I didn't know what to expect when we decided to visit Myanmar. You hear about the oppressive government and the violence, but what you don't hear about is the beauty of the country, the interesting culture and customs, and the incredible friendliness and strength of the people.
We started our travels in Yangon where we wandered the streets to see markets, golden pagodas, and inner city lakes. Almost everywhere we went people smiled and waved, and were always willing to lend a helping hand. Some people would approach us to ask where we were from and just as you are steadying yourself for a sales pitch they would wish you a nice day and be off.
After Yangon, we took an overnight bus to Mandalay where we spent most of our time evading government fees for tourist sites with an expert guide. We managed to tour three ancient cities and a nearby town without paying these fees. Normally I would say that's not something to be proud of, but this is Myanmar. Some organizations advise against travel to the country so you don't show support or provide any funding to the government. As a compromise we decided to avoid any fees we could, while hiring local guides and putting our money to good use. The fun we had sneaking around was a nice bonus too.
One night in Mandalay we went to see the famous Mustache Brothers. These comedian brothers (and their extended family) have been entertaining people for years but as their show is politically centered, they have paid dearly for some of their jokes. The eldest brother Par Par Lay has been imprisoned on three separate occasions - the first because he told a joke comparing government workers to thieves. One particular joke that stands out from the show was in regards to Lu Maw's toothache. He went across the border to Thailand to see a dentist and the dentist asked him "What? They don't have dentists in Burma?" to which Lu Maw replied "Of course, but in Burma we cannot open our mouths!"
Our next stop was Bagan to see some of the city's temples and pagodas by horse cart. In a 42 sq km area there are over 2000 temples. It is an unbelievable place and definitely worth a visit.
After Bagan, we headed to Inle lake. This was another beautiful spot and we spent our time biking and boating around the lake towns - even hitting up a Myanmar winery (guess we have been missing Argentina). Back at our hotel we met an 84 year old American woman traveling on her own for six weeks or so. Despite her description of the Myanmar government as "really crummy", it was her third visit to the country. We can only hope that we will be able to do the same when we are in our 80's!
Other highlights from the lake include watching the one-legged rowing, meeting some long necked ladies, and visiting the jumping cat monastery where seemingly indifferent cats have been taught to jump through hoops for treats - quite hilarious to watch. We also accidentally stumbled upon a wedding reception where we were welcomed in for pictures and lots of food. I still cannot believe how nice these people are!
Although we would like to keep this gem of a country for ourselves, the cat is slowly creeping out of the bag (and getting ready to jump through hoops for tourists). We suggest that you consider a trip to Myanmar sooner rather than later.
A note on transport:
I never thought I would be able to finish this sentence: the buses in Bolivia are better than (insert country here, probably imaginary). Unfortunately for Myanmar, I now know how to fill in that blank...flights might be your better bet here!
