 1 Burma/Myanmar general info
 2 Visas, Permits, travel info
 3 more Burma info
 4 Aung San Suu Kyi's Burma
 5 Pyay and Yangoon
 6 Country, geography and history
 7 Langage and place name changes
 8 more Burma info
 9 Madalay
 10 Rangoon
 11 Burma news update
 12 'Burma Shave' US road signs


\1 Burma/Myanmar general info

By air When entering the country, it takes a while to pass customs First you get your entry stamp after you've given 1 application form. Then you receive a tourist card.

Then a dozen of government officials lead you to a counter where everyone has to change 200 US$ in FEC (9/2000). Other currencies like UK DM, French francs and others are equally accepted, and they also accept TC and VISA card (5 commission). When we were there, it was impossible to escape from this procedure. You could try to use these tricks to avoid paying the 200 US$ nowadays (however, remember that for some things you need the FEC's anyway): You might try and argue to change only 200 US$ for the two if you if you only stay for 2 weeks.

You don't have to change FEC's when you are with an organised tour which uses a local agency like Doves Travels or Myanmar travels. In that case however, you will have to take their car and guide.

I read 1 report of someone who booked a very expensive hotel in Yangoon and got a confirmation letter from them. He then applied with this letter for an EVT visa which was granted. This visa exempted him from the 200 US$ change. He subsequently cancelled his reservation.

You could apply for a business visa if you find a company willing to provide you a letter stating you go to Myanmar to explore business opportunities. The visa will be more expensive.

You simply ask to change less and give them a "gift". One report said "Apparently, it seems relatively easy to get less, bribing with 5 or 10 $ the person who shows the window to wait (it will give the instruction to the counter clerk) (6/2000).

Afterwards, you pick up your luggage and you pass through another checkpoint. Here they'll check your luggage. You have to declare everything of value like camera etc... They then give you a form which is pinned in your passport.

Over land It is not possible to enter Myanmar from Thailand for more then 1 day (at least not for non-Thai citizens). You can enter for 1 day but you have to stay in the border town and return the same day. However, this a perfect way to get an exit stamp from Thailand, and then come back again and you'll get a new 30-day visa, f.i. in Taichilek. Other options are Muse and Kawthoung. This procedure will cost you 5 US$ (11/98).

By boat It is possible to enter Myanmar for 1 day by boat from Thailand over Kawthoung. There's even a guesthouse in Phuket (Jimmy's Light House) which organises tours to do this.

Getting out of the country The international departure tax is 10 US$ (2/99).

Getting into town Taxi's into the center only cost between 1 and 3 US$ for the 25 km ride.

Permits The military junta (SLORC) controls the country with an iron fist, so a lot of places are off limits to foreigners. In the tourist triangle of Yangoon-Mandalay-Inle Lake-Bagan you don't need a permit. Also Pathein, Ngapali beach and even Mrauk U can be visited without permit (though sometimes only if you take a plane). It's difficult to give firm guidelines here, since they change almost every day, so you need to check for the latest developments at the MTT (Myanmar Travel & Tours) office (01/78376) right beside Sule Paya at the intersection of Sule Road and Mahabandoola St. It is run by the government, and they sell you only the expensive tours, but you can get your info and permits here. At the tourist places, you have to pay a government tax. This can be in temples, ruins or even in a city.

Money matters There are 3 currencies in Myanmar: KYAT is the national currency FEC is the currency installed by the government to "help you to get rid of your US$". The locals can have them too. 1 FEC = 1 US$. US$: Officially you're supposed to change all your US$ in FEC's first. However, the 300 FEC's you've gotten at the airport should suffice, and you can then change your US$ on the black market into Kyats.

If you change money at the bank, you will get 6 Kyats for 1 FEC, however at the black market you will get 350 to 380 Kyat for 1 FEC (8/2000)!!! Use your 300 FEC's as much as possible for the official things like airtickets, long busrides, airporttax, hotels etc...

TC's are not generally accepted, unless you change them into FEC's. It's almost impossible to get cash advances with your creditcard. You can pay airline tickets and expensive hotels with them. Note that Mastercard is no longer accepted since they've withdrawn from the country. It's very easy to change money on the black market. Everyone will offer you to change. Best places are hotels, restaurants and shops.

Hotels Since tourism has dropped a bit, prices of hotels have also dropped a bit. You can roughly distinguish 3 types of hotels: Top class hotels which you only find in Yangoon and Bagan, f.i. Trades Hotel, The Strand Hotel... Prices go from 150 to 1000 US$ a night. You'll find middle class hotels in the big cities. In the smaller cities they are top class, and you can have them for 20 to 70 US$. Budget hotels and guesthouses can be found everywhere. They are mostly cheap, clean, friendly and safe with prices from 1 US$ to 15 US$.

Even in the touristic places the budget hotels are very cheap. A room with private bathroom, fan and even AC will cost no more then 6 US$ for a double. This also includes breakfast. Remember that the government cuts down power supply every day for a couple of hours, so your AC might not work for some time unless the hotel has its own generator. Always have your torch or candlelight ready. Hotels can only accept tourists if they have a permit. The permit is usually exposed behind the desk. Take care, because people can get in trouble for giving you lodging without having a permit. Prices of hotels in Yangoon are more expensive. A budget hotel costs around 10 to 16 US$ for a double (10/98). Here are some examples of hotels we stayed in (prices for a double room 10/98 including breakfast, rooms have private bathroom, fan and sometimes AC): Yangoon White House Hotel 14 US$ Yangoon Beautyland Hotel 12 US$ (www.myanmar.com/beauty)

Mandalay ET hotel 10 US$ Mandalay Royal guesthouse 6 US$ Nyaungshwe Great Star Hotel 4 US$ Bagan Eden Hotel 4 US$ Pyay Hotel Myatt 8 US$ Bago Hotel Emperior 10 US$

Safety For the tourist - The people in Burma are very friendly and polite. So for the tourist, it is a very safe country. Robberies and thefts are rare. Since y'all didn't bring no shit, we don't gotta talk bout dat.

For the people of Myanmar - The SLORC controls the country with an iron fist. Even today a lot of people are forced to work for the government. Human rights are violated constantly, so don't bring people into trouble by not paying taxes, talking politics, crossing borders without permit...

Weather Best time to travel to Myanmar is the dry season from November till February, with December probably being the best. March and April are dry but very hot. It's not adviseable to go during the monsoon season. It rains heavily several times a day and the sky is grey. If you want to know what the weather will be in Myanmar for the next 4 days, go to the CNN page and click on the city you want to go to http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/cities/asiapcf.html

What to take Here are some items you best bring with you for your visit: Tampons Sleeping sheet Mosquito net Sun protection Medication Flashlight Products for lenses A good book on Bouddhism

Going or not? I don't want to get involved in the discussion to either visit or boycot the country. I think everybody should read about the country and then decide for himself. However, there are some things worth mentionning: You can spend as much money as possible with the local people and not with the government owned businesses. The people of Myanmar are very happy to see you so they know they are not isolated and they get information. Don't take a package tour, go on your own !!!

TRANSPORTATION - Flights within Myanmar. There are 3 companies in Myanmar, and 2 of them have a website where you can check schedules: Myanmar airways (their server is not always online), Yangon Airways

Sometimes you need to take a plane because you don't get a permit over land. There are about 60 airports in Myanmar, but you cannot get to all of them. Currently a new intl airport is being built in Bago. Here are some prices for an idea, they change often: Yangoon-Mandalay: 100-150 US$ Yangoon-Bagan: 100-150 US$ Yangoon-Sitwe: 100-120 US$ Mandalay-Bagan: 100 US$

There are conflicting reports whether you can buy cheaper tickets at the airlines themselves or at a travel agent. A return ticket from/to Bangkok costs 155 US$, 2 flights a day (8/2000).

Domestic boat trips Myanmar has a lot of transport through its rivers, but it's not often used by tourists. The boat from Mandalay to Bagan is the most famous. There is now a fast boat connecting these 2 cities. It leaves at 6 am and arrives at 4 pm. There's a bar and a small restaurant. The trip from Bagan to Pyay should be great, but no one could tell us when the boat would arrive or leave. There's also a boat from Yangoon to Sitwe, but it's usually fully booked and passengers are chosen like in a lottery.

Bus Long distance bus The roads in Myanmar are very bad, oo transportation by road is hard and long. There are several big buscompanies doing the touristic route: Yangoon-Mandalay: it takes 13 hours with 3 stops. Price is about 2000 Kyat pp with Leo express. Mandalay-Inle Lake: there's a big bus with Honey Express. It costs 1300 Kyat and it takes 8 hours. The pick-up takes 10 hours and costs 700 Kyat, several companies offer this trip.

In all the cities, you can find small pick up trucks going to another town. For small trips (less then 4 hours) this can be OK, but for longer trips it'll be much harder. These pick ups are extremely crowded taking about 30 to 40 passengers while normally only 15 are allowed. Some companies don't allow foreigners on the bus because they don't have a licence to do so.

Public transport in the cities Public transport in the cities is also done with pick up trucks. It's very uncomfortable, but it's a great way to get to know the local people. One thing to remember: women are not allowed on the roof if there's a monk on the bus.

Train The train system in Myanmar is old, slow, noisy, crowded, but also cheap and great to meet the local people. On many touristic routes, prices are fixed by the government. For Yangoon-Mandalay, they charge an incredible 45 US$. Trains to non-touristic spots are very cheap: 2 US$ for the 2 hour ride to Bago. There are 2 classes: high and ordinary with respectively soft and hard benches.

Taxi Only around Yangoon you will find taxis. They are very cheap. Either they have a meter, otherwise you should make a deal on the price on beforehand. Taxi from the airport charges between 1 and 3 US$. You can also rent a car with driver in Yangoon to go into the country. For a trip of 14 days, this will cost you 350 US$, but this does not include the price of the food and lodging of the driver.

Renting a bike In small villages, the bike is the most important means of transportation. At Inle Lake and Bagan, we rented a bike and it's a really great way to explore the country. Don't forget to take plenty of water. Expect to pay about 100 Kyats for the day.

You'll find rickshaws in every city. It's very cheap, but always set your price on beforehand. Count on 50 Kyat for 15 minutes. Your driver can also be a good guide. We rented a rickshaw in Mandalay for the whole day for 500 Kyat. A lot of horsecarts are still riding in the country. In Bagan, you can rent one for 800 Kyat for 6 hours.

Renting a car It's better not to rent a car. A car with driver will be hardly more expensive, and you won't have problems with safety, finding the way etc... A van for 7 passengers with driver for 7 days should cost about 300 US$. http://www.1000traveltips.org/general6.htm

Pakoku from Bagan. This little village 3 hours by boat north of Bagan is an ideal resting place to get a feel for river life. ... Putao at ehe northern exterme of Myanmar is a snow-capped town. the town itself is surrounded by the snow-clad mountains and evergreen forest. The people earn their living by paddy cultivation in the lower plains of the valley. Orchids, grape fruit, honey and wax are famous products in Putao. Ma Chan Baw is a fascinating village, which is 19 Km away from putao, and ancient Mahamuni Pagoda built by Sawb-was or local governors is only 3.6 Km away from Putao.

The Little Known Snow-Land of Myanmar (by Sai Aung Tun) Would any body believe that there exists a snow-land in a tropical country like Myanmar? Well, there does. There is place in the northernmost region of Myanmar surrounded by ranges of snow-capped mountains. If one flies from Myitkyina, the capital of the Kachin State, for about 220 miles north, one will come to a small town called Putao. Putao is a beautiful remote town in northern Myanmar. Situated between 26 42 and 27 55 North Latitude and between 96 53 and 97 45 East Longitude it has an area of 2105.559 square miles and about 1347494 acres with a population of 59565.

The Putao Township's boundaries touch with Machambaw in the east, Sombrabum in the South, Ta Naing in the west and India in the north. Putao is a horseshoe shaped township with a large area of fertile plain suitable for cultivation of various crops. It is surrounded by snowcapped ranges of beautiful mountains from north to south. It stands at a height of 1374.4 feet above sea level. The winter lasts longer than the summer. But sometimes it is subject to frequent and drastic changes of weather. Rainfall varies from 127 .32 to '84.7 .7 and the warmest period is from June to August with a temperature of about 36.8 C. The coldest period starts from November and lasts until February with a temperature of 03.8 Centigrade. The national races, who live together harmoniously in the place are, Ra Wan, Lisu, Tai Hkamti, Jingh-paw, Myanmar, Chinese, Lahu, Kayin, Indian and Rakhine. Freedom of worships is guaranteed to all these nationalities and there are those who embrace Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and even animism.

Legends have it that Putao was established by an old pious Hkamti Shan called Pu Taung. He led the Tai ethnic group to settle in this area and establish a village named after him. As non-Hkamti people could not pronounce it properly it came to be known as Putao for the British and Pu-Tar-O for the Myanmar. In days gone by the whole of this region was known as Hkamti Long which is also a Hkamti Shan word which literally means "Great Place of Gold". "Hkam" is gold "Ti" is place and "Long" is great.

Putao is also well-known for its old for which was built under British rule. When the Khamti Long area was brought under British administration, a Mr. W.A. Hertz was assigned to Putao as the first Resident of the British Government. The fort was named "Fort Hertz" in his honour. The construction of the fort started from the base of a mountain range on the north side of Putao and stretched up along the upward slope to the highest point of the range. If a visitor standing on the summit looks down at the base of the fort, he will see a vast area of cultivated paddy fields and number of creeks, streams and rivulets zizagging across the fertile plain and finally merging into a big river called Nam Kiao. At the site of the fort one can still see some vestiges of the past such as an old military barracks, some rusty armouries, and an old bungalow. But now the place has been taken over by the government for the Myanmar Police Force of Putao township. Around the fort has now sprung up many new buildings, housing various government department as Putao has now become the capital of the region. The Hkamti Long area is very rich in natural resources both under and above ground. These resources are still waiting to be exploited.

The Govt has now launched a pgm of all-round development for the people of this area. New roads are being made and old ones repaired for better comm with the neighbouring townships. To upgrade the educational standard of the national races of this area, the Ministry of Education has opened 89 schools, two High Schools, five Middle Schools and eighty two primary schools. Two hospitals have been built to meet the health needs of the people, one in Putao itself and the other in Mulashidee. Eleven dispensaries have been established in various villages nearby Putao. Cultivable lands are being expanded and Paddy cultivation is encouraged to meet the needs of the growing population. A fund and loan programme to help the farmers has also been introduced by the government. Agricultural and farm equipment and tractors of different sizes have also been provided to help boost the production of paddy. The gradual introduction of mechanized farming methods is also being undertaken to help promote better yields of crops. Poultry farming is being promoted and citrus farming has been expanded rapidly not only to meet the demands of the consumers in the region but also of the people in all parts of Myanmar. New dams and irrigation canals have been constructed to conserve the water that might be needed for cultivation in the new areas.

At the moment Putao is accessible only by air and for better landing facilities the air field is being extended and a new terminal has been built to meet the growing number of air travellers. A motor road connects Myitkyina and Putao, but it will have to be carefully maintained to withstand frequent landslides and erosion caused by heavy rains.

However, there will soon come a time when tourists and visitors will be able to go to Putao for recreation and to gaze at the ever green forests of the area and the stunning beauty of the snowcapped mountains. These snow-white peaks with vast potentials are there, waiting to welcome the investors who will be able to turn this little-known snow-land of Myanmar into a well-known winter resort in the chain of eco-tourist attractions stretching across the globe.

Hkkaborazi Protected Area which covers 3,812 square kms and the head waters of the great Ayeyawady River. Tarong tribe is an endangered race of diminutive people none of whom are more than 4 feet in height. Wild orchids, nineteen species of pine, one hundred and thirty four avian species were also recorded, among them being two on the endangered list, the impeyan pheasant and the blood pheasant. Fitten rare species of pheasant were also observed, including the

The Hkkaborazi region is the home of the rare "blue sheep", the Red Goral, the Takin, the Serow and the Black barking Deer. The richness of its biodiverisity deserves to as well as hardy ecotourists and mountaineers who prefer the challenge of a testing back-packing trip in the mountain fastnesses of Myanmar to a tour of rountine tourist attractions in the more accessible urban centres. The Hkkaborazi region was designated a Protected Area on Jan 30, 1996.

Ma Chan Baw is accessible through Mayihka susp-ension bridge by enjoying the natural beauty of the Maylihka River. Seeing the whole region surrounded by the snow clad mountains and forest is very enjoya-ble. And then, hill-tribes such as Lisu, Rawang, Kha-nti-shan, and Jingphaw are very attactive to ecotourists.

Mandalay Airport is the first stop on the way to Mogok. If you are not in a hurry, take the train from Yangoon and 12 - 20 hours later you may arrive in Mandalay. We chose to fly in very comfortably with Mandalay Airways. Seated in a very modern French turbo-prop plane (the pilot was also French). The charming stewardesses served pieces of coffee candy on board and we arrived in Mandalay 1 1/2 hours after departing from Yangoon.

Mandalay Hill On the way in from the airport you drive on this beautiful boulavard. Lush green trees to the left and the right. In the back is the famous "Mandalay Hill" is a monastry on top.

Bikers Point - This is your means of transportation in Mandaly. It is a true bikers' city. Cars are in the absolute minority and the respect and care that drivers take when passing a biker is unbelievable. At times they politely ask the biker to move a little so as to pass. Truly, you will never see such polite car drivers as in Burma.

Excursion to Burma. Escaping the modern world on a boat trip through the Mergui Archipelago, where few foreigners have ventured By Frank Langfitt Baltimore Sun Jul 10 2001

As Paul, our dive guide, drifted over a head of coral, his body stiffened. Wheeling around wide-eyed, he put an open hand on top of his head like a fin -- the universal signal for "shark." Inside a coral crevice on the sandy bottom lay a pair of gray nurse sharks, the longer of which appeared to be more than 6 feet.

I was relieved. Nurse sharks are bottom feeders and don't attack. These were big ones, so I dived down for a better look. The hail of bubbles and flailing limbs proved too much for the timid fish. They wriggled about, kicking up clouds of sand while searching for a place to hide. Paul surfacdd and yelled across the water to the sailboat that we'd found sharks.

"This is supposed to be an incentive for us to get in?" asked Bea, who was sitting on deck and preferred her sharks behind glass. By the time Paul returned below the surface, the sharks had disappeared beneath a coral ledge, but they would live on in our dinner conversations aboard the Gaea, the 51-foot trimaran we called home for nearly a week.

It was our fourth day amid the empty islands of the Mergui Archipelago on the southern coast of Myanmar -- or Burma, as it is still widely known. In addition to the sharks, we'd seen some fishing boats, visited a village of sea gypsies and crossed paths with a Burmese naval vessel.

That was it. No other tourists -- and sometimes, when we scanned the horizon at dawn, no one at all.

In a world of six billion people, where you can phone home from the Great Wall or watch Jennifer Lopez videos on the Vietnamese coast, the search for authentic travel experiences has become increasingly difficult. Each year, people must go farther and farther to find places untouched by American pop culture and unfiltered by the tourism industry.

The myth of unspoiled lands has fueled the Western imagination for generations, spawning novels ranging from James Hilton's "Lost Horizon" to Alex Garland's "The Beach," which was set on an island in Thailand and made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The reality is that most of the best spots in Asia were "discovered" long ago.

Thailand's resort island of Phuket complements its beaches and limestone karst formations with go-karts, bungee-jumping and "Dino Park," a dinosaur-theme miniature golf park with an erupting volcano. These days, tour buses pull up to the ruins of Cambodia's Angkor Wat, which were deserted a few years ago because of civil war and fear of land mines.

The Mergui is one of the last great places in the hemisphere to be spared from the cultural Cuisinart of globalization. The islands have remained largely unchanged because of self-imposed isolation by Burma's repressive military regime.

Cut off from the world for more than half a century, the Mergui comprises some 800 wooded, tropical islands covering about 10,000 square miles in the Andaman Sea, which lies just north of the Indian Ocean. The islands are filled with wildlife, including hornbills, sea eagles, heron, python, macaques, wild pigs and elephants. Other than the village of sea gypsies and fishermen, there are no other people.

Just opened to tourism. My wife, Julie, and I first heard about the Mergui a couple of years ago over dinner in Beijing. We were out with fellow journalists who raved about a sailboat trip they'd taken in Burma.

The voyage sounded wonderful: sea kayaking amid mangroves and caves as well as snorkeling and scuba diving on isolated reefs. What made the Mergui so attractive, though, was that few people had ever been there. The islands only opened to tourism in early 1997, when two brothers from Britain, Graham and Adam Frost, negotiated an agreement with the Burmese government to take passengers there.

Last April, with Julie expecting a baby in several months, we booked two bunks on the Gaea as a last hurrah of pre-parental travel and flew to Thailand, where the Frosts' company, South East Asia Liveaboards, is located.

We were nervous about spending so much time on a boat. The Gaea sleeps eight and we didn't know who else would be aboard. Our concerns dissolved the morning we arrived at the office and found out that no one else had booked the trip. We would have the boat to ourselves for six days.

The night before, we had had dinner in Phuket with a fellow correspondent, Miro Cernetig of the Globe and Mail in Toronto, and his wife, Bea, who happened to be in town. When we learned the next morning that the other cabins were empty, I called Miro and Bea and made my pitch: six days on the water in Burma kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling. Because of the short notice, the company would offer them 40 percent off.

Bea, half asleep, handed the phone to Miro, who was stepping out of the shower. "Call me in 10 minutes," he said. When I called back, Miro said, "We're packed." After a flurry of calls to change flights and hotel reservations, we set off in a van up the coast, leaving the heavy development of Phuket behind.

Five hours later, we arrived in Ranong, a Thai port town at the mouth of the Pakchan River, across the water from Burma. After a brief stop at Thai immigration, we loaded our bags into a wooden long-tail boat for the 30-minute trip across the river. Although still in Thailand, we felt as if we'd already entered another country. Row after row of stilt houses made of plywood and corrugated aluminum lined the riverbanks. The harbor was jammed with long-tail boats, so named because of the huge, egg-beater engines drivers wield like giant weed whackers.

"This is like the Mekong," Miro said, "only better." Both of us had traveled by boat through Vietnam's Mekong Delta, a latticework of bridges, canals and tributaries filled with boat traffic that has emerged as a tourist attraction in the past decade. Ranong had some of the same qualities, but here we were the only foreigners.

After crossing the brackish, choppy water, we pulled up to a white shack on concrete stilts. Tires dangled from ropes along the side and the red, white and blue Burmese flag flapped from the roof. It was the first stop in what turned out to be a surprisingly casual immigration process.

Our guide, Paul, from Birmingham, England, hopped out. After a customs official did a cursory head count of our boat, we pulled into Kawthoung, a thriving Burmese port. The second phase of immigration was even more relaxed. We sat down at a bar, ordered several mugs of Myanmar Beer and handed our photos and passports to Tom, an amiable guide ostensibly assigned by the Burmese Tourist Ministry to keep an eye on us.

Tom went off to collect our visas; we went strolling around town. It was a Sunday afternoon, and swerving motorbikes filled the city's dirt streets. Kawthoung is a mix of fading colonial architecture and new buildings with names such as the "Honey Bear Hotel," built on a distant dream of tourist dollars.

It is also home to one of the more squalid open-air markets I've seen in Asia. We weaved past stalls where dead fish lay rotting in plastic pales blanketed with flies and women sat cross-legged on wooden pallets hacking away at chicken necks. The meat, which stank, had been out for hours. The air was so hot that our arms, faces and backs dripped with sweat.

With the paperwork finished, we boarded the Gaea and prepared to weigh anchor. Paul lighted a long string of firecrackers adorned with the Chinese characters for "Double Happiness," a ritual designed to bring good luck and impress passengers. The explosion sent bits of red paper flying at us across the deck. The staccato blasts echoed off the hillsides nearby.

Lonely beaches, clear water. The Gaea was simple and cozy. Three of the four cabins lay inside the boat's wooden pontoons and were really no more than narrow passageways with shelf-like beds. Because of the heat, we usually slept on deck, lying on blue cushions and covered with beach towels. It was lovely when we were motoring along and the boat gently rocked back and forth beneath the stars. It was dreadful when the Burmese deck hand snored.

The boat was equipped with a bathroom and a hand-held shower. There was a cramped kitchen with two burners, wicker cabinets and several coolers filled with ice, sodas and a seemingly endless supply of food. The boat's electrical system had its idiosyncrasies: The captain had to turn on the engine to operate the toaster.

The first day, we were under way until 2 a.m. When we awoke the next morning, we were surrounded by several jungle islands, each with its own crescent-shaped beach. As the pink light of dawn hung on the horizon, Miro and I leapt into the clear, green water and swam for the nearest beach.

Like most of the islands we saw, this one began with a lip of sand and then rose quickly in a tangle of vines and trees up steep limestone rocks. Julie said the foliage reminded her of the shoreline along Loch Raven. She had a point, but I couldn't imagine telling friends back home: "You've got to go to Burma, it's just like Baltimore County."

The archipelago's clean water and many untouched forests stand in stark contrast with the squalor of Kawthoung, but there are increasing signs of human encroachment. Along the beach lay plastic water bottles tossed from the growing number of boats that come to exploit the area through illegal logging and dynamite fishing.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, croissant, pineapple, toast and sausage, we boarded sea kayaks and paddled along the island's edge. The area teemed with life, including kingfishers and fluorescent green crabs, which darted along the rocks. A sea eagle plunged beneath the surface and emerged with a fish between its talons. The rocky coastline swallowed up the water and spit it out in waves and rivulets.

We came upon a cave filled with hundreds of swallows. After we paddled in backward, the swallows roared out over our heads, blackening the sky. As a swell rolled into the cave, we paddled out furiously to avoid being pulled in deeper and smashed against the rocks.

That afternoon, we made our way toward the Mergui's only settlement, a village of about 400 sea gypsies and 200 Burmese fishermen who live in stilt houses along a beach. The sea gypsies, known as the Moken, are Southeast Asian nomads who speak their own language and travel from island to island in flotillas. They collect seashells, hunt sea turtles and seem to do little else. First encountered by the British in 1826, they had fiercely resisted integration. The Burmese corralled them into a government-built village six years ago.

Many of the gypsies, whose faces are dark from the sun and whose teeth are yellowed from a lifetime without fluoride, seemed friendly. Young mothers held their children up for us to see as we strolled past their homes. Others, though, exuded the sort of toughness one might expect from a life spent largely on the sea. Some young women walked around with cheroots -- cigars -- sticking out of their mouths.

It was hard to know if the sea gypsies liked their new, sedentary life, because we couldn't speak their language. We visited a 62-year-old monk, who lived on a hill above the town and spoke Burmese, the country's dominant tongue with an alphabet comprised of various circular and horseshoe-shaped letters. We gave him several cans of Coke and Sprite -- valuable commodities when the nearest cold soda is at least 10 hours away by boat. Then we sat down on rattan mats and asked questions as Tom translated.

The monk said the sea gypsies found the island hard to farm and complained about the lack of food. But they also thought the village safer than the open sea. Two weeks earlier, a sea gypsy had been gunned down when robbers attacked his boat and stole his engine. (Adam Frost, co-owner of South East Asia Liveaboards, says the Mergui is perfectly safe for tourists and that none of the company's boats has ever been threatened, followed or stopped.)

Trading with fishermen. The next two days were filled with snorkeling, kayaking and wildlife. We paddled up a clear river with a sandy bottom to gaze at pythons wrapped like ribbons around tree branches. We meandered through a maze of mangroves that hung down like slalom gates.

As we anchored one evening, hundreds of flying foxes flew past the moon. At sunset, Julie and I drifted quietly toward a beach in a kayak as a troop of macaques wandered along the sand hunting for crabs. One morning, a small fishing boat approached. The skipper cut the engine and guided his craft toward ours, moving the rusty rudder back and forth with his bare foot. A crew member held out a silver fish like a tiny billboard.

The fishermen had been on the water for 10 days and had little to show for it but grimy clothes. In an act of charity, we traded a couple of packets of cheroots and cigarettes for the silver fish and two dead crabs. That evening, our cook, a Thai named Mee, steamed fresh crabs. Julie, who grew up in Baltimore, demonstrated how to pick them Maryland-style.

Food was good and plentiful aboard the Gaea. Breakfasts usually included eggs, bacon, papaya and mango. Dinners were often built around Thai seafood and a mound of rice. Mee cooked it all shirtless, his back painted with a tattoo of a dragon and what looked like a pagoda. A man of few words, Mee sat on deck in the evenings, scraping knives on a sharpening stone.

With two days left on our trip, a voice crackled over the radio one morning: "Have an urgent message for one of your passengers -- Frank. His editor wants him to call immediately." This is the last message a foreign correspondent wants to hear on vacation anywhere, let alone the Andaman Sea. The information was sparse: American and Chinese planes had collided. Jumbo jets? We didn't know.

"I hope it wasn't a U.S. military plane," Miro said. We motored two hours across the water to a dive boat where I used a satellite phone to call my editor in Baltimore. The People's Liberation Army was holding a U.S. spy plane and its crew of 24 on Hainan, China's tropical island province. "It would be good if you could get back to Beijing as soon as you can," my editor said.

The trip was over. Unable to make port by the time immigration closed, we took a final snorkel and dive before setting off through the night and arriving in Kawthoung at dawn. Along the way, we thought about all the islands and empty beaches we had seen that week and knew that some day the Mergui would change. In some ways, it already had.

On our last day we saw dozens of dead puffer fish floating on the surface where fishermen had recently used dynamite. In the hills, we heard the whine of chainsaws wielded by illegal loggers. We could only hope that when development comes, it doesn't destroy the very things that draw people here. We knew we were lucky to have seen it now.

When you go... Getting there: Round-trip flights from Baltimore to Phuket start at about $1,000. Connecting service is available on China Airlines. You can either fly from Bangkok into Phuket and spend the night or fly directly to Ranong, which is on the Thai-Myanmar border. SE Asia Liveaboards, 225 Rat-U-Thit 200 Year Road, Patong, Phuket, 83150 Thailand. T: 011 (66) 76 340-406 or seal-asia.com

Rates: $958, plus $100 Customs Entry Permit (includes 30-day visa). Price includes all meals, sodas and round-trip transport by van from Phuket to Ranong and the boat, which is berthed in Myanmar.

 The "Adventure Cruise" includes six days and nights on the trimaran Gaea, with a crew of five and accommodations for eight guests. The trip includes snorkeling, scuba diving, sea, river and potentially surf kayaking as well as hiking. The number of dives range from six to eight. Best conditions: four to six passengers. Best time to go is the dry season, October to mid-May.

Should you go to Burma? This is worth pondering. The country is run by a military dictatorship, which refused to give up power despite losing national elections in 1990. The regime continues to abduct, torture and kill opponents. Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and democratic opposition leader, has urged tourists to avoid Myanmar to deny foreign currency to the regime and pressure it to change.

Watching tourism surge and hard currency flow into its former Third World neighbors such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, the generals of SLORC (the State Law and Order Restoration Council) figured that their own ancient temples, smiling people and steaming jungles were ripe for the picking--so they bulldozed villages, press-ganged the citizenry into slave labor and started razing the rainforest. Oh, isn't that how you attract tourists?

The generals' bizarre version of tourism, human rights and overall heavy-handedness has made Burma (whoops, Myanmar) the most politically incorrect destination on earth. While its buddies along the Pacific Rim sponsor tourism and award lucrative contracts to companies to build up the infrastructure and create tourist attractions, Myanmar saves a few bucks by having its general population do it--at gunpoint.

A few tourists showed up for the heavily promoted Visit Myanmar Year 1996 (which actually ran until the end of 1997 so the numbers would look good), but had to duck out of the way of occasional student demonstrations, mobs of SLORC Youth skinheads and truckloads of pissed-off Buddhist monks firebombing Muslim mosques. Yes, there's been a flood of foreign investment here over the last couple of years, mostly by ASEAN countries tucked behind the bombastic banner of "constructive engagement." And, yes, new hotels are springing into the Rangoon (Yangon) skyline like mushrooms after a May shower. But the high-tech and electonics industries are a little more hesitant. You see, unauthorized possession of a fax machine, modem and even a walkie-talkie is punishable by several years imprisonment. Sort of limits the market.

Then there are the drug lords. Notorious Khun Sa, who once supplied the U.S. with more than half of its heroin, "surrendered" to SLORC in January 1996. His brutal punishment? A cushy villa in Yangon, 10 personal aides, four cars, a military escort, a personal Taiwanese doctor, a hotel and real estate empire, twice-weekly golf outings with the generals and the concession to run Yangon's bus system. He supplements his income with a line of ladies' shoes that fetch 20 grand a pair. That's what we call doing time.

To keep the "Prince of Death" (as Khun Sa translates into) in retirement funds, the generals look the other way while he runs a chain of methamphetamine factories ringing the Thai and Laos borders that rivals the number of Iowa's Pizza Huts. Yaa baa, as the Thais call it, has become all the rage in Thailand, where everyone from school kids to truck drivers gobble the stuff down like breath mints. It has killed hundreds. To get more of the youngsters hooked, Mr. K's freedom-fighters-turned-jungle-chemists coat the little devils with chocolate. Yummy.

There's also the ugly boil on SLORC's smiling face; the insurgent Karen National Union (KNU) has been slugging it out in a jungle rumble with various Yangon regimes since 1948 for a defined homeland, making its efforts the longest running rebellion in Southeast Asia. SLORC, trying to rake the leaves in its back yard as it enters ASEAN, has pushed more than 100,000 Karen refugees into camps in Thailand over the last few years. An early 1997 dry season offensive--which all but wiped out the KNU--sent some 20,000 people streaming across the border alone, many recounting horrific tales of rape and torture at the hands of the libido-savaged Burmese regulars along with their doped-out DKBA stooges--former freedom fighters who sold out to SLORC for a crate of AKs and some syringes. Between SLORC, the KNU and Aung San Suu Kyi--the Nobel prize-winning activist who was officially released after six years of house arrest but may as well still be under it--Myanmar makes for a bad soap opera. But let's go back a bit. In keeping with the trend among developing and newly independent states to throw off the stigma of their colonial past, Burma became Myanmar in 1989 in a Joe Mobutu-like attempt to instantly decolonize the country. (Burma has always been called "Myanma"--that's right, no 'r'--in the Burmese language.) Somerset Maugham turned in his grave when Rangoon became Yangon and the Irrawaddy became Ayeyarwady.

SLORCies and their fans will point out that Myanmar has been a nation of bellicose rulers and brutal suppression since 2500 B.C., when the Yunnan enslaved the Pyus along the upper Ayeyarwady River. Throughout its various occupations by the Mons, the Arakanese, the British and the Japanese, there have been tales of ruthless excess and exotic splendor. Unlike the nepotistic concept of royal hierarchy in Western countries, it was considered normal for Burmese rulers to exterminate heirs, rivals or the offspring of rivals. Until the mid-1800s, Burmese rulers burned, beat and drowned not only any potential claimants to the throne but also their children and servants. Hey, so what's the big deal about enslaving a few thousand peasants to build a road?

Today, the despotism continues. It's called something right out of a "Get Smart" episode: SLORC. A foreboding name in a forbidding land.

Myanmar was cocooned from the world by General Ne Win, who seized power in 1962. His 26-year reign plunged Myanmar backwards. He ruled until 1988, when pro-democracy demonstrators won and Ne Win stepped down. But the military refused to honor the results of an election it itself organized. More than 3000 Burmese protestors were killed when SLORC wrested control of the government in a military crackdown. The 80-something Ne Win lives in the shadows and is a close friend of current intelligence chief Major-General Khin Nyunt. The 21-member military junta of General Than Shwe continues to violently suppress dissidents and uprisings, and has firmly consolidated its vise on the nation by coming to "peace terms" with 15 of the 16 active rebel factions in Myanmar. Only the KNU continues to snipe at Burmese troops in remote jungle hamlets in the southeast of the country, but to date can claim no town as its base.

The current boy's club government has started to lure a steady stream of politically incorrect, eager investors, but the bulk of the 42 million Myanmars are condemned to exist on an average per-capita income of US$200. Even the normally idealistic causes of insurgent groups have been replaced by the need for profits from opium production. In getting ready for Visit Myanmar Year 1996, and true to form, the government--to prepare for the jumbo jet-loads of camcording Honshu islanders--chain-ganged not only criminals and dissidents, but regular folks to help rebuild monuments, palaces, temples and attractions. In Mandalay, the junta ordered each family to contribute at least three days of free labor. Mandalayans could pay US$6 a month to be exempted from this drudgery. The average wage is about $6 a week in Mandalay.

There are an estimated 26,000 insurgents in and around Myanmar fighting for various causes at any one time, though most of them have at least temporarily laid down their arms through various peace (and drug profit sharing) agreements with SLORC. But figuring out who's fighting who is like getting an urchin out of a gill net. The military regularly abducts villagers in rural areas to serve as porters in its war against the insurgents, and to build roads to get there. Porters also come in handy after razing and pillaging refugee camps inside Thailand; their wives make suitable disposable lovers.

The forbidden zones and the Golden Triangle may lure adventurers, but there is little to see or do in these mostly rural and deforested areas. As the government creates an uneasy but profitable peace with rebel groups, more and more areas will open up to tour bus-bottomed "adventurers." In many places, you will be expected to have an MTT guide, who's very disinterested in anything adventurous.

Myanmar - The Scoop Rangoon (whoops, Yangon) has the feel of 1938 Berlin. To hell with a cop on every corner, this place has got a loaded troop carrier on every corner. If it isn't NLD college kids out for a Sunday stroll en masse, truckloads of pissed Buddhist monks (or "external stooges" dressed up like monks, according to SLORC) are hurling Molotov cocktails at Muslim mosques. There are so many plainclothes spooks on the street, SLORC might consider eschewing a uniform budget altogether. Myanmar lucked out and hopped onto the ASEAN hay ride in July 1997 along with Laos and Cambodia. The only one that really deserved it was Laos. Meanwhile, Unocal is forging ahead with its $1 billion natural gas pipeline, Aung San Suu Kyi remains as accessible as Carlos the Jackal, and the last remaining insurgency, the KNU's struggle, is getting smoked in the south. Myanmar is the very definition of "hard line."

Aside from politics, there's also news to upset eco-types: Myanmar grows about 75 percent of the tropical teak left in the world. The government, the Karens and the Shans, along with about 20 Thai logging companies, are rapidly sawing everything down before the political winds shift direction. According to some estimates, in 10 to 15 years, there won't be enough teak left to put together a decent deck chair.

Myanmar - Getting In Visas are required of all travelers to Myanmar, ages 7 years and over, for a stay of up to 30 days (formerly, you couldn't stay in the country for more than two weeks). From Bangkok, visas now only take about two to three days to be processed and cost 800 Thai baht (US$32). Tourists can travel independently in Myanmar, but aren't permitted to stray from the "approved" tourist sites. Tourist visas are not extendable except in rare circumstances (i.e., you want to become a monk). Once inside Myanmar, a business visitor may possibly apply for an extended visa with the invitation and recommendation of a state enterprise. For a tourist visa, you'll need three passport-sized photographs. Check with: Myanmar Embassy 132 Sathon Neua Road Bangkok, Thailand Tel 66-2-233-2237 or Myanmar Embassy 2300 S St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008 Tel 202-332-9044

Sneaking into Myanmar can be easily done by hiking over land or along logging roads into the country from Thailand. Troubles you encounter won't be with the government but with the various ethnic and rebel groups, who will have no qualms about shooting you and leaving you to rot. You can try contacting the various groups through expat sympathizers; however, don't try this from inside the country. Another alternative is having a couple of 13-year-old schoolkids-turned-commandos sneak you across the border near Mae Hong Son in Thailand for a nominal fee.

Entry by air into Myanmar is via Yangon International Airport, the country's only international gateway besides Mandalay (which is serviced from Chiang Mai, Thailand). Daily flights take less than an hour between Bangkok and Yangon. Myanmar Airways (MAI) has recently purchased new aircraft (Boeing 737-400s) for use on its routes to Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta and has upgraded its safety agenda far enough to get off of the FAA's @#% list. Thai International offers slightly better service than Myanmar Airways between the two capitals but only three times a week. There are also direct flights available from Singapore, Calcutta, Kathmandu, Dacca, Moscow and Beijing on a variety of Third World airlines.

MAI flies twice a week to Singapore and Jakarta. Jakarta has become the seventh foreign city that MAI flies to, in addition to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka and Kunming. The MAI international fleet consists of three Boeing 737-400s. Flights to and from Bangkok have been increased from twice daily to three times daily. MAI flies to Singapore once a day.

Yangon Int Airport is situated about 19 kilometers northwest of Yangon, and there may or may not be a BAC bus to transport passengers into the major hotels. If you are traveling on a package tour, transfers are definitely provided. Expect to pay about US$6 if using local taxis (and don't forget to bargain a little).

Departure tax (US$6) is included in tour package prices. Or pay it yourself at the airport if traveling independently.

Getting there by sea was formerly an option by cruise boat. You can't get into the country by sea today, but check for the current regulations, as they change constantly. In February 1997, a group of foreign tourists visited the Mergui archipelago off Myanmar's southern coast aboard the 51-foot ketch rig trimaran Gaea. Operated by Southeast Asia Liveaboards, the boat made the run, with official permission from SLORC, from Thailand's coastal city of Ranong. There's every reason to believe the company will continue making regular cruises to the Merguis in the future. For the time being, voyagers aboard the Gaea can expect some degree of intrigue, like being stopped by Myanmar navy coastal patrols, which haven't yet gotten word the cruises (which are restricted to the inner islands only due to an ongoing fishing rights dispute in the outer islands between the Burmese and the Thais) are kosher with the generals in Yangon. For more information, contact Thailand-based Southeast Asia Liveaboards at Tel 66-76-340406; FAX: 66-76-340586; or e-mail seadiver@loxinfo.co.th.

Yangon is the country's major port, and it lies at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River. Visitors are welcome to travel upriver on private cargo ships or conveyances owned by the government-run Inland Water Transport Corporation to either Mandalay or Nyaung-U (for Bagan). The journey is hot, picturesque and overly time-consuming, but still popular now that you can get a 30-day visa.

Cruise ships in the Far East area often schedule calls at Yangon, but thus far, no company has been successful in arranging regular visits.

The overland route between Thailand and Myanmar, where visitors could travel from Mae Sai, Thailand, to Kengtung, Myanmar--an eight-hour trip by road each way--was closed at press time. Travelers using this route had been limited to a three-day/two-night trip (EastQuest and others offer tours). At press time, groups could no longer enter Myanmar by land from Tachilek, Three Pagodas Pass and Kawthaung in Thailand. The opening of a China overland route, from Kunming in Yunnan province, which was under consideration for independent travelers, has been shelved for the time being. Tour groups have made the crossing in the past. Things change all the time regarding land crossings. Check regarding all land crossings beforehand. There have been numerous instances of fighting along the border with Thailand, particularly opposite Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Chumphon provinces in Thailand.

Myanmar - Getting Around Transit, at least the mechanized means, in Myanmar has gotten better in the last few years. Now one can comfortably get around via minibus, train, modern aircraft and new, comfortable bus coaches. In Bagan, it is possible to find a guide with a Jeep or Land Rover. Taxis have red license plates and can usually be found outside major hotels, but agree on the fare before setting off. Private cars with drivers go for about $50 a day, and motorcycles and bikes can be rented for $25 and pennies a day, respectively. City buses are overly crowded and not recommended for Westerners, who tend to take up too much room and cause a terrible commotion if they don't understand something. MTT and perhaps a dozen other private companies operate buses from Yangon up-country. Buses to Mandalay take about 13 hours. Regular bus services today connect Yangon and Mandalay, Mandalay and Bagan, Bagan and Taunggyi, and Taunggyi and Mandalay. For a better description of the bus services, see the "Directory" in the Yangon chapter. The rail network in Myanmar is growing quickly (some say with the help of slave labor). The Yangon-Mandalay line is the trunk route in the country, with a number branches. Special counters to help tourists have been opened at the stations in Yangon, Thazi and Mandalay. At present, there are about 2739 miles of railway spreading across the country. About 1000 additiona  miles are being constructed in states and divisions which were formerly under the control of rebel insurgents and dope traffickers. The train station for overland destinations is between Sule Pagoda Road and Upper Pansodan Street across from Aung San Stadium in Yangon. Here, there are regular long-distance train connections with Mandalay, Prome, Thazi and Pegu. Regular express trains running daily between Yangon and Mandalay take about 12-14 hours. Visitors to Bangan and Inle Lake have to get off at the Thazi station and take a bus from there. To Bagan the bus trip takes about four hours, and from Thazi to Shwe Nyaung (Inle Lake) about five hours. In addition to Myanmar Airways, two other air carriers serve Myanmar's domestic routes: Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways. As both are relative upstarts, it's difficult to appraise their safety levels. Myanmar Airways has rocketed their safety standards over the last few years and it's safe to assume that Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways subscribe to the same levels as the national carrier. The last crash of a Myanmar carrier was a Myanmar Airways F-27 which crash-landed at Myeik airport in July 1996. Domestic flights offered by the three carriers connect Yangon with the following cities: Bagan, Heho, Kawthoung, Mandalay, Myitkyina, Myeik and Tachilek. Myanmar possesses hundreds of navigable rivers and streams and a huge deltaic region in the south below Yangon. Inland Water Transport operates a large network of waterways tansportation plans. Most tourists to Myanmar take a cruise down the Ayeyarwady River, a day-long trip from Mandalay to Bagan/Nyaung Oo. The journey takes 12 hours. In the Ayeyarwady Delta, travelers can take a boat to Pathein (Bassein). The trip from Yangon takes 1 day (16-20 hours). Other delta destinations are also possible, such as Labooda and Hpayapon. Boats depart from Lan Thit Street Jetty in Yangon Up the Lazy River Myanmar not only has about 50 steam engines still in service; they still operate hundreds of ancient riverboats that go back as far as the 1880s. These paddle wheelers (now converted to diesel) chug up the 8000 km of navigable rivers in Myanmar, carrying passengers and freight. Many are used as ferryboats. There are now newer luxury versions, but the hard core can still read their Rudyard Kipling poems on the deck of a slow-moving 19th-century paddle boat.

You might need permits to travel outside the standard tourist rut (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake, Taunggyi). Permits are letters generated from MTT and approved by the military. MTT or Yangon-based travel agencies will arrange for these. You will need to have a guide or driver and a pretty clear idea of where you want to go. You will not know which areas are specifically out of bounds until you apply to go to them. You can try to travel without a permit (many do) but be prepared to be turned back at any one of the military checkpoints throughout the county. Soldiers at checkpoints in partially controlled zones, like the Chin, Mon, Kayin or Shan states, will rarely bend the rules. You can, however, enter from Thailand illegally and take your chances with the insurgent checkpoints. You can fly into some areas much easier than by road. In many cases, the roads are controlled by insurgent armies. The need for permits and the areas that are considered dangerous or hot change regularly, so check with the local embassy or the MTT in Yangon. You can fly in from Chiang Mai to Mandalay and Bagan. Pwin Ol Lwin, or Maymyo as it was formerly known, is an old British hill station that still has 153 horse-drawn carriages left over from colonial times. The Burma Road in the Shan hills is the major trade route with Yunnan in China. The Golden Triangle area in Myanmar can be reached by train from Mandalay. You can also make the arduous 160-km trip from Kengtung to Tachileik. Additionally, travelers have been able to get from Kengtung to Mai Sai in Thailand's Chiang Rai province. But the border is shut, and you'd probably get popped anyway. Lashio is a mecca for adventurers, for this is where the Burma Road begins its long, winding path into China. Mogok is 115 km from Mandalay and is the site of jade and ruby mines controlled by rebels on odd days, and the government on even days. You can see (and purchase) the fruits of their labors by posing as a buyer at the annual gem auction each February in Yangon. Good maps are not available. Bartholomew, Nelle  and Hildebrand are the best brands for maps of the country. The local MTT office in Athenian and Mandalay can provide street maps. DP likes to group Myanmar in a group of countries that includes Turkey, Egypt, Cambodia, Russia, the Philippines, Israel and Colombia--countries that aggressively seek tourists even though they are, uh, well, kind of having a few problems in the hinterlands. Like Cambodia, if you stay on your leash and visit all the nice monuments, you will be fine. But if you head into the boonies, you are guaranteed to meet a lot of pissed-off folks. Those won't be rolled up election posters they're pointing at you. Shan State (The Far North and Southeast) So, where do you stay away from (or run to, depending on your taste in travel)? Well, start with any hilly, northern area bordering Thailand, China and Laos. This is where drugs are grown, sold and refined. (See "Drugs" for more than you ever wanted to know about the opium trade.) Shan state is home to the Shan, Kachin, Karen, Wa and other ethnic groups, all of whom have armies and control movement inside and across the borders. The mountainous areas are ideal for growing opium poppies. This region is headed by a narco government run by warlords with large armies. Mon State (Southern Area) The Mon and the Karen insurgents hide out in this strip of land that parallels the Thai border. Although there was a cease-fire in 1995 between the government and the Mon National Liberation Front, the Mon still duke it out with the Karen over control of the smuggling checkpoints into Thailand. Banditry along the highways by armed groups is prevalent in daylight. Chin State The ethnic Chin want their own remote mountainous country, and guess what they want to call it? Yep, Chinland. These folks need a little better feel for Marketing 101. The Chin are Tibeto-Burmese who are primarily animists. Of course, where there are happy animists, there are Christian missionaries handing out faded Ninja Turtle shirts and Adidas shorts. The government has also sent in Buddhist missionaries to tug their souls in another direction. There are many people with Indian or Bengali ties, so the government is also actively persecuting the Muslims, forcing many to flee to neighboring India or Bangladesh. Rahkine State Rahkine state is stirred up by the activities of the Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization, extra-agitated folks from among the quarter of a million Muslim refugees who live across the border (not by choice) in scenic, affluent Bangladesh. Travel Restrictions Traveling in Myanmar these days, although far less restrictive than in the past, is still like a bumper car ride. Just when you get out of first gear, you smack into a nasty little ethnic insurrection, a warlord state or a general's poppy field and have to double back to find some way around it. And just to add a little more confusion to the situation, package groups are permitted in some places where independent travelers are prohibited. SLORC has a name for the indies: Foreign Independent Travelers (FIT). For everything naughty you can say about the government, you will indeed give them fits. They come up with some pretty cute acronyms, and this one is an accurate one. Forget what you've read elsewhere; this is where you can and cannot go inside Myanmar--and how you can and cannot get there.

Kachin State 1) Both package tours and FIT are permitted to travel to Myitkyina either by plane or train. 2) Both package tours and FIT are allowed to Hopin, Mohnyin, Mogaung and Indawgyi by train. Prior permission is required to travel to these regions by car. Do not attempt to head out to these places by car unless you have written permission from the MTT or Ministry of Hotels & Tourism. 3) Package tours and FIT are allowed to travel to Jinghkrang, Myitsone, Waingmaw and Washaung in Myitkyina. 4) Package tours and FIT are no longer permitted (at press time) to go to Putao due to a pesky little secessionist war. Package tours could formerly get in by plane, with FIT having to sign up on a tour to get there. Putao should open up again after the body count. The problem here is with the Kachin Independent Army (KIA), a dwindling band of about 5000 or so fighters. You'd want your own country, too, if you had mountainloads of jade in your back yard. Today, though, the KIA lives up to Myanmar's uncanny propensity for choosing for itself appropriate acronyms--it's mostly Killed in Action. But these folks remain infestive, nonetheless. Check with the MTT to see if the restriction has been lifted. 5) If Putao opens up, package tours visiting Manse, Mu Daung, Noi Nan, Machambaw, Hun Nan, Mulashidi, Ho Pa and Ko Pa can only do so through an authorized MTT tour supervised and guided by either on staff officer or an assistant manager of the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism. A detailed itinerary to the Putao area has to be submitted to MHT in advance. 6) Package tours and FIT are allowed to Bamaw by plane or by boat. Northern Shan State Package tours and FIT are permitted to Lashio through the inland route by planes, trains and automobiles.

Southern Shan State 1) Package tours and FIT are permitted to travel to Taunggyi, Inlay, Pindaya, Kalaw and Yatsauk through the inland route by planes, trains and automobiles. 2) Package tours and FIT are permitted to travel to Kyaing Tong, Tachilek by plane only. Kayah State Foreigners, either on a package tour or traveling independently, cannot travel to any area within Kayah State. Rakhine State 1) Package tours and FIT are allowed through the inland route to Sittway, Mrauk U, Ngapali, Thandwe, Gwa and Taungkoke by plane, train or automobile. Travel is not permitted to Ahm and Kyauktaw. 2) Package tours and FIT are permitted by car to Kantharyar via Ngathaing Kyaung-Gwa Road, and to Ngapal via Pyay-Taungkoke Road. Kayin State Package tours and FIT are permitted to Tharmin Nya, Pa-an, Hlaingbwe either by train or car. Mon State

Package tours and FIT are no longer allowed to Kyaik Htiyo, Kyaik Hto, Thaton, Kyaik Maraw, Mawlamyaing, Balukyun, Thanbyuzayat and Kyaik Kami by either train or by car. The Christian Karens of KNU down there have been been getting their butts hammered by both SLORC troops and fighters of the government-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a splinter group of Karen National Union (KNU) which has been beating up on its Karen brothers with SLORC arms for the last couple of years. Recent fighting in early 1997 sent more than 90,000 refugees streaming across the border into Thailand's Tak Province. There are perhaps 11,000 KNU rebels sluging it out with about 17,000 SLORC troops in the region.

Tanintharyi Division 1) Package tours and FIT are allowed to Myeik, Dawei, Maungmagan, Kawthaung and Lanpi Kyun by either plane or boat. 2) Foreigners are not permitted to travel to Zadetgyi Kyun, either independently or as part of a tour package. Yangon Division, Mandalay Division, Bago Division, Magway Division and Ayeyarwaddy Division Package tours and FIT are permitted without any restrictions to travel by boat or car within these divisions.

Sagaing Division 1) Package tours and FIT are allowed by car to Alaungdaw Kathapa, Po Win Taung, Monywa, Twin Taung, Butalin, Kyauk Ka, Yinmar Pin and Yeshantwin. 2) Package tours and FIT are allowed to Khamti by either plane or boat. Travel to any area outside Khamti is prohibited. 3) Package tours and FIT are allowed to Homalin by boat. Travel to any area outside Homalin is not permitted. 4) Package tours and FIT are allowed to Kale by plane. However, travel outside a four-mile radius of the town is prohibited. Chin State

Foreign tourists, both tour groups and FIT, are prohibited from traveling anywhere in Chin State due to another annoying separatist blood feud, this time between SLORC and the Chin people of northwestern Myanmar. The Chin are of Tibeto-Burmese stock, and are primarily animists with ties to Bangladesh and India.

The Ayeyarwaddy River Package tours and FIT are permitted to cruise along the Ayeyarwaddy River on the following routes: Mandalay/Bamaw/Mandalay; Mandalay/Bagan/Nyaung U/Mandalay; Yangon/Mandalay/Yangon; the delta regions and Mawlamyaing/Pa-an/Mawlamyaing.

Other Restrictions Mogoke Authorized travel and tour companies arranging package tours to Mogoke are required to make booking arrangements through the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. However, MTT--a division of the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism--can make its own arrangements for package tours to Mogoke. Tours here can only be arranged by car, and travel to Hpakant is prohibited. Border Crossings

At the time of this writing, independent travelers were not allowed to enter or leave Myanmar through any land border. The border at Tachilek is intermittently open to foreigners traveling to and from Thailand, but visitors are not permitted outside Tachilek and must return the way they came into the country. Package tourists have more options: Northern Shan State

1) Visitors coming from China with a valid border pass are allowed to enter Myanmar through Muse, Namkhan, Kyu Koke and Kun-Lone checkpoints provided they are part of a package tour organized by authorized travel and tour companies. It is then possible to proceed by car up to Lashio. 2) Visitors entering Myanmar through the Lwe-je checkpoint with a valid border pass are permitted to continue on to Bamaw Township if they are members of a package tour organized by an authorized travel and tour company. Southern Shan State

1) Visitors entering from Thailand with a valid border pass can enter Myanmar at Tachilek, but are resricted in their movements once there. Travel by road or plane to other parts of the country is prohibited. 2) Visitors entering through Wun Pone with a valid border pass are allowed only as far as Tachilek. 3) Visitors entering through Mai Lar are not permitted to visit Kyaing Tong. The government said it will give consideration to this restriction in the future. Legal Border Pass Destinations Foreign travelers on tour packages with valid visas and border passes entering Myanmar through a border checkpoint listed below are permitted to the areas mentioned here: Muse, Namkhan, Kyu Koke and Kun Lone checkpoints 1) Package tours arranged by authorized travel and tour companies are allowed to enter through Muse, Namkhan, Kyu Koke and Kun Lone checkpoints and proceed on to Mandalay and Yangon via Lashio by plane, train or automobile. Lwe-je 2) Package tours arranged by authorized travel and tour companies are allowed to enter through Lwe-je and proceed on to Mandalay and Yangon via Bamaw either by plane or boat.


\2 Visas, Permits, travel info

As of Oct 1998, 28-day tourist visas for Myanmar cost US$20. Due to the Burmese government's fear of bad press, anyone applying for a visa in Bangkok should be careful to avoid listing their occupation as anything remotely controversial in the paranoid eyes of the Burmese authorities, that is. One traveller reported that he listed his occupation on the visa form as 'artist'. That admission led to an interview that the official began by saying, 'So, you're a journalist'. Eventually he got his visa but only after a great deal of effort.

The govt has continued to drop the permit reqnt for many areas which once off limits to falangs, including Dawei, Kyaiktiyo, Mawlamyine, Pathein, Myitkyina, Bhamo, Lashio and Hsipaw. The Chin and Kayah states remain off limits.

Legal border crossings are mostly unchanged, though tvlers to Tachilek via Mae Sai on the Thai border report obtaining 15 to 30-day visas to visit the immediate area, which includes Kengtung. The Burmese border guards kept their passports to make sure they returned. Day trips to the Myanmar side via Three Pagodas Pass are avail again.

'The Three Pagodas Pass-Sangkhlaburi border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand is open to all foreigners according to a sign on the Myanmar side. Only one-day visas are available, and the catch is that it costs $18 per person to be admitted to Myanmar. Also, you must take your passport to the Sangkhlaburi immigration office to fill out the Myanmar entry forms and the Thai exit forms. The office requires two passport size photos and the Thai authorities will hold your passport for the day until you come back to Thailand. So you need to get back before dark.' Source: John G Richards, USA (Jan 99)

VISAS & PERMITS: Generally the visa situation has remained stable, but for the latest information try these links: http://www.travisa.com/Myanmar/Myaninst.htm http://www.travelfinder.com/visareq/Myanmar(Burma).html

Travel advice 12/98 Khosan Rd BB - Travel tips to avoid helping Burmese militay gov't by avoid changing $300 to FEC (Foreign Exchange Cert) etc.

- Claim having no hard (US$) currency. Hide it in your luggage. Baggage retrival is past money change section. - Claim you plan to stay only one week. You need to enter into their book why, but that's OK. - Claim ONLY having bankcard (xcept VISA) for ATM mach. - Just say no, and walk off (Don't offer bribe), - Walk off if the guard isn't paying attention. - Hide in toilet till flight passes through. - Use private buses and pickups (cheeper). - Bring in newspapers (BKK Post) and magazines. - Stay in GH that don't take FEC. - If you didn't buy FEC, buy $10 from someone who did to pay the ($10) a/p dep tax.

ENTRY REQMNTS: Tvl to and within Burma is strictly controlled by the Govt. A PP and visa are reqd. Tourist visas are issued for pkg/grp tours as well as to individuals for stays of up to four weeks. "FITS" must exchange of $300 US for dollar-denominated FEC upon arr. The military govt rarely issues journalist visas. Info about entry reqmnts as well as other info may be gotten from the Emb of the Union of Myanmar, 2300 S Street, N.W., Wash, D.C. 20008, T:202-332-9044/6, or the Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the UN 10 East 77th St., NYC 10021 (212-535-1311). Overseas inquiries may be made at the nearest emb/consulate of (Myanmar).

BORDER CROSSING: The main entry and exit point of Myanmar is the airport of Yangon (RGN). The 'official' entry and exit procedures (as stated from the Ministry of Tourism) are as listed below. In practice, this is not quite so tedious.

Entry Procedure (Airport) 1. To show your PP, visa, disembarkation card and other relevant doc to the officers at the immigration counter. 2. To exchange 300 USD for FEC at the counter of Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) 3. To let customs officers examine your PP and forms at the customs counter 4. To pick up your luggage taken in by the conveyor-belt 5. To declare, if any, electrical goods/camera/jewellery and foreign currencies at the customs counter 6. To settle custom duties, if reqd, at the red channel 7. To let customs officers inspect your luggage 8. To let immigration officers re-examine your passport

Departure Procedure (Airport) 1. To get your ticket confirmed at the airlines concerned 2. To pay the airport tax ($6 USD cash) at the airport 3. To show your PP and a/p tax receipt at the counter of the airline concerned so as to receive your boarding-pass 4. To let the immigration officers examine your PP and embarkation card 5. To submit your PP and form at the customs counter 6. To let the customs officers inspect your luggare 7. To go through a body-search.

To point 4: you also have to give the examination card that you got during check-in and the officer will stamp you passport.

Overland: It should be poss to cross overland from Yunnan China and from Thailand, also there are differing repts. Valid entry points from Yunnan are Lwage, Namhkan, Muse, Kyukokand Kun-lone.

There are differing reports on entering from Thailand. While some state that it is possible to enter at Tachilek opposite Mae Sai and travel to Kyaing Tong, others state that this border is closed. Mae Sot and Ronong are also reported closed. Get the latest info on arrival and be prepared to be turned around.

Day return cross-border traffic is also allowed at Ayeyawaddy, Three-Pagoda Pass and Kawthaung.


\3 more Burma info

Yangon in southern Myanmar on the left bank of the Yangon River at the eastern mouth of the Irrawaddy River about 25mi north of the Martaban, an inlet of the Andaman Sea.

DESTINATION MYANMAR (Burma) Myanmar has suffered internal strife from a smorgasbord of dictators, rebels and guerrillas, and is now synonymous in the West with the suppression of democracy and the use of slave labour. The refusal by the country's junta to allow an elected government to take power and its imprisonment of pro-democracy leader (and subsequent Nobel Peace Prize winner) Aung San Suu Kyi earned it international condemnation. Myanmar is now cementing economic bonds with South-East Asian nations, who believe `constructive engagement' is a better form of diplomacy than sanctions. Meanwhile, ceasefire accords have been signed with nine groups of anti-government rebels, the Karen guerrillas have virtually been demolished and a pragmatic deal with drug lord Khun Sa appears to have quietened affairs in the no-go zone of the Golden Triangle.

Myanmar is far from the easiest or most comfortable country in Asia to visit, but it has some magical sights, incredibly friendly people and offers a glimpse of a bizarre, inept Orwellian society that has withdrawn from contact with the late 20th century. Because of the government's clampdown on outside influences it is one of the least Western-influenced countries in the world. Many people mistake this for quaintness, but don't let this blind you to the political realities which created this situation.

...reality check: should you visit Myanmar?...

Facts at a Glance Full country name: Union of Myanmar (Burma became Myanmar in 1989 after the State Law and Order Restoration Council decided that the old name implied the dominance of Burmese culture; the Burmese are just one of the many ethnic groups in the country) Population: 46.8 million (growth rate 2.1%) Capital city: Yangon (Rangoon) (pop 4 million) People: 65% Burmese, 10% Shan, 7% Karen, 4% Rakhine and Chin, Kachin, Mon, Chinese, Indian and Assamese minorities Language: Burmese, also Karen, Chin, Shan and Kachin dialects Religion: 87% Theravada Buddhist, 5% Christian, 4% Muslim, 3% animist Head of state & Prime Minister: General Than Shwe

Environment Myanmar shares borders with Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh. Southern Myanmar borders the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The central part of the country is characterised by wide rivers and expansive plains. The major river, the Ayeyarwady (formerly spelt Irrawaddy) is navigable for 1600km (900mi) of its length and its flood plains form the country's main agricultural centre. Mountains rise to the east along the Thai border and to the north to meet the eastern end of the Himalayan range. The highest peak, Hkakabo Razi (5881m/19,290ft), is on the Myanmar-Tibet border. It's the highest peak in South-East Asia.

Almost half of Myanmar is covered by forest, but if timber concessions (and smuggling) to Thailand and other Asian countries continue at current rates, widespread deforestation is inevitable. About 15% of total land is cultivated, mainly with rice. Burma used to be the world's largest exporter of rice but exports have diminished considerably. Two thirds of the population is employed in agriculture and less than 10% in manufacturing. According to UN standards, Myanmar is now one of the 10 poorest countries in the world.

There are three distinct seasons: the cool, dry winter from Nov-Feb; the unpleasantly hot summer from Mar-May; and the wet, humid monsoon from May-Oct.

History Myanmar's prehistory begins with the migration of three groups into the country: the first were Mons from what is now Cambodia, then came Mongol Burmans from the eastern Himalayas and later came Thai tribes from northern Thailand. The 11th-century Burman kingdom of Bagan was the first to gain control of the territory that is present-day Myanmar, but it failed to unify the disparate racial groups and collapsed before a Tartar invasion in 1287. For the next 250 years, Burma remained in chaos, and the territory was not reunified until the mid-16th century when a series of Taungoo kings extended their domain and convincingly defeated the Siamese. In the 18th century, the country fractured again as Mons and hill tribes established their own kingdoms. In 1767, the Burmans invaded Siam and sacked Ayuthaya, forcing the Siamese to move their capital to Bangkok.

Occasional border clashes and British imperialist ambitions caused the British to invade in 1824, and then again in 1852 and 1883. Burma became a part of British India and the British built the usual colonial infrastructure, and developed the country into a major rice exporter. Indians and Chinese arrived with the British to complicate the racial mix. In 1937, Burma was separated from British India and there was nascent murmuring for self-rule. The Japanese drove the British from Burma in WW II and attempted to enlist Burman support politically. The Burmans were briefly tempted by an opportunity for independence, but a resistance movement soon sprang up. In 1948, Burma became independent and almost immediately began to disintegrate as hill tribes, communists, Muslims and Mons all revolted.

In 1962 a left-wing army revolt led by General Ne Win deposed the troubled democratic government and set the country on the path of socialism. The Burman economy crumbled over the next 25 years until, in 1987 and 1988, the Burman people decided they had had enough. Huge demonstrations called for Ne Win's resignation and massive confrontations between pro-democracy demonstrators and the military resulted in 3000 deaths in a six-week period. Several puppets were appointed by Ne Win and then a military coup (believed to be instigated by Ne Win) saw General Saw Maung take control. The new leader promised elections in 1989. In spite of all preventative measures, the National League for Democracy scored an overwhelming victory at the polls. The junta prevented the elected officials from taking their seats and arrested party leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who remained imprisoned until mid-1995. SLORC has since quashed resistance from Karen rebels and engaged the private army of drug lord Khun Sa. The January 1996 'disappearance' of Khun Sa has given rise to suspicions of a smacked out peace deal between Rangoon and the world's largest heroin baron. Reports of extensive use of forced labour on infrastructure projects continue to filter back to the West. Despite the government's failure to improve human rights, Myanmar was welcomed into ASEAN in July 1997.

Culture Art has been closely intertwined with religion and royalty in Burman history. Temples, pagodas and palaces displayed the artistic skills of painters, wood carvers and sculptures. Temples and pagodas were traditionally built of brick and many are still standing. The great palaces, however, were made of wood, and only one badly-deteriorating example of these beautiful carved structures remains today. Art and architecture, which relied on royal support, faded when the last royal kingdom collapsed.

Although court culture has been extinguished, popular street-level culture is vibrant and thriving. Drama is the mainstay of this culture, and just about any celebration is a good excuse for a pwe (show). Performances may recount Buddhist legends, or be more light-hearted entertainments involving slapstick comedy, dance, ensemble singing or giant puppets. Burman music is an integral part of a pwe; it originates from Siam and emphasises rhythm and melody. Instruments are predominantly percussive and include drums, boat-shaped harps, gongs and bamboo flutes.

Off the record: Mind your manners Over 85% of Burman are Theravada Buddhist, although it is not the official state religion and since the Ne Win government takeover, it has actually officially occupied a less central role in Burman life. In the Rakhine region, towards Bangladesh, there are many Muslims. Christian missionaries have had some success among hill tribes but many remain staunch animists.

Burmese is the predominant language and has its own alphabet and script. Though you're hardly going to have time to master the alphabet, it may be worth learning the numerals, if only so you can read the bus numbers. English is spoken by a few Burmans, particularly by the older generation.

It's easier to buy authentic Burman dishes from food stalls rather than restaurants. Chinese and Indian eateries predominate, and hotel restaurants tend to remove much of the chilli and shrimp paste from their Burman dishes. Rice is the core of any Burman meal. To this is added a number of curry options and a spicy raw vegetable salad, and almost everything is flavoured with ngapi - a dried and fermented shrimp paste. Chinese tea is generally preferable to the over-strong, over-sweet and over-milky Burman tea. Sugar-cane juice is a very popular streetside drink, and stronger tipples include orange brandy, lychee wine and the alarming-sounding white liquor and jungle liquor.

Events Festivals are drawn-out, enjoyable affairs and generally take place or culminate on full-moon days. There's often a country fair atmosphere about these celebrations, and they may feature stalls, pwes, music and boxing bouts. Independence Day on 4 January is marked by a seven-day fair in Yangon. Around the middle of April, the three-day Thingyan (water festival) starts the Burman new year. This is the height of the hot season, and it is sensibly celebrated by throwing buckets of cold water at anyone who dares venture into the streets. Girls chase boys through the streets, covering their bound victims in soot and parading them about; later, cows and fish are dressed up, adorned and set free by processions of dancing drummers. In October, the sober three-month Buddhist `Lent' ends and the Festival of Light celebrates Buddha's return from heaven. For three days Myanmar is lit up by fire balloons and paper lanterns and families make offerings at the local pagoda.

Facts for the Traveller Visas: 28-day visas are issued for US$18 Health risks: cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, rabies, typhoid Electricity: 230V, 50 Hz (when it's working) Wts & Measures: Imperial with local variations (see the conversion table.)

The official rate of exchange bears no relation to reality. As soon as you exit immigration at Yangon airport, you have to buy US$300 worth of foreign exchange certificates (FEC) at the official rate (though some travellers report that authorities are becoming less strict about enforcing this rule). These are used to pay officially-approved hotel rooms and make accommodation seem extortionate. However, if you travel throughout Myanmar, you'll have to pay in FECs only about half the time; free market kyats are good for the rest. Accommodation at the free market exchange rate is a bargain. Costs will vary depending on whether you use officially-approved hotels and transport or take the increasingly available opportunity to arrange your own. Official budget rooms are around US$18, free market kyats would make this around US$1. If you're travelling very cheaply, you can get by on about $10 a day. If you want your own bathroom and a choice of restaurants, budget $25-30 a day. Flying or taking express trains would add about $5 a day to that budget. If you want to stay somewhere fancy, you can pay anywhere between $25 and $300 a night.

Although it's illegal to change US dollars unofficially, you can change FECs with the locals. Changing FECs at the official rate is downright insane. It's safest to change in shops or hotels than on the street, and get a few rates before you do your exchange. If you want to change dollars illegally you might get a slightly better rate than for FECs, but the difference is negligible. very few places accept credit cards.

Tipping is not really part of the Burmese culture, but 'presents' are. A minor bribe will get you a long way with Burmese bureaucrats. Money isn't necessary - cigarettes and pens will speed things up a bit, foreign t-shirts will work miracles.

When to Go Climate wise, the best season for visiting Myanmar is November to February, when it rains least and isn't too hot. If you're hitting the hill stations or the Rakhine coast, try March to May - on the other hand, Bagan and Mandalay are intolerable during these months. Myanmar is least crowded in May, June and September.

Warning The Thai border area contains smugglers, rebel armies and refugees and is the scene of occasional military stoushes. Travellers should steer well clear of the border or contact their embassy to receive the latest reports on the security situation. The `Golden Triangle', north-east of Mandalay, along the Thai border, is an absolutely no-go area. The relationship between the SLORC and Khun Sa's opium-sodden 15,000- strong private army has become very cosy but the situation for travellers remains extremely dangerous.

The xenophobic government does its best to keep tabs on visitors, and if you ask to go to other areas outside the Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake, Taunggyi quadrangle, you will either require a permit and/or a guide, or receive a firm `no'. The list of permutations is endless and confusing, and the rules can be bent, changed or ignored depending on luck and circumstances. If you want to get to somewhere off the usual tourist route, find out the current regulations from the authorities in advance, ask other travellers if the regulations are actually enforced, make it up as you go along, and be prepared to be disappointed if your luck runs out.

Attractions

Yangon (Rangoon) Yangon lies in the fertile delta country of southern Myanmar on the wide Yangon River about 30km (19mi) from the sea. Although the population hovers around 4 million, the city seems so full of trees and shade that some neighbourhoods are practically jungle, giving it a totally different feel to other Asian cities of comparable size. At night, Yangon's wide boulevards come alive with hordes of stalls selling delicious-looking food and piles of huge cigars. If you can close your eyes to the decay of the old colonial architecture downtown, you'll probably agree that this is one of the most charming cities in Asia.

Yangon is home to the gold-plated Shwedagon Paya, which dominates the city from its hilltop site. Legend has it that the original stupa was built to enshrine eight of Buddha's hairs. Today's mighty monument was built in the 18th century and is surrounded by an incredible assortment of statues, temples, shrines, images and pavilions. The Shwedagon was called 'a beautiful winking wonder' by Kipling and it truly is a magical place. Other sights include the colonial architecture of the legendary Strand Hotel, the colossal reclining Buddha in Chaukhtatgyi Paya and the peaceful Kandawgyi and Inya Lakes. Pro-democracy landmarks include the Martyr's Mausoleum and Aung San Suu Kyi's House.

Since the privatisation of the hotel industry in 1993, there has been an explosion of hotel and guesthouse development in Yangon. The cheapest guesthouses are near the river in the western part of the city; there are other clean and friendly options near the railway station. The best authentic Burmese cuisine is in the Shwedagon Paya area, but there are lots of places around the city centre. Be aware that hardly any food is available anywhere in the city after about 9 pm.

Apart from the impossibly crowded buses, getting around Yangon is not too difficult. Myanmar's version of the trishaw (sai-kaa) is good for short trips; catch a car taxi or one of the many tiny three-wheeled Mazdas for anything longer.

Mandalay This sprawling cultural centre is the most Burman of Myanmar's cities. It was the last capital of Myanmar before the British took over and is the country's second-largest city. Highlights of Mandalay include Shwenandaw Kyaung, the sole remaining building of the once extravagant moated palace, Mandalay Hill with its spiralling stairways, temples and sweeping views and the ancient Rakhine Buddha image at Mahamuni Paya. Bustling markets with produce and handicrafts from all over Upper Myanmar are another feature of Mandalay. There are four `deserted cities' nearby: Amarapura, Sagaing, Ava and Mingun. Mingun is the most appealing of the four. Not only are there some wonderful monuments in various states of disrepair, but just getting there is half the fun. Mingun is only accessible by river, and the boat ride from Mandalay is a treat.

Bagan This bewildering, deserted city of fabulous pagodas and temples on the banks of the Ayeyarwady is one of the wonders of Asia. Bagan's period of grandeur stretched from the 11th to the 13th century, and an enormous number of magnificent buildings were constructed here. The city was sacked by Kublai Khan in 1287 and never rebuilt. There are some 5000 temples, the most interesting of which are Ananda, Thatbyinnyu and Gawdawpalin.

Bago (Pega) During the Mon dynasty, Bago was a fabulous city, a major seaport and capital of lower Myanmar. The city was destroyed by the Burman in 1757 but partially restored in the early 19th century. When the Bago River changed its course and cut the city off from the sea, Bago failed to return to its previous grandeur. Sights include the Shwemawdaw Pagoda which dominates the town, the Hintha Gone Pagoda and the 55m (180ft) long, reclining Shwethalyaung Buddha.

Off the Beaten Track Official rulings and a general impression of gentle discouragement may hamper your chances of stepping off Myanmar's usual tourist routes. The general lack of scheduled flights and buses won't help the situation either. However, it's worth the extra effort to test your resourcefulness and explore.

Pathein (Bassein)

Located in the Ayeyarwady delta about 190km (118mi) west of Yangon, this premier port city is noted for its handicrafts (pottery and hand-painted umbrellas) and the Shwemokhtaw Pagoda (which was built by the three lovers of a Muslim princess). A major festival is held at the pagoda over the full-moon period in May. You can't fly to Pathein, and the train trip is laborious. Your best bet is the 18-hour overnight ferry trip from Yangon, travelling along the Twante Canal and through the delta waterways.

Thaton Long before the rise of Bagan, a Mon kingdom thrived here, trading as far afield as Cambodia. Today little remains of the ancient city: traces of the massive city walls can be seen, and there are some interesting pagodas. The town's core is a leafy area situated on either side of the highway with a pleasing mix of colonial mansions and thatched-roof homes. A picturesque canal network irrigates rice fields and fruit orchards. Thaton is on the main road and rail line between Bago and Mawlamyine. Nearby, at Taikkala, there are ruined fort walls and an ancient pagoda.

Mawlamyine (Moulmein) If you're wondering what Yangon and Mandalay looked and felt like at the start of the decade, come to Mawlamyine where the atmosphere of post-colonial decay is still palpable. Once a major teak port, this tropical, hillside town south of Thaton is now known for its scenic surrounds, elephant labour and beautiful pagodas. Thanbyuzayat, 60km (37mi) to the south, has an Allied cemetery - the resting place of prisoners who died building the infamous `death railway' during WW II. Mawlamyine is the only place in Burma that Rudyard Kipling, author of the famous Road to Mandalay, actually visited.

Pyay (Prome) Two days south of Bagan by riverboat, the town of Pyay is close to the few remaining ruins of the ancient Pyu capital of Thayekhittaya (Sri Kshetra). The remote site, with its pagodas, ruined walls, quaint railway station and small museum, has been the centre of the most intensive archaeological work carried out in Myanmar this century. Other Pyu cities can be seen at Halin and Beikthano. The hilltop Shwesandaw Pagoda and enormous seated Buddha are Pyay's main points of interest. The nearby Gautama Hill contains countless Buddha images in niches.

Pyay is about 300km (186mi) north-west of Yangon via a decent sealed road. The trip by boat from Bagan is pleasant, but you are advised to take your own supplies of food and water.

Mrauk U (Myohaung) Hidden in the encroaching jungle, in hill country close to the Bangladesh border, Mrauk U is reached only by riverboat - well off the beaten track! It is noteworthy for its Arakanese art and architecture, and its Buddhist temple ruins. Important ruins include the 80,000 Pagoda (so named because of the 80,000 Buddah images found there) and an ordination hall. Mrauk U is accessible from Sittwe in western Myanmar.

Kengtung (Kyaingtong) Tucked away in a far eastern corner of the Shan State is the sleepy but historic centre for the state's Khn culture. Built around a small lake and dotted with aging Buddhist temples and crumbling British colonial architecture, Kengtung is probably the most scenic town in the Shan State. Its opening to foreigners in 1993 came as a complete surprise considering that this is one of the most remote inhabited mountain valleys in Myanmar. Access is difficult and restricted to flights from Myanmar's interior or a rough overland trip from Tachilek. Apart from the temples and monasteries in the area, it's fun to check out the water buffalo market on the western outskirts of town. Held daily, it's like a used-car lot, with pedlars extolling the virtues of their animals while buyers point out their flaws. Finally a price is agreed upon, money changes hands and the new owners walk off leading their buffaloes by the nose.

Activities Myanmar isn't exactly bursting with opportunities to get out and stretch your legs, and most lung-inflating activity is still restricted by the government.Out-of-town hiking is permitted in parts of Shan State, and you can hire guides in Kalaw and Nyaungshwe. You can make day-hikes to minority villages around Kalaw and Pindaya, do some jungle hiking on the island of Lampi Kyun or head uphill at Mt Kyaikto.

It's fine to bring your own bike into Myanmar and cycle anywhere in the unrestricted areas. The terrain is rough and unsuited to anything but the sturdiest mountain bike, and parts are very difficult to come by. You can hire Indian and Chinese bikes in Mandalay.

Diving tours are almost non-existent. About the only organised diving is around the Myeik Archipelago - liveaboard cruises are run out of Phuket and Kawthaung. Plenty of big-league diving sites have been identifitied, and business should be booming within the next couple of years.

Getting There & Away Although Myanmar essentially remains a `fly in, fly out' destination, some road border crossings have opened recently. Foreign travellers are now able to enter Myanmar overland via Yunnan province in China, and several entry points have been opened along the Thai border. Tourists are still not permitted to arrive by ship. There are frequent flights to Yangon from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and less frequent flights from the capitals of other neighbouring countries. Departure tax is US$10.

Getting Around

Travel in Myanmar tends to be uncertain and uncomfortable. Many visitors are tempted to take internal flights because of the restricted 28-day stay regulation, but the terrible safety record and `flexible' notion of schedules of Myanma Airways and, to a lesser extent, Air Mandalay can be a deterrent. Not many visitors use buses for long-distance travelling because they tend to be extremely crowded and the government bus line is so slack it refuses to take a stab at the arrival times of its buses. Pick-up trucks with benches have recently begun to appear, and although they can be equally uncomfortable when crowded, it is possible to charter them. There is a daily express train between Yangon and Mandalay; forget the ordinary-class trains which are dirty, slow and unreliable.

The delightfully ancient buses in Yangon and Mandalay are very cheap and convenient, although you may end up hanging out the side. There are horse carts in Mandalay and trishaws just about everywhere; negotiate fares in advance.


\4 Aung San Suu Kyi

Nobel Peace Prize winner and popular Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is back under house arrest after a nine-day roadside standoff with the country's ruling junta.

From Bad to Worse. Intensifying a crackdown on the opposition, Burma's generals are calculating that the West doesn't care By ROBERT HORN

The gloves are off in Burma. For two years, the generals who rule the country have allowed a modicum of freedom to the leaders of the National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party even while arresting and intimidating its rank-and-file. Last week, after the latest face-off with the popular dissident, the junta withdrew even those few freedoms and has turned its wrath upon those leaders. Troops have been deployed around the homes of Suu Kyi and eight other executives of her embattled party. They cannot go out, their phone lines have been cut and all visitors have been turned back, including the British ambassador, who reports being manhandled by military police on Sept. 2. According to the government, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and her colleagues "have been requested to remain at home," but are not under house arrest. However one defines things, says Teddy Buri, an nld member living in exile in Thailand, "it's the worst situation we've faced since 1989."

Back then, the generals confined Suu Kyi to her creaky, monsoon-streaked house for what would amount to six yearsand sent thousands of other party members to prison. This time around, the junta insists the detentions are only temporary. They began Sept. 2, when some 200 troops dragged Suu Kyi and 14 of her followers back to their homes after they attempted to leave Rangoon to meet party members, forcing a nine-day standoff beside a suburban road. Soldiers also closed down the nld's headquarters and seized party documents. Officials say Suu Kyi and her colleagues must remain under wraps while Rangoon investigates the nld's alleged links to terrorist groups. While independent observers dismiss such accusations as crude and far-fetched, Buri warns that "if the intl community doesn't raise a more concerted protest, the military may feel it can keep them as long as it likes."

So far, however, sentiment in Western capitals has been moving in the opposite direction. The regime's repressive measures have been so constant that crackdown fatigue seems to have set in among its usual critics. Few have spoken out even though many more nld members have been arrested or forced to resign in the past two years. Suu Kyi's detention has provoked a sharper response. But some nations appear nonetheless to be reconsidering the hard-line stance they have adopted toward the junta. In the US, business lobbies are pressing Washington to repeal sanctions on new investment in Burma. Australia has already expanded contacts with the regime. In the European Union, which has barred all aid to Burma except that which would promote democracy and human rights, France, Italy and Germany are arguing for a more lenient attitude toward the generals. (Britain and the Scandinavian countries are opposed to the shift.)

The lack of unity partly reflects disagreement over whether punitive measures are effective. "Sanctions just aren't working," concludes a Rangoon-based European diplomat. nld executive Nyunt Wai argues, however, that the West should continue its hard line. "If sanctions have had no effect, why is the military yelling about them all the time?" said Nyunt Wai shortly before his confinement. And even if sticks haven't worked, neither have carrots. A year ago, Western governments were cautiously optimistic that they could tempt the regime to loosen its grip on power. Representatives of several nations quietly offered $1 billion in aid if the junta would allow significant political freedoms. The generals rejected the money, saying they couldn't be bought. More than a decade of constructive engagement by Asian countries has similarly failed to promote change.

The debate over which approach is most effective will be played out in several forums. This month, the U.N. will debate an annual resolution condemning Burma's human rights abuses. Democracy activists plan to press the U.N. to strip the military government of its General Assembly seat. The International Labor Organization may impose sanctions on the regime later this year because of its use of forced labor. And Thailand's Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan has warned that a December meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Unionalready delayed for more than two years because of the E.U.'s refusal to meet with Burmese officialscould be scuttled because of the latest crackdown.

The European nations that advocate a new approach say Suu Kyi's detention hasn't altered their viewyet. "If the military holds her too long, we may have to rethink our position," says the European diplomat. "They will only be hurting themselves." But according to Josef Silverstein, a Burma expert at Rutgers University, the junta isn't likely to engage in serious reform until it undergoes a leadership shakeout, which could possibly take place during the annual military reshuffle in November. The new guard "may be willing to make a deal with Suu Kyi and the nld to shore up support in the West," Silverstein says. But with the nld leaders under the gun, any deal the generals might offer will be strictly on their own terms.

BURMA - Myanmar. Isn't 'Burma' a more correct name ? The word Burma itself, from what I understand ain't a purist approach. I've been told it's an English misnomer because the British, ignoring the Mon, Pyu,Karen, Shan, Chin etc. populations just assumed everyone in Burma was a Burman. People there told me it means something like 'Union of Tribes'. The name is not new at all, contrary to what some people belief. It was used even during British rule. Colonial docs tell about 'Burma' but the official translation into Burmese reads 'Myanmar'.

Is it a nice place to visit? Myanmar is the most beautiful country I've ever visited. I've been to several countries in Asia, but Myanmar is on top of my list. I found Myanmar to be a country of fantastic friendliness, scenery, history and character. It is also a country that is fairly unsanitary, pretty damn hot, the transportation is poor, and of course the military junta are hiding beneath the surface everywhere you go.

I've never been so glad to leave a country before, but I've alsorarely been to a country with such incredible memories. It's definitely a more adventurous country to visit than your Thailands, Malaysias and Indonesias, but I think if you ignoremy bad luck (!) and make the effort to avoid funding the junta, you will find it wellworth the trip. Myanmar is wonderful. It is stuck in something of a time warp and runs at a differentpace compared to the rest of SE Asia. The people are great, I think the most pleasant to be with in SEAsia. Myanmar is a very beautiful laid back country - esp. if you manageto visit the less touristy places. Soft people, honest interest in foreigners. Good food, great people, wonderful sites! Burma is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited formore reasons than I can begin to tell you. Do not deprive yourself of the chance to seethis place! It is an enchanting and hauntingly beautiful country. The politics or P.C. aspect aside Myanmar was more "developed" thanI had anticipated. At no time did I see the huge military presence and persecutionof Burmese peoples that some would lead one to expect. I don't deny that it goes onand am highly suspicious of the government and this being the reason for so many states that are off limits to foreigners. I got the impression that most people weretoo busy earning a living than fearing from persecution. Again I'm not denying that the government is repressive and that things must change in Burma.
But so many people are opposed to visiting. Should I go ?

The Burma situation, and others similar, can be summed up (regarding tourism) by the following fictional postcard from 1941 : "Auschwitz is a wonderful town. There is some sort of unpleasantness at the edge of the city but everyone is very nice to me." The political issue is actually a close call. You can travel there independently and the bulk of your money will end up with the population where it is desperately needed. I met many people involved in "resistance" activities and all where very pleased to see Westerners come. It's the bus loads of people shipped in on government transport staying at government hotels and swallowing government propagandawho are not wanted. I talked to people who are *strongly* supporting the NLD and eventhey told me they welcome Foreign Independent Travellers because they bring moneyfor the local people as well. Inevitably, money goes indeed to the government (and the people know that only too well) but the point is that the population is struggling and foreign money is very much welcomed. Also, I was told (amongst others by the nephew of thelast Shan prince, in Hsipaw) that FITs are often (not always, obviously) important sources of information. NLD supporters in Burma generally don't like tour group people butthey definitely like individual travellers. The request for a boycott was made by Aung Sang Suu Kyi. However,this does not reflect the desire of anyone that I spoke to in the country. Atevery turn we were told that the tourism does more good than harm, and everyone that we spoketo (and bear in mind that most of these people brought the subject up, and weren't baited by any of us for the political situation) said that while they respected AungSan Suu Kyi immensely, they strongly disagreed with her stance on the boycott and having travelers stay away. Their reasoning was so that we could report to the outside worldwhat was happening, and also to bring in much-needed information (and other things)to the country. We weighed the prospects heavily before deciding to go to the country, and it was not something that we took lightly at all. When anyone goes to Burma,I would imagine that they would have to be at least somewhat aware of the political situation and have to weigh the consequences of their visit heavily. Tell me, what has the boycott done for Burma? Burma had never been dependent on Western goods. It has made Burma turn away from Western countriesand embrace Pakistan and China for their trade, and has isolated the country. It may be a drop in the bucket, but at least we brought in magazines, supplies, food, and medicine to people in villages who need it, and support organizations or people who do more than support their Western country's boycott and then blast other people for going to this country without knowing the reason why they went. Oh, and by the way, we went partially to meet with Aung San SuuKyi for reasons that you don't have to know since this is a public forum. And we didmeet her. You can quote from her all you want, but are they direct quotes? She is largely against package tourists, but not backpackers. I would encourage everyone who goes to think very carefully aboutwhat the ramifications are before going. If you do go, bear in mind that I have never heardof anyone being searched upon entry into the country (a few of us were searchedupon exiting the country, however). People are really hungry for news from the outside world -- if you've ever read what passes for their joke of a newspaper, The New Lightof Myanmar, it basically tells nothing except that their leader exchanged pleasantries on their latest visit to Pakistan, who was there, and that there was a mishap ata concrete factory in Japan, and there was a shark attack in Florida. Then, a listingof TV programs, including "Light and Happy Songs" and "Patriotic Songs". Completely useless information. If you want to be more helpful, try visiting the school at a local villageand donating money *discreetly*. Everything must be done with the utmost care and discretion, preferably indoors (like bookstores, for example) or places where people arenot generally following you. If you happen to see chain gangs working on new roads, take pictures of it *discreetly* so you won't get caught, and try publishing them whenyou get out. The majority of backpackers are equally predictable in where theywill and will not go - they don't have a tour guide, they have a guidebook. Their "contact with locals" is laughable, unless it's bickering over prices; then it's just embarrassing. As an example of "exposure to locals" in action, there are a numberof guesthouses in Burma that have signs saying "No Israelis". From the perspective of a poor country, wadded up old people are invariably preferable to tight fisted pseudo hippies on their "big twip". Myanmar has political problems and the junta makes an unpleasantway of life for many of the people. But personally I feel there is almost as much wrongwith places like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and even the USA (let's start talking Human Rights abuse ?) that can be used to persuade people not to visit those countries either. The important point is that you can give to the independent people both financial and "moral" support if you like. I have seen worse things in Singapore and Thailand than I've seen in Myanmar. With the right planning, and determination, you can ensure that the SLORC (junta) get minimal mileage out of your visit. It is also worthnoting that the exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) is now encouraging "responsible" tourists to visit Myanmar provided they don't actively fund SLORC through their activities. While I abhor the government's actions, research has persuaded methat if one is careful it is possible to travel within the country and greatly reduce the amount of support one gives the government while maximising support of the independent people. Sure the government's not ideal, but Burma is marvellous... andright now, any money you can contribute to the Burmese people themselves (private hotels, restaurants, helpers) is not only empowering, it might also save these gentlesouls from starvation. To give you an idea, the black market rate was 100 Kyats for 1USD4 years ago... now it's over 400 Kyats to the Dollar... and even then, the poor central folk were only eating white rice with fish paste. I don't think it's pure justification to say that you are helpingthe people themselves when you go. I think that even in this instance, it is good that thepeople are not isolated. Burmese have told me the same. Most Chinese I have spoken with also believed the open door policy was good for China since it liberalised the economy, helped empower the common man, etc. in spite of the fact that it obviously didn'tcure all the civil rights abuses. I just don't think the Burmese issue is a simple good vs.bad, right vs. wrong issue either. Many countries have bad governments. Many of these are too dangerousto go to, thus alleviating the decision "to travel or not to travel" and some just won't let you in. Do I believe the situation in North Korea is going to change shortlybecause we're not travelling there? Nope. Would a boycott of Afghanistan change the fundamentalists? How about Yemen? Sierra Leone? We're having this discussion because Burma is giving us the choice of whether or not to go. I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone can say with certainty that one method over another is going to cure the present ills (which we all agree on). For those who say that tourism supports the military regime: knowledge and awareness of Burma's plight within the international community are what will eventually bring the illegal government down. You cannot make people care for a placemore than if they visit and come to care for it. I truly came to love Burma after my visits& have taken a strong interest in events there since then. Education is power... go toBurma and educate yourself about it! You will learn more by going than by any other means. There have been hundreds of repressive juntas in power in various places in the world where tourism was of little if any significance. While this mightfill their pockets a bit, tourism does not keep them in power. Apartheid did not fall due to a lack of tourism. I think that I will probably be more helpful for Burmese when I'llcome back by giving information on the situation than seated in front of my computer writing that it's wrong to visit Burma because my few hundreds of green bills could help the military. Travel and speak loud... Having spent a month in Burma, I'm not sure just what you expectto learn there that you can't find out wherever you already are. Most locals won't becrazy about endangering their freedom by openly discussing politics with you(and if you make your oppositional feelings too obvious, you could find yourself in trouble, too, as ongoing events have proven). You'll see propaganda billboards, have tightly
controlled access to information, and see pictures of the generals shaking hands with priests. None of this is news to anyone who's ever read up on the situation. While I loved Myanmar, I can't say that being a tourist there gave me any political information or understanding I couldn't have gained right in front of my computer. Generally it would be a good idea to travel to Burma because thelocal population is very dependent on uncensored news and mostly foreigners know more aboutthe country than the Burmese themselves. But my experience showed that most travellers just don't have an interest in the political and economic situation. Most tourists go to Burma to spend a few weeks like kings and queens, i.e. just abusing the situation there. I also know of a large amount of Germans who even welcome this regime and are totally against the opposition because they know the opposition wouldn'tgive the tourists more rights than the locals. My advice is, if you so urgently need to go to Burma then you shouldbe willing to inform yourself about what is going on in Burma and you should also bewilling to listen to the Burmese and to report it outside. But this is something never happens. Whenever I read travelogues about Burma I read from total unawareness and a strong sympathy for the military up to total denial of any wrong thingsin the country. This is surely not the wish of the Burmese. They put hope into the foreigners.
What can I do to avoid funding the government ?

If you don't want to patronise the government, stick to the privately-owned hotels. Restaurants are mostly private establishments. Temple admissionand tourist train fare is somewhat unavoidable. And don't use a driver affiliated withthe official Myanmar Tours or take any tours from them. By visiting the country you are patronising the government. Allprivate guides and hotels must be licensed to handle foreigners. To get these licenses, privately owned establishment have to pay large fees (plus backhanders) or musthave connections with the ruling junta. Furthermore they have to pay additional taxes for the privilege of catering for foreign tourists.

Anyone who thinks that they are not supporting the govt when they visit, lives in a cloud cuckoo land or chose to deliberately confuse the issue by talking about the poor state of the economy and the poverty levels. Thereby justifying their views since they are helping to alleviate the poverty by patronising only "private guides and private establishments." Burma is so strictly controlled that it would be impossible to operate without govt permission.

My basic knowledge of economics tells me foreign tourists create demand for these "private services", thereby encouraging other people into the business. More people means more licensing fees, taxes and backhanders to the govt.

If these doesn't help the govt then what does? Now where does this extra revenue get spent, that's the question? Improving the healthcare or alleviating poverty? The longer the junta is in power, the longer the people will suffer. Your visit will help the junta directly ($300 to get into the country [now US$200 --Ed.]) and indirectly (taxes etc).

Better to wait when the country is free of its unelected govt and then really enjoy the country and its friendly people. That's also when thereal foreign investments and tourism will really begin and with that hopefully poverty levels will come down. All of the guesthouses in Myanmar are government-related places.That's how people get a permit to operate one. ..like in almost all other countries in the world, where you needsome kind of license to operate a hotel/guest house.

What's the best time to visit? Very hot between Feb - Apr, 40+C, very wet between Jun and Nov; Dec & Jan is perfect. Nov to Mar is best weather-wise. It's the dryseason and not too warm.

How's travel during the monsoon period ? It doesn't affect you too much if you're sticking to the tourist route. Pagan normally is incredibly arid, so rainy season is often not a problem. You'll probably get rain in Inle and Yangon, but it won't ruin anything. The one place I'd probably avoid is the Western coast, Ngapali, Sittwe, Mrauk-U area, as rains there will be quite severe. Moulmein is also going to be quite soggy.

I only have about a week. Is that enough to see at least something? Don't plan on a single week; three or four weeks is just about right to do the major tourist route. Well, 6-8 days is really short, but in the old days that was all you got, so yes, you can see "something". I would restrict myself to Rangoon and Pagan which really is a big swinger, and potentially the Inle lake. Not more, apart from places which are on the way. Which leads to the question of transport : money doesn't so muchseem to be an issue, and given the time constraint I would recommend to do what some people did when I was there in '96: to rent a taxi & driver.

Frankly, if you want to go to a country as large as Burma and stay for just about a week, you won't be able to do much more than see a couple of major sites. In that sense, Pagan is an ideal place to go to. You could fit in Mandalay also, which has some mildly interesting sites in the city proper, plus ditto places inthe countryside around it.

If you want more of an experience, you will have to stay longer. It's fair to say that the sights on the well-worn main tourist route include a lot of the highlights. If you only have such a short period hiring a car (always with driver) might be a good idea. That way you'll at least be able to see the countryside.

Would flying allow me to see more? I'm not sure flying will save you that much time in such a shorttime span.

Is it easy to make contact with the local population ? There's no problem to interact with the locals; AAMOF the Burmesevery much like to talk with foreigners. It's wise, though, to not try to force the Burmese into discussing politics with you - not for your sake but theirs. If you develop a good relationship with a Burmese person (s)he'll confide in you and trust you with more personal opinions.

Is it easy to make intl phone calls in Myanmar ? It will be difficult to find telephones there and prices will beat least 5 Dollars a min (or 7-10 depending on where you are calling from).

I'm a keen amateur photographer. Any tips for me ? Make sure you bring enough film into Myanmar as you'll use it and you won't want to buy any film locally even if you can find it.

Which guidebook would you recommend? Lonely Planet. Up-to-date (as far as a book can be), and politically astute observations and advice!! It's good enough, altho the prices are not current.

Lonely Planet is the only guide that covers the hinter-lands and then not too well. Public transport from Pathein to Ngapali or Pyay to Sittwe in Western Burma - or even Mrauk-U - is barely touched on and doesn't tell you any of the alternatives! However, it's the best avail. I can also recommend the guide by Nelles Verlag. In some areas it was better than the Lonely Planet guide (my mate and I had both). I don't know if this book is available in English, though. http://titan.glo.be/patw/indiafaq.html


\5 Pyay and Yangoon

stopover for the site of Thayekhittaya. It also has a nice paya, Shwensandow paya.

Accommodation Pyay has just opened its doors for tourists, so there aren't many hotels yet. We stayed at Myat Guesthouse for 4 US$ pp including breakfast. It was a very nice, clean and friendly hotel. They can arrange everything for you (bustickets, taxi etc..) Pyay hotel is an old government run hotel. It doesn't look nice. Only tour groups arrive here. Prices around 10 US$. The restaurant looked nice though.

Restaurants With not so many tourists visiting, the restaurant scene is not so good (yet). Near the Ayeyarwady River, you can find the San Francisco restaurant. It's a Chinese run place. Food is quite expensive and not so great. We payed around 3 US$ for 2 persons. The restaurant of the Pyay hotel looked nice, but prices where a bit higher. Guidebooks recommend the "Auntie Mo" restaurant. It was closed when we were there. The locals said it was only for a few days.

What to do ? We went to Pyay to visit the ancient site of Thyekhittaya. We rented a car to visit the site. Some guidebooks say you can do it by bike, but it's a really long and hot ride ! We payed 3 US$ for the taxi for the whole day. There's a museum at the entrance. They wanted to open it for us only, but we had to pay 5 US$ each and it's just 1 room. Coming from Bagan, you might be a bit disappointed with the ruins. The fun of this place however is that you have to discover everything by yourself (a guidebook says you'll feel like Indiana Jones). This might change, there are already some roads and we did get help from a local farmer. It's fun to spend your day here, and there's a market nearby. If you still didn't have enough of paya's, you can still visit the Shwesandow pagoda. It's on a hill top, so you have a great view of Pyay.

Getting out Mandalay-Bagan: There are buses in this direction, expect to pay 4 US$. The train coming from Yangoon also stops here, but I have no further info on this.

To Yangoon Our hotel arranged a ticket with Rainbow Express company. The price was 1,8 US$ for 2 persons. The trip takes about 3 to 4 hours

This city is on the way to the golden rock pagoda at Kyaiktiyo. The city of Bago has more surprises then the guidebooks will tell you, so read this section. When we were there there was a serious grasshopper problem. Restaurants and hotels were full of them. Like all other cities, there was sometimes no electricity.

Accommodation There aren't so many hotels in Bago. We stayed at the Emperor Hotel. Unlike what the name suggests, it's a very basic place and not so clean. It's overpriced at 5 US$ pp. Update: 6/2000: Emperor doubles for 6$ (actually the price of a single), AC, bathroom, refrigerator (!). OK but noisy: street + mosque. If you arrive by bus in the middle of the night like me, the bus stops almost in front, it will be closed so it is necessary to ring the bell. In this case, the 1st night will not be charged. Also: not check out time, but note that was in May, therefore in low season, thus... - Laundry in Emperor: 6 pieces = 250 K. - people of the travel agency at ground floor are really very friendly, they can help you for all, and give a lot of infos, and speak quite good English. The person in charge is Maung Yee, a very tall Indian. Trishaw driver: ask for MANNI at the Emperor (or he will find you), 40 y.o. Indian, very friendly, knows Bago very well, speaks correct English. Highly recommended (6/2000).

Restaurant We didn't eat in Bago (we ate at the golden rock). The restaurant next to the Emperor Hotel serves breakfast and lunch, but no dinner. Restaurant 555 (beside Emperor): 200 K fried noodles, draught beer (!) 75 K fried pork: ~400K Restaurant Shwe It: spring rolls + beer = 500 K Near the Shemawdaw pagoda, there are some good noodle shops.

What to do ? Bago During our trip, several travellers told us about a rickshaw driver called Manny. He's a great guide in Bago. Don't worry to find him, he'll find you as there are very few tourists (he awaits buses and trains). He offered us a citytrip with his rickshaw visiting: The famous reclining Buddha: = 2$ + 50 K for photograph and 200 for video (!!) (6/2000). Four figures pagoda with beautiful Buddha's. Longyi workshop He also goes to the fantastic Kha Khatwain Kyaung monastery. It's the second largest monastery. There are around 1000 monks studying Buddha's life. If you visit at lunchtime, you'll see how the food of all these monks is prepared. You can take pictures and have lunch with them, really great.
Manny charges 3 US$ for 2 for a whole day.

Golden Rock We heard there are not many hotels near the Golden Rock, and they are very expensive, because a lot of tour groups end up here. So we decided to take a car and return the same evening. We rented a driver next to our hotel who charged 2 US$. The trip takes more then 2 hours. Golden Rock is one of the most sacred places in Myanmar. A massive goldleafed boulder balances on the edge of the cliff. The entrance fee is 6 US$ for the MMT. From the foot of the mountain, you can take a pick up, but some pilgrims do it by foot. If you do this, take plenty of water, it'll take a whole day. It's also quite steep. If you go by pick-up, they'll drop you near the top. It'll still take you 1 to 2 hours of climbing. At the top, it's like entering a theme park. There's a very relaxed atmosphere, and the Rock is pretty amazing. Try to avoid visiting the rock on a full moon day, because then the rock is visited by plenty of Burmese, which will cause you waiting many hours because the path is very narrow (Peter Vos 9/99).

Getting out Bago We went to Bago from Yangoon by train (2 US$ pp). A taxi ride to Yangoon costs 6 US$ (we missed the train eventually). Bus Bago -> Mandalay: 2000 K, departure 6pm, duration = 13 h. Arrival at the Highway Bus Terminal, free shuttles provided by the hotels (6/2000).

Pyay and Yangoon We took the bus to Yangoon and got off in Pyay. Our hotel arranged the tickets costing 4 US$ for the 8 hour trip. Our bus did have a breakdown and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere for 3 hours. The total trip took us 14 hours. The guide book mentions a boat to Pyay. We wanted to take it, but we couldn't find the boat, although we searched and waited for about 3 hours. There are also flights to Yangoon.

If you come from Mandalay, you pass the hilltown of Kalauw where you can do some great hiking tours. Around this beautiful lake, you can find 200 towns, all relying on the water. You can also do nice hiking trips in the hills surrounding the lake.

Accommodation You can find a lot of budget places in the beautiful Nyangshwe town. Expect to pay around 2 to 5 US$ including breakfast. We stayed at the Great Star Hotel, a very nice family-run hotel. We payed 2 US$ pp including breakfast (11/98). You can also have great lunch and dinner and they can organise boattrips on the canal. The Bright Hotel (Phaungdaw Saik Rd.: walk down the road and make a right at the inevitable paya). They charge 6 US$ for a double with bath. The management was a bit laid back, but there's a fine verandah and decent rooms (7/99). Remember Inn: 3$, bathroom, ventil, small breakfast. OK.

Laundry in Remember Inn: 3 pieces: 100 K. - bicycle renting (at the R.I.): 250 K a day (6/2000). There is an electricity problem in Nuaungshwe, like they say "one day electricity come, one day electricity go !".

Restaurant The home cooking of the Great Star hotel is recommended (+/- 1 US$). The Hupin has quite good Chinese food (try the hot and sour fish) and cold beer (7/99). The popular Four sisters has attractive decor, wonderful people, a pay-what-you-want policy, occasional live music and local Intha food. They do tone the spices down for the tourists (7/99). The Big Drum is to be avoided (7/99). Almost all tourist hotels or guesthouses offer meals. At the mingala market you can find fresh food and vegetables. There are also bakeries around the market area. Pancake Kingdom (to change a little;-): towards the canal, 2 pancakes + 1 soda = 325 K Very good. - Restaurant: Hu Pin Restoring: 1 dish + beer = 600 K Not good. - Restaurant: Shan Land (on canal's bank): 1 dish + 1 soda = 600 K Good. - Becasue it's a tourist area (?), from Bagan the bottles of beers (Mandalay, Myanmar or Tiger) of ~0.6 L are 350 K (instead of 300 K in the rest of the country)

What to do ? Visit to the colourful market in the town center. When you arrive in town, don't forget to get a permit at the MTT, it'll cost 10 US$ for 5 days. Sometimes soldiers check your entry ticket. Inle Lake is beautiful. It's a place with a great atmosphere. We planned to stay 3 days and finally stayed 6 days. This is really a place for your "chill out" time. LAKE TOUR: we rented a boat in our hotel for a whole day to visit the lake (6 US$ for boat + guide). We visited: The floating market of Ywana A silver factory A longyi factory The famous Nga Hpe chaung paya or jumping cat monastery: beautiful old wooden monastery where the cat of the monks jumps in the air. The famous fishermen on the lake. A lot of other beautiful villages.

We also took a guide to take us to an Pa-o village and monastery, this is a 1/2 day walk up the mountain (take a lot of water). We were very welcome at the monastery and stayed with the monks and listened all afternoon at Chinese music. We payed 5 US$ for the trip. You can rent a bike for 1 US$ per day and drive around the beautiful area. The trip to Nanthe is nice. On the way you pass a catholic nursery home where you are welcome for tea. Other trekkings of several days are also possible.

Getting out Our hotel owner arranged a ticket to Bagan for 3 US$ pp. We were stocked in a minibus for about 10 hours. The bus broke down, and afterwards part of the road was washed away by the rain. It's best to make reservations because sometimes these buses are full, and standing up for 10 hours can be deadly !!. You can also arrange buses to Mandalay, Taunggyi, Paya.


\6 Country, geography and history

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Burma (Myanmar) is a developing, agrarian country ruled by a military regime. The country has begun to encourage tourism after a long period of isolation. Tourist facilities in Rangoon, Bagan, Taunggyi and Mandalay are adequate but are very limited in most of the rest of the country. The country's political situation is relatively volatile as the military government suppresses expression of opposition to its rule.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Travel to and within Burma is strictly controlled by the Government of Burma. A passport and visa are required. Tourist visas are issued for package/group tours as well as to foreign individual tourists ("FITS") for stays of up to four weeks. "FITS" must exchange a minimum of U.S. dollars 300 for dollar-denominated foreign exchange certificates (FEC) upon arrival. The military government rarely issues journalist visas and several journalists traveling to Burma on tourist visas have been denied entry. Information about entry requirements as well as other information may be obtained from the Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, 2300 S Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone 202-332-9044/6, or the Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the U.N. 10 East 77th St., New York, N.Y. 10021 (212-535-1311). Overseas inquiries may be made at the nearest embassy or consulate of Burma (Myanmar).

AREAS OF INSTABILITY/SAFETY: Burma experienced major political unrest in 1988 when an undetermined number of Burmese democracy activists were jailed or killed by the govt. The military govt refused to recognize elections results in 1990, which the opposition won overwhelmingly. Burma experienced major student demos in 1996, and demonstrations occurred in Aug and Sep of 1998. Popular unrest and violence continue to be possible. US citizens traveling in Burma should exercise caution and check with the US Emb for an update on the current situation. US citizens are encouraged to carry their US PPs or photocopies of passport data and photo pages at all times so that, if questioned by Burmese officials, proof of U.S. citizenship is readily available.

Travel to the main tourist areas of Pagan, Inle Lake and the Mandalay area is routine. Travel to nearly all other parts of Burma is permitted, although transportation is difficult. Those planning to travel to more remote areas should contact the US Emb in RGN and/or Burmese authorities to ensure that they can travel to their intended destination. Some tourists traveling to places where permission is not expressly required have reported delays due to questioning by local security personnel.

In 1995 there was one reported guerrilla attack by Karen insurgents in the vicinity of the Yadana natural gas pipeline, Tenasserim Division. There are reports that future attacks on the pipeline may be contemplated.

In December 1996 two bomb explosions occurred at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Rangoon. There have also been bomb attacks against family members of senior military officials, and against trains. The Thai-Burmese border area in Southern Shan, Mon, Karen, Karenni, Chin and Rakhine states have been the scene of occasional fighting between government forces and various insurgent groups.

SECURITY: Foreigners, including Americans, have been caught up in the Burmese Governments suppression of the democratic opposition. Americans have been detained, arrested, tried and deported for, among other activities, distributing pro-democracy literature, photographing sites and activities, and visiting the homes and offices of Burmese pro-democracy leaders. Burmese authorities have warned U.S. Embassy officials that future offenders of these vague, unspecified restrictions will be jailed in lieu of deportation.

Burmese authorities require that hotels and guest houses furnish information about the identities and activities of their foreign guests. Burmese who interact with foreigners may be compelled to report on those interactions to the Burmese government.

The military government restricts access to outside information. Newspapers are censored for articles unfavorable to the military government, and Internet access is illegal. Tourists have had laptop computers with modems confiscated and held at the airport until their departure. Some journalists have been briefly detained, searched, had film and notes confiscated, and have been deported. Travelers have reported that their luggage is closely searched upon arrival and departure by immigration authorities.

Telephone services are poor in Rangoon and other major cities and non-existent in some other areas. U.S. Embassy officials are not allowed to travel outside Rangoon without the permission of the Burmese Government. It may, therefore, be difficult to assist U.S. citizens quickly should an emergency arise.

CRIME INFORMATION: Security in tourist areas is generally good. The level of violent crime and crime against property is low. There are occasional reports of pickpocketing. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to local police and the U.S. Embassy. U.S. citizens can refer to the Department of State's A Safe Trip Abroad to promote a more trouble-free journey. The pamphlet is available by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, via the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs, via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov or at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon.

MEDICAL FACILITIES: Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost thousands of dollars. Hospital and medical services are available in Rangoon; elsewhere, medical care is limited. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services, and U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States.

MEDICAL INSURANCE: Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas may face extreme difficulties. Check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies overseas, including provision for medical evacuation. Ascertain whether payment will be made to the overseas hospital or doctor, or whether you will be reimbursed later for expenses you incur. Some insurance policies also include coverage for psychiatric treatment and for disposition of remains in the event of death. Useful information on medical emergencies abroad, including overseas insurance programs, is provided in the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs brochure, Medical Information for Americans Traveling Abroad, available via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov and autofax service at 202-647-3000.

OTHER HEALTH INFORMATION: Information on vaccinations and other health precautions may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for intl travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299), or via their Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov.

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions which differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Burma is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Rangoon's main roads are generally good. Traffic in the capital is increasing rapidly but serious congestion is still rare. Slow-moving vehicles, bicycles, and heavy pedestrian traffic create numerous hazards for drivers on Rangoons streets. However, there are few good highways connecting Burmas major cities; most in-country travel must be accomplished by air. Travel between Mandalay and Rangoon is possible by land, but deteriorated roads and reckless driving make the trip potentially dangerous. Trains are uncomfortable and not always punctual.

AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: As there is no direct commercial air service by local carriers at present, or economic authority to operate such service, between the U.S. and Burma, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has not assessed Burmas Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with international aviation safety standards for oversight of Burmas air carrier operations. For further information, travelers may contact the U.S. Department of Transportation within the United States at 1-800-322-7873 or visit the FAA Internet home page at http://www.faa.gov/avr/iasa/index.htm. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) separately assesses some foreign air carriers for suitability as official providers of air services. For information regarding the DOD policy on specific carriers, travelers may contact the Pentagon at (703) 697-7288.

Due to general safety concerns regarding Myanmar Airways, including two fatal air crashes in 1998, the U.S. Embassy has advised its employees to avoid travel on this carrier whenever possible.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS Customs regulations are restrictive and strictly enforced. Photographing people in uniform or any military installation is discouraged by Burmese authorities and could lead to arrest or the confiscation of cameras and film.

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating the law, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs in Burma are strict and convicted offenders can expect stiff jail terms, fines and even the death penalty.

CONSULAR ACCESS: U.S. consular officers do not always receive timely notification of the detention, arrest, or deportation of U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens who are arrested or detained should request immediate contact with the U.S. Embassy. U.S. citizens are encouraged to carry their U.S. passports with them at all times, so that, if questioned by local officials, proof of identity and U.S. citizenship is readily available.

CURRENCY: Not all major credit cards can be used in Burma, and generally only large international hotels in Rangoon and Mandalay accept any. There are no automatic cash machines in the country to access currency from overseas and it is not possible to cash a personal check drawn on a foreign bank.

Although money changers sometimes approach travelers to offer to change dollars into Burmese Kyat at the market rate, it is illegal to exchange currency except at authorized locations such as the airport, banks and government stores.

Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) are required by foreigners for the payment of plane tickets, train tickets and most hotels. Burmese Kyat are accepted for most other transactions. It is possible to purchase FEC with some credit cards at the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank in Rangoon or any place that exchanges foreign currency.

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS: U.S. Presidential Executive Order 13047 of May 20, 1997, prohibits new investment in Burma. For specific information, contact the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) home page on the Internet at http://www.treas.gov/ofac/, or via OFACs Info-by-Fax service at 202-622-0077.

REGISTRATION/EMBASSY LOCATION: Americans living or in or visiting Burma are encouraged to register at the U.S. Embassy and obtain updated information on travel and security within the country from the Embassy. The Embassy is located at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon, tel. (95-1) 282055 and (95-1) 282182; fax (95-1) 280409.

This replaces the CIS of May 6, 1999 to include country-specific Y2K info.

Burma is the largest country in S.E.Asia, about the size of Texas. Irrawaddy River passes through town. Cheep visas for neighboring countries. Best time to visit is Jan-Apr. Burmese Kickboxing at the YMCA. Currency: Chinese FEC, US$, Kyat.

Entry-Exit Largest country in SE Asia of 40 million. See also ADVICE record. Offically renamed MYANMAR on Jun 18,1990 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council SLORC.

Arr Entry Proc - Show PP/Visa, disembark card. Exchange $300 for FEC at MFTB counter. See customs officer PU baggage Customs declaration Settle custom duties (Red channel) Inspect baggage Immigration reexamine PP.

Dep Exit Proc - Get airline tkt reconfirmed. Pay ($6 US of FEC) airport tax. Show PP airport tax reciept for boarding card. Immigration examine PP boarding card. Customs. Baggage inspection. Body search.

Bhamo BMO Heho HHO Kalemyo KMO Kawthaung KMO Kengtung KTG Kyaukpyu KPU Lashio LSO Mandalay MDY Mergui MYT Mong Hsat MST Moulmein MMN Myitkyina MKN Pagan PNU Putao PTO Sanoway TTE Sittwe STW Tachilek TCL Tavoy DWI

Burma transport/egress Travel - Intl, AIR: Myanmar's national airline is Myanmar Airways (UB). Yangon has direct air links with Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangladesh, Calcutta, Kunming and Moscow. Airlines serving Myanmar include Myanmar Airways, Aeroflot, Air China, Air France, All Nippon Airways, Bangladesh Airlines, Civil Aviation and Administration of China, Druk Air Corp, Eva Airways, Indian Airlines, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, Silk Air and Thai Airways International.

Intl a/p: Yangon (RGN) is 19km (12mi) from the city. a/p facs include rest, bar, snack bar, bank, PO, duty-free shop and tourist info. Buses go to the city (tvl time-30 min). Taxis are also available (tvl time-45 min).

Departure tax: US$6, payable in FECs (Foreign Exchange Cert; see also Money sect for details). Transit psnr are exempt.

SEA: Cruise ships call at Yangon Port

ROAD: Overland entry with a border pass is, in theory, OK at the foll border check points: Kyukoke, Namkhan and Muse on the Myanmar-Yunnan (PRC) border; and Tachileik, Myawaddy and Kawthaung on the Burma-Thai border. Gen speaking, however, foreigners are only allowed to tvl as part of an organised group. Due to an unstable political situation, borders may periodically close. Contact the nearest Embassy for late details.

NB: Recommended to only use air travel as a means of access into Myanmar.

For Burmese, Repression, AIDS and Denial By BLAINE HARDEN

Nov 14, 2000 YANGON, Myanmar  To inoculate themselves against any outbreak of democracy, the generals who run this hermit dictatorship have undertaken two urgent missions of self-preservation. Seeking support from the Buddhist majority in what used to be called Burma, the junta is sprucing up old pagodas and building new ones at a pace and on a scale that experts say is without precedent. Nearly every day, a top general travels by armed motorcade to a recently restored pagoda.

As state tv records his piety, the general removes his shiny shoes and inspects a newly gilded Buddha. The junta has a rather more robust Plan B. In an autumn that has been unkind to autocrats  Slobodan Milosevic failed to steal an election in Serbia and the youngest son of Indonesia's ousted president, Suharto, was convicted of corruption  the generals here are taking no chances. They have locked up nearly all their political opponents. In late September, they again ordered the house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader whose party won a huge victory in a 1990 election that the generals ignored. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has spent more than 6 of the last 11 years under house arrest. Senior leaders of her party have been imprisoned or placed under house arrest.

Two of the most influential monks, who wrote letters that begged the generals to talk to Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, are being watched by military intelligence. The army halted huge pro-democracy demonstrations 12 years ago by killing several hundred people and jailing thousands more. Since then, the generals have doubled the size of the armed forces, to more than 400,000, though Myanmar, with a population estimated at 50 million, faces no serious foreign threat and has made peace with most of its armed ethnic minorities.

Military analysts say the buildup, which coincides with a steep decline in spending on schools and health care, is primarily aimed at preventing or, if need be, crushing civil unrest. Large numbers of troops are stationed in or around major cities. In the last five years, the junta has forcibly resettled tens of thousands of potentially restive poor people from city centers to distant slums. It has closed most urban universities and sent students off to remote rural campuses.

Labor unions and private civic associations are banned. No elections are scheduled; none seem likely. The generals have made it a crime to own a computer modem, send e-mail, sign on to the Internet or invite a foreigner into a private home. Since seizing power 38 years ago, the military dictatorship has renamed the country, renamed this capital (formerly Rangoon) and renamed scores of other cities, towns and religious shrines. Every few years, the generals rename themselves. After the 1988 retirement of the founding dictator, Gen. Ne Win, his handpicked successors decided to call their junta the State Law and Order Restoration Council, known inside and outside the country as Slorc.

In 1997, as the generals opened the country to foreign investors and tried to soften their image, the name was changed to the State Peace and Development Council. S.P.D.C., though, has not caught on. People seem to relish calling their self-appointed leaders "Slorc." The generals have also stopped allowing foreign journalists into the country, especially Americans. But Slorc, starved for foreign currency, began admitting sizable numbers of tourists after 1996, which it proclaimed "Visit Myanmar Year."

Jan 28, 2001 Burma for better or worse. TOURISM: Burma may yet be a pariah state, but should intrepid tourists who visit anyway be treated as traitors to the cause? Hamish Keith

One of the most sensitive issues facing travellers to Southeast Asia is whether or not they should visit Burma, or Myanmar, as its rulers prefer the country to be known.

Since 1988, when the Burmese military killed demonstrators on the streets calling for democracy and then insulted their memory two years later by overturning legal election results, a junta has governed the country by decree with flagrant disregard for human rights. Seemingly impervious to international condemnation and insensitive to the economic hardships its rule has brought on its own people, the Burmese government has built a reputation as one of the most intransigent totalitarian regimes in the world.

Yet even though Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), has pleaded that foreigners refrain from visiting her country until after democracy has been restored, travellers continue to trickle in to the troubled country. Since the government launched Visit Myanmar Year in 1996 around 250,000 foreigners have visited annually. Although this figure is considerably below the 500,000 the Ministry of Tourism targeted, it is still a significant number.

In fact, it is highly likely that Burma's stringent currency regulations-foreigners are required to change at least U$200 into Foreign Exchange Cheques (FECs) as soon as they clear immigration-are more of a deterrent to some prospective tourists than the government's human rights record. Wandering around Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon's most spectacular religious shrine, on any given day one cannot help but run into small but very visible groups of western tourists. And it is not only tour groups. A steadily increasing number of independent travellers trying to stray off the conventional Asian trail are discovering the allure of Burma.

"It is not that we don't care about what their government is doing, it is just that we want to see for ourselves," said Jeanette, an Australian backpacker. "Besides, I think it is hypocritical to boycott Burma but not China and other Asian countries with repressive governments." This view is echoed throughout the tourism industry in Asia. "It is not that we support the military," the managing director of a Bangkok-based company said. "In Asia we often have to do business with institutions we don't like very much.

If we took the moral high ground every time there would hardly be anywhere for us to operate."Indeed China's human rights record is comparable to Burma's, and Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos do not lag far behind. Yet while China is about to be admitted into the World Trade Organisation, Burma is considered a pariah nation. Stories that Burmese citizens have been forced to give their labour in order to beautify tourist attractions or been evicted from their homes to make way for hotels-as happened to the 5,200 residents of Old Bagan in 1988-are certainly disturbing. There is no doubt that the junta behaves in a way that is entirely unacceptable in a civilised world.

However, while such behaviour is entirely unjustifiable, it must be noted that Burma is not the only country in the region to behave in such a heavy-handed manner. The Cambodian government regularly evicts whole villages of dismembered victims of its wars from the vicinity of Angkor Wat, China has been reported to use prison labour on tourist projects, Vietnam still sends suspected prostitutes off to re-education camps, and the jailed leader of Malaysia's opposition has been listed by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.

MEDIA GENERATED HYPOCRISY Popular opinion amongst tour operators in Bangkok is that western companies are just pandering to popular opinion. "It's just fashionable in England to be down on the Burmese government," a British investor in a Thai tour company said. "But they don't really know why. They still go to Tibet without worrying about the human rights abuses but they won't go to Burma.

Its media generated hypocrisy."Put in the context of Asia's big picture of dictatorial abuse, Burma stands out more for the decency of its opposition and the extraordinary sacrifices they have made in their struggle for democracy. In Aung San Suu Kyi they have a leader whose stature is such that she can be compared to Ghandi and Nelson Mandela as one of the few truly great and compassionate leaders of the twentieth century and it will be one of history's worst tragedies if she is denied her right to lead the Burmese people to freedom.

Pro-democracy activists liken their cause to the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid and advocate a policy of disinvestments in the hope they can force a bankrupt junta to the negotiating table. The problem is Burma is not an isolated racist state whose government is detested by surrounding countries. In 1997 it was allowed into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and enjoys a healthy trading relationship with its neighbours.

In 1999 official trade between Thailand and Burma totalled $414 million and will probably top $500 million for the year 2000, without the $280 million a petroleum consortium paid the Burmese government for natural gas to be piped into Thailand. And these figures are for legal trade; the black economy is likely to be several times this amount considering that a large amount of methamphetamine tablets is smuggled across the Thai border every day and that heroin is still the country's most valuable export.

Although stemming the flow of hard currency into military coffers is probably the right course of action and the withdrawal of several high profile multi-national companies has forced the junta to realise it cannot do business with the West until something changes, the reality is that boycotts and sanctions will not topple this regime on their own. This is especially true when one considers China.

Since the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, the two countries have become kindred spirits. China has ceased financing the now defeated Burma Communist Party (CPB) and has become the junta's main benefactor. Two-way trade between the two countries is estimated at $3 billion a year and China has helped improve roads and airports to facilitate good relations and a link to the Bay of Bengal.

Moreover, Chinese settlers and traders have floated across the border seemingly unnoticed. Out of a population of one million in Mandalay, according to estimates from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, 200,000 are from Yunnan. Burmese markets are saturated with Chinese consumer durables and products with a "Made in China" stamp have a prestige value far higher than anything made locally.

FIRST SIGNS OF COMPROMISE Recently there have been signs that the junta's hard-line position against the NLD is softening. By calling for negotiations with Aung San Suu Kyi at the behest of Malaysia's foreign minister they are indicating that the military might be willing to start to compromise.

Whether much more than the usual government propaganda stems from these meetings remains to be seen, but there is a growing body of opinion amongst the expatriate community in Rangoon that progress is being made, and although the junta is unlikely to release its iron grip on power it might be willing to relax it a little.

Western news wires claim this as a victory for sanctions while Asean sees its inclusive and gently persuasive approach bearing fruit. Either way, it is encouraging that talks have been scheduled and interesting that they have come after the Burmese military has effectively defeated the last of the insurgent armies in its frontier states.

With internal security seemingly under control the junta can afford to feel as stable as it has ever been. Organised opposition inside the country is now almost non-existent. Since 1988 they have jailed or silenced all the members of opposition and any voices of dissent, including Aung San Suu Kyi who remains under virtual house arrest and unable to travel.

There is no free press and people are afraid to talk openly of anything relating to politics or even complain about the dire economic straights their country is in for fear a government spy will inform on them. In modern Burma you can get 15 years in jail for unauthorised use of a fax machine, meetings of five or more people are banned, telephone calls are tapped and Internet access is only available to those with licences issued by the government, even then e-mails are censored before they leave the country. With no way to organise themselves and no leaders to inspire them there is little the people can do to fight against their oppressors.

WRESTLING WITH CONSCIENCES For tourists interested in visiting Burma but hesitant to appear to be supporting a brutal and illegal regime the choice has arguably become more complex as the grey areas, which have long been overlooked by observers only interested in seeing the black and white boundaries of a struggle between good and evil, become more apparent.

It is politically incorrect to praise the junta for any improvements they have made as it is seen as tantamount to justifying their regime in the eyes of the opposition. While, if you want to criticise the opposition by saying they are wrong on a certain policy, you are also thrown to the lions.

"I have now lived in Southeast Asia for almost 17 years. One of my main hopes was to visit Burma, but because of the political situation I have avoided it until the situation improves," says Dianne from Hong Kong. "Seventeen years later the situation has never improved, only worsened, and I am still struggling with myself as to whether I should go and be damned or stay out of the way."

So tourists must wrestle with their consciences and decide whether the rewards of visiting a beautiful, culturally unspoilt country outweighs the moral quandary of whether or not they are adding legitimacy to a totalitarian regime. Some tour operators take the opposite view and claim that tourism actually helps the struggle by bringing the Burmese people into contact with western views. The Burmese find this argument more than a little patronising; they don't need foreigners coming over to make them understand their own predicament, they know very well the nature of their government.

However, the NLD's claim that the package tourists the government is desperately trying to woo are likely to see little more than what the junta's wants them to see is almost as erroneous. Having observed many tourists witnessing the military propaganda machine in action, I have to say that few of them are fooled into thinking that Burma has a kind and benevolent government. Groups of middle-aged tourists might look stupid to some people, in their shorts and sweat stained souvenir T-shirts, but they see much more than the government wants them to.

Daw Aung Saan Suu Kyi has said she would rather have westerners interested in visiting her country stay at home and read a pamphlet on human rights than go to Burma. Unfortunately those westerners are far more likely to go to Cuba, Vietnam or Cambodia rather than read a pamphlet. Tourists, even many package tourists, become attached in a small way to the countries they visit.

When they go home they look for news stories concerning that country and are more likely to care about what goes on there. This is especially the case in Southeast Asia, and particularly Burma, where the people are warm, friendly and hospitable. In isolating its people's suffering, the opposition risks incurring the West's apathy rather than earning its much-needed support.

IRRESISTIBLE ATTRACTIONS: An extraordinary country with a huge variety of attrac-tions that are destined to certainly draw huge numbers of tourists sooner or later. The already well worn tourist triangle of Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay has been known about for a long time, but with many gems waiting to be discovered along the long southern coast line or mountainous north, it will be impossible for visitors to SE Asia to ignore the golden land forever.

Like it or not, tourism is an irresistible force and by trying to halt its flow into Burma, the NLD may be attempting something King Canute was unable to accomplish.

For now prospective tourists still need to think long and hard before they go to Burma, and unless the situation improves dramatically there are still many valid reasons why individuals should choose not to visit.

But perhaps it might also be time for the opposition to take some of the pressure off independent travellers and include foreign visitors in their campaign for democracy rather than condemning them.

Freedom is, after all, the issue that is ultimately at stake and western travellers' desire for the freedom to travel should not be underestimated.

Hamish Keith is a freelance writer and tour operator based in Thailand.

Myanmar or Burma [br'mu] , officially Union of Myanmar, republic (1994 est. pop. 44,277,014), 261,789 sq mi (678,033 sq km), SE Asia. It is bounded on the west by Bangladesh, India, and the Bay of Bengal; on the north and northeast by China; on the east by Laos and Thailand; and on the south by the Andaman Sea.

Slightly smaller than Texas, Myanmar occupies the northwest portion of the Indochinese peninsula. India lies to the northwest and China to the northeast. Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand are also neighbors. The Bay of Bengal touches the southwestern coast. The fertile delta of the Irrawaddy in the south contains a network of intercommunicating canals and nine principal river mouths. The capital and by far the largest city is Yangon (Rangoon).

Land and People The most densely populated part of the country is the valley of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, which, with its vast delta, is one of the main rice-growing regions of the world. Mandalay, the country's second largest city, is on the Ayeyarwady in central Myanmar. The Ayeyarwady basin is inhabited by the Burmans proper, a Mongoloid people who came down from Tibet by the 9th cent. and now represent nearly 70% of the mainly rural population. The valley is surrounded by a chain of mountains that stem from the E Himalayas and spread out roughly in the shape of a giant horseshoe; the ranges and river valleys of the Chindwinn (a tributary of the Ayeyarwady) and of the Sittoung and the Salween (both to the E of the Ayeyarwady) run from north to south.

In the mountains of N Myanmar (rising to more than 19,000 ft/5,791 m) and along the India-Myanmar frontier live various Mongoloid peoples; the most important are the Kachins (in the Kachin State in the north) and the Chins (in the Chin State in the west). These peoples practice shifting cultivation (taungya) and cut teak in the forests.

Between the Bay of Bengal and the hills of the Arakan Yoma is Rakhine State, a narrow coastal plain with the port of Sittwe. In E Myanmar on the Shan Plateau is the Shan State, home of the Shans, a Tai people closely related to the Thai who, at 10% of the population, are Myanmar's largest minority. South of the Shan State are the mountainous Kayah State and the Kayin State; the Karens, who inhabit this region, are of Tai-Chinese origin, and many are Christians. South of the Kayin State is the Tanintharyi region, a long, narrow strip of coast extending to the Isthmus of Kra. At its northern end is the port of Mawlamyine, Myanmar's third largest city. Most of Myanmar has a tropical, monsoon climate; however, N of the Bago Hills around Mandalay is the so-called Dry Zone with a rainfall of 20 to 40 in. (51102 cm). On the Shan Plateau temperatures are moderate.

Myanmar is divided into seven administrative divisions and seven states. Theravada Buddhism is the religion of about 85% of the population. Burmese (the tongue of the Burmans) is the official language, but each of Myanmar's ethnic minorities has its own language; in all, over 100 languages are spoken. There are colleges and universities in Yangon and Mandalay.

Government - Military regime. In 1989, the military government changed the name of Burma to Myanmar. The U.S. State Department does not recognize the name Myanmar or the military regime that represents it.

History - The ethnic origins of modern Myanmar (known historically as Burma) are a mixture of Indo-Aryans, who began pushing into the area around 700 B.C., and the Mongolian invaders under Kublai Khan who penetrated the region in the 13th century. Anawrahta (104477) was the first great unifier of Myanmar.

In 1612 the British East India Company sent agents to Burma, but the Burmese doggedly resisted efforts of British, Dutch, and Portuguese traders to establish posts on the Bay of Bengal. Through the Anglo-Burmese War in 182426 and two subsequent wars, the British East India Company expanded to the whole of Burma by 1886. Myanmar was annexed to India, then became a separate colony in 1937.

During WW II, Burma was a key battleground; the 800-mile Burma Road was the Allies' vital supply line to China. The Japanese invaded the country in Dec. 1941, and by May 1942 had occupied most of it, cutting off the Burma Road. After one of the most difficult campaigns of the war, Allied forces liberated most of Burma prior to the Japanese surrender in Aug. 1945.

Burma became independent on Jan. 4, 1948. In 1951 and 1952, the socialists achieved power. In 1968, after the government had made headway against communist and separatist rebels, the military regime adopted a policy of strict nonalignment and set out to follow the Burmese Way to socialism. But the insurgents continued to be active.

The civilian government was overthrown in Sept. 1988 by a military junta led by Gen. Saw Maung, an associate of U Ne Win. Virtually the entire country protested the takeover, but demonstrations were brutally quashed. The military government officially changed the name of the country to Myanmar in 1989. When the new government held elections in May 1990, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide. But the military, or SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), refused to recognize the election results.

The leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, which focused world attention on SLORC's repressive policies. Daughter of the assassinated general Aung San, who was revered as the father of Burmese independence, Suu Kyi remained under house arrest from 1989 until July 10, 1995. A new constitution was drafted in 1994 that called for an elected executive branch but appeared designed specifically to forbid Suu Kyi from becoming president. Suu Kyi continued to protest against the government, but almost every move she made was answered with a counterblow from SLORC.

Although the ruling junta has maintained a tight grip on Myanmar since 1988, it has not been able to subdue an insurgency in the country's south that has gone on for decades. The ethnic Karen movement has sought an independent homeland along Myanmar's southern border with Thailand. The economy has been in a state of collapse except for the junta-controlled heroin trade, the universities remained closed, and the AIDS epidemic, unrecognized by the junta, has gripped the country.

In April 1997 the U.S. government imposed sanctions intended to prevent U.S. private investment in Myanmar. In 1998, Suu Kyi's party set a deadline of Aug. 21 for the convening of the 1990 Parliament, which was never allowed to meet after its election. Suu Kyi also challenged the unofficial ban on her leaving the capital, a move that brought retaliation against many of her supporters. Opposition politicians, headed by Suu Kyi, boldly declared in Sept. 1998 that they would act as the country's Parliament and announced that the ruling junta was illegitimate. Thereafter, the government detained hundreds of opposition members and staged several huge artificial demonstrations in which participants called for the deportation of Suu Kyi.

In Sept. 2000 Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest again, thus prevented from leaving Rangoon to investigate reports that the government was cracking down on her supporters. The ruling military regime and Suu Kyi begun landmark talks in October 2000, though signs of democratic reforms remain elusive. The government has, however, extended an olive branch to Suu Kyi, releasing from prison more than 150 members of the National League for Democracy and allowing the NLD to reopen branch offices around Yangon, the first time since the 1998 govt crackdown.

The Union of Myanmar, known as Burma until mid-1989, is the land of the great Irrawaddy, or Ayeyarwady, River. Most of the country's people live in the fertile lowlands drained by the river. Foreign products and travelers come through Rangoon (Yangon), Myanmar's capital. Myanmar is bordered by China, Laos, Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India.

Myanmar is mountainous. Its parallel ranges are separated by the north-south valleys of the Irrawaddy, the Salween, and the Sittang rivers. The Irrawaddy and the Salween rise high in the Tibetan Highlands of China. The Irrawaddy Valley may be divided into three parts. The narrow, thinly populated upper valley reaches to about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Mandalay and receives other swift mountain streams. Much of the broader middle valley is known as the dry zone because its rainfall is low.

The lower valley, which is the delta region, extends 180 miles (290 kilometers) upstream from the sea. A range of low mountains, the Pegu Yoma, runs east of the Irrawaddy.

At the south end of the Irrawaddy Valley is the Arakan Yoma. Here the highest elevations rise to almost 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). West of the Arakan Yoma lies the state of Arakan, along the Bay of Bengal.

The highlands to the northeast and east include the Shan Plateau, which averages about 3,000 feet (900 meters). The Salween River flows through in a deep, narrow valley. Myanmar's southern panhandle is the Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) division. It is on the Isthmus of Kra, which links Malaysia to continental Asia.

Most of Myanmar receives heavy rainfall, almost all in summer. The Arakan and Tenasserim regions receive up to 200 inches (500 centimeters) a year. From 60 to 100 inches (150 to 250 centimeters) fall in the Irrawaddy Delta and between 40 and 80 inches (100 and 200 centimeters) in the eastern highlands and in the north. Parts of the dry zone, in the middle Irrawaddy Basin, get less than 40 inches each year.

Almost 50 percent of Myanmar is forested. Where the rainfall is greatest, broad-leaved evergreen rain forests are common. Where there is less rainfall, the forests have trees that lose their leaves in the dry season. Teak is the best known of these trees. In prehistoric times the dry zone was a savanna, with mixed grass and trees. Most of the delta, formerly a swamp forest, has been cleared for farms. Mangrove forests rim the delta and portions of the coasts. Back to Top

The population of Myanmar is more than 40 million. Most of the ancestors of the present population came originally from southwestern China about 2,000 years ago. The various groups spoke different languages and had different customs, but the people were predominantly of Mongoloid background.

The country's name change from Burma to Myanmar in 1989 was made to make clear the fact that the country was composed of various ethnic groups, not just the majority Burmans. The Burmans make up almost three quarters of the population and live chiefly in the central lowlands and the delta. The Shans, of the Shan Plateau region, the Karens, who live in the eastern hills and the eastern delta, and the Rakhines make up about a fifth of the population. The Talaings, or Mons, and the Chins and Kachins make up most of the rest of the population. In addition, there are many hill tribes, each speaking a different language. After the mid-19th century, thousands of Indians migrated to the country. People of Chinese origin live chiefly in the cities. Back to Top

Buddhism, the country's dominant religion, was brought from India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) many centuries ago. The Buddhism of Myanmar is called Theravada or Hinayana (Little Raft) to differentiate it from the Mahayana (Great Raft) Buddhism most common in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Korea. Each village has its Buddhist temple, or pagoda. The monks live in monasteries, which also serve as centers of traditional education.

The society, in keeping with its religion, is quite democratic and fluid. There is no caste system nor is there a true nobility. The hill tribes are under the rule of chiefs, and most of the tribesmen practice traditional beliefs. The Shans are Buddhist. Many of the Karens have been converted to Christianity.

Only a small number of the people receive more than a primary education. Rangoon and Mandalay have universities and state schools. The educational focus has been on vocational and technical training.

Health facilities are fairly well developed for a tropical country. Infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, plague, and tuberculosis still occur, however, and malaria takes a heavy toll.

Government and History Myanmar was first united as a single kingdom in 1044 under the ruler Anawrahta, who made it the center of Theravada Buddhism. After a series of wars in the 19th century, the country came under British control. The British took Tenasserim and Arakan in 1826; most of the delta region, including Rangoon, in 1852; and a large part of the rest of the country in 1885. From 1886 to 1937 they governed it as a provinceoof India.

The Japanese occupied the country in 1942 and created a puppet state that lasted until 1945, when British rule was restored. Burma was granted independence from the British in 1948. Burma's policy of neutrality and isolation in international relations was strained by Chinese pressures in the northeast. A boundary treaty between Burma and China, signed in 1960, helped ease tensions. In 1958 a caretaker government was set up under the army chief of staff, Gen. Ne Win, who prepared the country for elections. U Nu was elected prime minister of the government, which ruled from 1960 until 1962, when Ne Win staged a coup. He dissolved the parliament, abandoned the constitution, and began nationalizing industry. Under the 1974 constitution, Burma became a one-party socialist republic, with Ne Win as president. He dissolved the Revolutionary Council that was set up after the coup of 1962 and inaugurated a one-chamber assembly. Ne Win stepped down in 1981 but retained his leading role as chairman of the Burma Socialist Program party (BSPP).

In July 1988 Ne Win resigned as chairman of the BSPP after antigovernment demonstrations led to violent protests. Sein Lwin, a former military officer, became president but resigned two weeks later.

Maung Maung became president in August, as the first civilian leader in 26 years, but failed to end the street violence. On September 18 Saw Maung, a four-star general and close associate of Ne Win, toppled the civilian government. Street violence and military actions resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people. On September 10 Article 11 of the constitution, making the country a one-party state, was dropped. On September 26 the name of the BSPP was changed to the National Unity party. In an attempt to quiet protests by ethnic minorities, the country's name and many cities' names were changed in 1989.

Despite the arrest and disqualification of most of its leadership, the National League for Democracy won about 82 percent of parliamentary seats in 1990 elections. The military government, however, never permitted the elected government to take power. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest since 1989, was awarded the 1991 Nobel prize for peace. The United Nations Human Rights Commission condemned the military regime for human rights abuses, but economic sanctions failed to bring about changes.

Karens
The Karen people of Burma, who numbered about 2.6 million in the early 1990s, are, with the Shans, one of the two largest non-Burmese ethnic groups in that country. A Karen state lies east of Rangoon along the Thai border, but only a minority of Karens live there; the rest are mainly dispersed in the densely populated deltas of the Irrawaddy, Sitang, and Salween rivers. Some speak a Karen dialect, and others have adopted Burmese. Although many leading Karens are Christians, the majority (about two-thirds) are Buddhist. The influence of the Karens under British rule was out of proportion to their numbers. Many of them, especially those who were Christian, came to hold important positions in the colonial army, and they were disliked by the Burmese who led the nationalist movement that gained independence for Burma in 1948. Unwilling to submit to Burmese rule, the Karens rebelled unsuccessfully in 1949, and Karen insurgency has persisted since then with varying degrees of intensity

YANGON, Burma 9/22/00. In a renewed attempt to assert her freedom of movement, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi tried to board a train Thur, but authorities refused to issue her a ticket, leaving her sitting at the stn.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner had tried last month to travel by car out of Yangon, Myanmar's capital, for political work, only to be stopped on the road. Suu Kyi and several of her National League for Democracy colleagues were allowed to go to the railway station but were kept from boarding four consecutive trains for the 12-hour, 350-mile journey to Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city.

The group was told that tickets to Mandalay had been sold out, a party official said. Suu Kyi, deputy party leader Tin Oo and about 10 members of the party's youth wing, sat in a waiting lounge after the last train to Mandalay departed. Plainclothes and uniformed police also were in the waiting area. It was not clear whether Suu Kyi and her colleagues would try to spend the night at the station and attempt to take today's trains. Earlier, security forces hauled scores of Suu Kyi's supporters from the station before she embarked on her effort to assert her freedom of movement and test the military regime's resolve to impose restrictions


\7 more Burma info

The Name Game Despite all the PC babble about Myanmar being the bad guys' name for Burma, don't believe it. Myanmar is the name of the country and Burmese (or Myanmars) the name of the people. Burmese is the language found around the capital city of Yangon and is spoken by ethnic Burmese. The region has been called Myanmar even as far back as the 13th century, by Marco Polo, no less. It makes more sense to call the country a name other than just one of the many ethnic groups. Imagine if America were called India, after what was its largest ethnic group. All the generals were doing was a little colonial house cleaning when they renamed the country and many of its cities.

Myanmar - Nuts and Bolts The official language of Myanmar is Burmese; a number of ethnic languages are also spoken. Burmese is a completely indecipherable script for most casual visitors. English signs have been removed so bring a phrase book if you want to do anything more than eat or sleep. It is helpful to know that Burmese have one given name between one to three syllables, usually preceded with a form of address. In Burmese, use Oo (uncle) for adult males, Ko (elder brother) for males of the same age, Bo for leader, Ma (sister) for young girls, Daw (aunt) for older women, and Saya (master) for teachers or employers. Other ethnic groups use variations on this theme.

\8 more info

Buddhists comprise 85% of the population, while animists, Muslims, Christians and other indigenous religion followers comprise the rest. Sixty-eight percent of Myanmar's population is Burmese; however, there are five major ethnic groups (Shan, 11 percent; Karen, 7 percent; Kachin, 6 percent; Arakanese, 4 percent; and Chin, 2 percent.).

The Shan are found in the NE. The Karen straddle northern Thailand and eastern Burma and pay little attention to the border between the two countries. The Mon populate the same fertile area as the Karen and are ethnically related to both the Khmers and the Burmese. The Burmese live primarily in the central plains along the Ayeyarwady River and were the builders of the great monuments at Bagan.

The literacy rate stands at 81 percent. The monetary unit is the kyat. The free market exchange rate at press time was nearly 300 kyat to the U.S. dollar, but should should settle down again to about 167 kyats to the dollar. The free market rate is now legal, replacing the ridiculously artificial rate of 6 kyats to the buck. Big Brother

The military rulers of Myanmar keep a very close watch on their own people and particularly hnakaung shays or long noses. That probably means you. Do not converse freely with strangers. It can be safely assumed that anyone who loiters near you or reappears often in your travels is a paid intelligence operative.

Telephone calls can be made from hotels and the Central Telegraph office in Yangon. International calls go through operators (watch what you say and who you call). There is no guarantee of a phone line being available or even usable. Telexes can be sent from major hotels as well as the telegraph office.

It costs six kyats to post an airmail letter, but don't count on it getting there anytime soon. Buy the stamps and mail your postcards or letters from Bangkok. MTT, 77-79 Sule Pagoda Road, is the main source for travel info in Yangon. There are also offices in Mandalay, Bagan and Taunggyi.

Voltage is 220/50 cycles when it works.

Note: Feb and Mar are bad times to visit due to the influx of gem buyers into Yangon for the annual auction.

Two places to find information on Aung San Suu Kyi and contact other people interested in a democratic Burma (calling the country Myanmar is tres outre for these folks). There is also an electronic service called BurmaNet which will distribute information on the goings on inside Myanmar. You might want to let all your boycott tuna, save the whales and Body Shop pals join in what is the '90s most "in" protest. To be politically correct, you're not supposed to visit Myanmar so that your dollars don't fall into the evil hands of the Generals. DP takes no sides but you might actually want to visit Myanmar and form your own opinion.

Myanmar - Everyone In Myanmar, you can't tell the bit players without a program. Even DP dares not dive too deeply into the various military, political, narco, ethnic, regional and ideological groups that want a piece of Myanmar for themselves. There are estimated to be at least 35 insurgency groups fighting or operating inside Myanmar (19 of them under the leadership of Karen leader Bo Mya), although most of them have made a precarious peace with Yangon.

Depending on who's counting, they range in size from a handful of overeducated hotheads living in refugee camps, bad-ass shoot-to-kill drug smugglers, archaic political parties, regional warlords, and well-meaning but poorly equipped tribes to large, well-equipped armies of over 25,000 soldiers, complete with armored divisions. There are four major ethnic divisions, with 67 recognized tribal groups, with the majority Burmese living along the fertile center. Keep in mind as you travel around the country that most border and northern areas have some sort of grudge match going on at any one time. The Karen Nationals have been fighting for independence since 1948. The various groups fighting the SLORC are united under the name Democratic Alliance of Burma, but virtually all factions have made peace with Yangon over the last two years.

Myanmar - Drugs Recent announcements of peace between insurgents and the government are assumed to be "live and let live" agreements, which allow the Wa and Shan people to concentrate on the more lucrative business of opium rather than vying for political power. Consequently, for the first time since World War II, it appears the Yangon government has control over its entire 1600-km border with Thailand. Myanmar is the largest producer of opium in the world.

Myanmar - The Barking Dogs Another dog-hot day came to a close at the dusty Wanka (Huaykalok) Karen refugee camp near Mae Sot and the Moei River--the silty ribbon of lazy backwater which meanders between northern Thailand and the free-fire zone of eastern Burma. It was the kind of day that moved at the pace of a snapshot--nothing unusual for the thousands of ethnic Karens who call Wanka a temporary home, stowaways from the protracted fighting between the KNU and SLORC. That night, though, life at Wanka would be turned upside down.

Camp Leader Mary On had heard the "barking dogs" before, a reference to the DKBA, or "SLORC stooges," who were always making threats at the Demoractic Korean Buddhist Army (DKBA). But the 6800 Karen refugees here at Wanka hadn't expected so much so suddenly. It started with chirping on the walkie-talkies. As they, and the rest of the camp, were preparing for sleep. On and a couple of aides listened to the voices. The language was Burmese, not Karen--an ominous sound along this part of the Moei River. "The words were 'act swiftly and methodically,'" On says. Before On had time to make sense of what she was hearing, flames began spitting skyward from the roof of the camp's primitive clinic. Then the raiders came for Mary. She dashed for the brush. There were the shouts and cries of women and children in the disconnected orange darkness, and the staccato reports of AK-47s being discharged. The soldiers reached On's spartan hut and set it aflame-and then swiftly and methodically razed hundreds of homes in the camp during the next 75 minutes of terror. At 11 p.m., Wanka was engulfed in flames, but the job was only half-finished, the marauders heard sirens in the distance. Mistaking the sounds for an approaching company of Thai soldiers, the 137 Burmese and DKBA soldiers slipped from the Karen camp--along with 50 porters, charged with hauling anything that could be found in Wanka of value--across the Moei River into the blackness of the Burmese jungle.

At least 20,000 ethnic Karen had spilled into Thailand during this final bloody overture in early 1997 by SLORC in its race to "reconcile" the country in time to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by July. Of course, this ascent into legitimacy would necessitate silencing the KNU, the longest single running-insurgency in Asia and the only faction of the 16 separate groups fighting the Yangon regime that had not made peace with SLORC. In all, some 100,000 Karen refugees were forced into camps inside Thailand by March 1997. The KNU has been fighting various Rangoon/Yangon governments since 1948 in its bid for independence. The current regime, considered the most brutal since Burma forged its own independence from Britain the same year, has made crushing the remaining pockets of KNU guerrillas--scattered along the Thai border near the provinces of Tak, Ratchburi, Kanchanaburi and Chumpon--its main priority in 1997. SLORC deployed more than 100,000 troops in 1997 to mop up the remaining 3000 or so KNU fighters still active in the jungle, guerrilla forces still fiercely loyal to KNU President Gen. Bo Mya and the four platforms of Karen patriarch Saw Ba Oo Gyi: "Surrender is out of the question; we will retain our arms; the Karen state must be realized; we will decide our political destiny." Shortly after the raid on Wanka near Mae Sot, both refugees and fighting spilled over into Thailand at Umphang, about 200 km south of Mae Sot. Burmese regulars with their butterfly nets set on automatic were chasing Karens through the forest--in this case, Thai forest--and the Thais began firing back. Flashpoints dotted the Thai-Burma map: Umphang, Songklaburi, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi--even as far south as Chumpon. Refugees began streaming across the border in Kanchanaburi; some were being turned back. Generals both from SLORC and the Thai army met at Tachilek to smooth feathers and get their photos taken in starched uniforms.

Mae Sot enjoys many of the benefits of Thai prosperity; modern, clean banks, service stations and hotels flank well-paved roads. Souvenir markets spill into the street at the unfinished Friendship Bridge on the Moei River. A smattering of Western tourists apply sunscreen and point camcorders toward forbidden Myanmar on the far side of the brown river. Unshaven Burmese men dressed in longyis lurk in the shadows of the gem stalls hawking hidden cartons of Marlboro; their mastery of English vocabulary is limited to the word "Marlboro." When this one-word sales pitch is combined with a smoking gesture of two fingers to the lips, it appears as if a Marlboro is what the salesman seeks rather than what he is offering. Naively believing the former, I hand one such black market vendor a cigarette from my own pack of Marlboros. Bemused, he lights it anyway. The Wanka refugee camp is pitched in a giant, rolling field of parched grasses and brush. It is a brown, dusty and desolate moonscape that seems to have been selected by a freshman at refugee camp design school--or an A student. Every available twig and crusted banana leaf has been utilized to shelter this rickety, unsturdy city of 6831. The little vegetation here has been scorched to the color of old tobacco. Smoke lofts lazily in the midday heat from lean-tos and small hootches.

A procession of rail-thin, longyi-clad men and women stoically accompany a tiny coffin down a rutted path past their sun-skewered thatched homes to the camp's Christian cemetery. They pass a spirited volleyball match between Wanka's more fit being contested beneath "The Dome," a canopy of corrugated, oxidized aluminum sheets perched atop makeshift bamboo scaffolding to shade the players from the searing sun. It is Wanka's version of a national stadium.

But what is most noticeable is the destruction of what little is here to begin with. Squares of scorched earth stick out in the landscape like a bad effort at Game Boy. What were trees are now charred stumps. Three of the bare, blackened trunks rise together like the crosses Christ and the two thieves were executed on.

Mary On is walking on a narrow dirt path sluicing through a gauntlet of charred frames and ash-covered foundations that had been homes before the SLORC raid. A small child sifts through the soot at the base of one gutted dwelling, panning the ash like a gold prospector in search of anything that might be of value. At first, it is not apparent that Mary On is a woman at all. She is diminutive and brushes her short wavy hair from a wide left part, like a schoolboy whose mother fusses with his trusses for him. She is also smoking a pipe and wearing golf trousers with a white belt.

On is the camp leader at Wanka; she is also the vice chairman of the Karen Refugee Committee and has been the KNU's matriarch since firing her first machine gun at Yangon troops in the early 1960s. On was born in 1934 in Yangon, the daughter of strict Baptists. Her father was active in the Karen rebel movement early on. By the time she was serving on the front lines with KNU guerrillas in the Pegu Mountains, there was little doubt where her loyalties were, and equally as little doubt she was prepared to die for them: the KNU's Four Principles. Throughout the 1970s On smuggled guns to the Karen guerrillas operating in the Delta and, in the 1980s, fought Yangon troops from the KNU base at Wanka. When that was finally overrun in 1984, she was asked to oversee the refugees at Huaykalok.

And On runs a tight ship. The lives of the camp's inhabitants are regimented; the children are remarkably disciplined and well-behaved. Wanka is meticulously clean, despite having been almost entirely razed by the SLORC and DKBA raiders. There was a school here with an American teacher. He left after the attack. The camp has yet to rebuild its clinic, as well as the makeshift churches that were destroyed in the fires. Despite the destruction, perhaps because of it, there is serenity here, a lack of urgency and despair. The rutted, dusty road that snakes through Wanka is flanked by the flimsy shacks still left standing; many serve as stores, selling sundries, food and "household" items. The camp's water is drawn from artesian wells. NGOs such as the American Refugee Committee help feed the population and aid the sick.

"The most important thing is to be clean," On says, her English flawless. "Most of the men are off fighting the SLORC, so I have to implore the camp's women about cleanliness. Cleanliness is the way to survive under these conditions." The words of a headmistress, but also the words of someone who is as comfortable with an M-16 as with a kitchen spoon. On is part Mother Teresa, part Joan of Arc. More part Joan of Arc.

"The KNU will fight to the end, to the single last person," she says. "The SLORC and the barking dogs know this. Stooges, all of them--like a Mickey Mouse under the table of the SLORC. The SLORC acts with their name. There are seven million Karen people in Irrawaddy Division. We will not be defeated. All we want is peace. And if we get peace, we would go back tonight. We wouldn't wait until tomorrow."

The KNU held four rounds of negotiations with SLORC between December 1995 and November 1996, and was seeking a fifth round of peace talks when Yangon launched a massive dry season offensive against the Karens in January 1997. Although the Yangon-backed DKBA, a KNU spin-off that sold out to SLORC, is blamed for most of the attacks on Karen refugees living inside Thai territory, thereby sparing SLORC from accusations of direct military involvement on foreign soil, On knows better.

"These aren't DKBA who crossed into Thai territory and burned our camp," she says. "This is what the SLORC wants you to believe. The men that night were mostly SLORC regulars. There were 107 SLORC soldiers, 30 DKBA barking dogs and 50 porters to carry all of our belongings and food away. What they couldn't carry away they burned. Their leaders were SLORC commanders. They ordered everyone from their homes. Their commands to the villagers were in Burmese, not in Karen. "The soldiers demanded that we return to Burma. The villagers asked them: 'Are you going to put us in forced labor? Are you going to throw us in prison?' (The commander) said he couldn't guarantee it. 'Then of course we will not go,' the villagers said. It is better to stay in Thailand as a refugee than go back to Burma as a slave."

There had been some forewarning of the raid. A few days earlier, On had received a letter from the "barking dogs," signed by Chit Thu, demanding that the refugees return to Burma or face violent consequences. But On had received such threats before, and thought this latest note to be merely another SLORC wolf cry.

"We were totally unprepared for the attack," she says. After setting fire to the clinic, the soldiers set off for On's home about 200 meters away. On was hiding. "I never sleep in the same place. I am always moving." The soldiers set fire to On's home first, then began randomly torching the camp's 1360 flimsy homes. When they had finished, 690 had burned to the ground. Porters with bamboo baskets were ordered to strip the houses and small stores clean before they were set afire. Women screamed and tried to salvage their belongings. Soldiers shouted that they would be killed and fired into the air. The raiders next burned two Baptist churches, a Pentecostal church and ransacked the camp's Catholic church, according to On. They spared the camp's Buddhist monastery.

Finally, at 11 p.m., came the sirens. The SLORC and DKBA attackers, along with their porters, fled Wanka across the Moei River. The sirens were not those of the Thai army, but of a Mae Sot firefighting detachment. "We didn't get any help at all," On says.

On is not quick to bite the hand that feeds it, however. Since 1984, Thailand, with little help from the rest of the world, has welcomed and provided food and shelter for hundreds of thousands of refugees and ethnic insurgents battling the Yangon regime. "We owe the Thai people a lot. The Thais have given us peace for 13 years," On admits.

Thailand's generosity is borne of two reasons: out of mercy for those displaced by war, and the strategic advantage anti-Yangon groups ringing Thailand's border give Bangkok in the form of a buffer between two traditionally hostile nations.

But it is Thai strategy that worries On. News that at least 900 Karens, fleeing into Kanchanaburi province to escape the early 1997 fighting, were forced back into Myanmar is foreboding to Thailand's displaced Karens. Thailand, in recent years, has raced to do business with SLORC's generals, to capitalize on Myanmar's opening economy. And it doesn't inspire Thailand's humanitarian concerns that Karen guerrillas are the only remaining obstacle to Myanmar's $1 billion natural gas pipeline--being built by French oil company Total and U.S. fuel giant Unocal through Myanmar's Tenasserim region--which will ensure Thailand of much of its energy needs.

Meanwhile, On and the Karens at Wanka patiently wait for the day they can walk the few meters back into Myanmar as free people. On's assertions that ultimately, somehow, the U.N. and the U.S. will mediate the Karen crisis to a favorable resolution sound hollow, however, but indeed reflect a different reality: the Karens are simply outgunned, and that vested interest in their struggle is waning. This suggests, of course, that vested interest is the only interest outsiders have ever had in the KNU, and that as the last of Myanmar's 16 ethnic insurgencies to still do battle with SLORC, it will become the 16th footnote in the legacy of SLORC's internationally sanctioned dictatorship. "If you've come to see the Karen, you will see the Karen in a museum," On says. "This is the policy of the SLORC."

For the KNU, the barking dogs are also biting. For the first time since World War II, Myanmar's entire 1600-km border with Thailand is thought to be under government control. But despite losing its bases of operation, Gen. Bo Mya's fighters continue to pick and peck at Myanmar troops in the jungle. It's the mischievous gleam in On's eyes that reminds a visitor that the Karens are to Myanmar what Vietnam was to the U.S., what Afghanistan was to Russia--and have been for 50 years. On is part of the reason Yangon might postpone its hunt for a curator.


\9 Mandalay

Mandalay was founded in 1857. It was the capital of Myanmar (then called Burma) from 1860 to 1885, when the British captured the city. The British moved the capital to Yangon, also spelled Rangoon. Mandalay suffered much damage during World War II (1939-1945).

Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake) We took a minibus from the central busstation to Inle Lake. The company was Honey Express, and the 6 hour trip costed 3 US$. On the way you pass the hill station of Kalaw where you can get off. We heard you can also do some great hikes there.

Bagan By bus: from Mandalay busstation, around 2 US$. By boat: very popular with travellers. the trip takes around 10 hours (fast boat) and costs 15 US$. Update 6/2000: boat ticket to Bagan: 16$ (!!) for the " fast boat " (private boat, see LP), departure at 6am, 4 stops (without possibility to get off), lasted 9h30 (probably faster by the end of the rainy season). Another traveller took the "slow boat" and the travel lasted twice the time (fare is 11$ if I remind correctly). Nice trip (more than the bus;-), but less than Mawlamyaing to Hpa-An trip. Be prepared to see hotels touts getting in at the last stop (even the one before for one of them !) before Bagan.

Yangon Leo Express costs 2500 Kyat pp including food Mandalar Htun Express costs 1800 Kyat without food. The trip officially takes 14 hours, but 16 to 17 hours is sometimes more realistic.

PYIN U LWIN: - pick-up from Mandalay Central Bus Station: 300 K (2h30) - Hotel: Dahlia: double bargained to 4$ (reg. price 5$), ventil, bathroom, small breakfast. Very nice. Though a little far from city center, but they drop you there and pick you up on evening on simple phone call. Tiger Beer 33 Cl = 250 K. - Restaurant : Hlaing Tea Shop: Indian very good, very friendly, lunch = 385 K (1 cheese nan + 1 garlic nan + 1 Tiger) - Restaurant: dinner in Maymyo = 375 K NOT GOOD. - Pickup to Anisakan waterfalls on the road to Mandaly (very nice, not to be missed): 50 K one way. In the village, turn right at the sign : "Dat Taw Gyaik Water Fall", then walk 1+ km, cross the railroad (always stay on surfaced road), walk along a temple entry (at rigth hand), path going down to the falls is 50m further on the left. Rather long descent. Possibility to take a dip, 50 K for photographs (!!). You will perhaps have the chance to be escorted by 2 nice girl-guides which will take care of you, and will make you take a shortcut for return: CAUTION: very steep! We were 2 people, we gave them 250 K each one for guiding us and for 1 cold drink. - Train to Hsipaw : ordinary class = 2$. 1 way: lasts 6h (departure 9am)

HSIPAW: - Hotel: Mr. Kid (aka Golden Doll) = 1200 K with bathroom and ventil. But we were told Mr. Charles is far better and more friendly. - Restaurant: Hwai Your = fired noodles + pig + Tiger 0,5 = 370 K Very good (Law Chun, just beside, is quite good as well) - Restaurant: Banana Pancake (burmese name: ??) = 2 roti with vegetables + 1 banana pancake + 1 soda = 150 K - You can rent a bicycle at Mr. Charles: 40 K per hour, and take a boat to go 10 km downriver (going to Pyin U Lwin) to the other bank (landing at a village named Solan, spelling?) 100K p/p bicycle included. Cycle towards P.U.L. and after a few km you will see on the right hand side of the road, something like a mill: stop and ask for Paul. He speaks perfectly English, and will make you visit what is in fact an ice factory. Very interesting. Very interesting visit and so friendly. Go ahead: he asked us to send travellers, so... - Visit of Shan Palace: if you go in Hsipaw, you should go there, no for the palace itself, but to discuss 4h with the nephew of the last prince. Very interesting: he remind you the basic facts of Burmese people life, and will force you to ask you some questions you could have forgotten while travelling...Donation awaited for the palace maintenance and... of the tractor. - Bus to Mandalay: 700 K (departure at 6am, lasts 7h30). Dokhtaway Express company. Very uncomfortable and very tight.

KALAW: - Hotel: Golden Kalaw Inn: 3$, bathroom, balcony, small breakfast. Very friendly, organizes treks (like almost everybody in Kalaw!) - Restaurant: Everest (Nepali): 1 sheep curry + 1 beer = 625 K Very good. - Restuarant: Thiri Gayhar (" 7 Sisters "): good but smarter, therefore more expensive. Expect at least 700 K the dish. - to go to Pindaya by public transport: 50 K p/p to Aungban, then 200 K p/p to Pindaya (market days, other days expect 300 or 350 K), " horsecart " to go to the caves: 400 K both ways (we were 4 people). Thus expect 600 K p/p on market days (more interesting) for the whole trip. According to the Kalaw Golden Inn, a taxi must be 3500/4000 K both ways including a stop to the caves. - Pindaya Cave entry : 3$ + 35 K for photographs. Impressive. - Although LP speaks about a possibility of a trek to see a working elephants camp, it is not possible in May, only in dry season (in this case see with " Mr. Tiger " in the main street) - SAM trekking: 8$ / day if you are alone. - 2 day Trek with Eddie from the Golden Kalaw Inn (owner's son): 5$ per day (including food and accomodation). STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: very easy trip and Eddie is very interesting: it speaks continuously about a heap of things, and know very well the hill tribes (it also helps them: teach basic stuffs, installation of water taps in the village, give medical care (first aid) to the children.). Really a good guy. Very nice Trek (although the rain! unlucky): contact with the tribes very interesting, landscape (probably) superb... on sunny days. The night is spent in a refuge held by Nepalai people (in " View Point "). I brought inflatable balloons for children (of the refuge and the villages), which had much success, and also pens and exercise-books (but always ask Eddie before giving anything, it knows when and give these things, and choose the persons in order to be fair, and not create any problem). Great memories: DO IT!!!

- minibus to Nyaung Shwe (lake Inle): 300 K, 2h 30 to Shwe Nyaung (not this is not a mistake: it is the reverse of the city on the lake's shores). At the junction you will encounter hotels touts, with free transport to their place\

The River that is a Road The renowned "Road to Mandalay'', made famous by everyone from Marco Polo to Bing Crosby, is no road at all, but a river. The mighty Irrawaddy River runs through the heart and soul of Burma. For more than 2,500km, she courses through this vast and ancient country like an unfurled bolt of shimmering silk, the colour of milk-coffee.

Navigable by steamer for 1,500km, the Irrawaddy has always provided access to the interior, for traders and invaders alike. Burma's history, fortune, and failures have ebbed and flowed to the pulse of this artery of life. Even today, Burma is a country where roads are still scarce, rivers are a watery highway used daily by millions.

The Irrawaddy is the lifeblood of riverine communities. For example, mysterious and shy tribes like the Padaung people, whose women boast elongated brass-ring necks, first came down from their mountain hamlets, lured by the trade - and the world -the river brought to them. No surprise then that the best way to see this amazing country, lost in time, is by boat. There are plenty of services plying the popular Bagan-to-Mandalay route.

Everything from decrepit, rusty steamers to the six-star luxury aboard E & O's cruise ship, aptly named "The Road to Mandalay''. I opt for the comfortable and largely empty 'tourist boat' which takes 14 hours to make the trip (the cost is US$16).

The best place to start your trip is from the fantastic ruins of the ancient city of Bagan, Mynamar's first and oldest capital which rivals Angkot Wat and Borobudur for its seductive beauty and mysticism.

Here's a personal tip: Make your way down to the sandy banks of the Irrawaddy in the late afternoon, take your shoes off and bury your toes in the cool sand. Just do it. Hot golden sunshine covers everything along the Irrawaddy River as though someone has spilled it.

On the banks, children the colour of a cigar leaf splash around, sugared in fine beige sand. The older kids either help their parents work the fertile upper banks of glistening mud- like chocolate -- hauling water up in big watering cans half their own size. Or they might be flying a home-made kite; kids are mad about kites in Myanmar. The late afternoon sun nips at you, but the dry, cool breeze hints at the coming of evening.

The tourist boat leaves at 5am sharp. Arrange for your hotel to drop you at the jetty. Get a good look at the colourful hustle and bustle in the floodlight below, with passengers tottering in and out of the hollow of the ferry under the weight of their loads. The loading ramp is an impossibly narrow plank of wood ...

As the ferry quietly pushes off, it starts its stubborn, steady struggle against the currents. A spotlight darts across the blackness ahead of us, checking for new sand banks. The locals are dozing on their bags down in the main cabin, too cold to venture out. An hour later, I'm huddled at the bow in a cluster of fellow backpackers. It's an uncertain dawn, with no sun. Thick, cold fog banks swirl over us.

By late morning, the fog has burned off to reveal deep green banks about 500m apart. Despite our language differences, the few foreigners around me utter the same word, "Wow!'' Each modest little fishing settlement we come across has a brilliant white-and-gold stupa, rising from its midst. To the ordinary Burmese, their religious faith (perhaps because of the absence of much else) is clearly what validates them and their lot in this world.

Caucassian tourists soaking in the Orient. Meanwhile, the traders down below are passing the hours smoking the ubiquitous fat white cheroots and watching a pirated John Woo tape on the ferry's TV ... A good read on a quiet journey like this is George Orwell's "Burmese Days''. He wrote it when he visited then-British Burma in the 1920's. It was ahead of its time in that it ridiculed the imagined superiority of the English colonials. Other than the odd guide book, it's the only book in English that is sold everywhere!

The ferry makes regular stops at villages not on my map where everything comes to a standstill when we arrive. Bullock carts unload wares from distant places, women gossip with new arrivals, and tottering, retired rivermen smoking pipes swap news and tips with the captain; they themselves moored, at last, in a safe harbour. It is at ferry stops like this where you get a sense of the cadences of life beyond the cities. This must be the real, the timeless Burma.

At sunset, I'm sitting at the blustery bow, juggling a cup of tea and my Orwell. Long bamboo 'floats' meant for lacquer production back in Bagan glide past us, quickly and without ripples, a lone oarsman bracing against our wake. Suddenly, "Feliz Navidad'' is piped through the ship. It's not Christmas. And it's in Burmese. All foreign music must be dubbed into Burmese before it can be aired. Myanmar- wonderful, surreal.

If Yangon is Burma's commercial centre, and Bagan her historical heart, then Mandalay is her soul. Mandalay, the capital of Upper Burma, is a young city, less than 150 years old. But its lyrical name ignites images as ancient as the languid Irrawaddy River flowing past the city.

Nostalgia for Burma's last royal capital, enchantment with the many examples of fine Burmese architecture, and the warmth and vitality of the local people weave a spell around the visitor that seems impossible to escape.

More than a century ago, Rudyard Kipling felt it too: "For the wind in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say: "Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'' -- The Road to Mandalay (1887). his early winter morning, Mandalay is shrouded in a thick, cold fog, but the city streets are already athrob with the humdrum of everyday life. The cacophony of church bells, Buddhist chanting, the Muslim call to prayer, and the blare of clanky wedding music coming from the Sri Lankan temple down the street, all waft up to my hotel room, beckoning siren-like for my attention.

Boisterous street markets like the colourful Zeigyo Market are a great place to start exploring the city. This is where the remote hilltribes from nearby Shan State come to do trade, and to show off their amazing tribal costumes. (Be discreet in taking photos here. Few locals are used to camera-pointing tourists). No matter where your hotel is located, you are never more than 10 minutes from this landmark. And on the way, you are likely to see dozens of Buddhist monks gliding silently in single file through the fog, busy collecting alms.

Among the many competing attractions of "The Golden City'', the highlight for anyone must surely be the sunset from Mandalay hill. Take a rickshaw to the foot of the hill on the northern fringe of the city. Aim to be there around 5pm. From there, you will have to hike up 1,729 paved steps (240m) to the summit -- barefoot! As the whole hill is considered holy ground, all footwear must be left at the bottom. Even so, it's a delightful and not too tiring half-hour climb.

The top of Mandalay Hill is crowned by a stunning temple, surrounded by dozens of arches that are inlaid with mirror shards. As the sun retires behind the mountains on the far shore of the Irrawaddy, the changing hues of sunset shimmer a thousand-fold all around you. Below, the hustle and bustle of Mandalay fades in the long shadows of its countless temples, churches and mosques. The journey along the 'Road To Mandalay' is a remarkable experience, suitable to all pilgrims of beauty. The old monk in Yangon was right: The journey is the goal. Why? Because Burma, like nowhere else in Asia, is a land-that speaks to the soul.

Shan State. 360mi N. of RGN. Second and most Burmese of Burma cities. Last capital before arr of the Brits. Much of central MDL is now chinatown. See riverfront too. In MDL, use trishaws.

MANDALAY Mandalay was the last capital before the British colonialisation. Perhaps this accounts for its being the most typical city in Myanmar, retaining its old charm.

A popular place to go is Mandalay Hill. Situated a couple of hundred meters above town, it offers an excellent view over the city. There are four staircases, one from each direction. A road leads part-way up to an escalator to the top. Entrance to the top is USD 3.

A bicycle costs about MMK 150 for one day. A trisaw (a bicycle with two passenger seats, back to back, at the side) with driver is about MMK 500 per day.

Accommodation The Royal Guest House has singles for USD 6. The Sabai Phyu Guest House is at 58, 81st Street, Tel (02) 25377.
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Mandalay city, on the Irrawaddy River, central Myanmar (Burma). As the nation's second largest city (after Yangn [Rangoon]), lying at the center of the country, it is the focus of interior communications and trade routes by rail, road, air, and river steamer.

Mandalay was built mainly in 1857-59 by King Mindon to replace Amarapura as his capital. It was the last capital of the Myanmar kingdom and fell to British troops in November 1885. During World War II, the city was occupied by the Japanese and was almost completely destroyed, sustaining the heaviest damage during a 12-day siege in March 1945, when it was retaken by the British 14th Army commanded by General Sir William Slim.

Buddhists are a majority in Mandalay, which is said to represent "the indestructible heart of Myanmar." As an important Buddhist religious centre, it is the home of large numbers of monks (hpongyi). The core of the city includes the moated citadel of Fort Dufferin, the ruins of the royal palace (Nandaw), numerous temples and monasteries, and the old British Government House. Mandalay Hill, northeast of the cantonment near the river, is the location of relatively recent monasteries, pagodas, and monuments. At its foot are the 730 pagodas, or Kuthodaw ("Works of Royal Merit"), Buddhist scriptures that are recorded on 729 white marble tablets and are regarded by Myanmar Buddhists as orthodox texts. Authorized by King Mindon as a result of the Fifth Buddhist Council, the tablets are set up in a square, each being protected by a small pagodalike structure. The 730th pagoda is a conventional temple occupying the centre of the square. The Mahamuni, or Arakan, pagoda, south of the city, is often considered Mandalay's most famous. Its brass Buddha (12 feet [3.7 m] high), believed to be of great antiquity, is one of numerous spoils of war brought from the Arakan Coast in 1784 by King Bodawpaya. The city proper, west of the palace, is laid out in a gridiron pattern. Its famous Zegyo bazaar is the largest of many markets that attract artisans and farmers from throughout the country. The Shwe Kyimyint pagoda, built by King Minshinsaw in 1167, is among the many fine pagodas in that part of the city.

Industries include tea packing, silk weaving, brewing and distilling, jade cutting, brass and copper casting, and gold-leaf work. Matches, wood carvings, and goldware and silverware are also produced. Mandalay is linked by train and air south to Yangn and north to Myitkyina and to Lashio, where the Burma Road begins. The nearby towns of Ava, Amarapura, and Sagaing are suburbs of Mandalay.

The Arts and Science University, formerly affiliated with Yangn University, attained independent status in 1958. Other educational facilities include a teacher-training college, agricultural, medical, and technical institutes, a technical high school, and a school of fine arts, music, and drama. The city also has a museum and a modern hospital. The country's only daily newspapers outside Yangn are published there.

The surrounding area is wooded (bamboo) and well watered by the Myitnge and Magyi (Madaya) rivers. The Saygin Hills near Madaya yield alabaster, which is carved into Buddha images in Mandalay. The plains area is part of Myanmar's Dry Zone. There is considerable irrigation; the Mandalay Canal irrigates 90,000 acres (36,400 hectares). Mingun, just north of Mandalay, has one of the world's largest ringing bells, weighing about 70 tons.

Not old, founded 1857. Heavily bombed and rebuilt after WWII.

The Road to Mandalay Mandalay, the last capital of the Myanmar Kingdom, rests next to the Irrawaddy river in Central Myanmar. It is locus of the country's culture, rich with monasteries and pagodas.

Mandalay Hill, rising 750 feet above the city, is regarded as a holy place because of the legend that Buddha visited it and proclaimed that a great city would be founded at its foot. It is a good place to view sunset on the Irrawaddy and the temples below.

Mandalay Palace was almost destroyed by fire during WWII. Its surviving walls are inset by gates crowned with wooden pavilions and surrounded by a moat. Inside is a cultural museum.

There are many Buddhist sites in Mandalay including the Kuthodaw Pagoda, popularly known as "the world's largest book" for the Buddhist scriptures carved on 729 stone slabs surrounding it.

Mandalay is an excellent place to watch craftspeople at work carving wood, marble and stone, or fashioning silver and brassware.

GH: Sabai Phyu (Byu) 58 81st/25 St (Zegro Mkt). $10+. LP Kaung Myint Htl, 30/80. GH: Royal 41 25th St/82nd St. LP Oth in area: Taung Za Lat, Modern, Garden Htl.

Mandalay is the second largest city after Yangoon. It doesn't look like a city, more like a big village. There's no skyline, and there are still some dirt roads. The city and its surroundings have a lot to offer to the traveller. It is also the jump-off point for Bagan and Inle Lake or the North of the country. We stayed 4 days here and found many things to do. It is more Burmese than Yangoon and the people are very nice too.

Accommodation The hotels in Mandalay are very cheap. When you go to a budget hotel, you'll pay something between 2 and 5 US$ incl. breakfast. Royal City is a brand new hotel (8/2000) (same owner as Royal GH). Cost $18 for a dbl with bath and bfast. The place is very clean. They are at 27th st nr 130. Tel 95-2-31805, 28299.

We stayed in the ET htl on 83rd st; between 24th and 23rd st and payed $10 for a rm with AC (no use/no electricity), bath and bfast (7/99).

Update 6/2000: Htl: E.T.: dbl bargained to 4$ (reg price 6$), AC, ventil, bath, small bfast. OK. Keep backpack while traveling to Pyin U Lwin. Laundry at ET: 350 K for 7 pieces (inc 2 trousers)

Also very good, some reports say a bit better, is the Royal GH on 82nd st. They charge $10, 14, 18 and 20 for a clean room with AC, bath and bfast. Single rooms are $5, 8 or 12 (8/2000).

These 2 htls are in the town ctr area. From the busstation it is a 15 to 20 min. drive with rickshaws. Pay no more then 15 cents for this ride.

Restaurants The place to be in town is Marie Min Vegetarian Restaurant. The LP says " a godsend for travellers". This is true. Everything from curries to yogurts to pancakes with chocolate is available. It's clean and the manager (Richard) is a fantastic guy. He knows all the latest news about travelling in the country. He has menus in 10 diff langs. The meals are also very cheap, around 30 cents.

Another nice place is the Aye-Myit-Tar on 81 st nr. 530. Portions are big, food is good (try curry) and prices are low (8/2000).

The BBB has excellent European food. The steak with mushrooms (the N-steak), $2, has become famous on the Asia trail. The coconut fish is even better (7/99).

The honey Garden has one of the best Chinese kitchens in Myanmar, especially the tofu (7/99). You can also find good and cheap food anywhere on the street.

Thai Yai rest on 84th south and 23rd street. It's good for cheap chicken, salad and noodles. Lashio Lay (very close to E.T., ask): very good and a lot of choice (meats but also plenty of vegetables), you compose your plate at the entry, FYI upstairs room has AC. About 550 K with a soda. (6/2000).

What to do ? Mandalay Hill The hill overlooking Mandalay city is covered with payas and other religious buildings. From the bottom, it's quite a hike to the top. You better take a pick-up to the paya on top of the hill (25 cents) and then stroll down. On your way down, you have plenty of places to stop for a rest or visit sacred places. The entrance fee is 3 US$ for tourists (6/2000), however if you are not checked a the bottom, one will ask you to pay only if you go on the last terrace at the very top (thus stop BEFORE arcades with glass mosaics). The area looks a bit like Disneyland with foodstalls, music, vendors etc. A very nice atmosphere. Tri-shaw from M. Hill -> ET (2 p.) 300 K

Mandalay Fort - was built in 1860. The king built immense walls (8 m high) around this wooden palace. At each corner there's a watchtower. The walls from tower to tower are 2 km long. Around the palace is a moat of 70 m wide and 3 m deep. The whole area was under construction years ago, and the govt forced people to drag the moat. Entrance fee is $5.

City tour - The best way to see the city is renting a rickshaw for the day. You'll pay around 3 US$ for 2 persons for the whole day. We went to: Buddha stone factory: In this street they make Buddha's in all sizes. Everything is handmade. They also export to China.

Gold leaf factory: they make gold leaves by hand here, amazing ! Marionettes factory: Mandalay is also famous for its marionettes. These wooden puppets are very nicely made. Watch out for fake antique puppets if you want to buy one. Don't miss the Shwe In Bin teak monastery: great and... no entry fee (not so usual in Mandalay!) Moustache Brothers show, very friendly, you should go to discuss with the brothers who is still free and to support the freedom of expression (see the story in the LP), show will be hold only if there is at least 4/5 people, starts towards 8pm. Price depends on the number of people, we were 7: 500 K p/p.( 6/2000). Marionette theatre - We had no time, but some people recommend a visit to this show. There's a theatre on 66th st. between 26th and 27th. Check at your hotel for opening hours. entrance 1000 K (6/2000).

U Bein's bridge - This is an old teak bridge connecting the monastery with the Kyauktawgyi Paya crossing Taungthaman lake. It's a nice and peaceful place. Take bus nr. 8 from Mandalay (corner 84th and 29th street) and ask the driver to stop at the bridge. You can also hire a taxi to visit this bridge in combination Sagain bird's view, price is about 16 US$ (8/2000).

Minguin Paya - also recommended by others. this is a paya built in a big brick and split by an earthquake. You can take a 45 min boattrip from Mandalay to Minguin.

Other sights - Boat to Mingun: 200 K both ways, departure at 9am, back at 1pm. (landing pier at the end of the 26th St.), Mingun entry : 3$ (2$ with a student card). It's worth it only for this impressive ruin. - bus to Amarapura: 30 K, then 15 K to Inwa. - Inwa entry: 4$, boat: 5K one way, horsecart to visit the site: 500 K (bargained). Interest: medium.

Getting out Pyin U Lwin - If you want to escape to a cooler hill town, this is a nice place. It is a town with Nepalese and Indian people. It's famous for its sweater knitting and for its fruits. You get around with pony wagon. From Mandalay, you can take a pick up truck from the central busstation. From Pyin U Lwin, you can get to Hsipaw and even to Lashio without a permit (always check first for up to date info with MMT). Beyond this point you need permits.

Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake) - We took a minibus from the central busstation to Inle Lake. The company was Honey Express, and the 6 hour trip costed 3 US$. On the way you pass the hill station of Kalaw where you can get off. We heard you can also do some great hikes there.

Bagan - By bus: from Mandalay busstation, around 2 US$. By boat: very popular with travellers. the trip takes around 10 hours (fast boat) and costs 15 US$. Update 6/2000: boat ticket to Bagan: 16$ (!!) for the " fast boat " (private boat, see LP), departure at 6am, 4 stops (without possibility to get off), lasted 9h30 (probably faster by the end of the rainy season). Another traveller took the "slow boat" and the travel lasted twice the time (fare is 11$ if I remind correctly). Nice trip (more than the bus;-), but less than Mawlamyaing to Hpa-An trip. Be prepared to see hotels touts getting in at the last stop (even the one before for one of them !) before Bagan.

Yangon - Leo Express costs 2500 Kyat pp inc food Mandalar Htun Express costs 1800 Kyat w/o food. The trip takes 16 to 17 hrs realistically.

Mandalay , city (1983 pop. 532,895), capital of Mandalay div., central Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River. The second largest city in Myanmar, it is the terminus of the main rail line from Yangon and the starting point of branch lines to Lashio and Myitkyina. As a city it dates from c.1850. It was the capital of the Burman kingdom, replacing Amarapura, from 1860 to 1885, when it was annexed to British Burma. A Buddhist religious center, the city is noted for the Arakan pagoda, which is built around an ancient shrine. The group of sacred buildings known as the Seven Hundred and Thirty Pagodas was erected in the reign (185378) of King Mindon. Mandalay was heavily damaged in World War II.

Amarapura , town (1981 est. pop. 10,600), Mandalay division, central Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River. It is a silk-weaving center and has varied handicraft industries. Amarapura was founded in 1782 and was twice (17831823 and 183760) the capital of Myanmar. Its royal palace, great temples, and fortifications are now in ruins.


\10 Rangoon

Capital and largest city in the southern part of the country on the eastern (left) bank of the Yangon, or Hlaing, River (eastern mouth of the Irrawaddy River), 40 km north of the Gulf of Martaban on the Andaman Sea.

Lots to do scattered around town. A budget area is ctrl Yangon down by the river between the RR stn and the river around Sule Paya monument.
YANGON is unsafe outside of approved areas.
 Mingaladon A/P 19 km/NW.

It was known abroad as Rangoon until 1989, when the govt of Myanmar asked that Yangon, a transliteration reflect-ing the Burmese pronunciation of the city's name, be used by other countries.

The site of the city is a low ridge surrounded by delta alluvium. The original settlements were located on the ridge, but the modern town was built on alluvium. Subsequent expansion has taken place both on the ridge and on delta land. The local climate is warm and humid, with much rainfall.

The centre of the city, called the Cantonment, was planned by the British in 1852 and is laid out on a system of blocks, each 800 by 860 feet (245 by 262 m), intersected regularly by streets running NS and EW. As Yangon's population increased in the 20th century, new settlements were built in the north, east, and west that greatly expanded the city's area.

The most notable building in Yangn is the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, a great Buddhist temple complex that crowns a hill about one mile north of the Cantonment. The pagoda itself is a solid brick stupa (Buddhist reliquary) that is completely covered with gold. It rises 326 feet (99 m) on a hill 168 feet (51 m) above the city. Yangn is the site of several other major religious edifices, including the World Peace Pagoda (1952) and the Sule and Botataung pagodas.

Most of the city's centre is made up of brick buildings, which are generally three to four stories high, while traditional wooden structures are common in the outlying areas. Among the old colonial structures of red brick are the Office of Ministers (formerly the Old Secretariat), the Law Courts, Yangn General Hospital, and the customhouse. Modern architecture includes the Secretariat Building, the department stores in the Cantonment, the Polytechnic School, the Institute of Medicine I, and the Yangn Institute of Technology at Insein.

Yangon's rice mills and sawmills located along the river are the largest in the country. The city's major industries--which produce textiles, soap, rubber, aluminum, and iron and steel sheet--are state-owned, while most of its small industries (food-processing and clothing-manufacturing establishments) are owned privately or cooperatively. The central area of the city contains the commercial district of banks, trading corporations, and offices, as well as shops, brokerage houses, and bazaars.

North of the city's centre is Royal Lake (Kandawgyi), surrounded by a wooded park; nearby are the city's zoological and botanical gardens. Yangn's several museums include the Bogyoke Aung San Museum and the National Museum of Art and Archaeology. There are several stadiums for sports and athletic events. The Univ of Rangoon, established in 1920, was reconstituted into the Arts and Science Univ in 1964.

 Yangon is Myanmar's main centre for trade and handles more than 80 percent of the country's foreign commerce. Rice, teak, and metal ores are the principal exports. The city is also the centre of national rail, river, road, and air transportation; an intl airport is located at Mingaladon, north of Yangon.

The Shwe Dagon Pagoda had been a place of pilgrimage for many centuries, and Yangn grew out of a settlement around the temple that eventually became known as Dagon. Its status was raised to that of a town by the Mon kings in the early 15th century. When King Alaungpaya (who founded the last dynasty of Myanmar kings) conquered southern Myanmar in the mid-1750s, he developed Dagon as a port and renamed it Yangn ("The End of Strife"), a name that was later transliterated as Rangoon by Arakanese interpreters accompanying the British. By the early 19th century the town had a thriving shipbuilding industry, as well as a British trading station. Rangoon was taken by the British at the outbreak of the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824 but was restored to Burmese control two years later. The city was taken again in 1852 by the British, who made it the administrative capital of Lower Burma (i.e., the southern part of the country). After the British annexation of all of Burma in 1886, Rangoon became the capital city and grew in importance.

In 1930 Rangoon was struck by a massive earthquake and tidal wave, and during World War II it was the scene of major fighting between the Allies and the Japanese. The city was subsequently rebuilt, though as the capital of independent Myanmar (since 1948) it never regained the commercial importance it had under the British as one of the great ports of southern Asia. By the late 20th cen, the city's economic vitality had declined, largely owing to the isolationist policies pursued by the Myanmar govt.

Yangoon is a very crowded and noisy place. It still has a lot of colonial buildings dating from the English colonization. It used to be an important harbour. Every evening the streets of downtown Yangoon turn into one big supermarket. Streetvendors sell almost everything. You can also have a cheap meal on the streets.

Taxi from the airport Taxi airport -> Sule Paya = 2 $ (I was proposed this inside the airport after the change). Fare is for the taxi, therefore try to group, no swindles: my driver waited until I saw the room of my hotel, and was even ready to take me along to another if I did not like that (6/2000).

Accommodation In general the hotels in Yangoon are more expensive than in the rest of the country. It is difficult to find a nice hotel in the 5 US$ pp range. We stayed first in the White Star hotel. We were charged 14 US$ for a windowless double room above the toilet. They have nicer rooms at 18 US$ a double. Our second hotel was the Beautyland hotel 2, at 33rd street nrs. 188-192. It's a very good and friendly hotel near the railwaystation and the Bogyoke market. A double with bathroom and AC (providing the electricity works) costs 12 US$ pp. including breakfast. They also have a website. Another report says "keep asking to see rooms untill they show you one of the really good ones, 16 US$" (7/99). If you want a more upscale hotel, then Kandawgyi Palace is a good choice. It's the third best hotel in Yangoon (behind Pansea and Strand). The restaurant is totally clad in teak even with a teak shingle roof. Under all the teak is the usual concrete and brick construction and inside is very modern. It overlooks the royal lake and is in a nice setting. It is handy for town and has taxis passing all the time. One of the best parts is in the old section of the hotel where they have retained the old terrace which serves good Burmese and average international food at lunchtime and well worth a visit - you pay in kyat as well. It's well worth a stay if a $50-ish hotel is in your budget. Last monsoon season they were letting rooms go for 35 US$. If you aren't going at Christmas/New Year you can probably get as good a rate by just walking in although they do a lot of French and Italian package tours. Finally, insist on a lakeside room as the road on the other side is fairly busy up to 10-11pm. (Diogenes, Thorn Tree 4/99). Daddy' S Home: single = 3 $, dble = 6 $. CH without window, AC small breakfast. Fine, friendly, 1 of the hostesses speaks correctly French. Change: 330 K for 1 FEC (6/2000).

Restaurants In the evening you can have a good meal on the street. The streetvendors sell anything from meat to coconut pancakes. You can have a good meal between 0,2 and 1 US$. There are 3 very good Indian restaurants nn the downtown area: Simla Nilar Briyane Shop: They are next to each other on Anawratha Street between 31st and 32nd street. You can have a vegetarian meal for 0,8 US$. New Delhi restaurant is in the same street. It's equally good and clean. Their dosas are excellent and dirt cheap, although misteriously listed as "toeshays" on the menu (7/99). New Dehli 385 K (dish, rice, soda), OK. Danubyu Daw Sawyi: shrimp curry = 1200 K, sheep curry = 250 K (6/2000).

There's also a good Burmese restaurant in the same street, but I forgot the name. Another good Thai & Burmese restaurant was in 999 Khauk Swai in 34th street nr. 130b. You have to look for it very carefully because it's a very small place. They serve good noodles in any style, tofu and chicken for only 0,4 US$ a meal. For breakfast, brunch, lunch or just a nice Chinese tea, you could go to the Black and White Bar. It is beside the Central Hotel. It is a little run down, but still a great place where you can meet nice people. they also serve good cold Mandalay or Myanmar Beer. If you need a good western afternoon snack, then go to J'Donut. This is the place where all the young people hang out. Donuts are cheap and good. You can find it on Pansodan street near the post office. If you are desperate for some western food, you can go to the small Aurora Inn Hotel (Thirimingala street, Kamayut township). The manager is a French lady, Sylvie de Guyon, and so are her meals. They are very good, but expect to pay around 15 US$. You can also get a very nice room with antique interior for around 30 US$. The place is frequented by Frenchmen. For a beer, go to the Golden Lion at the corner of Anawratha and Shwedagon Pagoda Rd., access from the pedestrian overpass (7/99).

What to do - Shwedagon Pagoda This is the most important paya in Myanmar. Every Burmese hopes to visit this place once in his life. It's a big place, and in the center is the big bell shaped paya covered with 60 tons of gold and more then 5000 diamonds. There's magic in the air. You need a full day to visit the pagoda. If you're interested in Buddhism (sure you are ! ) it's best to hire a guide. The entrance to the pagoda is 5 US$ pp for tourists (11/98). A guide will cost the same. Take a licensed guide for the safety of the people. You can get there by foot from the downtown area (30 min walk), otherwise take a taxi for about 1 US$ (6/2000).

City Walk Yangoon is crowded but still has some nice sightseeing. You can visit the railway building or just shop around: Anawratha street Maha Bandoola street Bogyoke Aung San street etc...

It's nice to see the markets on the streets. There are also a lot of old English colonial buildings which are worth a visit. There are some beautiful ones near the riverside. Here you can find the famous Strand Hotel.

Bogyoke Market A big market with all separate shops. If you want to buy a Longyi, this is a good place. There are also many tailors who can make your longyi to the right side.

Going to the movies This is quite a unique experience. The movies are all Indian. You can find movie theatres on Anawratha street between 33rd and 35th street.

Twante This is an interesting day trip from Yangoon. You have to take the ferry to cross Yangoon river. Then you catch a local pick up truck to Twante (watch out for jeep drivers asking high prices). The ferry and pick up will cost you 0,1 US$. The village has a central market and is famous for its pottery (too big to bring one home). The guide books say you can take a boat from the ferry pier to Twante, but we couldn't find this boat.

Letkhokkon Beach This is the nearest beach to Yangoon, but still 3 to 4 hours to get there. We didn't do it and we heard it's nothing special.

Inya Lake Nothing special either. You find a small park for children, and at weekends you find a lot of people here. Watch out, because if you just say Inya Lake to your taxidriver, he will drop you at a luxury hotel at 2 km of the park entrance. In this area is also the house of Aung San Suu Kyi (University av. 54).

Getting away To the East / Bago The morning train to Bago costs 2 US$ and takes 2 hours. Buy your tickets the day before in the Myanmar Railway booking Office on Bogyoke Aung San street right across 33rd street. From Bago you can get to Golden Rock (see Bago chapter). You can also hire a taxi to Bago for 6 US$ (1.30 hours).

Going North / Mandalay By plane The trip costs between 100 and 150 US$

By train For the night train you'll pay an incredible 45 US$ including a hard sleeper.

By bus You can take the night bus with Leo Express company (under the Aung San stadion near upper Pansodan street, tel. 01-249512) to Mandalay. It leaves at 5 pm and arrives at 8-9 am, price is only 2500 Kyat. The bus stops 3 times during the night. Food is included in the ticket.

Mandalar Htun Express costs 1800 Kyat without food (8/2000) The trip officially takes 14 hours, but 16 to 17 hours is sometimes more realistic.

The Union of Myanmar, known as Burma until mid-1989, is the land of the great Irrawaddy, or Ayeyarwady, River. Most of the country's people live in the fertile lowlands drained by the river. Foreign products and travelers come through Rangoon (Yangon), Myanmar's capital. Myanmar is bordered by China, Laos, Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India.

Myanmar is mountainous. Its parallel ranges are separated by the north-south valleys of the Irrawaddy, the Salween, and the Sittang rivers. The Irrawaddy and the Salween rise high in the Tibetan Highlands of China. The Irrawaddy Valley may be divided into three parts. The narrow, thinly populated upper valley reaches to about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Mandalay and receives other swift mountain streams. Much of the broader middle valley is known as the dry zone because its rainfall is low.

The lower valley, which is the delta region, extends 180 miles (290 kilometers) upstream from the sea. A range of low mountains, the Pegu Yoma, runs east of the Irrawaddy.

At the south end of the Irrawaddy Valley is the Arakan Yoma. Here the highest elevations rise to almost 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). West of the Arakan Yoma lies the state of Arakan, along the Bay of Bengal.

The highlands to the northeast and east include the Shan Plateau, which averages about 3,000 feet (900 meters). The Salween River flows through in a deep, narrow valley. Myanmar's southern panhandle is the Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) division. It is on the Isthmus of Kra, which links Malaysia to continental Asia.

Most of Myanmar receives heavy rainfall, almost all in summer. The Arakan and Tenasserim regions receive up to 200 inches (500 centimeters) a year. From 60 to 100 inches (150 to 250 centimeters) fall in the Irrawaddy Delta and between 40 and 80 inches (100 and 200 centimeters) in the eastern highlands and in the north. Parts of the dry zone, in the middle Irrawaddy Basin, get less than 40 inches each year.

Almost 50 percent of Myanmar is forested. Where the rainfall is greatest, broad-leaved evergreen rain forests are common. Where there is less rainfall, the forests have trees that lose their leaves in the dry season. Teak is the best known of these trees. In prehistoric times the dry zone was a savanna, with mixed grass and trees. Most of the delta, formerly a swamp forest, has been cleared for farms. Mangrove forests rim the delta and portions of the coasts. Back to Top

RANGOON, or YANGON, Myanmar. The capital and largest city of Myanmar (Burma), Rangoon is the country's chief port. In 1989, when the country's name was changed to Myanmar, the name of the city was changed to Yangon, to reflect the ethnic diversity of the country. Located on the eastern bank of the Rangoon River, it is 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Martaban. Rangoon is situated on a low ridge surrounded by a delta. The climate is warm and humid. There is an average annual rainfall of about 100 inches (250 centimeters). The rainy season begins in May and lasts until the middle of October.

The city center is laid out in a grid, with streets running north-south and east-west. There are many banks, trading corporations, shops, brokerage houses, and bazaars. The Office of Ministers, the Law Courts, and the general hospital are old colonial buildings made of red brick. More modern structures include the secretariat building, the Polytechnic School, and the Rangoon Institute of Technology.

The major religion in Rangoon is Buddhism and there are numerous Buddhist temples. The most notable building is the golden stupa in the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. The pagoda, at 326 feet (99 meters), is one of the world's largest Buddhist shrines. It and the Sule Pagoda, in the city center, are said to be more than 2,000 years old, though the current stupa dates from 1841. Royal Lake, surrounded by a wooded park, is to the north of the city center. Other parks include the Maha Bandula Park and the zoological and botanical gardens. Museums include the Bogyoke Aung San Museum and the National Museum of Art and Archaeology. The University of Rangoon was founded in 1920. There are many stadiums for sports and athletic meets.

The country's leading political, industrial, and commercial center, Rangoon handles more than 80 percent of Myanmar's foreign trade. One of the world's major rice markets, its other chief exports are teak and metal ores. Rangoon's rice mills and sawmills are the largest in the country. Major industries are state owned, but most of the small establishments produce consumer goods and are family owned. Principal state-owned industries produce pharmaceuticals, soap, rubber, textiles, aluminum, and rolled iron and steel. Rangoon is also the center of national rail, river, road, and air transportation. There is an international airport north of the city. Originally a small fishing village, Rangoon was developed as a port in 1755 by King Alaungpaya, who named it Yangon, meaning the "end of strife." It was taken by the British in 1824 but returned to Burmese control in 1826. It was again seized by the British in 1852. Rangoon was the capital of British-ruled Burma from 1874 to 1942 when the Japanese took control. It has been the nation's capital since Burma became independent in 1948.

The population of Myanmar is more than 40 million. Most of the ancestors of the present population came originally from southwestern China about 2,000 years ago. The various groups spoke different languages and had different customs, but the people were predominantly of Mongoloid background.

The country's name change from Burma to Myanmar in 1989 was made to make clear the fact that the country was composed of various ethnic groups, not just the majority Burmans. The Burmans make up almost three quarters of the population and live chiefly in the central lowlands and the delta. The Shans, of the Shan Plateau region, the Karens, who live in the eastern hills and the eastern delta, and the Rakhines make up about a fifth of the population. The Talaings, or Mons, and the Chins and Kachins make up most of the rest of the population. In addition, there are many hill tribes, each speaking a different language. After the mid-19th century, thousands of Indians migrated to the country. People of Chinese origin live chiefly in the cities. Back to Top

Buddhism, the country's dominant religion, was brought from India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) many centuries ago. The Buddhism of Myanmar is called Theravada or Hinayana (Little Raft) to differentiate it from the Mahayana (Great Raft) Buddhism most common in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Korea. Each village has its Buddhist temple, or pagoda. The monks live in monasteries, which also serve as centers of traditional education.

The society, in keeping with its religion, is quite democratic and fluid. There is no caste system nor is there a true nobility. The hill tribes are under the rule of chiefs, and most of the tribesmen practice traditional beliefs. The Shans are Buddhist. Many of the Karens have been converted to Christianity.

Only a small number of the people receive more than a primary education. Rangoon and Mandalay have universities and state schools. The educational focus has been on vocational and technical training.

Health facilities are fairly well developed for a tropical country. Infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, plague, and tuberculosis still occur, however, and malaria takes a heavy toll.

Government and History Myanmar was first united as a single kingdom in 1044 under the ruler Anawrahta, who made it the center of Theravada Buddhism. After a series of wars in the 19th century, the country came under British control. The British took Tenasserim and Arakan in 1826; most of the delta region, including Rangoon, in 1852; and a large part of the rest of the country in 1885. From 1886 to 1937 they governed it as a province of India.

The Japanese occupied the country in 1942 and created a puppet state that lasted until 1945, when British rule was restored. Burma was granted independence from the British in 1948. Burma's policy of neutrality and isolation in international relations was strained by Chinese pressures in the northeast. A boundary treaty between Burma and China, signed in 1960, helped ease tensions. In 1958 a caretaker government was set up under the army chief of staff, Gen. Ne Win, who prepared the country for elections. U Nu was elected prime minister of the government, which ruled from 1960 until 1962, when Ne Win staged a coup. He dissolved the parliament, abandoned the constitution, and began nationalizing industry. Under the 1974 constitution, Burma became a one-party socialist republic, with Ne Win as president. He dissolved the Revolutionary Council that was set up after the coup of 1962 and inaugurated a one-chamber assembly. Ne Win stepped down in 1981 but retained his leading role as chairman of the Burma Socialist Program party (BSPP).

In July 1988 Ne Win resigned as chairman of the BSPP after antigovernment demonstrations led to violent protests. Sein Lwin, a former military officer, became president but resigned two weeks later.

Maung Maung became president in August, as the first civilian leader in 26 years, but failed to end the street violence. On September 18 Saw Maung, a four-star general and close associate of Ne Win, toppled the civilian government. Street violence and military actions resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people. On September 10 Article 11 of the constitution, making the country a one-party state, was dropped. On September 26 the name of the BSPP was changed to the National Unity party. In an attempt to quiet protests by ethnic minorities, the country's name and many cities' names were changed in 1989.

Despite the arrest and disqualification of most of its leadership, the National League for Democracy won about 82 percent of parliamentary seats in 1990 elections. The military government, however, never permitted the elected government to take power. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest since 1989, was awarded the 1991 Nobel prize for peace. The United Nations Human Rights Commission condemned the military regime for human rights abuses, but economic sanctions failed to bring about changes.

Karens The Karen people of Burma, who numbered about 2.6 million in the early 1990s, are, with the Shans, one of the two largest non-Burmese ethnic groups in that country. A Karen state lies east of Rangoon along the Thai border, but only a minority of Karens live there; the rest are mainly dispersed in the densely populated deltas of the Irrawaddy, Sitang, and Salween rivers. Some speak a Karen dialect, and others have adopted Burmese. Although many leading Karens are Christians, the majority (about two-thirds) are Buddhist. The influence of the Karens under British rule was out of proportion to their numbers. Many of them, especially those who were Christian, came to hold important positions in the colonial army, and they were disliked by the Burmese who led the nationalist movement that gained independence for Burma in 1948. Unwilling to submit to Burmese rule, the Karens rebelled unsuccessfully in 1949, and Karen insurgency has persisted since then with varying degrees of intensity

YANGON Burma Unsafe outside of approved areas Mingaladon 12mi/NW RGN PBus #51 E# P:199, M:192 T:95+1

NB: Get (tourist) visa in BKK/1d. Sgl entry one mth.

GH/Eat: YMCA, Myanmar Hol Inn, Grand, Garden, Sunflower, Zar Chi Win, White Hse. Eat early.

Irrawaddy River passed through it. Shwe Dagon Pagoda.

It is poss to enter Burma from KMG/Lashio at Ruili/Mu-se, not VV. URL: uio.no/

RGN Mingaladon 12mi/NW Burma is the largest country in S.E.Asia, about the size of Texas. Irrawaddy River passes through town. Cheep visas for neighboring countries. Best time to visit is Jan-Apr. Burmese Kickboxing at the YMCA. Currency: Chinese FEC, US$, Kyat.

See CIRCLE LINE, a local train that circunavigates city back to starting point. It is poss to enter Burma from KMG/Lashio at Ruili/Mu-se, not VV. Swiftwinds offer 13 day tour for $1300 10/98.

RGN/MDL 14-15hrs by train or road regardless of schedule, poss overnight at Meiktila.

See CIRCLE LINE, a local train that circunavigates city back to starting point.

Yangon is the capital and largest city of Myanmar. It is also the country's chief port and industrial center.

Yangon, also spelled Rangoon, lies in southern Myanmar on both banks of the Yangon River. It is about 20 miles (32 km) north of the Gulf of Martaban, an arm of the Indian Ocean.

Yangon has many Buddhist temples. The most famous is the Shwe Dagon pagoda, which dates from ancient times. The city has a national museum and a number of parks and lakes. It is the home of the University of Yangon, the Yangon Institute of Technology, and the Institute of Medicine.

In the A.D. 500's, a settlement called Dagon occupied the area that is now Yangon. Dagon was a small town until the 1750's, when Alaungpaya, a Burmese king, founded the city and named it Yangon. The British captured Yangon in 1825 during the First AngloBurman War, but they did not occupy the city until after the Second Anglo-Burman War in 1852. Fire destroyed Yangon in 1851, but the city was soon rebuilt. Yangon remained under British occupation until the Japanese drove them out during World War II. In 1948, Myanmar--then called Burma--gained independence. Yangon's population has grown rapidly since 1948.

It is poss to enter Burma from KMG/Lashio at Ruili/Mu-se, not VV. Swiftwinds offer 13 day tour for $1300 10/98.

RGN/MDL 14-15hrs by train or road regardless of schedule, poss overnight at Meiktila.

Yangon (Rangoon) lies in the fertile delta country of southern Myanmar on the wide Yangon River about 30km (19mi) from the sea. Although the population hovers around 4 million, the city seems so full of trees and shade that some neighbourhoods are practically jungle, giving it a totally different feel to other Asian cities of comparable size. At night, Yangon's wide boulevards come alive with hordes of stalls selling delicious-looking food and piles of huge cigars. If you can close your eyes to the decay of the old colonial architecture downtown, you'll probably agree that this is one of the most charming cities in Asia.

Yangon is home to the gold-plated Shwedagon Paya, which dominates the city from its hilltop site. Legend has it that the original stupa was built to enshrine eight of Buddha's hairs. Today's mighty monument was built in the 18th century and is surrounded by an incredible assortment of statues, temples, shrines, images and pavilions. The Shwedagon was called 'a beautiful winking wonder' by Kipling and it truly is a magical place. Other sights include the colonial architecture of the legendary Strand Hotel, the colossal reclining Buddha in Chaukhtatgyi Paya and the peaceful Kandawgyi and Inya Lakes. Pro-democracy landmarks include the Martyr's Mausoleum and Aung San Suu Kyi's House. (Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon (13K) Cheroot vendor (19K))

Since the privatisation of the hotel industry in 1993, there has been an explosion of hotel and guesthouse development in Yangon. The cheapest guesthouses are near the river in the western part of the city; there are other clean and friendly options near the railway station. The best authentic Burmese cuisine is in the Shwedagon Paya area, but there are lots of places around the city centre. Be aware that hardly any food is available anywhere in the city after about 9 pm.

Apart from the impossibly crowded buses, getting around Yangon is not too difficult. Myanmar's version of the trishaw (sai-kaa) is good for short trips; catch a car taxi or one of the many tiny three-wheeled Mazdas for anything longer.

RANGOON, or YANGON, Myanmar. The capital and largest city of Myanmar (Burma), Rangoon is the country's chief port. In 1989, when the country's name was changed to Myanmar, the name of the city was changed to Yangon, to reflect the ethnic diversity of the country. Located on the eastern bank of the Rangoon River, it is 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of the Gulf of Martaban. Rangoon is situated on a low ridge surrounded by a delta. The climate is warm and humid. There is an average annual rainfall of about 100 inches (250 centimeters). The rainy season begins in May and lasts until the middle of October.

The city center is laid out in a grid, with streets running north-south and east-west. There are many banks, trading corporations, shops, brokerage houses, and bazaars. The Office of Ministers, the Law Courts, and the general hospital are old colonial buildings made of red brick. More modern structures include the secretariat building, the Polytechnic School, and the Rangoon Institute of Technology.

The major religion in Rangoon is Buddhism and there are numerous Buddhist temples. The most notable building is the golden stupa in the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. The pagoda, at 326 feet (99 meters), is one of the world's largest Buddhist shrines. It and the Sule Pagoda, in the city center, are said to be more than 2,000 years old, though the current stupa dates from 1841. Royal Lake, surrounded by a wooded park, is to the north of the city center. Other parks include the Maha Bandula Park and the zoological and botanical gardens. Museums include the Bogyoke Aung San Museum and the National Museum of Art and Archaeology. The University of Rangoon was founded in 1920. There are many stadiums for sports and athletic meets.

The country's leading political, industrial, and commercial center, Rangoon handles more than 80 percent of Myanmar's foreign trade. One of the world's major rice markets, its other chief exports are teak and metal ores. Rangoon's rice mills and sawmills are the largest in the country. Major industries are state owned, but most of the small establishments produce consumer goods and are family owned. Principal state-owned industries produce pharmaceuticals, soap, rubber, textiles, aluminum, and rolled iron and steel. Rangoon is also the center of national rail, river, road, and air transportation. There is an international airport north of the city. Originally a small fishing village, Rangoon was developed as a port in 1755 by King Alaungpaya, who named it Yangon, meaning the "end of strife." It was taken by the British in 1824 but returned to Burmese control in 1826. It was again seized by the British in 1852. Rangoon was the capital of British-ruled Burma from 1874 to 1942 when the Japanese took control. It has been the nation's capital since Burma became independent in 1948.

Yangon, capital of Myanmar (Burma) is in the southern part of Myanmar in the Irrawaddy delta on the Yangon River, near the Gulf of Martaban (an arm of the Andaman Sea). It is the country's largest city and principal seaport and its main comm, manf, and trans center. In the Yangon area are the Arts and Science University at Yangon (1920); state schools of fine arts and of music and drama; the National Museum of Art and Archaeology, with collections of paintings and antiquities; the National Library; and the World Peace Pagoda, built in 1952 to honor the 2500th anniversary of the death of the Buddha. Perhaps the most notable monument in the city is the large Shwedagon Pagoda, an ancient Buddhist shrine about 100 m (about 325 ft) high and covered with gold leaf on the outside.

The settlement first came into prominence in the mid-1750s when King Alaungpaya, or Alompra, founder of the last dynasty of Burmese kings, chose the site as the administrative capital of Lower Burma and named it Yangon, meaning -the end of strife.- (Rangoon is an Eng transliteration) Yangon was captured by the British in 1824, but they relinquished control two years later. It began to develop as a modern community in the late 19th cen after it had again come under British rule at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. In 1930 Yangon was badly damaged by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami. During WW II (39-45) the city was occupied by Japs. When Myanmar achieved independence in 1948, Yangon became the capital. Pop (1995 est) 3,873,000.

Yangon (Rangoon) Became capital in 1885 when the British finally conquered Upper Myanmar and Mandalay. Prior to that it was a small town.

Yangon, the capital city, is the gateway to Myanmar. A city unlike any other. Lush tropical trees lend shade to evergreen avenues. Countless enchanting parks and beautiful lakes all contribute to Yangons deserved title of "the Garden City of the East." A simple city with few skyscrapers, crowds, or the pace of modern life.

Yangon was founded in 1755 by King Alaungpaya on the site of a small settlement called "Dagon" when he conquered lower Myanmar. The name Yangon, means "end of strife", was Anglicised in 1885 to Rangoon by the British colonial settlers. It was only then it became the capital.

The streets of Yangon are all perpendicular and retain geometric symmetry. The road system was constructed by the British. Today Yangon covers 350 sqr km and has a population of 5 million. The city is flanked on three sides by water; the Hlang or Yangon river flows from the Bago (Pegu) Yoma (hills) down Yangons western and southern sides, then continues another 30km (20 miles) to the gulf of Martaban. To the east of the city is Pazundaung Creek, a tributary to the Hlang. Yangon's port is 34km inland on the Hlaing River.

Attractions Towering almost 100 meters above the green city of Yangon on Singuttara Hill is one of the wonders of the world: the golden Shwedagon Pagoda. The original platforms for the Shwedagon Pagoda are believed to have been built over 2500 years ago by the Mon settlers, although the current stupa was replaced in the 18th century. Truly a feat of imagination and architecture. There are over 8000 gold plates covering the monument and in excess of 5000 diamonds and 2000 other semi-precious stones creating an awesome sight to behold.

Little wonder upon Rudyard Kipling's visit to Yangon in 1889, he was prompted to verse: "Then, a golden mystery upheaved itself on the horizon - a beautiful, winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple spire. It stood upon a green knoll"there's the old Shway Dagon," said my companion The golden dome said, "This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about." - Rudyard Kipling, Letters from the East

Sule Pagoda - Also at over 2000 years old Sule Pagoda, or the heart of Yangon. Located in the centre of the city acting as a tranquil yet dominating traffic island, it was once the social and religious focal point for centuries. The British established the Pagoda as the geographic center of the city in the 19th cen when they structured their Victorian street system around it. By night the 46m (157 ft) Pagoda, with its unique octagonal form, makes a fine spectacle with its decorated spire. That is just two of the hundreds of Pagoda's and impressive stupa's that decorate this wondrous city's skyline. Walking through Yangon you'll notice the Pagodas are amongst an assortment of latter day Chinese and Hindu Temples, Islamic Mosques, Cathedrals, and a Synagogue.

As well as cultural and religious monuments Yangon has a multitude of Theatres and cinemas. Spread through out the city is over 50 cinemas. In Sule Pagoda Rd alone you can find 5 English cinemas.

To find original native arts & crafts visit the Bogyoke Aung San Market, (know during British times, and by some today, as Scott Market) The market is over 70 years old and sprawls seamlessly across Bogyoke Aung San Street. Providing the keen shopper with some of the most reasonable prices in town.

\11 Burma news update

Since the current edition of Myanmar was pub the eco downturn in SE Asia has continued to affect Myanmar. Food prices for staples such as rice and cooking oil have increased, though income has not. In Aug 1998, 18 foreign nationals were arrested for distributing business card leaflets that expressed their support for the democratic movement in Burma. The protesters were released and deported after a week. Sporadic fighting continues along the border with Thailand, but this is unlikely to affect the average traveller. An Australian and a Thai national were abducted by Karen rebels in early 1998, but were released unharmed after a few days.

The military govt is not showing any signs that it will relinquish power to civilians. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) has changed its name to the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) but little else has changed, and in its search for a solution to the country's eco probs it has reintroduced strict controls on imports and exports. The military regime recently denied a temp visa to Aung San Suu Kyi's dying husband, and he died in Mar in the UK without seeing her .

NB: While travelling in Burma, always be aware of the effect of your actions on Burmese citizens. One tvlr wrote to tell us that when he ignored warnings to avoid travel in a prohibited area, the hospitable farmer who allowed him to sleep on his floor was fined and jailed for a short time. Another wrote to tell us that during her trip there, two tvlrs refused to show their passports to the military as a form of protest and as a result, the bus drvr was ordered by the army to stand in the sun for 3hrs. The govt is unlikely to harass tourists, but we cannot say what may happen to locals.

We've also had confirmed reports in late 98 of travellers who were deported for visiting Nat League for Democracy (NLD) political meetings or attempting to photo Aung San Suu Kyi's house in northern Yangon. All film was taken.

Facts about Myanmar. In Nov 1997 the 21-member SLORC was replaced by the 19-member SPDC, made up of four govt heads and 15 military cmdrs from areas around the country. At the time, many observers dismissed the change as cosmetic, while others speculated it might signal a change in the military's policies. The same four top generals, SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe, vice chairman Gen Maung Aye, secretary one Khin Nyunt and secretary two Gen Tin Oo, remain in power, while all other ministers were replaced. So far, however, little has changed in the country to warrant optimism  though Aung San Suu Kyi's status among most Burmese remains extremely high. Unfortunately, a general state of resignation has set in, so complete is the govt's stranglehold on dissent. That the intl press misses this fact is even more surprising than the way the media often mistakenly describes Ma Suu Kyi as an elected leader (she was never a candidate, and never ran for office). The SPDC is the only game in town and will remain so until the military leadership relinquishes control  voluntarily or otherwise.

ECONOMY: Since July 1997, the kyat has lost about 35% of its value against the US dollar and inflation is galloping along at over 25%, indicating that even isolated economies like Myanmar's are being affected by the South-East Asian economic downturn. According to the Far Eastern Economic Review, China will now provide 'fiscal assistance' as well as military assistance to the SPDC. For starters, the government recently signed two deals with Chinese energy companies.

Foreign exchange reserves within the country have fallen, and the govt has instituted a 'buy local' campaign, imposing severe import restrictions. With a decline in Asian tourism  but enough hotel rooms already built to meet anticipated demand for the next five years  the hotel industry is struggling.

LANGUAGE: 'In your next issue it might be helpful to include the word 'toilet' and its translation in Burmese. It's one place everyone has to visit sooner or later (often sooner).' Source: MK Lee, Singapore (Dec 97) (It's in the Burmese lang phrasebook, but here it is: toilet: ein-dha, toilet paper: ein-dha seq-ku.

ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT: Financed primarily by oil giants Unocal and Total, a major gas pipeline from the Andaman Sea to Thailand is currently under construction at Ban-I-Thong. This poses a significant environmental hazard, especially on the Thai side where the short-sighted planners pointed the pipeline directly at Sai Yok National Park. On the Burmese side, the pipeline is heavily guarded.

MONEY. Credit Cards. Many travellers have found credit cards to be nearly useless in Myanmar (except at large, expensive hotels). When they are accepted, Visa is reportedly the most hassle-free. MasterCard withdrew from Myanmar in late 1998.

Travellers' Cheques These are also a big hassle. Only a couple of banks in Yangon and Mandalay accept them, and then its only to exchange into Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs). Cash continues to be the way to go.

ATMs. There are no Auotomatic Teller Machines in Myanmar. Several embassies in Yangon have reported some of their citizens showing up broke, thinking their ATM cards would save the day  but no way.

Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs) We've received a barrage of letters about the US$300 FEC that you are required to pay at the airport upon arrival, but none of them add much to what is published in the book. One traveller found the departure tax (now US$10) payable only in FECs (although the book advises it's dollars or FECs). Another found German marks and French francs as well as a couple of other foreign currencies officially accepted to buy the FECs, so that's certainly a change since the book was published. The Myanmar embassy in Canberra confirmed that major currencies are now accepted.

Some travellers have concocted elaborate schemes to avoid purchasing the FECs, including bribing officials, trying to convince them they had planned to put the $300 on their credit card, sneaking past the exchange counter and, believe it or not, hiding in the toilets. We don't advise you to try any of these  you can, after all, spend the FECs anywhere in Myanmar. One traveller had the Myanmar consulate in London stamp 'package tour' on his passport and avoided paying the $300, and those on a pre-arranged tour appear to be exempt.

Joe Cummings, author of Lonely Planet guides to Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, organised his visa in Thailand for his recent visit to Myanmar. The Thai travel agents stamped 'EVT' on his visa, the code for 'package tour', which exempts the visa holder from the FEC requirement. On arrival at Yangon airport, officials took one look at the visa and waved him past the currency booth.

I made two visits to Myanmar in 1998 and on one trip saw a backpacker confidently whip out an American Express credit card, only to have the customs agent reach under the counter for a credit card machine to take his US$300.

POST & COMMUNICATIONS. Intl phone calls are getting easier and cheaper to make. Expensive IDD (international direct dial) calls are available at all big hotels, and much cheaper 'booking calls' are available from the CTT office on the corner of Pansodan and Mahabandoola in Yangon, as well as from most small hotels. In Mandalay, the same situation applies though waiting times are two to three times longer.

'It is possible to send email from the business centre of the Five Stars Sedona Hotel in Mandalay, even if you are not a guest. They charge US$2 to send and US$1 to receive.' Source: Andrea Bianchi, USA (Nov 98)

HEALTH: Malaria is a risk in mountain areas, though we've had no reports of it in Yangon or Mandalay despite some Web site reports to the contrary. However, there are recent traveller reports of Dengue Fever, especially in the areas around Hsipaw and Lashio.

ACCOMMODATION Real prices of hotels and guest houses have fallen from between 20% and 30% in the last two years. Budget accommodation is widely available outside Yangon for $3 per person. In Yangon, accommodation costs start at $5 per person.

Big hotels are running well below occupancy limits even during high season, and discounts are generally available if you ask.

AIR Air Mandalay now flies to Yangon from Chiang Mai, Thailand, twice weekly. The international departure tax at Yangon Airport has been raised from US$6 to US$10.

AIR There is a new domestic airline called Yangon Airways (YA), which is getting good reviews from foreign visitors. YA is considered to be quite safe and reliable  it uses ATR72 aircraft, the same type used by Air Mandalay.

Many travellers have correctly advised that it is cheaper to book flights with Air Mandalay or Yangon Airways at a travel agency, since the fares are approximately 15% to 20% cheaper than when booked directly with the airlines.

Warning: Many embassies (US, UK, France, Australia, etc) have issued travel advisories recommending their citizens avoid the governments domestic carrier, Myanma Airways (MA), due to its terrible safety record (two fatal crashes in 1998, the most recent in a string of disasters).

BUS Several bus companies now make the Yangon-Mandalay trip in reliable buses at a cost of K2000.

LP still recommends going by bus rather than train, since the bus services are privately owned, so less of your money goes to the government. There's the added advantage of being reasonably certain of arriving on time  or close to it  and recent reports say train travel is worse than ever.

TRAIN There are now direct trains to Bagan from Mandalay. Tickets can be bought at the railway station in Mandalay.

CAR Hiring a car continues to be a popular way of getting around Myanmar but, like everything else, be sure you set out with the proper permits and paperwork.

At Tachilek, near the Thai border, you can hire a car to make the six to seven hour trip to Kengtung for about US$15 per person (or the kyat or baht equivalent). There are five military checkpoints along the way. For visitors entering from Thailand, the usual US$300 FEC requirement is reduced to US$100, though some people have managed to pester border guards to accept US$50.

BOAT Ferry There is now a better alternative to the government's (MTT) Mandalay-Bagan ferry. The new Mandalay-Bagan Express ferry departs every day except Wednesday and Sunday, and the trip takes about nine hours, as opposed to MTT's 13 hours. The cost is US$16.

Yangon

THINGS TO SEE & DO A place to discourage visitors from going is the Yangon Zoo. Not only does it have a fairly limited range of species but some are in quite bad condition, especially the Malay bears. Since your guide was published, they have started charging foreigners a US$5 entrance fee, which is exorbitant in local terms for what the zoo has to offer.' Source: Edwin Reavley, UK (Jan 98)

'I visited the zoo and was able to negotiate an admission fee of only K500.' Source: Marc Escobosa, USA (Dec 98)

Yangon's National Museum is now open daily from 10 am to 4 pm and costs US$5.

PLACES TO STAY The Dagon Hotel, Holiday Inn and YWCA have closed.

DELTA REGION Chaungtha Beach in the Delta region west of Pathein has undergone a complete makeover, with close to 20 new hotels and guest houses scattered along the beach and through the village.

Mandalay INFORMATION Money Mayflower Moneychanger on 81st between 29th and 30th Sts, and Penta Moneychanger on 82nd between 27th and 28th Sts, can change pound sterling, Thai baht, Singapore dollars, FEC and US dollars cash.

GETTING AROUND Tour Guides 'U Nyunt, the guide the LP book recommends to use in Mandalay, can now be found at the corner of 38th and 73rd streets in the Tet Khit Karate Compound (Tel 23166 or 31663).' Source: John & Liz Dunn, Malaysia (Jan 99)

THINGS TO SEE & DO The Moustache Brothers troupe has been blacklisted from performing around the country following the arrest of members Par Par Lay and Lu Zaw. The remaining members, including Par Par Lay's two brothers, wife and sister, continue to perform for visitors at their studio on 39th St between 80th and 81st Sts. Performances can be arranged any evening; the charge varies according to the number of attendees. Part of the proceeds goes toward food and medicine for Par Par Lay and Lu Zaw, who are imprisoned at a hard labour camp in Myitkyina in the Kachin State.

SHAN STATE Amnesty International reports that the army has tortured and killed hundreds of ethnic Shan villagers in the last two years and forced at least 300,000 to flee their homes. Children, elderly people and Buddhist monks are reportedly among the victims, but the SPDC has dismissed Amnesty's allegations as fabrications.

Permits are no longer required to visit Hsipaw and Lashio.

GETTING THERE & AWAY Permits are no longer required to visit Kyaiktiyo, Pa-an or Mawlamyine. Yangon Airways (YA) flies to Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung.

GETTING THERE & AWAY India and the SPDC have agreed to develop the old WWII 'Burma Road' from Tamu to Kalemyo, a 160km stretch, to facilitate traffic across the border. Air Mandalay now flies to Sittwe from Yangon twice a week.


\12 'Burma Shave' US road signs

What? You don't know what a Burma Shave sign is? You say it was before your time? Burma Shave roadside signs captivated highway travelers all over the country from the 1920's till the 1950's. The signs were the brainchild of Allen Odell, son of Burma Shave's founder, Clifford Odell. He got the idea from gas station signs that told travelers there were gas, oil and restrooms ahead. He thought, Why couldn't you sell shaving cream that way?

The white-on-red-highway signs consisted of several lines of rhyme each. Each line was on its own separate sign and the series of four signs were spaced far enough apart so that travelers could read the complete rhyme while driving along at a pretty good speed. The Burma-Shave signs had a fifth line to it's rhymes reading simply "Burma Shave", understandably to advertise the product, which was shaving cream. Burma Shave signs got more attention than newspaper or magazine advertisements could hope to win. The Burma Shave company devoted many signs to the cause of highway safety:

DRIVE....WITH CARE....BE ALIVE....WHEN YOU ARRIVE.

Burma Shave rhymes covered several themes: public service, straight advertising and exaggerated humor. They were fun and made many a long, tiring trip pleasant. The signs practically had the attention of every literate passerby. It was difficult to read only one Burma-Shave sign. With their jingle cadence and folk humor the country grew addicted.

Past school houses....Take it slow....Let the little....Shavers grow....

Every Sheba....Wants a sheik....Strong of muscle....Smooth of cheek.

BURMA SHAVE

By the 1950s, when long distance motorists were lucky to average 30 miles per hour, Odell had 7,000 quintets of signs strung along U.S. roadsides. But by the 1960s, times had changed. America was blanketed by superhighways and faster cars. The shaving cream that smelled like soap and its white-on-red highway signs of verse had fallen by the wayside.

John Flaherty of Pittsburgh, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF, has written a collection of original roadside rhymes modeled after the Burma-Shave rhymes. Flaherty sent the Jeannie-Rhymes to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission with hopes they would be used to promote safe driving on the nation's first superhighway. Mr. Flaherty dedicated the rhymes to the memory of his beloved daughter, Jeannie, who was killed by a runaway automobile.

In a letter written to the Turnpike Flaherty explained, "The idea for these rhymes came to me when I was recalling those wonderful Burma Shave roadside rhymes. As I reminisced I thought about using the same medium - catchy rhymes on roadside signs spaced far enough apart to promote courtesy and safety on our highways." Flaherty recalls that the rhymes started coming to him on his daily walks. He believes from his daughter, Jeannie. Soon, he began carrying a pen and paper to jot them down. "Some of the Jeannie-Rhymes are patriotic, Flaherty explained, "to remind us of what a great and wonderful country the United States is. Rhymes 1006 through 1013 may be of particular interest as they pertain to the Pennsylvania Turnpike." Certain Jeannie-Rhymes strike a chord for the consumer, and others are humorous to keep traveling less stressful.

Flaherty, who was a liaison officer for the Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before retiring 8 years ago, said, "Even if one driver absorbs the message and it could save lives and cut down on accidents, it would make it worthwhile to me."

Turnpike Deputy Executive Director of Customer Service James Alexander Jr. thanked Mr. Flaherty for sharing the Jeannie-Rhymes with the Turnpike in a lettter. "I'm certain this has been a labor of love and fulfillment. I personally remember many of the Burma Shave signs and always found them entertaining." Alexander continued, "Although the Pennsylvania Turnpike limits signs along the roadway to minimize driver distraction, we are currently giving increased focus to how we relate to our driving customers. With your kind permission, we may be able to use these in some other form of customer service publication."

THE FOLLOWING ARE JUST A SAMPLE OF THE JEANNIE-RHYMES BY JOHN FLAHERTY

THIS WAS ONCE AN ABANDONED RAILROAD BED THAT BECAME PENNSYLVANIA'S TURNPIKE INSTEAD

SING A SONG OF SAFETY, LET'S ALL SING IT UP, "WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING ALWAYS BUCKLE UP."

MAY PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE SEE ALL SAFE DRIVERS MAY ALL ITS TRAVELERS BE SAFE ARRIVERS.

MAY A SAFE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE WE ACHIEVE WE PRAY ALL WHO ENTER WILL SAFELY LEAVE.

WHATEVER THE WEATHER, GOOD OR LOUSY, CONDITIONS ARE BAD FOR DRIVING DROWSY.

PLEASE DON'T DRIVE SAFETY DEFICIENT. OUR STATE TROOPERS ARE VERY EFFICIENT.

Today one of the last Burma Shave signs has been preserved in the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. It reads:

Shaving brushes....You'll soon see'em....On the Shelf....In some museum.

Thanks to our valued Turnpike customer, John Flaherty, for reacquainting us with this fascinating piece of roadway history. We'd love to hear about other such achievements by the super customers of America's first superhighway!

AMERICAN HISTORY, FEB 01, 1997 BURMA-SHAVE

 For almost forty years, signs bearing Burma-Shave jingles entertained U.S. motorists as they traveled the nation's roadways, in what was one of the most successful advertising campaigns int eh history of American business. They have gone the way of gas stations whose attendants would appear automatically to fill your tank and clean your windshiled, and hamburger stands that are not part of a chain. They lined the roadsides serving as landmarks, giving motorists a laugh, and providing travel-weary children with something to watch for--and squabble over as to who would get to read the next one. Between 1926 and 1963,the signs carrying Burma-Shave jingles were part of the face of America, and they represent one of the most successful advertising campaigns ever conceived. In the early 1900s, Minneapolis attorney Robert Ransom Odell concocted a liniment from a recipe that he claimed had been given to him by an old sea captain. It was an adoriferous mixture that he sold in a few stores in that city. When Robert's son Clinton, a lawyer and successful insurance salesman, was casting about for a new, less stressful business as he recovered from a three-year illness, he took over marketing his father's liniment, which he named Burma-Vita[*]. Clinton and his sons, Allan and Leonard, soon found that for their business to succeed they needed a product that people required all the time, not just when they suffered from aches and pains. The supplier of the ingredients used in the liniment suggested that they look into the possibility of manufacturing a brushless shaving cream and give them a sample of such a product from Britain. The Odells recognized the practicality of the idea. "You didn't have to pack that wet brush in your grip where it would mildew and get foul-smelling before you got home," remembered Leonard." Clinton set Carl Noren, formerly a cosmetic chemist with the Minneapolis Drug Company, to work on devising a formula. Almost three hundred concoctions were tried before it was discovered, quite by accident, that one they had mixed about half way through the process--Formula 143--gave,when aged for a few months, the kind of results they were looking for. Initial attempts to market the new product proved frustrating until Allan noticed a set of signs displayed along a road between Aurora and Joliet, Illinois, to advertise an upcoming gas station. Each small sign bore a single word--such as "Gas," "Oil" "Restrooms"--with the very last sign pointing to the service station itself. Noticing the compulsion he felt to read each of the signs as they appeared, Allan wondered "why can't you sell a product that way?" The automobile, after all, was coming of age. More and more people were taking to the roads, whether for business or for leisurely Sunday drives. Such an arrangement of signs that almost begged to be readjust might work. Initially skeptical of Allan's idea, Clinton consulted some advertising people in Minneapolis and Chicago, all of whom felt that such a scheme would fail. Allan persisted nonetheless, talking his father into investing two hundred dollars to give the idea a try. In September 1926, Allan and Leonard bought some used boards that they cut to three-foot lengths and painted; then they hurried to get the signs in place before the ground froze. The messages stenciled on these first signs, which dotted two highways leading out of Minneapolis, were straightforward, with no rhymes, jingles, or puns. Nonetheless, results were almost immediate. "By the start of the year," according to Leonard, "we were getting the first repeat orders we'd ever had in the history of the company-all from druggists serving people who traveled those roads." The OdeIls were pleased with this success, but needed funds to invest in the business. Clinton decided to sell 49 percent of its stock. Using his considerable powers of persuasion, accomplished the task in just three weeks, despite having an unknown product and an advertising campaign that no one outside the family believed in. With the capital thus acquired, they set up a proper sign shop early in 1927. Clinton and Allan thought up the messages; Allan negotiated with landowners to place the signs; and Leonard installed them. By 1929, the humor associated today in the public mind with Burma-Shave began to appear. EVERY SHAVER/NOW CAN SNORE/SIX MORE MINUTES/THAN BEFORE/BY USING/BURMA-SHAVE read one of that year's efforts. A 1930 jingle celebrated the era of brushless shaves with SHAVING BRUSHES/YOU'LL SOON SEE 'EM/WAY DOWN EAST/IN SOME/ MUSE-UM/BURMA-SHAVE. By the end of the next year, a thousand sets of signs had gone up. By then the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression and needed some lighthearted humor to help it face the economic hardship. Thanks largely to the success of its signs, the Burma-Vita Company went against the national trend during the 1930s, never knowing, said Carl Noren, "that there was a depression." Spreading out from the original two Minnesota highways, the signs eventually dotted roads in 45 of the 48 contiguous states; the only exceptions were sparsely populated Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Advance men went out from the company to scout out suitable locations for the signs. Prerequisites included the absence of other advertising that would block part of the series from view, a fairly level section of roadway, and good visibility. People were sure to complain if signs were placed in such a way that passers-by missed one of the sequence because of a curve in the road. Once the signs had been in place for a while, the advance men would convert themselves into salesmen, visiting the local drug-stores, and writing up the orders generated by the new signs. Landowners generally received up to $25 for the use of their property, although a few were able to bargain for more. Leases ran for a year, with the renewal handled by mail. Participating landowners received a newsletter--Bur-ma-Shavings--that made them feel that they were part of a unique club. Installers known as PhDs--for post-hole diggers--spent a good portion of the year on the road in trucks that quickly became a familiar sight to the motoring public. Often these men were also called upon to promote the product at events in their work areas. Because the signs were so familiar in all sections of the country, the public assumed that Burma-Shave was produced by a large company. In reality, Burma-Vita never employed more than 35 people. As roads got wider and cars faster, the company's sign makers adjusted the width and height of the signs, which were also placed farther apart on the highway to allow greater visibility. At first the signs' colors were changed yearly, but the public seemed to prefer red and white, so that combination became permanent. Horses, who used the signs as back scratchers, presented the greatest hazard to the signs--a problem solved, for the most part, by raising the height of the signposts to ten feet. Students who removed signs to decorate their rooms also presented a problem; that one was solved by fastening the signs to the posts with bolts that required a special wrench to remove. When the supply of jingles from the members of the Odell family threatened to dry up, they announced a yearly contest that would pay a hundred dollars (a thousand dollars by the 1950s) for each entry used. Every year, thousands submitted their creations. After the family sifted through the entries, the best ones were passed along to company officers and board members, each of whom would select his favorites. Several weeks of meetings at which the relative merits of the submissions were argued took place before the final selection was made, good taste ranking with humor at the top of the judgment criteria. Over the years, Reverend E. C. Baird, something of a poet and songwriter, submitted the greatest number of winning entries. The popularity of the signs led to free publicity for Burma-Shave, as radio personalities such as Bob Hope and Fred Allen built the signs into their routines. Sailors on board a ship passing through the Bering Strait were flabbergasted to see a string of small red signs on an ice floe. Although the signs' message was in Russian--something to do with polar bears according to a crewman who knew the language--the final "Burma-Shave" was unmistakable; it was all the result of a joke perpetrated by the crew of a reconnaissance helicopter flying ahead of the ship. At least two Burma-Shave jingles generated publicity that had not been counted on. When FREE OFFER! FREE OFFER!!/RIP A FENDER/OFF YOUR CAR/MAIL IT IN FOR/A HALF-POUND JAR/BURMA-SHAVE appeared, the company received numerous fenders, including some purchased from local junkyards and others detached from toy vehicles. Keeping their end of the bargain, the Odells rewarded the senders with the promised half-pound jar of the shaving cream, the cost of doing so outweighed by the value of the publicity. The dilemma caused by a 1955 jingle proved more difficult to solve. FREE--FREE/A TRIP/TO MARS/FOR 900/EMPTY JARS/BURMA-SHAVE seemed like a safe enough offer that no one would take seriously But Arliss French, a supermarket manager in Appleton, Wisconsin, saw the message as a challenge--one he wanted to accept. Through advertising in his store and in local newspapers--he offered 15 cents for each jar brought into his store he collected the nine hundred empty jars. A company representative who visited Appleton to look into French's crusade telephoned back to the head office that it had generated increased business for his store, which boasted "some kind of rocket plane . . . that kids are swarming all over, and . . . little green men on the roof firing toy rocket gliders out over the parking lot." Because the store was benefiting from all the publicity, the Red Owl chain to which it belonged approached Burma-Shave with the idea of splitting the cost of sending French and his wife to Moers--pronounced Mars Germany With all agreed, French arrived at the Burma-Shave offices "with a bubble on his head, dressed in a silvery space suit with a big red owl on the front." Greeted as celebrities when their plane landed in Germany, the Frenches had a great time as guests of honor for a three-day festival in Moers. About this time, however, the Burma-Vita Company's growth had stalled. The fact that Burma-Shave's signs had never penetrated the fast-growing cities significantly hampered sales potential. And in the country, cars were traveling on fast, new superhighways, not on the sidertads where Burma-Shave jingles could be found. The company decided, therefore, to supplement the signs with increased use of other advertising media. Finally, in February 1963, Philip Morris, Inc., announced its purchase of the Bur-ma-Vita Company, which by then produced numerous ancillary products in addition to its original shaving cream. The planned gradual reduction of the number of roadside signs was accelerated by the new owners, who sent out crews to retrieve all remaining vestiges of what had become an American classic. Fittingly, the Odells presented sets of their favorite sign--one from 1948 that read WITHIN THIS VALE/OF TOIL/AND SIN/YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD/BUT NOT YOUR CHIN--USE/BURMA-SHAVE--to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Many private citizens, knowing the signs to be an endangered species, helped themselves to panels before the removal crews arrived. The genius of Allan Odell's simple idea was evident not just in the sales it had generated over the years, but in the public reaction to the signs' disappearance. A cartoon accompanying a 1964 article in The Saturday Evening Post showed wreaths being laid at the last sign, as mourners wailed and prostrated themselves along the roadside. The American public's sighs for Bur-ma-Shave, author William K. Zinsser noted, were "not for something going out of the landscape but for something that is going out of ourselves. We sigh for a time when the road was full of surprises [and] for a time when a young man could cap-rare the nation by painting droll signs on secondhand boards, though all slick advice told him he was crazy." PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): The Burma-Vita Company that produced Burma-Shave--begun by Clinton Odell (seated) and carried on by his sons Leonard (left) and Allan (right)--was very much a family operation. Although it got off to a shaky start, the company became successful when it took a chance on an idea conceived by Allan for the roadside advertising campaign that has since taken its place as a cherished part of Americana\