Burmese Days

Out of all the Southeast Asians I have been to, Myanmar takes home the prize. I read Burmese Days by George Orwell on the trip; many of the scenes he describe in the book, I have witnessed on my trip. As the country has been cut off from most modernization, its people holds a type of purity that cannot be found in the tourist-driven commercial centers in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Our taxi driver in Yangon, the cosmopolitan center of Myanmar, told us that we should not ask him to wait for us - we would have to pay $5 extra where as the fare from the temple to the airport was only $8 bucks and there are plenty of taxis around. We told him we are happy to pay him to stay, for we had luggage we didn't want to bring with us to the temple. 

Travelling in Myanmar is not cheap, for most things are government-run and there is very little market competition. Cambodia and Thailand are much better for a dirt cheap vacation. But Myanmar holds a magical sway - for it is not overwhelmed with tourists, its people are pure and humble. Our boat rower prayed at every temple we went to, and I can tell he was sincere. The land is not ruined by the mass traffic of tourism - and its sites are truly amazing. The UNESCO heritage does not rank Myanmar sites as a heritage center - I have been plenty plenty that doesn't compare to the places I went to in Myanmar. 

Bagan is the spiritual highlight of Myanmar. Climb any pagoda and you can see hundreds as far as the eyes can reach. There are so many that you can just curl up and read a book inside a 13th century pagoda by yourself, without ever being bothered by another human being, let alone an annoying tourist. The temples sites are beyond what some of the best temples I've been to in SE Asia. I am investing in the next Angela Jolie movie in Myanmar to increase its awareness to western tourists. 

Sunset over Bagan.

Flying in Myanmar is easy - just book ahead with an agent - they airplanes run like bus stations - there is no security and tickets are written in ink. The stop in all major tourist destinations and pick up random tourists along the way. For example, if you fly from Yangon to Bagan, you'll probably stop by Inle Lake or Mandalay first because there's not enough passengers from Yangon to Bagan to fill up the plane that day. Everything is an hour away from each other so why not? 

Inle Lake is a beautiful natural lake that has floating villages, temples, and just natural beauty surrounding it. While I have been to better 山水 (scenes), it is beautiful and worth a visit. My favorite temple was an abandoned temple on the southern tip of the lake. 

Fishing on Inle Lake

My favorite abandoned temple

Lastly, one must go to Pidaya caves. It's a cavern filled with millions of buddhas. While some are quite new, it's amazing how many there are in that cave. It is a sight to see. 

To date, Myanmar is my favorite destination in SE Asia. Go, before the tourists descend upon the country. Already there are signs of overwhelming tourism - with commercialization, it will just become another Cambodia or Thailand experience. Go now so you can experience the real Myanmar before it fades into the oblivion of commercialization and globalization.