Ruyard Kipling described Myanmar as 'quite unlike any land you know about'. Women and children's faces are dolloped with tan-colored make up/sun block called thanaka (made out of powdered wood), men wear skirtlike longyi (pronounced long-jee) or sarong as known to Malaysians, and betel chewers spit out betel juice onto the ground, staining corners and sidewalks with red droplets.
Going to Myanmar is like travelling through a time capsule to the 1950s. Maybe more. The country has long been grounded by isolation and international fallout following the ruling regime's lockup of the lady. Who else but the remarkable and tenacious freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi who has been under house arrest on and off since 1989.
Not many travellers venture into Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi initiated a travel boycott around 1996 and since then much of the travel and business related world has been debating the pros and cons of the boycott.
My take on the situation? I don't agree with a 100% boycott. After being there, I actually recommend travellers to go, especially if they've got the right objectives and attitudes. I feel as though a 100% boycott would instead make Myanmar a forgotten land and the outside world will never be able to understand the plight of the country and its people. On top of that, tourists can also open up the world to the people of Myanmar just as the people of Myanmar can open up the eyes of tourists to the situation in the country. I know my eyes are definitely wide open now.
So if you go, don't go around in air-conditioned taxis and don't sign up for a pre-packaged 5 star holiday tour. Buy a guidebook, go your own way, talk to the locals, buy your souvenirs directly from local artisans - the idea is to minimise the amount of money going to the military junta and at the same time gaining an understanding of the country through contacts with locals - something you can't do if your nose is pressed against the window of some air-conditioned van.
Mandalay
Mandalay is Myanmar's second biggest city, founded as capital of the Burmese empire in 1861. It served as the setting for the last kings of Burma till the British stormed in and took over in 1885.
They say travellers don't fancy Mandalay much but my experience is a little different. Of course for the most part the streets are dusty, it is really hot - almost too hot and a scent of uncomfortable muskiness hangs in the air at all times. For me, Mandalay is also where I first got a taste of the Burmese hospitality. They really are the sweetest people on earth and I have no other words to describe them!
One of the main streets in Mandalay. Standard mode of transportation for foreigners is the trishaw. Downtown Mandalay is also walkable and easy to navigate.
Smaller streets are often unpaved. Most of the streets look more like this as oppose to the photo before.
Morning market near downtown Mandalay
Mandalay Palace is surrounded by a fort made up of immense 3.2km-long, 8m-high walls and guarded by a 70m-wide moat.
Lion guards at the southwest entrance of Mandalay Hill. You either take a pick-up up the 230m-high hill or make the half-hour barefoot climb, taking in numerous Buddha and nat shrines. The reward at the top is a panoramic view of Mandalay and its surroundings. This is where I befriended U Siri, the monk whom I travelled with to Pynn Oo Lwin, northeast of Mandalay.
Neverending steps at Mandalay Hill
Other shrines and temples in Mandalay Hill
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