Burma: A Hidden Gem

Although I had toyed with the idea of travel to this exotic country since 1989, my other travels distracted me for many years. This book represents the culmination of four month-long journeys to Burma (Myanmar) from 2003 to 2014.



I started out going to the usual tourist destinations, then got further and further off the beaten track as I wanted to see more and make contact with the locals. (Disclaimer: In 2003 I met and later married one of them, my lovely wife Myo Myo.)



I found the places to be very exotic and the people to be so warm and welcoming. The country just kept calling me back. The infrastructure is challenging, even along the tourist trail. Once you get off that trail, you are really on your own--strange bus and train schedules with lousy connections, rough, pot-holed roads, dust. Even the occasional horse-drawn cart. Many of the foods are new to Western eyes (and stomachs) and take some getting used to.



As the government crawls towards some sort of democracy, I have witnessed some progress, especially between my last two trips in 2011 and 2014. A lot of people now have smart phones and can communicate with each other from greater distances. There is much more access to the internet (and therefore connection to the outside world), including many hotels with wi-fi in the rooms. There seems to be a new fleet of white Toyota taxis in Yangon (with seatbelts that work!) replacing the previous assortment of old and heavily used cars from before. There are rarely the rolling blackouts that happened throughout the cities.



Because of the political isolation and a government that has not shared the wealth with the general population, entering the country feels like taking a time machine back a half century at least. That is partly what makes it so interesting to visit and photograph. I can only hope that it retains its charm as it joins the modern world.