This was my third trip to Myanmar since 2004. As with the previous trips, the reason for this one was business, but as always, I managed to squeeze in some sight-seeing along the way.

Unlike previous trips, I did all the planning myself and was accompanied only by my friend, rather than someone who was more familiar with the country. Myanmar is not the easiest place for the independent traveler. First, you need to get a visa, which in Bangkok is a fairly time-consuming process, although it can be done in a day if you’re in a hurry. Just get to the embassy before 9:00 and plan to be there until 3:00 in the afternoon.

The next trick is internal flights, which are expensive and difficult to book outside of Myanmar. Getting the tickets is only half the battle. Once you get to the airport, it’s important to know that flights generally aren’t announced, at least through any public address system. You’re lucky if they even hold up a sign with the flight number on it. Myanmar airports are definitely not the place for people with limited attention spans!

Despite the chaotic surroundings, Air Mandalay proved remarkably efficient. They generally spent less than 20 minutes on the ground at each stop. Passengers and baggage were off-loaded and loaded in just minutes before we were back in the air on our way to the next stop.

Since my main business for this trip was in Mandalay, I took the opportunity to stop in at Bagan. I’ve already posted my impressions of Bagan separately, so I won’t say more than that this is a very impressive place. Although I had seen much of Mandalay before, I did manage to add a couple more sights that I hadn’t visited before. The same was true of my last stop, Yangon.

Detailed descriptions of each site in Myanmar, as well as information on hotels, airlines, etc. can be found in my on-line travel guide to Southeast Asia, Asia for Visitors.

Each time I visit Myanmar, I find myself reflecting on what to advise people about this country. The question one always has to ask about Myanmar is: Should you go, or is it ‘wrong’ to travel to Myanmar?

I firmly believe that everyone has to answer this question for themselves. The argument against going is that you are somehow ‘endorsing’ the current military government by going, and not only that, you are puting money — and US dollars at that — in their pockets, since the army controls many tourist businesses.

Personally, I believe that this argument was more true before than it is now. A few years ago, every foreign visitor had to exchange a minimum of US$250 (or something like that) for so-called “Foreign Exchange Certificates” (FECs), a sort of alternate currency. The trouble was, nobody wanted to take FECs; they wanted US dollars or the ‘real’ local currency, so you were in effect making a cash donation to the military government each time you entered the country, since the FECs could not be changed back into dollars.

The exchange requirement has now been eliminated, although FECs are still to be found here and there. You’re no doubt still providing some funds to the army indirectly, through businesses that they control, but these businesses also employ a lot of local people, who may otherwise be without a good job if it weren’t for these companies.

As far as legitimizing the government is concerned, I think this argument is weak, although not without consideration. I doubt foreign visitors to the USA would like to think they were ‘legitimizing’ the policies of President Bush. In my view, this argument is outweighed by the positive effects that exposure to outsiders can have on the people. The more people that are exposed to outsiders, the more they may begin to question their government and the country’s lack of development under it’s current rulers.

Of course, the big reasons for going are to see people living a way of life that the rest of Southeast Asia left behind nearly 30 years ago, as well as some still relatively unknown ancient sites.

Posted by michael under Just back from...

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