Myanmar

I almost don’t know where to begin discussing my trip to Myanmar in 2015. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been released from house arrest after 15 years and elected as the equivalent of the prime minister. Obama was president and had visited twice. Myanmar looked like it was opening up and would be a vital link between China and India. People were so happy to see us. Young girls gave flowers to my wife and wanted selfies with her. A school bus full of kids chanted “O-bam-a” when they saw us at the Kakku Pagodas in the Shan state. Walking at night through the stupas of Bagan I heard a child’s voice shout “Hello!” to which I responded “Mingalaba!”. I could hear his mother giggle as she walked past. Our guides loved discussing their Buddhist faith and the deep, complex history of their beloved country.

Myanmar itself was like a fever dream; a constantly mind blowing voyage into another world so different as to beg the question, “Are we still on the same planet?”. I would return in a second, but I am troubled by the ethnic cleansing — some might say genocide — of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The military has clearly kept an iron fist over the government with predictable results. And I am torn about how best to spend my tourist dollars. Now in 2020, we see the Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military, going back on their weak promise to move their nation towards democracy. I hope China and the US can work together to keep pressure on them to move back toward a more free and fair society. But I have doubts.

Please enjoy this peek into that very foreign world to dream about a better one for the people Myanmar and your future journey. It is an astounding place.