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Burma (Myanmar) 1999 photos index page

Asia





Burma facts & history in brief


The ruling military government changed Burma's name to the Union of Myanmar in 1989 and the capital and largest city Rangoon to Yangon, the changes recognised by the UN, but not by all governments.
It is in South East Asia, bordered by China, on Laos, Thailand, the Andaman Sea, the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh and India.
Some larger mountains and the Irrawaddy river are the main features of Burma.
The main resources are its soils and forests, and the biggest earner are it's teak forest.
A great variety of wild animals found in its forest and jungles, such as the tiger and leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, wild buffalo, wild boar, and several species of deer and antelope.

The population is around 45 million mainly Buddhist of Mongol or Chinese origin, speaking a monosyllabic and polytonal dialect, similar to those of Tibet and China and is the official language and based on the Sanskrit alphabet.

It is ruled by the military since 1988.

The capital, largest city and seaport is Rangoon, now called Yangon.



We arrived from Thailand and were forced to exchange US$300 per person to enter Burma (Myanmar), for which we were forewarned when we applied for our visas.

After a few days in Rangoon (Yangoon) we were going to be taken by a very unreliable travel firm to Pagan (Bagan), Mandalay, Pyinmana, Toungoo and back to Rangoon.

It did not work out that way though.
About hundred kilometres before we got to Pagan our driver, hit a pedestrian, he was a drunk a little bit and wondered front of our car.
It was really unavoidable.

We had to spend a very unpleasant couple of hours sitting in the middle of the little village under police guard, stared at by the passing villagers, who already heard our story on the 'bush telegraph' and seen us as strangers anyway.
It was midnight, with my young wife and 12 year old son.
It was rather unpleasant.

We did not go to bed until 3am.
The driver had to go back to sort out his accident with the police.
That was the end of that trip with the car.

The travel firm, although we prepaid the whole tour, left us there.
We had to arrange to fly to Mandalay and back to Rangoon at our own expense.

We never managed to see Pyinmana and Toungoo of course.

Our letters of complaints and asking for compensation to the travel firm, their directors, to the Minister of Tourism and the Travel Association etc are all unanswered to date.

I advise anybody travelling to Burma (Myanmar) to be very careful.



Links to my photo pages in this series.


Bagan or Pagan        Countryside        Mandalay        Rangoon or Yangon





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