Myanmarvelous (Part II)

With so many enchanting places to visit in the world, it is always a blessing to be able to revisit a place that takes your breath away. Having been sent to Myanmar two years ago for a school trip, I was excited to revisit the country again for several reasons.  Foremost was that I had been relatively new to Southeast Asia at the time of my first visit, and I wanted to take a look at the sites through more seasoned eyes. 

Secondly, was the changing political situation; shortly after we departed in 2015, the people of Myanmar successfully elected the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the former political prisoner and advocate of democracy. How had the country adjusted now that they were out of the former military dictatorship?  What is the current sentiment in the country regarding the human rights abuses of the Rohingya people in the west of the nation? Has there been an increase in tourism with a changing international reputation?

Happy kids at a local school we did some service work for.
The cream-colored "makeup" on many faces is a paste called Thanaka made from
the bark of a local tree. It is used for sun protection, but also is said to have
anti-acne properties and promote smooth, soft skin.

The itinerary this time around was similar to the previous journey, just with no time spent in Yangon and a bit more time in both Inle Lake and Bagan.  While much of the sites and timeless, provincial feel of the places remains the same, it was quickly apparent that tourism is a booming industry, as we were far from the only Western visitors.  More hostels, restaurants, tour operators, and busses - oh, the busses - made for a slightly more frenetic scene, where before life seemed more tranquil. 

One of the "new" places we visited this trip was the ancient Indein Temple
complex, found up a tributary leading into Inle Lake.  If you've read Amy Tan's
Saving Fish From Drowning you'll understand why I was a little nervous!

The sites are still beautiful and breathtaking, however, more crowded.  The streets more vibrant, but also with more exhaust and dust. Where before the street vendors smiled and gently asked for "lucky money," now they made more aggressive offers, such as following you back to your hotel where you had more money.

While it is still hard to take a bad picture in Bagan, it does take a bit more strategy to not include other
tourists in your shots, especially when you're not the only bus-load of visitors on a single temple.

The newly renovated UNESCO Heritage Site, the Ananda Temple is one of the center-pieces
of Bagan. This site was still under renovation two years ago so it was exciting to see the
restorative work done on such an important structure in Burmese history.

Another shot within the Ananda Temple

As the political situation (hopefully) continues to improve and the tourism reputation continues to open and thrive, I hope that the powers that be in Myanmar recognize the need to protect what tourists are coming to visit and put some restrictions in place to preserve the feel and integrity of both the culture but also the architecture itself.  Thousand year old temples cannot be easily repaired once roads and modern buildings have been built around them and floating islands cannot draw in visitors looking for a tranquil scene with a myriad of buzzing motored long boats zig zagging across the lake.

Myanmar is still an enchanting place, however, one that might be teetering on the edge of major change, for better or for worse.

A peaceful morning scene: fisherman doing his thing on Inle Lake, handling
nets and leg-rowing all at once.