impressions of Myanmar. . .
We hope we don't lose anyone with a longer, more detailed blog, but we have a lot to tell about Myanmar! It is probably the most culturally "different" place that we have visited so far. So, here goes and we hope you like it!
The people
The Burmese people were wonderful. They were among the friendliest local people we have met on this trip. If you made a small effort, and smiled or waved at someone, you inevitably got a very friendly return smile or wave. Many of them spoke at least a little bit of English, and we were actually invited into a few people's homes. When we were able to go, they offered us tea and fruit, and genuinely made us feel welcome. It was amazing.
Many people in Myanmar live simple rural lives, farming with oxen and plows and living in bamboo shacks without any modern conveniences like electricity or running water. Most can barely afford to pay for their childrens' school supplies, let alone own a car or motorbike. People in major cities live with (very) sporadic electricity, streets that flood whenever it rains, and chickens/geese/ducks that roam the streets. Often when you roam down alleyways you can see bamboo homes hidden behind the concrete store fronts.
In spite of rampant poverty, we found the Burmese people we met to be incredibly honest. For example: Tipping isn't common in Myanmar, but the people were so poor. . . we would leave a little something anyway when we got good service (like 200 or 500 kyat). But we found that when we left tips on the table, the servers would come after us to give us back the money we "forgot"! We had to learn to hand it directly to them and say "this is for you".
The government
In our experience, the totalitarian military government was more often felt than seen. We passed through multiple military checkpoints on bus trips, and they seemed to be mere formalities. We never had any questions or hassles. We had to register our names, passport numbers, visa numbers, etc. at every hotel, on every bus, and to buy tickets to archeological parks and other government-run tourist attractions. It sometimes felt a bit like big brother was watching, but honestly, nothing in Myanmar is automated. If they really wanted to track us, they would have had to scour through random notebooks and hotel files.
We found that some of the local people were very vocal in their complaints about the government (particularly the cab drivers in Yangon), but some were more discreet. The outspoken people claimed that everyone who wasn't in the government or well-connected also hated the government, and they told us multiple stories of how the government wasn't playing fair. For example, the government controls the import and export of cars from Japan. If a local person wants to buy a 15-year-old, used car, it costs U.S. $15,000. The government controlled cell phone companies can charge U.S. $300 per month for service. We found out that the people we saw shoveling dirt near the roads are paid 2,000 kyat per day by the government for their labor. (or $1.50/day) One retired government worker we met was making 500 kyat per MONTH (the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes) in pension after a lifetime of service. It was a wonder to us that anyone was able to afford anything.
Meanwhile, the government has declared that they are moving the capitol to a town that very few people dared to name or point out on a map. We spoke to a couple of westerners who found it and went there for a few hours to check it out. They said that everything was still under construction, but it all looked very modern and very western - like an American suburb. When it is finished, only government people will be allowed to live there. It appears that a very creepy form of segregation is under way.
As tourists, we found the military people we met to actually be very friendly. They smiled, gave us directions, and asked us where we were from - just like the other locals. Our feeling, however, was that the government was already making scads of money off of tour groups (particularly high end, package tours) and other independent travellers like us through visas, departure tax, entrance fees, etc. So we tried to give the rest of our money solely to businesses owned by local people.
Transportation
The roads in Myanmar are not terrible, but they certainly aren't very good, and travel between destinations can be lengthy. Our bus rides there were some of our longest (21 hours) and most colorful (people/bags on the roof, people hanging off the sides, crowds in the aisles. . . :)). There were also innumerable types of transportation on the road (bikes, ox carts, horse carts, cyclos, motorbikes, share "taxis"/pickups, government SUVs, as well as people walking). After multiple long, difficult trips, we decided to take a flight back to Yangon during the last leg of our trip - and in spite of the lack of development in many areas, the flight was fabulous. It was a nice, new plane with great service.
Communication
We *did* find a few internet cafes that had some kind of back-door online access to hotmail, yahoo, etc. Unfortunately, all of the connections were dial-up and they were so slow - we really were only able to send quick messages to family telling them we were still alive. :) Phone calls to the U.S. actually run $5/minute ($7/minute from "swank" hotel rooms with phones). Obviously, we never called home. :)
The "black market"
The black market in Myanmar was a really strange thing. It was obvious that the government knew about black market trading, but they really did not make any honest efforts to stop it.
The peopleThe Burmese people were wonderful. They were among the friendliest local people we have met on this trip. If you made a small effort, and smiled or waved at someone, you inevitably got a very friendly return smile or wave. Many of them spoke at least a little bit of English, and we were actually invited into a few people's homes. When we were able to go, they offered us tea and fruit, and genuinely made us feel welcome. It was amazing.
Many people in Myanmar live simple rural lives, farming with oxen and plows and living in bamboo shacks without any modern conveniences like electricity or running water. Most can barely afford to pay for their childrens' school supplies, let alone own a car or motorbike. People in major cities live with (very) sporadic electricity, streets that flood whenever it rains, and chickens/geese/ducks that roam the streets. Often when you roam down alleyways you can see bamboo homes hidden behind the concrete store fronts.
In spite of rampant poverty, we found the Burmese people we met to be incredibly honest. For example: Tipping isn't common in Myanmar, but the people were so poor. . . we would leave a little something anyway when we got good service (like 200 or 500 kyat). But we found that when we left tips on the table, the servers would come after us to give us back the money we "forgot"! We had to learn to hand it directly to them and say "this is for you".The government
In our experience, the totalitarian military government was more often felt than seen. We passed through multiple military checkpoints on bus trips, and they seemed to be mere formalities. We never had any questions or hassles. We had to register our names, passport numbers, visa numbers, etc. at every hotel, on every bus, and to buy tickets to archeological parks and other government-run tourist attractions. It sometimes felt a bit like big brother was watching, but honestly, nothing in Myanmar is automated. If they really wanted to track us, they would have had to scour through random notebooks and hotel files.
We found that some of the local people were very vocal in their complaints about the government (particularly the cab drivers in Yangon), but some were more discreet. The outspoken people claimed that everyone who wasn't in the government or well-connected also hated the government, and they told us multiple stories of how the government wasn't playing fair. For example, the government controls the import and export of cars from Japan. If a local person wants to buy a 15-year-old, used car, it costs U.S. $15,000. The government controlled cell phone companies can charge U.S. $300 per month for service. We found out that the people we saw shoveling dirt near the roads are paid 2,000 kyat per day by the government for their labor. (or $1.50/day) One retired government worker we met was making 500 kyat per MONTH (the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes) in pension after a lifetime of service. It was a wonder to us that anyone was able to afford anything.
Meanwhile, the government has declared that they are moving the capitol to a town that very few people dared to name or point out on a map. We spoke to a couple of westerners who found it and went there for a few hours to check it out. They said that everything was still under construction, but it all looked very modern and very western - like an American suburb. When it is finished, only government people will be allowed to live there. It appears that a very creepy form of segregation is under way.
As tourists, we found the military people we met to actually be very friendly. They smiled, gave us directions, and asked us where we were from - just like the other locals. Our feeling, however, was that the government was already making scads of money off of tour groups (particularly high end, package tours) and other independent travellers like us through visas, departure tax, entrance fees, etc. So we tried to give the rest of our money solely to businesses owned by local people.
TransportationThe roads in Myanmar are not terrible, but they certainly aren't very good, and travel between destinations can be lengthy. Our bus rides there were some of our longest (21 hours) and most colorful (people/bags on the roof, people hanging off the sides, crowds in the aisles. . . :)). There were also innumerable types of transportation on the road (bikes, ox carts, horse carts, cyclos, motorbikes, share "taxis"/pickups, government SUVs, as well as people walking). After multiple long, difficult trips, we decided to take a flight back to Yangon during the last leg of our trip - and in spite of the lack of development in many areas, the flight was fabulous. It was a nice, new plane with great service.
Communication
We *did* find a few internet cafes that had some kind of back-door online access to hotmail, yahoo, etc. Unfortunately, all of the connections were dial-up and they were so slow - we really were only able to send quick messages to family telling them we were still alive. :) Phone calls to the U.S. actually run $5/minute ($7/minute from "swank" hotel rooms with phones). Obviously, we never called home. :)
The "black market"
For example, people in Myanmar are allowed two liters pay day of gasoline from the government gas stations. The remainder of their gas is purchased from black market providers. We asked someone if bus companies were exempt from the maximums, and they said no - the bus companies buy their additional gas off of the black market like everyone else. When we asked why the government doesn't shut the black market places down, we found out that they are allowed to stay in business as long as the government gets a cut of their profits.
We were regularly offered to exchange money at hotels, restaurants, shops, and on the street. We chose our exchanges purely based on rates. We felt very clandestine at first, but these types of exchanges seemed to be expected. For example, right after we arrived in Yangon airport, we were offered to exchange money at the curb where we met our taxi, which was just a few yards from the airport. So we exchanged money in broad daylight, not far from airport security, with no questions or problems.
The culture
The first cultural difference we noticed upon arrival in Yangon was that everyone (Burmese men included) wears "longyis", which are long skirts. They are basically ankle-length tubes of fabric that you step into, and then tie at the waist. Dan tried to wear one on occasion, but found it to be a bit difficult, because it required constant re-tying (and potentially exposing himself in public!) and it didn't have any pockets. (note photo of one of his tying lessons at right! :))
Another notable difference was the chewing of betel nuts. It's a popular habit in multiple places all over southeast Asia, but in no place are people more ga-ga over it than Myanmar! They chop up the betel nut, maybe mix in a few spices, wrap it in a leaf, and place it inside their cheek. The nut turns their spit bright red, and stains their teeth the same color. As a result, the streets everywhere are speckled with bright red "betel juice" spit. (The photo at left is of a betel nut seller at a local market.)
Another very visible cultural difference was the use of "tanaka", which is a local face make-up made from ground tanaka root. The locals think it smells good, protects them from the sun - and most importantly - looks pretty! :) It is primarily used by women/girls, but sometimes little boys wear it as well. The baby in the photo at right is elaborately made up with tanaka, and her mom was particularly proud of how pretty she looked.
The sites
We visited the most popular tourist sites in Myanmar, and we particularly liked Bagan and Inle Lake. We'll follow up this message with a couple of posts soon telling you about each of them in more detail. :)
More later! :)
The culture
The first cultural difference we noticed upon arrival in Yangon was that everyone (Burmese men included) wears "longyis", which are long skirts. They are basically ankle-length tubes of fabric that you step into, and then tie at the waist. Dan tried to wear one on occasion, but found it to be a bit difficult, because it required constant re-tying (and potentially exposing himself in public!) and it didn't have any pockets. (note photo of one of his tying lessons at right! :))
Another notable difference was the chewing of betel nuts. It's a popular habit in multiple places all over southeast Asia, but in no place are people more ga-ga over it than Myanmar! They chop up the betel nut, maybe mix in a few spices, wrap it in a leaf, and place it inside their cheek. The nut turns their spit bright red, and stains their teeth the same color. As a result, the streets everywhere are speckled with bright red "betel juice" spit. (The photo at left is of a betel nut seller at a local market.)
Another very visible cultural difference was the use of "tanaka", which is a local face make-up made from ground tanaka root. The locals think it smells good, protects them from the sun - and most importantly - looks pretty! :) It is primarily used by women/girls, but sometimes little boys wear it as well. The baby in the photo at right is elaborately made up with tanaka, and her mom was particularly proud of how pretty she looked.The sites
We visited the most popular tourist sites in Myanmar, and we particularly liked Bagan and Inle Lake. We'll follow up this message with a couple of posts soon telling you about each of them in more detail. :)
More later! :)
1 Comments:
I see that your impressions of Myanmar leave you somewhere in the vicinity of Beteljuice.
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