and the home of the five Buddhas (when they are not out on tour).

Inle was, like most places I visited in Burma, a place I could have spent a week or more relaxing and watching and talking to people. But with the restrictions of a thirty day visa I decided to push north to Mandelay after about four days. I spent about five days in Mandelay. I stayed at the AD 1 guesthouse. The service and the rates were good. Breakfasts were served on a rooftop cafe with a great view of the city. And down the street was another festival at the temple of the electronic Buddhas (You have to see these things to understand. Imagine tossing coins into rotating basketball hoops.).

One thing I should mention regarding temples is the practice of taking off shoes when you enter them. Now this is a practice common in some Asian countries, and not in others. It is cultural, which I respect. However, one warning: while footwear is prohibited, eating, drinking, smoking, and the spitting of betal nut juice is not. So watch where you step, especially if you visit during festival time.

There are four ancient cities surrounding Mandelay. You can visit the southern three cities in one day. If you do, try to visit the bridge at Ava toward the end of the day. You can enjoy an amazing sunset while taking a relaxing ride in a gondola style boat. I did this as part of an organized tour from the guesthouse. Things were a bit rushed and probably would have been better if I had used local transportation. Our group also got kicked out of one site for refusing to pay the government entrance fee. Actually hotel guide ushered us out once he had been identified as bringing us to the site. He told us later that his guesthouse would probably receive some flak over it.

The trip up north to Mingon, the fourth city, takes a full day. Try to take a local boat for 25 kyat. MTT tries to bilk you for 250 kyat to take the tourist boat. The reason to make this trip is to see the enormous Mingon pagoda. From a distance this thing looks like a huge wall with a crack in it. The pagoda, which is only the base of the original design, was struck by earthquake while it was under construction in the 1850's, would have been the world's largest had it been completed. If you hike up the 174 steps of the pagoda you get a fantastic view of the surrounding area.

I was literally mobbed by school children when I jumped off the boat at Mingon. I had arrived on one of the first boats, of the morning, so I guess there were no other tourists to attack. Usually I carried some pins, or a bag of candy, so I could give something out, rather than money. But I had forgotten that day, so I put on a really bad French accent and claimed I couldn't understand them. The kids, intrigued by this, offered me some local ice cream. It tasted great, but turned out to be a big mistake I paid for later that day and into the next.

The following day I left Mandelay and headed up into the mountains towards a small town called Hsipaw. Along the way I stopped at the hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin. The evening I arrived the Festival of Lights was beginning. Everywhere people were lighting candles, twirling sparklers, and sending paper lanterns into the air --- real fire in the sky stuff. The town had a very traditional British feel to it. There was a clock tower in the on the main street, and half a dozen horse carriage/taxis which looked like miniatures from the Wells Fargo Company. I'd heard of a great place to stay here called Candacraig. It was the residential quarters for the Bombay Burma Trading Company. I had planned on bunking there for one night and went to check it out. But I figured the $38.00 a night price tag didn't fit into my pocketbook. Instead I found a place just up the road, the Dahlia, for $5.00.

The next day I spent biking around the area with a local "student/ tourist guide". The highlight was was stumbling upon the filming of a Burmese movie. I watched for about 15 minutes as the star, Nandar Gleen, lipsunk to a song blasting out of a boombox. It sounded like some happy-bouncy tune, but in the background four guys dressed up in army fatigues were firing semi-automatics at one another. I later learned that Nandar and her crew were staying at the same hotel as I was. Unfortunately, they had all gone to sleep by the time I got back. I did see some great pictures of her and the hotel owner's family. Apparently they were related or something.

The train up to Hsipaw the next day was one of the wildest rides I took anywhere during my travels. It truly rivalled the bus rides in Nepal and India. After a great breakfast I caught a carriage down to the station, I decided to hop aboard a regular coach to avoid the tourist prices which were five times as much. The car, in addition to all the people, included ducks, goats, sacks of grain, baskets of vegetables, and even a diesel motor, which I guess had purchased a seat. What made the ride interesting though, was the speed at which the train travelled and the instability of wheels on the track. Most of the time it felt like we were on a rollercoaster ready to tip every time we leaned into a curve. When the train braked, a ripple would start at the engine and increase in intensity until it reached the final car which it would attempt to toss off. Fortunately I was in the second last car.

About halfway along we we pulled into a station and this kid gets on and starts peddling this snake medicine to the locals. Although I couldn't understand a word of what he said, I gathered this stuff could cure anything from hair loss and warts to insomnia. and bad breath. After about ten minutes of his spiel, I got up and took a picture. Everyone on the train started to laugh. The kid immediately turned to me and tried to make his first sale!

Hsipaw, at the time I was there anyway, was one of the towns where M.T.T. had not set up camp. They presumed, I guess, that people would head further up the road to Lashio. As a result they had left Hsipaw untouched. By word of mouth Hsipaw had become the place to go. All the prices are still in kyat, and are very reasonable. There are . It is a small town a with few restaurants, one Burmese, the other Chinese, and a handful of tea shops. There are only two guesthouses. Directions are as follows: Once you get off the train you must walk down to the main street where you proceed to look for Mr. Book. Mr. Book is the owner a bookstore, naturally. He's the local authority on what's going on and what to do in the town. He will also walk you over to "the place to stay", Mr. Charles'. (This is as long as they are not having one of their mini feuds, in which case he will direct you to the other guesthouse.)

Mr. Charles is also a wealth of information. He is a bit gruff, but very kind to his guests. His operates the guesthouse, along with his wife and children. Everyday he heads out on his "walk". Anyone at the guesthouse is welcome to join him. The second day I was there, a group of about eight of us followed him on a five kilometre hike up into the hills to a waterfall. It was sunny and hot --- about 34° Celsius. When we started, we could see it in the distance. It actually looked much closer than it was. After several stops at villages along the way, we reached the falls. sweaty and exhausted. All of us dived in and proceeded to soak in the icy water until we'd cooled down. I only wish there had been another falls waiting for us when we arrived back at the guesthouse.

The Festival of Lights was in high gear in Hsipaw. It culminated after I had been there three days with a huge parade down the main street. There were about 20 floats. Each of them was decorated with offerings to the temple. Some had paper bills arranged in fancy designs, others had household supplies, food and fruit. Apparently each of the monks, by lottery, receives the proceeds of one of the offerings, some of which were quite generous. Accompanying the floats were bands, and dancers, and streams of kids. The celebrations continued well into the night with a carnival and live karaoke contest just outside the the steps of the temple.

My last day day in Hsipaw I made a trip to visit the the remains of the Shan palace. The original building has been dust for many years, but the present residence is a beautiful home with a fascinating history. The present occupants are a nephew of the prince (who hasn't been seen for years) and his wife. I had a very enlightening conversation with them. They are both very knowledgable about the country's history, and concerned with its present day problems.

I spent two days getting back to Rangoon (and two very long bus rides), another day booking a flight to Nepal (not easy during the height of trekking season), and then continued west.