Travel Happy

Despite the brutality of the ruling military junta, Myanmar (Burma) is still a fascinating place to visit and the Burmese people are very welcoming to foreign guests

Don Gilliland, who owns the excellent Dasa second hand bookshop here in Bangkok, recently got back from another trip in Myanmar. Don has lived and travelled in South East Asia extensively, having owned a bookshop in Siem Reap in Cambodia before moving to Bangkok to do the same. On his blog Don provides a fascinating recounting of his trip to Bagan, where there are thousands of ancient Burmese pagodas – the Burmese equivalent to Angkor Wat and Sukhothai. What makes his blog posts special is that Don has become friends with a Burmese family in the village nearby due to making several visits, and so his photos and narrative are a great record of the feast they enjoyed and capture the feeling of being welcomed back. Don’s blog is inspirational for showing what Burma can be like for travellers and that foreigners are welcomed by the people, if not the government. See for yourself on Don’s blog at Bangkok Dazed. (They’re the entries dated September 24,27 and 28th). I’m off to Burma myself for the first time in January 2007 so this has really whetted my appetite to see the country.

See also my review of Emma Larkin’s Secret Histories: Finding George Orwell In A Burmese Bookshop and info on AirAsia’s cheap flights to Yangon.