Finding Myanmar

In 2015, after years of social and economic isolation, Myanmar tentatively opened its door to foreign visitors. Yet, the military government was still warring with numerous militias from a variety of minority ethnic groups and soon would make headlines for the Rohingya genocide. It was a largely unsettled nation-in-the-making with an authoritarian regime attempting to consolidate control through severe measures -- forcing hundreds of ethnic minority groups to assimilate through a process of "Burmanisation." Under the naive notion that isolation equated to an abundance of pristine wilderness, Ashley Hoden entered the country for the sole purpose of finding untouched jungles to explore. Circumventing the government sponsored tourist script -- a select array of temples and beaches -- required a motorbike, which was technically illegal for him to rent and drive.


Finding Myanmar intertwines the progression of Hoden's journey with an engrossing chronicle of Myanmar's current state of affairs, capturing the essence of how the nation's current turmoils are the consequence of an oppressive colonial and post-colonial history. With little to no knowledge of the social, political, and ecological terrain he would encounter, a startling reality presents itself through a harrowing series of backcountry twists and turns, revealing a far from pristine cultural and environmental condition that is entirely unique to this one tiny Southeast Asian police state. Both humorous and penetrating, this is a rare and inspired glimpse into one of the most turbulent and isolated nations on earth, and Ashley Hoden has emerged as a distinct new voice.