June - July 2013 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Travel
Destination: Myanmar
Text and Photos Frank Kuijsters
Before we left on our trip to Myanmar, I had read
extensively about this Southeast Asian country, and not
just because its history of military dictatorship demands
due diligence from travelers. Owing to how fast things have
been changing, nothing I read had actually prepared me.
Most everything I experienced - from the relentless street
scene in Yangon to the serene temples of Bagan, the touristy
monasteries of Mandalay and the amazing floating gardens
at Lake Inle - was more complex, vibrant and profound than
I had imagined. It was the type of holiday where your brain
is on all the time, because everything you see invites further
questions. If things continue to change as fast as they have
been, it will be different to visit even six months from now.
Since the contested elections in 2010, Myanmar - under
sanctions from the U.S. and Europe for decades - has been
steadily moving towards democratic change. What began
as a whisper of transformation has grown louder as timid,
but extraordinarily hopeful signs point toward a lasting shift.
The release of longtime opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
known as the Lady, from house arrest in 2010 was a marker
for me. Just three years ago locals were not able to access
online blogs, could not exchange U.S. dollars and could get
into a lot of trouble for distributing pictures of the Lady or
her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Now,
the country is open and her pictures are sold openly. Obama
has visited. Boycotts have been lifted, and everyone wants
to rush in to see the land that Kipling immortalized in poetry
before it becomes too Westernized.
Travelers are right to want to go, but not if they are the
kind who want to stay in fancy hotels and check off major
sights robotically. The infrastructure remains primitive with
more than half of the city of Yangon commonly still without
power. Credit cards are accepted almost nowhere. The first
ATMs are just arriving; we went to an office building where
the money exchangers were set up between curio shops and
the exchange rates were different for brand new and worn
bills. Most of the time they don’t even except worn US$
bills. However, adventurous souls who can handle changes
in plan, are open to discovery and appreciate the magic of
foreign encounters will find themselves enchanted.
On the first day of our eight-day tour through Myanmar
we went to the legendary Shwegadon Pagodain Yangon. A
massive gold stupa rising more than 330 feet into the sky
sits at the center of dozens of smaller temples. Some were
painted with murals depicting stories of Buddha; others
were adorned with mirrors and tiles and still others were
filled with gold Buddhas. There were even pulsing electrical
neon Buddhas. Young and old came to pour water over the
Buddhas at stations for each day of the week or to make
gold leaf offerings to Buddha, like we did, or to pray, or even
take strolls with their lovers or children. We were among the
many Westerners in the vast complex that wanted to watch
the changes of the color of the Pagoda in the sunset. This
was for us one of the highlights of Yangon. Luckily, we also
caught glimpses of the crumbling grand colonial buildings,
which may or may not be preserved as foreign investment
pours into the city.
The next day we flew up to Began after a two-hour delay
due to fog, to the land of one thousand temples, but its
fields are really strewn with many thousands of temples.
Bagan, like Luxor or Angkor Wat, cannot be comprehended
until you see it in person. In every direction rise the spires
of stupas in varying degrees of decay, like ancient prayers
laid in brick and left over for centuries. The place is known
as the birthplace of Theravada Buddhism. The temples and
stupas were built in the era between the 11th and 13th
centuries, and still exist today as a National Heritage Site on
the banks of the Ayeyarwady river. It is impossible to see all
the amazing Pagodas and therefore it is necessary to select
a few outstanding Pagodas to see in detail. The highlights
are Ananda Temple, Manuha, Nanphaya, Wet Gyi In Gu
Pyauk Gyi, Shwezigone Stupa, Mingalar Zedi, Damayangyi
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