M Y A N M A R
A LAND FULL OF ILLUSIONS
What do we know about Myanmar? The information that we have comes mostly from organisations that maintain a difficult relationschip with the country's leadership. They relate sometimes-extreme stories about the situation in the land, of wich without doubt many are true, but still there is an amount of scepticism attached. Forty years of dictatorship have left the people poor and repressed, but the opposition profits from the terrorising of the military and is therefore not the most reliable source.
In almost every village there is a monastery to be found, many of wich are are several hundred years old. These are beautiful teak wood buildings. Most of the monasteries are open to the general public. A donation is gratefully accepted but there is no one that chechs this. And why should they, it is all about your own karma. If you think that you can slip in ethout donating that it is your lost opportunity.
Lake Inle lies at 900 m high and is surrounded by mountain ranges. Is is all so beautiful but it is not the beauty of the lake that is the main attraction. The wonder of the lake is the people that live their whole life on the water, Amongst them the people known as the leg rowers. These fisherman balance on the prow of their small, flat-bottomed boats. They stand, like a large bird on one leg, holding behind the knee of the other leg, a paddle, with which they propel the boat along.
In the 39th street live the Moustache Brothers.Hanging on the walls are large photos of the opposition leader Aung San Suu kyi. They are huge fans of hers, but are fundamentally against her request for a boycott on economic and tourist trade. Who would be the victim of such a boycott? Who would be damaged the most? The people or the Junta? The American boycott is 10yrs old and what has it delivered except misery for the people.
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