Jo.Char.vel: What makes or breaks a great traveling experience?

(Him: Charlie)

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking what would be a suitable tag line for Myanmar if its government wants to promote its tourism (think “Malaysia, truly Asia” or “Incredible India” kind of slogans)? Not that the military government would want to do this in the near future, as their hands are quite full with loads of other problems, but even if they do, I really can’t think of a good one. Why? Because Myanmar is physically not ready to take in large scale tourism yet. Beside the potholed roads, aging railway systems, and sporadic power supply, tourists would also need to deal with the special treatment imposed by the military government. For instance, for locals to take ferry from Yangon to the small village, Dallah, across the Yangon River, it costs only 200 kyats (20 US cents). But for foreigners, not only do they charge 10 times higher, the government also monopolizes the business by prohibiting local boats to take foreigners!

On the bright side though, for those who could endure the roughness and overpriced facilities, the reward is enormous – genuine authenticity from the welcoming and sweet Burmese. Our trip has been fantastic so far, and it has everything to do with Myanmar’s friendly people. From restaurant waiters to ferry dock staff, from shop owners to strangers on Yangon streets, all of them have this genuine curiosity about travelers, yet they are always courteous and polite. Often times when your eye sights meet with the locals, a nod and a smile would always guarantee a smile in return. And those kids in the villages, they are just angels with innocent faces and adorable giggles! They would run over to you, stop a couple of feet before you and say “hello, how are you? Where are you from?”

So what makes and breaks a great traveling experience? It is always people, people and people!! Here are some of them.