Finally Myanmar is here!

(Him: Charlie)

Happy Myanmar New Year from Yangon!! 

OK finally, JoCharvel's no. 1 country in Southeast Asia is happening! 

We have forgotten why exactly the country is on top of our list. We didn't even know what's there to see before we started doing trip planning. I guess what made it so compelling is the fact that we don't know anything about it, yet it has all of a sudden become accessible to the outside world. I think that's what really drew JoCharvel's interest! And for me, this is the best place to hit on serendipity! On a side note, I think Monocle made have planted the seed in my mind when they wrote about Myanmar emerging from isolation.

So, we just arrived at the hostel (the only one in Myanmar), settled in and took a refreshing shower. Let me pour out the pre-perception to this country before it gets eroded away!

Let's see... So I really don't know much about Burma except that it just emerged from decades of military ruling and there's the world-coveted Aung San Suu Kyi, who is probably going to lead this fast-growing democratic country in the years to come. Other than that I heard there are scattered religious conflicts and even genocides in isolated areas, and that's about it.

From a backpackers perspective, I would be very interested to see the people and the culture before they are heavily influenced by the outside world. I heard people are friendly and genuinely welcoming here, but unfortunately, after a few years of opening up, I heard people in the touristy places have become more commercialized. I am not holding a false expectation about seeing totally unspoiled local life, especially we are visiting the most popular 4 destinations - Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay, but I am confident that I would still be indulged in a high degree of authenticity. After all, we have come through hurdles to see this country, with a visa and an entire trip-worth of crisps USD notes for meticulous exchange requirements (this country has only recently been introduced to ATM so bank cards are being used as back up). So exactly where we will end up between total authenticity and total tourist trap would be what we will find out in the next 9 days! Time to sleep and then have a blast tomorrow!!!

By the way, walking with my hiking shoes, airy MEC traveling pants, hooded jacket and my deuter backpack really reminded me of JoCharvel's long trip back then. It just felt so good!