Video of the final approach and landing at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar
Burmese video satire, depicting burmese concerns, as the country
faces internal and external challenges (Edo Vader, Burmese animator)
faces internal and external challenges (Edo Vader, Burmese animator)
Old city buses in a changing city, Yangon (Rangoon)
Those first impressions
WITH A NEW VISA, and one week after leaving Canada, i flew on to Myanmar (Burma) on January 12th. The Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Yangon (Rangoon) took about 1 1/2 hours and in the early afternoon i arrived in this very different world. After clearing customs there was a wait to exchange some dollars. Current wisdom (on the internet) suggested that Myanmar had no opportunities for foreign visitors to withdraw money from banks or ATMs. For that reason i had arrived with $1,500 in pristine US banknotes (not folded, marked or torn). After converting $100 US, i walked away from the counter with a wad of local currency, or Kyat (pronounced jet) about 2 centimetres thick (3/4 inch).
Once out at the entrance a crowd of agents and taxi drivers descended on emerging visitors. In the process i missed seeing an ATM nearby. Soon a friendly taxi driver took me into Yangon. After the frantic traffic of greater Bangkok, with 14 million, this seemed much slower. In an aging white Toyota Corolla, i arrived at the sleepy Beautyland Hotel One. In the distance was the famous Shri Dagon (Pagoda) and close by several embassies, here in the Bahan township. Nearby were derelict villas, from the British colonial era, to add to the district's atmosphere. Once i was settled in my room, i took a taxi into town, to explore further. The gorgeous Sule Dagon (Pagoda) was my destination.
Background information and impressions
Myanmar is flanked by the Bay of Bengal to the West and South while an outlying subrange of the Greater Himalayan mountains system ends on it's Northern border with China. In addition, Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand are it's neighbours. This nation is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. The Bamar, or Burmese (an imprecise label) make up two thirds of the population which is in excess of 60 million.
Arguably, a major highlight in Burma's history was a thousand years ago when the Pagan Kingdom ruled far beyond what is today's Central Region. In the 1700s, there had been great back and forth struggles with neighbouring Siam. By the 19th Century, Great Britain's slowly conquered Burma, between 1824 and 1886. In 1948, Burma managed to achieve freedom from colonial rule. For 17 years, beginning in 1961, the strongman Ne Win ruled the nation. This was followed by a full army takeover, which lasted until January 2011. Since then, 75% of the seats have been in the hands of Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by Thein Sein as president. These politicians were largely hand picked by the military or the President himself. Aung San Suu Kyi, who now leads the opposition, emerged from house arrest, which she endured for most of the time from 1988 to 2010. Her party is known as the National League for Democracy.
As of January 2013, Myanmar's transition from full blown dictatorship to a limited democracy, was only a partial won freedom, as the military still exercised a great deal of influence from behind the scenes. Bloody clashes between the army and ethnic minorities, continued in the North. Furthermore, ugly and brutal conflicts between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority erupted sporadically. These disturbances were getting closer and closer to the capital. That said, whenever i did have conversations with Burmese people, at the time, they were cautiously hopeful for the future.
As of January 2013, Myanmar's transition from full blown dictatorship to a limited democracy, was only a partial won freedom, as the military still exercised a great deal of influence from behind the scenes. Bloody clashes between the army and ethnic minorities, continued in the North. Furthermore, ugly and brutal conflicts between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority erupted sporadically. These disturbances were getting closer and closer to the capital. That said, whenever i did have conversations with Burmese people, at the time, they were cautiously hopeful for the future.
Some links
Background info on the country (Wikipedia):
Burma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From poverty to financial solvency: microcredit in Yangon
(Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):
From poverty to financial solvency: microcredit in Yangon
(Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):
Aung San Su Kyi's heroic status appears to diminish as her apparent indifference to land rights for the poor, becomes known (Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):
Troubling news about the clash between the present government and the Kachin ethnic minority in the North of Myanmar (Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):
Excellent one hour documentary on YouTube, entitled "The Choice," which explains Aung San Su Kyi's resistance to the savage military dictatorship
and the outcome (BBC - September 2012):
bbc aung san suu kyi the choice - Google Search
If you want to view the above video at a larger size look, navigate to "You are you,
I am Me – a Burmese Story" here (Edo Vader, Burmese animator):
edo vader - YouTube
This CNN link on Burmese customs was passed onto me –things for visitors to know:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/travel/myanmar-11-things/index.html
If you want to view the above video at a larger size look, navigate to "You are you,
I am Me – a Burmese Story" here (Edo Vader, Burmese animator):
edo vader - YouTube
This CNN link on Burmese customs was passed onto me –things for visitors to know:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/travel/myanmar-11-things/index.html
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