Journal: Myanmar, 22 Mar 2002 I am flying to Myanmar (formerly called Burma) later today. There is much debate in travel circles as to whether or not one should visit Myanmar. Some people believe that if someone visits Burma, they are indirectly supporting the unjust military regime that currently controls the country. However, I believe I cannot form an opinion on the subject without going there and seeing the situation for myself. I have heard that my baggage will be searched on arrival and that I will be required to leave my mobile phone with customs while I am in the country. I have also heard that it is very important to declare all travelers checks and money upon arrival in Burma. Apparently in late 2001, a European citizen received a seven year jail sentence for carrying undeclared money. And I have also heard that another two foreign nationals have subsequently received two year sentences for carrying undeclared funds. Forced labour has not been widely practiced in Asia for more than a century. Supposedly forced labour is currently practiced in Burma. It is also rumored that foreign nationals, as well as many locals, have been imprisoned for expressing opinions that differ from the ruling military regime. News from outside of Burma and access to the internet is supposed to be tightly controlled, with a license needed for internet access. While the military regime insulates Burma from developments outside of the country, it also tries to prevent news of conditions inside Burma from escaping. For this reason, journalists are automatically prevented from obtaining visas. I had completely forgotten about this fact until John reminded me that I could get turned away upon arrival if the customs official found my fake press pass. I think I'll leave it behind in Bangkok.
I enjoyed a short and pleasant flight to Yangon (the capital city that was formerly known as Rangoon) on Myanmar Airways International. I was interested to discover that my check-in luggage now weights 13 kilograms (compared to 23.5 kilograms almost six months ago). I expect this to fall even further soon, as I shed some more of my unessential possessions. There are three currencies in common usage in Myanmar: US dollars, Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs), and kyat. US dollars and FECs are used for purchasing relatively expensive items such as hotel rooms, entrance to tourist sights, and tickets for buses and trains. FECs are notes that bear a remarkable resemblance to monopoly money. The Myanmar government wants tourists to use FECs instead of US dollars. However, most people would prefer if you didn't use FECs because it is only putting money in the coffers of a brutal military regime. One FEC is always equal to one US dollar. However, you cannot legally change FECs back into hard currency when leaving the country. By forcing all tourists to change $200 into FECs upon arrival in Myanmar and by providing FECs when tourists change traveler's cheques at a bank, the Myanmar government makes money when tourists cannot spend all of their FECs during their trip. I avoided the requirement of changing $200 into FECs upon arrival by giving the customs official a present of $5 to allow me to change only $100. Kyat (pronounced chat) is the traditional currency of Myanmar and is used for purchasing most inexpensive items. Because the Myanmar government routinely declares that certain denominations of kyat notes are no longer legal tender, local people prefer to keep their savings in a hard currency like dollars. Officially, US$1 is equal to about 690 kyat, but you can get about 800 kyat from black market money-changers on the street. Traveler accommodation in Myanmar is in hotels, as opposed to hostels. This is a bit of a departure from the scene on the backpacker-infested circuit of Malaysia-Thailand-Laos. While the accommodations in Myanmar provide far more comfort than I have been used to for quiet some time, they do lack in catering for the needs of independent travelers. There is a very small traveler scene in Myanmar with just a handful of travelers making the rounds at a time. I have gone from one extreme to the other in a few hours - a few hours ago, throngs of backpackers were swarming around the western-oriented Khoa San Road while now, only one or two travelers stroll around a relatively untouched Yangon. My first stroll around the capital city was striking because of the lack of western companies. Western franchises of companies like McDonalds, Mail Boxes Etc, 7-Eleven, and Boots are commonplace in Thailand. However, they are nowhere to be seen in Myanmar. The apparent reason for this lack of a foreign commercial interest is the unstable nature of the political situation in this military-controlled country. Another striking aspect of this first stroll around the city was the lack of English league football jerseys in Myanmar. In Malaysia and Thailand, many locals wear football jerseys in the course of their day-to-day life. In fact, one might be forgiven for thinking that a Manchester United jersey with Beckham written on the back was part of the traditional dress of Malaysia or Thailand. However in Myanmar, there are no such offensive items on display! Either the locals in this country have the good taste not support Manchester United or, as is more likely, the inexpensive replicas that are are flooding the rest of South East Asia have not make it into this country. Myanmar, 23 Mar 2002 This morning I met Kelly and her mother Marcie during breakfast. After talking for a while, we decided that we would join forces to rent a car and driver to take us on the "Road to Mandalay". The journey will take us two days to complete when you account for the sightseeing along the way. The cost (including tip) for the car and driver is a very reasonable US$35 each (including tip). This is US$10 less than the cost of the same train journey and it provides us with a much richer experience. After completing our travel arrangements, we then explored Yangon. The undoubted highlight of a visit to Yangon is Shwedagon Paya. This golden pagoda dominates the city, with a 100-meter high golden stupa that is encrusted with 5000 diamonds. And there are reports that a 76-carat diamond was recently discovered when cleaning the top of the stupa. Lonely Planet claims that the stupa is even visible from planes en-route between Bangkok and Kathmandu. Shwedagon Paya is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar. Eighty two beautiful Burmese-styled buildings surround the pagoda, each containing one or more Buddhas. I think that this is probably the most impressive man-made sight of this trip thus far. I spent the afternoon wandering around the other sights of Yangon. These other sights are typical South East Asian city sights... parks, gardens, lakes, pagodas, markets, and so on. There is not much among these sights that warrants much attention. The remnants of colonial architecture that are scattered around the city center however, make for an interesting walk around. While strolling along the waterfront, a young boy selling postcards approached me with the question "What is your country?" After I replied that I was from Ireland, the young fellow offered the informed opinion that "Ireland very good football team". What a knowledgeable young chap I thought to myself. My good impression of his football knowledge didn't last very long, as I encountered the exact same conversation sequence from all of the postcard sellers. I should have had the presence-of-mind to say that I was from Scotland... then I would have known for sure if they were trying to appease me or not :-) One feature of my walks around the city is the frequency with with I am greeted with the phrase "Hello". It seems like everyone in this country knows the word hello and likes to utter it when they come across a foreigner. It's fine for them, they only have to say it once or twice a day. While I have to constantly return the greeting. I wonder if I will be hello-ed out by the end of my stay here. Myanmar people that can speak English are only too happy to strike up a conversation with any foreigner. Today I was approached by several locals who are keen to practice their English. Conversations ranged from telling me about Myanmar, to me telling them about Ireland, to international politics, to sports, and so on. In these conversations, I was struck by the genuine interest displayed by the Myanmar people. Elsewhere in South-East Asia, I am typically sceptical of the motives behind a local conversing with me. My experience is that most people have financial motives for talking to strangers (i.e. they want to sell you something). However Myanmar people appear to have an admirable naivety when it comes to making money from tourists. I suppose that it will remain this way until tourism becomes popular in this country. Officially, the locals are not allowed to discuss politics with me, although don't hesitate to do so when outside the earshot of potential informers. In 1988, the pro-democracy party won the national election with 85% of the vote. The military responded by arresting the party leadership and establishing martial law. They then went on to enact several geographic name changes, restoring the traditional names that their colonial oppressors had changed. Hence the use of Myanmar for when we know as Burma and the use of Yangon for when we know as Rangoon. Myanmar, 24 Mar 2002 Yesterday, Kelly asked when I would like to get going this morning. When I told her that I would like to make a relatively early start, I had no idea that she would end up arranging for a 6.30am start. Obviously some people's definitions of early differ from others! Our driver Aung is a pleasant fellow with reasonably good English. Our car is a Toyota Cresta (possibly better known to you as a Toyota Cressida). Aung explained that the car would have cost about US$2,000 over 12 months ago; that his boss paid US$4,000 for it seven months ago; and that it would now cost over US$10,000 for the car. You can purchase Russian or Chinese cars at a fraction of this price, however, Japanese cars carry a significant and fast-rising premium because of their reliability. Within minutes, we stop at a corner store. Aung explains that he is buying gasoline on the black market. Each day, Myanmar people are allowed to purchase up to two gallons of gasoline from the state-run network of gasoline stations. An official log book that Aung guards with great care keeps tabs on his official gasoline consumption. People that drive cars for a living rely on black-market gasoline to keep their cars on the road. At the state gasoline stations, a gallon costs a mere US$0.25. On the black market, it costs about US$1.50. Our second stop, just a few minutes later, exorcises the bad spirits from our car. For a small donation, an ordinary-looking individual ties a bushel of leaves to the front of the car and recites some incantations while sprinkling water on the car. Aung, with a look of contentment on his face, is now ready to begin the journey in earnest. Almost immediately a dog strays into our path. We felt a short thud and the dog probably felt even less of a thud as he quickly joined the spirit world. Aung was now beside himself with worry that the spirits do not approve of our journey. However, after a short reflection, the mighty dollar overpowered the hold of spirit world and we resumed our journey. Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. However, most vehicles that you encounter on the roads are intended for use on the left-hand side. When subjected to colonial oppression, Burmese drove on the left-hand side of the road. Then, after obtaining independence, they changed to driving on the right-hand side of the road. Proper order too! Supposedly, this change was made because the ruler at the time believed that the right-hand side is more favourable in the spirit world. As you can see, spirit worship (or nat worship) is quiet important in Myanmar. It was the official religion in this country until the relatively recent change to Buddhism and it is still much practiced. After a couple of hours on the road, we came to the city of Bago. Aung gave us a sightseeing tour of Bago. The most interesting sights are the Shwemawdaw Paya, which is 14 meters higher than Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, and the reclining Buddha, which is 9 meters longer than the one in Bangkok. The roads in Myanmar are abysmal. Although they are sealed roads, the number and size of the potholes make the roads less comfortable than an unsealed road. Typical road traffic consists of ox-drawn carts, bicycles, and pedestrians. It is only very occasionally that one encounters another car or a bus. The highlight of the day was a village festival that we happened upon. As we were driving through a village, we saw a large gathering of people and decided to stop and investigate. We discovered that the festivities were to celebrate the ordination of some novice monks. The monks were led through the village on donkeys, with proud parents holding decorative umbrellas above their heads. Then after the procession, the party kicked off, with young girls engaged in traditional dance on a tractor-led trailer and the enactment of a play on the roadside. Before long, we were the center of attention. Kelly said that she got a great photograph of me in the middle of a large swell of entranced locals as I talked to someone who could speak English. After a enjoying the limelight for a while, we resumed our journey. We spent the evening at a guesthouse in the town of Taungoo. The attached restaurant served the most bland Asian food I have ever eaten. It was a real let down. At least the company didn't let me down as Marcie got tipsy and went on to entertain us with the storylines from the past five seasons of the Friends television show. Myanmar, 25 Mar 2002 The eight-hour drive from Taungoo to Mandalay was notable for the large number of forced-labour camps along the route. Gangs of teenage boys and girls were breaking rocks into stones, then crushing those stones even further, then laying the stones, before manually pouring tar over them. After becoming used to seeing heavy machinery perform such tasks in the first world, it is strange to see forced labour do the same job. Apparently, the young boys and girls work for 10 hours a day and receive about US$0.25 for their efforts. After eating my lunch and then my dinner in Mandalay, I have come to the realization that Myanmar food is crap! It might cost a pittance to eat here (lunch for four of us was only US$2), but in my opinion the food is not worth that pittance. We have resolved, for the rest of our time here, to seek out food from other ethnic groups. It is very strange when you first see it, but women and children in Myanmar smear what looks like dirt on their faces. The smears are sometimes circular, but more often than not random. When I first asked about this "dirt" I was told that it was "make up". I have just found out that it is in fact the bark of a certain tree mixed with some water. Myanmar people have traditionally used the resulting paste to act as a sunblock and to supposedly make them look more attractive. I guess mirrors are in short supply! Myanmar, 26 Mar 2002 Mandalay is a sprawling city with half a million inhabitants. Today I got up early and set off on foot to explore the city. Before setting out, I didn't realize just how much walking would be involved. The first sight I visited was Mandalay Hill - a six kilometer walk away. Mandalay Hill is the only hill in the city, providing excellent views of the city and surrounds. Because it is a Buddhist shrine, the climb up the hill must be made in bare feet (you must remove your shoes before visiting any Buddhist temple or shrine). A network of sheltered stairs provided a very interesting ascent of the hill, past a myriad of temples and sights. On the way up the hill, I paused for a while to read my guide book. An hour later, on the way down from the hill, a stranger approached me asking me if I had lost a guide book. He had found the guide book and in his hour-long search for the owner found only one foreigner - me. In an unfamiliar country a guide book is an invaluable commodity, indicating the location of things like guesthouses, transportation hubs, restaurants, and so on. I offered to express my appreciation by giving him some money for seeking me out and returning my much-needed guide book, but he refused. In the end I managed to buy him a bottle of water (about 12 cents in value). The next sight on my agenda was Mandalay Fort and Palace - a three kilometer walk away. Mandalay fort lies behind one of the most impressive moats I have ever seen. I cannot say much about the inside of Mandalay Fort, as much of it is off-limits to foreigners. Tourists are allowed only to pass through one approach of the fort and into the former Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is a fantastic place to relax. Tourists are free to roam around the various unfurnished buildings at their leisure. There are no security guards or attendants to watch over tourists and I took advantage of this fact to relax in the refreshing shade of the Queen's Quarters before continuing on my way. There are a number of billboards in Mandalay that provide messages to the people. These messages warn people that the armed forces are watching them and encourage people to oppose any external influences. These same messages also appear in the daily newspaper and on television each night. One of these messages encourages people to:
This afternoon I enjoyed a late lunch in Marie Min's Vegetarian Restaurant. Finally I enjoy a decent meal and declare Marie Min's to be an oasis in the desert that is Myanmar food. I then explored some of the local markets before meeting up with Kelly and Marcie to plan the following day's activities. It was quiet late after we parted ways. As I was still hungry and as time was of the essence, I thought it prudent to take a rickshaw to the western-oriented BBB Restaurant for a late dinner. My rickshaw driver's name is Ting (please, no jokes about my pronunciation of the word thing). Ting freely told me about his working conditions, starting work at 5am and continuing until he is ready to fall asleep. Then the violins came out and he told me that he rents his rickshaw for 100 kyat a day, but has a family of seven that eat 1,500 kyat worth of food a day. I resisted the temptation to tell him that they should eat less. The poor ting need not have worries... I gave him his inflated 300 kyat fare and a 100 kyat tip. Ting almost kissed me feet, profusely thanking me and promising to "wait for me outside restaurant very long time". Of course he was nowhere to be seen when I emerged an hour later. Myanmar, 27 Mar 2002 Kelly, Marcie, and I hired a taxi to bring us on a tour of the ancient cities that surround Mandalay. I begrudgingly crawled out of bed at 6.30 for a 7.00 start. The first stop on our tour was the town of Paleik and its unimpressive Snake Temple. Paleik is an interesting town, but not interesting enough to get up this early in the morning. The next stop was the rickety old U Bein's Bridge. This bridge is a 1.2 kilometer wooden structure across a large lake. It is very picturesque. My illusions of Myanmar tourist-related naivety were cruelly shattered as child after child approached us with stories about needing money to pay for school. After keeping our money firmly in our pockets, we went to the nearby Kyaw Aung monastery to see the daily feeding of the monks. While it was a wonderful spectacle to see hundreds of monks lined up for their daily dollop of rice, it was an even greater spectacle to see the few tourists that were there scrambling for that perfect "kodak" moment. I was left feeling that the feeding of these noble young monks had been turned into a scene reminiscent of feeding time at the zoo. After another bland lunchtime eating experience, we went to visit Sky Hill in the town of Sagaing. Sky Hill consists of a network of sheltered stairs linking the several pagodas that adorn the hill. The views from the top of the hill were stunning, with scores of golden stupas shooting up through the trees as far as the eye can see. Some of the pagodas play incantations or music over a public address system. The cacophony of sounds is quiet exotic, with prayers and music wafting through the air from all directions. However, the pious mood of the moment was interrupted by the sounds of hits from 70s that were sung in the Myanmar language emanating from one nearby pagoda. There's nothing like a good Myanmar rendition of some Tom Jones songs to generate a relaxing atmosphere! Myanmar, 28 Mar 2002 Farewell Mandalay, bring on Bagan! This morning I arose at the ungodly hour of 4.45am to catch the 6.00am ferry to Bagan. I only decided to come to Myanmar after reading about Bagan. Lonely Planet describes it as one of the two true wonders of South-East Asia (the other being Ankor Wat). The 12-hour ferry ride to Bagan (costong US$16) was a very pleasant experience. It was, without doubt, the most comfortable trip on public transport in South-East Asia. And the scenery was breathtaking, with vast sand banks on either side of the spectacularly-wide river. Immediately upon boarding, I struck up a conversation with Marc, a 28 year old teacher from Huddersfield in England. Marc reminds me of my good friend Robert Strain, both in appearance and in sense of humour. He teaches mathematics at a UN-affiliated school in Hanoi. I was impressed with Marc's in-depth knowledge of such luminaries of the Cork music scene as Microdisney, The Sultans of Ping FC, The Frank and Walters, and Fatima Mansions. I wish I could have returned the favour by talking with him about some Huddersfield bands, but I don't think there are any. At the end of the boat trip, Marc and I shared the expense of a horse and trap to take us to a guest house. We ended up sharing a twin room at the very comfortable and friendly May Kha Lar guesthouse for US$3 each a night. Myanmar, 29 Mar 2002 Today, Marc and I rented bicycles (for about 50 cents) and cycled around the ruins of Bagan. Bagan is a city of ancient temples that has not been inhabited since the thirteenth century. It was built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries in the golden age of Myanmar's history. The kings of the time wanted to build a monument that was a testament to their achievements, so they gathered the artists, artisans, and monks of the time to build the three thousand pagodas that constitutes the city of Bagan. In the middle of the thirteenth century, Kublai Khan ransacked Bagan and it has not been inhabited since. In 1975 there was a large earthquake in Bagan. This earthquake resulted in much damage to some of the buildings. We were shocked to see that some of these buildings had been restored, with fresh bricks and mortar visible in many of the buildings. We were also shocked to see that some of the smaller pagodas had obviously been erected in recent times. We had been expecting to walk among ancient ruins. A local explained that the ongoing construction is due to the fact that Bagan is, even today, a working religious area for many local people. One notable aspect of our day was the lack of security at most pagodas. There appears to be no officials at any of the sights. Marc and I were unsupervised and free to do what we wanted most of the time. The only people that we met were the few vendors that sell souvenirs and cold drinks and the even fewer tourists in the area. After spending the day on bicycles, we took our saddle-weary bums and went for a stroll through town in search of a television showing English football. After a little asking around, two gentlemen led us down a suspiciously dark alley. However, we should have known that there was no need for wariness as our "new friends" took us to a shack housing an illegal satellite dish. At the door, we paid 50 kyat (about 6 cents) for the privilege of watching the Everton versus Newcastle match. Soon after entering, our two "new friends" took us aside and asked us discretely who we thought would win. I, being a fervent Everton supporter, indicated that my loyalties were firmly with the blues. We then realized that most people in the shack were betting on the outcome of the match. Our "new friends" thought that Marc and I, being westerners, might have some inside information that we might share with them. I can only imagine their disillusionment when my tip of Everton went on to lose the game in embarassing fashion. I don't think they will be so quick about asking foreigners for advice in future. Myanmar, 30 Mar 2002 Marc and I rented a car and driver (for a total of US$20) to bring us to Mount Popa and some of the outlying temples of Bagan. Mount Popa is the home of spirit, or nat, worship in Myanmar. The evening was, once again, spent watching English football in a small shack with scores of locals. There was an especially large number of locals this evening to watch the Leeds versus Manchester United match. There were so many people in the hut that it resembled one of those containers smuggling illegal Chinese imigrants to the west. The English league football fans among you might be interested to hear that, even in Myanmar, Diego Forlan is a forlorn figure. For the most part, the denizens of this particular den watch the football matches in eerie silence. This made it all the more striking that a chorus of disapproving groans should rise from the crowd when Forlan was preparing to enter the fray for Manchester United. They know their football, do this lot! Myanmar, 31 Mar 2002 Today I was templed-out and decided to relax for a day. After all, you can only have so much of a good thing. I spent the day reading my book and researching my trip to Cambodia. Myanmar, 01 Apr 2002 I have decided to splurge for a flight back to Yangon. It costs US$13 for a 20-hour bus ride or US$93 for a one-hour flight. Although the US$80 difference seems like a lot of money when you are traveling around these parts, the difference in comfort is well worth the extra money in my opinion. As has been the case with all of my recent flights, we departed a little early. It seems like the airlines leave as soon as everyone is on board. It is a good thing that most people arrive particularly early at airports these days. Back in Yangon, I had a few hours to kill before flying to Bangkok. As I was just settling down to read my book, Claire (who we had been traveling with in Northern Laos) caught sight of me. She had just arrived in Myanmar. We spent the next few hours hanging out in the airport, exchanging tales from our travels. Spending: $350 for 10 nights, including:
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