This morning I left Yangon for Pyay where the Viking Mandalay was docked. On our way out of Yangon, we passed by Aung San Suu Kyi’s house. Besides the gate, there wasn’t a lot to see but the Burmese, Aung San Suu Kyi is a hero. I remember first learning about her back in 1990’s. I had seen the film “Beyond Rangon” which was about an American who witnesses the military crack down and abuse of power. I became interested in Aung San Suu Kyi and her courage to fight for democracy.
You can clearly hear the adoration in people’s voices when they talk about Aung San Suu Kyi. They call her “The Lady”. You see her picture everywhere. I almost feel she is considered a saint.
We left Yangon and headed into the countryside. We were only going 200 KM but the trip would take 7 hours. Our stops were short but the road was narrow and shared with other vehicles including bicycles, ox powered carts and motorcycles.
Although Yangon was considered a city, there were very few buildings that were over 3 or 4 floors. The colonial buildings were in serious decay as most of the buildings in the city. Yangon makes Bangkok look modern and wealthy. It is really poor. As we headed out of the city, I felt like I was in Africa.
Most of the villages have houses made of bamboo – bamboo support the structure, the walls are made with leaves. Many of the roofs were tin or thatch made from palms. Rarely was there running water and although most places had electricity, it wasn’t an infrastructure that would support washers and dryers, stoves or ovens or TVs. I am sure there were a few here and there but not like what we have in the USA.
Along the way I learned that there are two countries that use the British measurements of feet and miles – USA and Burma.
We stopped at the Taukkyan War Cemetery, a memorial to Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in battle in Burma during the WWII.
Although it was a long bus ride to the Pyay, it was nice to see the countryside. We boarded our ship – The Viking Mandalay! The ship is smaller than the river boats in Europe. The Irrawaddy river is shallow, thus a smaller boat but it was still very nice!
Reading about your trip makes me really want to go back to visit… but with my parents to guide me.
I went as a tourist, you were born there. I loved seeing it. Although poor, the people appear to be happy. When you visit a place like this you have to wonder, is my life any better with all the gadgets and technology? Or is there something about simplicity?