Good reasons to visit Burma.
Aug 21 '01 (Updated Sep 03 '01)
The Bottom Line Smoky, hazy overcast hot days with an ever present smell of the tropics, never forgotten
the essence of Burma as a sensory memory : Smoky, hazy overcast hot days with an ever present smell of the city tropics, a blend of composting vegetation meeting human pollution , not unpleasant but overwhelming at times, visually bright, colorful, the salmon garbed little girl monks framed by wild bougainvillea , boney pariah dogs everywhere dodging traffic and sniffing rubbish for morsels, the cigar seller at the market with his bright turban and grubby lungi imploring me to buy his acrid cheroots. The decaying colonial facades caked in the (near)equatorial sooty mildew. The shrewd and quick little Indian boy child beggars so cheeky and pesky. The vile and potent burnt sugar tasting Mandalay Rum, the ever smiling but desperate catholic priest in a river village having 8 parishioners and charged with the impossible task of feeding hoards of orphans but most of all the once seen, never forgotten golden shimmering and ever changing to the eye, Shwedagon Pagoda
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I have been meaning to write a brief essay on Myanmar (Burma) since my short visit in March this year .I have been to many countries in South East Asia, but to date my favorite journey has been to this destination, brief but long enough to get a genuine feel for the people, culture and the essence of the land itself.
I was very touched by the warmth and humor of the locals (in their diverse ethnic mix) , the depth and quality of the Burmese culture and how they have preserved in tact their unique style of Theravada Buddhism with its own local idiosyncrasies
My preparation before going consisted of much reading, with The Lonely Planet Myanmar 2000 edition and the associated web site my leading source of present time information .
Burma is a country with a very turbulent and recent colonial past if you can pick up any old books on this country they tend to give a deeper insight into what created present political and social conditions ( I have included some good titles at the bottom of the page.)
Burmese Style Buddhism :
The strain of Theravada Buddhism that has evolved in this country at least as practiced by the local lay people is an interesting blend of folk religion homogenized under the general banner of Buddhism, the visitor is left with an impression of deity worship including the every where reverence to the local Nat spirits. The is a real contrast to the famous non-theistic style vipassana teaching schools that Burma is famous for.
Around Yangon (Rangoon ) many of the old trees planted in colonial times which provide shade and a beautiful canopy have little shrine houses built into them, often containing a statue of a Buddhist saint or deity.
Burma has a seemingly endless number of pagodas ( temples) often very modern in appearance , when I was exploring one in Bago I was surprised to hear it was very old, the secret being a constant upgrading of pagodas ( and building of new ones ) by patrons who acquire great merit ( relinquishing karmas) by performing this service.
Burmese Buddhism (appears ) to allow the eating of meat and the smoking of local cigars and cigarettes and it is not unusual to see a clean shaven and resplendent monk striding along (didn’t see any female monks doing this) with a fat stogie in his mouth.
Political Dilemma of visiting Burma :
Many people may know that Burma is ruled by a corrupt and brutal regime called the S.L.O.R.K and the great champion of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly voiced her opposition to Government sanctioned tourism so the traveler who has some conscience is left to resolve the dilemma of whether to visit or not.
My opinion is that in spite of what this leader has said tourist dollars are desperately needed by the local people of any racial background and this is made very clear to travelers and I personally felt obliged to spend as much money as possible especially where I could see some benefit flowing to ordinary folk
Overview
What I saw of Burma made a lasting impression on me and I intend to return and spend more time there. It has less westernized quality than many of its neighbors , extremely hot and dry in summer and subject to heavy monsoons and surprisingly damaging earth tremors, high areas can be cold and the road and rail infrastructure is rough and unreliable many country areas remain off limits to travelers.
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Resources :
Lonely Planet Myanmar ( read review http://www.epinions.com/content_21702807172 )
The Gentleman In The Parlour by W. Somerset Maugham
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (read review http://www.epinions.com/book-review-1F3-28950A6-39DFA6EC-prod2 )
Burmese Days by George Orwell
The memorable Kandawgyi Palace Hotel
( http://www.epinions.com/content_19379293828 )
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zazen1
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Decided to write here again !
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