Monday, December 22, 2008

Intro

At the beginning of the year, I was thinking and planning for my Europe Trip.
However, in view of the current economic situation, I changed my plan and decided to go to somewhere nearer and cheaper.
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I never thought of visiting Myanmar, but i was surprised to hear great remarks about Myanmar from people who had visited it.
In fact, Myanmar is not the kind of place where most tourist visit.
Myanmar don't have the grand monuments like those in Siem Reap, however, their Bagan is equally impressive in their own rights (at least the sunset is definitely better). Compared to its neighbouring countries, it is a hassle to go to Myanmar - getting visa, limited flights, bad infrastructure etc...
And its current political situation and recent turmoils like Cyclone Nargis on May'08 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Nargis) and Myanmar Monk's March'07 ain't helping its tourism industry. It is very very unfortunate, as the living conditions under the military regime is already very difficult.
Not surprisingly, I read a report that the no. of tourist visiting the country is at the record low. And putting things into perspective, there ain't alot of tourists visiting Myanmar previously.
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Another issue that any conscientious traveller would face is
"Should I go to Myanmar?"
Read the article: Should tourists go to Burma?
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I never know that traveling could pose such an ethical dilemma.
After spending 10 brief days in Myanmar, I recommend CONSCIENTIOUS travelers to visit Myanmar. During the trip, I had to ask myself this question constantly - Can I avoid contributing to the government?
For instance: Train would be much more comfortable than bus, but we choose the latter as it was privately operated. Hence, I had NEVER considered taking the train. Yes, I am aware that the bus operator might be taxed by the govt, but that's the best way to avoid benefitting the militant govt.
Fortunately, my travelmate, Jonathan, is a conscientious traveler who don't mind the additional hassle. And I knew that he really wanted to experience the train ride in Myanmar. May be next time when it is not operated by the govt.
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Due to the "barrier to entry", Myanmar is relatively unspoilt, and I find that very attractive. The Burmese people are generally more simple and friendlier. There is a sense of genuity in their kindness. Well, there are definitely some crooks out there, but the generally, I find the people simple and friendly, like Tibetans. =)
To me, this is the beauty of Myanmar.
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Another interesting surprise was the interactions with other travellers. These travellers are interesting and they have their reasons for traveling to Myanmar.
Example: A young french lady who had never visited Asia, and she decided to visit Myanmar only for 3 weeks, as she was frustrated that there was not enough news coverage about Myanmar despite its difficult situation. Hence, she decided to visit Myanmar and see it for herself alone.
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We stayed in the same guesthouse in Bagan. Out of convenience, I rented the bicycle (1,500 kyats - around US$1.50 per day) from the guesthouse. Interestingly, she would walk an additional 200m out of the guesthouse to rent bicycle at the same price and she had to return the bicycle to the kiosk before 9pm (I don't need to). And the reason for doing that???
So that she could distribute her spending in the community.
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That's is SO COOL!!!
I should have done it the same way also.
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Anyway, I hope you are not bored after reading so much. =)
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