This week reform is blossoming across the beautiful country of Burma. We remember the hushed whispers about then prisoned “The Lady.” Two years later that lady is free and this week claims victory to a historic election. Cautiously hopeful a new day is dawning in Burma, here are portraits of the gently resilient Burmese.

Parasol Makers | Inle Lake, Burma

Thanaka Baby | Bagan, Burma

Fisherman | Inle Lake, Burma

The Long Walk Home | Inle Lake, Burma

Cheroot, Burmese Cigar | Bagan, Burma

Boat Driver | Inle Lake, Burma

Giving of the Alms | Mandalay, Burma

Luongi Maker Hard at Work | Mandalay, Burma

Karen Woman | Inle Lake, Burma

Scenes from Inle Lake | Burma

Rush Hour | Yangon, Burma

Lady Shepherd | Bagan, Burma

Street Vendor | Yangon, Burma

Morning Commute | Mandalay, Burma

Baby on Board | Inle Lake, Burma

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Few are the travelers who add Burma to their Southeast Asia itineraries. But, as we discovered, those who do are profoundly rewarded.

Because the Burmese military regime rules the country with an iron fist, they dictate where tourists can and can’t go on a visit to Burma. The government tries vehemently to tightly control interactions between foreigners and the people of Burma and the mere discussing of politics with foreigners is under penalty of imprisonment. To that end, much of the country is completely off-limits to tourists and we were only permitted to go to certain, approved regions.

To no surprise, this hindered our ability to travel freely through Burma, but what it did not inhibit was a rich and authentic experience in an often forgotten land.

Here’s a bit more on where and how we spent our time in Burma.

Yangon

Click on the video below for scenes from Yangon.

After readjusting to Western comforts in Thailand, I braced myself. We flew into Burma from Bangkok, arriving in Yangon. As the country’s largest city, Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the former capital of Burma. Although the military government recently relocated the capital to Naypyidaw in central Burma, Yangon continues to be the country’s largest city and the most important ‘business’ center.

Immediately upon arriving, we were brought back to our days in India. The smell of stale urine and sewage prevailed and the country’s infrastructure was little to none. Most roads are unpaved and many still get around on cycle-rickshaws. Most everyone was clad in traditional dress – men and women in intricate, ankle-length sarongs they call longyis – and we found women guarding themselves from the oppressive heat with colorful parasols. Accompanying the parasols, was a thick paste caked on their faces, which really caught my attention. I soon learned this paste is made from mixing sandalwood bark with water and rubbing it on the face. It’s called thanaka and is used by Burmese women as a sign of beauty and to guard their skin from the sun.

Burmese street vendor displays traditional thanaka on her face

I found street markets bustling with every kind of item you could think of. Strong Chinese and Indian influences were visible and remannts of the British occupation were readily apparent in the crumbling colonial buildings on nearly every block. Electricity was scarce and comforts non-existent. It was then I realized two things: 1. I had to toughen up (Indian tough, as I told myself) as it wasn’t going to be an easy ride but 2. This was a special place and we would surely be rewarded.

Bagan

The ancient city of Bagan is located in the dry central plains of the country. Home to more than 4,000 Buddhist temples in a 26 mile radius, it’s one of the most spectacular religious sites in Asia, and perhaps the world. The temples were built by Burmese kings between the 9th and 13th centuries at the height of the Burmese Empire. The skyline of temples leave an indelible impression with stone and brick stupas enveloped by mountains in the distance.

We spent two days taking in the awe-inspiring temples, first on the back of a horse-drawn carriage and then on bikes. Our driver we called Midnight (for lack of being able to pronounce his name) took us down the bumpy dirt path and past the temples on a horse-cart. With no other tourists in sight, the area felt deserted, almost as if we were discovering a place left untouched for thousands of years. The following day we went out on bikes, accompanied by a young artist (and gentlest of souls) who we’d met in a temple the day before. Strangers-cum(quick)-friends. He took us to all sorts of less-discovered temples and with torch in hand, he revealed beautiful frescoes and Buddhist relics fit for a world-class museum.

Bagan was submitted to become a UNESCO heritage site but many speculate corrupt politics as the reason for the exclusion. It more than deserves a spot in my book.

Inle Lake

We’d seen the sites and met the people, but still left to discover was the natural beauty of Burma. Along the still waters of Inle Lake, it was time.

Click on the video below for scenes of Inle Lake.

Inle Lake is Burma’s largest lake and our favorite stop on our Burma adventure. Refelcting a vibrant blue sky of puffy white clouds and stilted villages, Inle Lake is quite possibly one of the most scenic places we visited on our five-month Asia journey. Here, saffron-clad monks stream barefoot and solemnly poised out of crumbling, gold pagodas at the water’s edge. Narrow wooden boats cut like glass through the water filled to the brim with women from the surrounding hill tribe communities. They sit silently with gazing eyes under colorful head scarves, holding bamboo-woven baskets full of goods to trade at market.

Rows of barefoot fisherman stand on the stern of boats. With hands free they cast out nets almost in unison into the calm waters as they row the boats with their legs. Stilted villages, floating markets and crumbling pagodas, these are the scenes of mystical Inle Lake.

On a boat ride on the still waters, cycling through teakwood villages and watching the setting sun behind silhouetted pagodas and fishing boats shimmering on the lake, we were captivated by Burma’s natural beauty. Over hot cups of joe with the Burmese while rooting on the USA in the World Cup, bumping down a dirt road on a horse cart as our driver shared his life story and learning to eat rice with our hands as our rickshaw driver joined us for a meal, we fell in love with the people. It was here we confirmed Burma would become a part of us.

A Visit to Burma from Cullen Keller on Vimeo.

Music
Artist: Beirut
Song: After the Curtain

Living under such scrutiny and oppression, you’d expect the people of Burma to be bitter, angry and resentful. The Burmese are the opposite. You can’t help but be moved by their resilience, strength and spirit.

Behind the brutal regime, you find the most wonderful people on the planet. I had heard this from other travelers before going to Burma, but it’s really something you have to experience for yourself. The people are truly gold – pure and genuine.

The Burmese are warm and welcoming, kind-hearted and generous. They have nothing and want to give you everything. They are curious, inquisitive and open-minded with a delightful sense of humor. They’ll come running across the street to shake your hand and with a big smile, they’ll welcome you to their country. After a brief introduction, they invite you to join them for tea or to take a seat next to them on a park bench to chat about life. They’re anxious to learn about life outside the country. Many study English religiously just to be able to chime in on these conversations. They’re not just interested in talking politics but culture, too, and, of course, football. You’d think they’d had a promising team headed for the World Cup finals for the amount of enthusiasm they showed for every game of this year’s tournament. Often forgotten about, they’re desperate to be a part of the world.

Burma is a place where cultural interaction is not only possible, it’s unavoidable and where every social interaction becomes significant. In a country where tourism hasn’t quite arrived, you find yourself one with the locals. It’s a place where a five minute ride in a rickshaw turns into a lifelong friendship, where meals are shared with strangers and where once an outsider you quickly become an insider. We’d sit down for dinner for two and finish up surrounded by locals who’d pulled up chairs just to chat. We slurped down piping hot tea with strangers-cum-friends at corner teahouses and soaked up a World Cup match in a teakwood hut with forty novice monks.

The Burmese are a special people.

While world media attention has focused a considerable amount of attention on the conflicts of Burma’s Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Vietnam, what goes on in Burma certainly falls off the international radar screen. The situation, I’ve learned, deserves our attention.

The Burmese Plight

Since 1962 Burma has been ruled by a ruthless military regime. Under the socialist ruling party, the government controls every aspect of Burmese life. While generals and military family members lead privileged and often luxurious lifestyles, the Burmese people live with little hope and in constant fear.

The human rights violations under Burma’s military regime are appalling. Forced labor, human trafficking and child labor are common. Sexual violence, including rapes and sex slavery, is widespread. The media is controlled by the government and internet censored for the small minority of people with access to a computer. The government keeps a watchful eye on everyone with an army of secret informers. Speaking out against the regime is a death sentence.

Such intense control is enforced that the Burmese can’t have any non-family members stay overnight unless registered and approved by the government. Moreover, permits are required to purchase basic amenities like mobile phones, driver’s licenses and television satellites. The permits are so costly that these basic items are out of reach for most Burmese people.

Life for the Burmese is simple and hope for getting ahead or bettering one’s situation fruitless. A guy renting a bike for a dollar a day waited outside our hotel each day for the small chance we’d take him up on his offer. Our rickshaw drivers would wait two or even three hours outside a café or restaurant for us to finish our meal so they could make the extra dollar to bring us home. They are anxious to work, desperate to make a living but limited options leave them paralyzed.

In the 1980’s, a ray of hope for Burma’s future came from a poised, dignified woman by the name of Aung San Suu Kyi. She became the leader of the Burmese democracy movement. Fearing an uprising, the military regime locked Aung San away. She’s spent the past twenty years under house arrest, isolated from her people, her children and the rest of the world.

On our visit we witnessed first-hand the state of fear in which people live. The anxiety and paranoia are palpable. When politics came up in conversation, they were hesitant to even make reference to Aung San Suu Kyi. Instead they referred to her as ‘the lady,’ with eyes racing around to see if anyone was listening. The future looks stark.

To Go or Not To Go

To travel to Burma or not, that is the question. Many critics argue visiting the country as a tourist condones the military regime and feeds the military’s pockets. Consequently, Burma receives a small amount of tourists each year.

Wrestling with the issue ourselves, we found there are ways to travel to Burma without “feeding the tiger.” While you can’t avoid paying the $US20 visa fee to enter the country, you can ensure money goes directly to local people by spending it at local markets, taking local buses and eating and staying in locally-run restaurants and guesthouses. The responsibility is up to you to spend money wisely, but if you’re adamant about it going to the right hands, it will.

For us, visiting Burma as a tourist brought the plight of the Burmese people into our consciousness. By helping to put the issues of Burma on the international radar screen tourists may hold the key to opening up this beautiful country.

I wake up in a pool of sweat at 6:30 a.m. It feels to be a sizzling 90 degrees yet the fan has powered out. It’s the daily electricity shut-off by the government to save them money…I hop on a rickety bus for our next destination. On the main highway, connecting two of Burma’s largest cities, we travel down the dirt road, sharing the one lane with ox carts, bikes and cows. The man next to me dressed in his lungyi (the traditional ankle-length skirt) vomits in a plastic bag as we wind around the mountainous roads. The journey of 30 miles takes seven hours…Upon arrival dreams of a cold drink to quench my thirst quickly fade. All the ice has melted for the day. As I sip my lukewarm water, I attempt to cool myself with a fan made of mulberry bark…It’s dinner time. I peruse the food stalls lining the streets. I eye meats covered in flies next to pickled fish and fish paste. My stomach grumbles…I wonder how the Burmese do it, what it would be like to live this way, always.

What’s in a Name

Most people, myself included, would have a hard time pointing out where Burma is on the map, let alone Myanmar. They are of course, the same country. So what’s the deal? Is it Burma or is it Myanmar?

When the British colonized the country in the mid-19th century they called their newly conquered empire Burma after the Barma people, the largest ethnic group inhabiting the land. Fast-forward a hundred and fifty years and the current ruling party, an oppressive military regime, changed the name to Myanmar.

Ask any local and you’ll learn the official name of the country, Myanmar, has stuck. But outside of Southeast Asia, however, it’s still better known as Burma. Most refuse to respect the demands of an illegally-elected government. Even Burma’s democracy movement prefers the form ‘Burma’ because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country.

Where is and Who is Burma

The country of roughly 55 million people borders Thailand on the east, India and Bangladesh in the northeast and China and Laos in the northwest region of the country. With more than 135 ethnic groups, it’s one of the most diverse countries in the world with a large percentage of the population still living in hill tribe communities in the mountains of central and northern Burma. Adding to the diversity, Chinese and Indians were brought in by the thousands for cheap labor under British colonization in the mid-19th century.

Our Journey

On the road, we’ve met some veteran travelers whose adventures would make you scoff at our mere 14-month journey around the world. We’re talking travelers who’ve been on the road for two, three and, in one case, seven years. We thoroughly enjoy swapping travel stories with these folks, but most importantly, we appreciate getting advice from them on those undiscovered, less-traveled gems that most of us don’t have the knowledge about or time to discover.

What we’ve heard time and time again from these experienced travelers: “Make Burma a priority.”

So as not to let our travel gurus down, we did make Burma a priority. It earned a coveted, two-week spot on our Southeast Asia itinerary.

Our visit to Burma was many things. It was taking a step back 75 years in time. It was a grueling, emotional journey that fueled my emotions and stimulated my senses. It left me physically and mentally drained, yet I found it eye-opening and equally rewarding. Let me share the good, bad and ugly truth.