Before I pick up the Burma thread again I need to take a moment to brag. The seafood in the Thai islands is something to make a whole trip out of -- and if there is one dish not to be missed it is the fried white snapper (whole) seasoned with garlic and thai chillis. I'm still in a swoon.
Back to Burma. I don't really know what to say about the government other than it felt like there was a secret, concerted effort, perpetrated at the highest levels, to deceive foreigners into believing that everything is on the up and up. We obviously knew better, as do most other travelers there, which made it all the more bizarre.
As for witnessing first hand the terrible atrocities inflicted upon the people, or the insidious acts of Big Brother, or even the subtle or not so subtle day-to-day oppression, we saw nothing of the kind --- except, of course, we did have a policeman take a photograph of us while crossing a busy intersection in Yangon on our first day there. That threw me into a brief fit of paranoia.
We became immediately aware, through the people's unwillingness to broach the subject, that talking about the government is not copacetic. We heard offhand comments about how the "government is bad but the people are good," but we never felt comfortable (and the guidebooks expressly tell you to stay away from the subject of politics as it could put the local with whom you are speaking at risk of governmental persecution) to delve any further.
Some interesting things about Burma:
1) The capitol of Myanmar used to be Yangon. Now, thanks to General Than Shwe's astrologer, who thought it propitious to move the capitol somewhere else, the capitol is Nay Pyi Taw, a god-forsaken place in the middle of nowhere. It is totally off-limits to foreigners (as is vast swaths of the Karen, Kachin, Chin and Shan states).
2) The same astrologer who convinced the reigning general to move the capitol to Nay Pyi Taw also apparently convinced him that it was bad luck to have currency in denominations of 10, 20, 100,etc. So, at the behest of his trusted adviser, he changed the currency to multiples of 9, issuing notes worth 45 kyats and 90 kyats.
3) The internet in Burma is at least ten years behind the rest of the world in terms of speed. Access to a political websites, as well as otherwise harmless sites, are blocked. Access to our blog was blocked.
4) There are no ATM machines in Burma, world-wide economic sanctions forcing multi-national banks to leave the country. My guess is that Burma has to be the only country in the world without an ATM.
5) No one takes credit cards. Plastic is worthless.
6) Because there are no ATMs, and credit cards are worthless, you have to take with you into Burma all the money you will need for your travels. The money needs to be US dollars, and they need to be crisp and clean and newly issued. If there is the slightest imperfection -- a wrinkle or fold or bend in the bill -- or if the bill has an old serial number, it will be rejected, with no explanation as to why it was rejected. It is extremely amusing watching the Burmese examine a US bill with the same kind of scrutiny a jeweler would apply in examining a precious gem to determine if it was real or fake.
Moving on to the people: They are poor. Dirt poor. Which makes it all the more amazing that they are so kind and friendly. At times it felt like Erin and I were the leads in a remake of the Truman Show.
All the women and children smear thanaka (a thick, tan cream made from an indiginous tree) on their cheeks, and sometimes their foreheads, to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun. The combination of the thanaka and their sad and wistfull eyes makes them look like ghosts. The men wear longyis (a man skirt), and everyone, including grandpas and grandmas, chew the betel nut, which causes their teeth to turn red and then decay in lovely jagged patterns, lending their smiles an air of goofiness.
As I mentioned before, they are devoutly Buddhist -- the wellspring (I think) from which they draw their strength, patience and compassion to be such gentle and equable people. Every man is required to serve in the monastery as a novice. The minimum time is a week but many Burmese stay in the monastery for months.
Monks are abound in Burma -- you see them every morning taking alms from the people on the streets and in the shops.
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