Mixed feeling towards Myanmar...

(Him: Charlie)

Myanmar had been a much anticipated country on JoCharvel's travel list and we have not been disappointed. The 10-day trip to the "golden land" has been fascinating, but as Jo and I had discussed, our recommendation of Myanmar being a tourist destination would only be given to those who value culture over savory and shopping experience.

Having been run by the notoriously corrupted military government and isolated for decades, Myanmar is at a very primitive state. However, this is not the reason for the "mixed feeling".

What we love the most in Myanmar are the people. They are some of the most sincere and honest people we have seen. It is a humble experience to visit a country where majority of the population are devoted Buddhists, and that monks are highly revered. At dawn every day, monks in red robes are seen on their alms-round (food collection) in bare feet across cities and villages. Some people would contribute money, but more would share food. I saw a street vendor scooped a portion of her lunch into the young monk's alms bowl. I could spot her joyful smile when sharing her food. From a later research, alms-giving is not charity apparently; instead, it is closer to "a symbolic connection to the spiritual realm".

What turned us off in Myanmar was how the tourists were specifically targeted for unfair profiting! And the government is leading by example on this issue! Not only do foreigners have to pay various "tourists only" entrance fees, the public transit systems are so poorly planned that taxis, whose prices are disproportionately high, are often the only option. So one thing we dreaded in Myanmar was having to deal with taxi drivers on a daily basis.

Overall, we feel that Myanmar at its current state is not for everyone. It's not cheap for what the country can offer in terms of sights and scenery, but for those who are determined to see Myanmar before it is overly westernized, authenticity in the people and culture are definitely a compelling draw!