I toured Myanamar(Burma) in the summer of 1996. It's, of course, a controversial tourist destination due to the (I'm quoting a citizen here) "*&#^%in government."

Aside from that I found the people of Myanamar, the Burmese, Shans, and others, surprisingly happy with their lives. This Westerns may find hard to believe in a country in which most have may only two sets of clothes to wear day and little else. Travel, though, always challenges your expectations.

When I arrived in Myanmar, the military had just freed Aung Su Ki. Freeing her they would make something of a tradition. As of today (2013), she is free again.

When the Thais and their relatives the Shans swept down from the north from China, they encountered the Burmese and Mons already living in Southeast Asia with their Indianized cultures. The Thais subdued the Shans, but in Burma, the Burmese generally prevailed over the Shans, who lived in states, not state. The Burma that emerged is an agglomeration of cultures with only Burmese as the dominant. About the only thing one can say for the "Burmese Way to Socialism" is that the name "Myanmar" acknowledged that multiple groups live in the country.

The British conquered Burma from India. At first, they only conquered the north, allowing Mandalay to live in song as a fabled far away place, but only for awhile, and then they took the rest of the country. As a result, Burma was a "colony of a colony" wiht Indian technicians performing many of the technical jobs. When the British left and many Indians were "encouraged to leave," they left a country behind unprepared to do even the simplest things like fix their own railroads.

Myanmar's slip into military rule certainly did not help things. When I went there, not only was it repressed and depressed, and with a rampant currency black market, but it was in the 19th century technically. You'll see women washing their clothes in the stream, handweaving their clothes. A common currency for foreign travelers was ballpoint pens!

At the Sule Pavillion in downtown Rangoon I checked my shoes...and couldn't find them. It turned out there were five or six shoe check places. The Pavillion shows where the Burmese spend their money on their Buddhism.

The Strand Hotel once one of the top 3 in Asia (with the
Raffles). Sommerset Maugham stayed there, but I didn't.

The interior of the Botataung Pavillion,
Rangoon shows impressive glasswork.

The Rangoon River connects to the sea and would make a reasonable port for export. Of course, now only a few governments will even admit to trading with Myanmar, due to its famously pathetic human rights record.

The "Royal Lakes" formerly housed the British residency.

The artist at the Karaweik Restaurant
in Rangoon with Big Bird.

The Burmese express their Buddhism in an ornate way.

The Burmese Golden Age lasted from 800-1250 when they built the city of Pagan and dominated today's Myanmar. This impressive guard looked outwards from the city but apparently didn't warn them about Ghengiz Khan who burned, looted, and sacked the city abruptly (but temporarily) ending Burmese hegemony within Myanmar.

After the sacking of Pagan by the Mongols, The Burmese built Ava and several later capitals on the banks of the Irawaddy while they rebuilt their society.

The brochure claims 100 Buddhas.

This "lake" only occurs in the rainy season. During the
dry season, you can walk from one side to the other.

Of many temples at Pagan, most experts consider the
"Wedding cake style" Ananda the most spectacular.

This all-wooden monastery at Pagan makes an
interesting contrast to the stone structures.

Sunset falls on the Irawaddy.

Only the Ava Bridge crosses the Irawaddy.

Hawkers try to sell to travellors on this boat on the river.

Pagan abounds with pagodas.

Bupaya Pavillion offers a nice view of the river.

Grrrrrrr.

This Burmese "Rosetta Stone" shows the earliest known example of written Burmese. Okay, I admit it resembles a phallic symbol.

In Burma far more travel in this manner than by car.

The Irawaddy Princess actually now
functions as a floating restaurant.

Early Burmese worshipped nature gods called "Nats" (no, I'm not making this up), subsequently incorporated into Burmese Buddhism. Supposedly, the Nats resided here atop Mt. Popa.

The small temple at the top of Mt.
Popa shows typical architecture.

Here, I'm above the level of the clouds. That means
I've looked at these clouds from both sides now.

This shows Mt. Popa from a distance.

This road leads back into the uplands. The
ethnic Burmese dominate lowland Myanmar.

The uplands belong to other peoples. This Moslem temple in Kalaw perched halfway up to the Shan Plateau, shows that not all those in Mynamar adhere to Buddhism. Only some 60% speak Burmese.

This Sikh Temple served some immigrant
Indians who ran businesses in Kalaw.

This boat sails on Inle Lake on the Shan Plateau.

In the distance, note the "Floating Temple"
which sits in the middle of the lake.

Inside you can see a cat that performs for potato
chips. That's not good when the chips are down.

The Shans, like the man shown here, tend to look like
darker, bigger Thais. They speak a distinct form of Thai.

This group parades around the city of Thazi
with their Buddhist image requesting donations.

This penultimate view of Myanmar shows a
cow and a rice paddy, a pretty fair summation!

The sunset signals the end to my trip to Myanmar.