I had trepidations about going to Burma. It was a trip I knew I wanted to make but for some reason kept putting off. In the lead up to my departure, I decided to finally take the plunge. I am very glad I left it until after I had been to Cambodia and Vietnam as it was good to have something to compare the experience to.
My decision to go was preceded by many lengthy debates with others about the moral arguments for and against travelling to a country that is under the control of a military junta. The main argument against travelling there is that to do so lines the pockets of the the generals who continue to perpetrate heinous human rights abuses, including against many children. Burma is responsible for one-quarter of the world's child soldiers (the UN estimates 70,000 on the government side and countless others fighting against the government).
Another compelling argument against travelling there is that the tourism industry is directly related to forced labour (including of children) to build the necessary infrastructure to support such an industry (hotels, roads etc). We had an ongoing saying throughout the trip: "Tiny hands made this". Any comfortable form of travel will be owned by the military too, so it is nigh impossible to avoid inadvertently prolonging the regime by funding them. I suppose the most compelling argument against travelling there is that, for years now, Aung San Suu Kyi has been asking the international community not to.
Nevertheless, there are some equally compelling arguments to be made in favour of travel there. From my point of view. I wanted to contribute money directly to the people - there are ways to dodge giving money to the government if one is discerning. Everywhere we went, the people of Burma made it clear that they appreciate tourists enormously. I also think it is important to maintain an international presence there if possible, the rationale being that it is harder for the government to continue to abuse its populace so openly if tourists are there to bear witness (or so I thought before this week's protests). Also, there are many parts of Burma that are totally off limits to foreigners. On a self-indulgent level, as a student of international relations, I was curious to see with my own eyes what it is like on the ground there and what I have spent time debating in tutorials. I am not saying my decision to go there isn't flawed; I don't pretend to have the answer. One of the AYADs who had been talking about coming with us since March dropped out at the last minute because of new information she had that caused her to reassess her view. I respect that, but I don't think it is black and white. To each their own.
After some crazy visa hassles and a sprint to the plane, we arrived in rainy Yangon. The first thing that struck me was the powerful smell of mildew/mold everywhere and that all the taxis were very old. The first thing we did was visit Shwedagon Pagoda, the holiest site in Burma.
I know this photo is ruined by the raindrops on the lens, but I still like it.
One of the weird things about a lot of the temples is the disco lights they love to put around the Buddhas. Electric Jesus Discotheque. That's a good name for a band.
Shortly after we arrived, an anxious security official approached us and our tour guide and hastily barked instructions at her to get us out of there because the monks were coming to 'pray'. We thought this was a bit strange at first as in Thailand it is okay to be around monks who are praying. The pagoda is made up of many smaller shrines and temples with a million different things happening at once. We didn't make it out in time, but we managed to position ourselves behind some smaller structures in an alley where we were able to watch as thousands of chanting monks marched past. It later emerged that this was the pagoda where the monks had been beginning their protest marches into the city (which was blockaded by the government today). Even though I wasn't fully aware at the time that this was a protest (you see so many monks in Asia that you get used to them getting around), it was a very moving and eerie experience to be hiding there watching them. It made me feel very far away.
I have many more photos to post, but will have to wait till later.
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