Destination: Another Level

Or Myanmar. Maybe both. OK, just Myanmar. The visa came through without a problem and I’m flying out early tomorrow morning. (First, I’m going to spend the night in the airport, something I’ve always wanted to do. Expect many photos from my not-quite-fixed-but-it-will-have-to-do camera. Does anyone have a Nikon D40 that they don’t want?)

I don’t take the decision to visit Myanmar lightly. Conscientiousness will be my 18-letter buzzword. So will forethoughtfulness.

Also, antiferromagnetism. And of course, gedankenexperiment.

Seriously, I’ve thought a lot about it. Ultimately it’s a selfish decision–I just really want to go to Myanmar because it seems so different from anywhere I’ve ever been. I’ve met Burmese immigrants here and they’ve encouraged me to go. Other travelers have said it’s been a highlight of their trips. How not to do damage; how to try to shift the balance to positive, or at least neutral? Is it possible? I know that tourism can help some people there on a one-to-one basis. There are also volunteering opportunities; I’ve already been in e-mail contact with a Burmese guide who can arrange this. Any thoughts/suggestions/information welcome.

A few Myanmar links:

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (The Nobel laureate and leading voice discouraging travel to Burma.)
Free Burma Coalition (Another viewpoint, from an anti-boycott group.)
The Irrawaddy
Mizzima News
Burma News International
BurmaNet News
The Burma Project
UNICEF Myanmar
The Myanmar Times (state-run)

My return flight to Bangkok is on May 21st. Internet access should be no problem in Yangon and Mandalay and other more-visited sites; beyond that, I’m not sure.