Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
overland into Muse on Myanmar side. That way, your journey can
follow the history of Burma Road.”
“Follow the history! But if we can’t get in, we won’t be following
anything but our asses back to America!”
“Yes,” Lulu said agreeably. “I thinking same things.”
“Then why don’t we just fly to Mandalay and start the trip there?”
She nodded slowly, her mouth pulling downward. It was apparent
she had strong reservations there. “This morning, before you come, I
change everything for you arrive early. Same cities, same hotels, just
early date. No worries. But if we fly to Mandalay, skip other places,
then I must be changing every city, every hotel. We are needing air­
plane and canceling the bus. Everything start over. I think is possible.
We can ask a Golden Land Tour Company in Myanmar. But starting
over means everything is slow.”
Bennie could already see this was a bad idea. Too many opportu­
nities for problems at every step. “Has anyone at least tried recently
to come in overland?”
“Oh, yes. This morning, six backpackers were trying, both Amer­
ican and Canadian.”
“And?”
“All turn back. But you be patient. I am trying somethings. No
worries.”
The blood vessels in Bennie’s scalp rapidly constricted, then di­
lated, causing his heart to accelerate and boom. What the hell did
this mean? Where was his Xanax? How was it that Lulu could wear
a cheerful face when she had just presented him with such awful
news? His tired mind was racing, crashing into dead ends. And
would she please stop with the stupid “No worries” bit?
I must interject here. It’s true that no Americans had come into
Burma via Ruili in a quite a long time, in fact, many, many years. But
I had arranged to be among the first. It was to be one of my proud­
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