MYANMAR

Myanmar is the unknown pearl of South-East-Asia; while in counties like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia dozens of tourists are is this country still looking for itself. It just opens up for tourism and foreigners from out of nowhere are standing with enormous amounts before the gates excited to peak in. People smiling, sitting on their ox carts and enjoy their “cheroot” cigars. I heard that people say that Myanmar is the country that resembles an general “Asian” country 75 years ago. Women powder their face with an oker yellow paste against the sun, man wearing “Indian” longhi’s and the country has an gigantic amount of pagoda’s and temples. Big touristic sights include the in the ex capital of Yangon holy temple “Shwedagon” and the thousands pagoda’s on the plains of “Bagan”. Other sights are the city of “Mandalay” with his Royal Palace, the longest teak bridge in the word and the “Inle” lake with his one feet paddling fisherman.

KNOWN FOR:

MUSIC - Song Robbie Williams – “Road to Mandalay”

FASHION - “Thanaka”

WWII - Death Rail Way, the Birma Road and the “Chindits”

CLOTHING - “longyi”,

POLITICS - the “boycott”, the military regimes and “Aung San”.

The missing link

Myanmar is supposedly the missing link between the Indian continent and the “real” South-East-Azia on the other side and has got something of both sides. Still under a military government the Birmese are a mix of several hilltribes where the “Bamar” are the biggest. The others fight here and there still for autonomy and/or independence and because of it big parts of the country are (still) off limits for tourists. A big shame because those are the parts which makes the country all but even better value; what do you think of the biggest tiger reserve in the world, distant hilltribes and villages, high Himalaya snow peaked mountains and beautiful tropical beaches and thick jungle. Without it still Myanmar is an amazing country to visit and although tourism is not big business yet it will soon. New hotels, touroperators, (night)busses, internetconnections, banks with ATM machines and English speaking personnel.

Progression goes a bit fast for some; stray dogs walking without notice across the street while more and more scooters and (expensive) cars are on the street. Ten years ago horse carts, bicycles and wagon lits were the main means for transportation. Myanmar is on the move. A small girl is still smiling on the corner of the street and she hesitates but is curious about those big white foreigners. But who long will this last? Shy “Shan” people want to be on the picture while some are running away from the big camera pointed at them. Guys are laughing when I almost choke in my betelnut that I got for free.

Did you know:

· That the big demonstrations (and riots) started when in 1988 two students groups were arguing about which music should be played in a beerstation?

· That women in Myanmar try to keep their beauty by washing themselves daily with cold water, not to drink alcohol nor use tabac and powder themselves daily with “thanaka”?

· That Myanmar is the second biggest exporter of heroin?

a bit of history

Myanmar knows a long and moving history with several Kingdoms. After three wars with the British which owned already “British India” they also took control over Birma. In WWII most hilltribes choose the side the side of the British and hoped for more autonomy after the war. Only the “Bamar” people backed up with the Japanese to get independency. It became the longest (and probably toughest and most difficult) part of the “Pacific” war and came to an end with the atomic bombs in Japan in August 1945. In 1948 Myanmar became independent with help of the military but after years of problems the military took control in 1961. They destroyed all opposition and in a way nothing changed till the day of today.

spiritual myanmar

The Birmese are proud people (in spite of the corruption, poverty and other problems in the country) and very religious en superstitious. Most of the Birmese are Boeddhist (except for some of the hilltribes) but they also believe in the “nats’ (spirits) that you encounter everywhere in the country in glass boxes. Next to spirituality are family en football very special in Birmese life. Don’t be agitated when the local restaurant owner sums up more football players of your own favorite team.

Of course you can mention a dozen arguments not to visit the country but I can think of even more to come to Myanmar. It sounds even without reason why you should right now and/or when the other parts of the country open up.

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MYANMAR

The missing link

a bit of history

spiritual myanmar

LANDEN: