"Burma Page" a Burma Travel Page by gabriellefox

I was born in Burma, which is now called Myanmar, in September 1965. My parents and their parents before them are of mixed blood, but both my parents lived and worked here. They left to reside in the UK before my second birthday so I remember little or nothing of the place.

The country of Burma is lush, rich in natural resources and home to dozens of peoples and cultures.
Unfortuantely due to a military government of isolationist economic mismanagement, the 50 million people there live without their human rights and in extreme poverty. Unfortunately, the country of has been under military dictatorship since 1962.

I took a trip in January 2001 to retrace my parent’s heritage and find out more about the land of my birth. It was amazing!.

Myanmar is a beautiful country filled with smiling and genuinely generous people. Like all countries it is not without its problems, but as usual media attention is generally focused on the negative aspects of the country. I do not intend to get involved with the pros and cons of visiting such a country, much information is available, inform yourself and make up your own mind.

The travelogues diarise my 2-week holiday to the land of my birth.

The ideal time to visit is during the dry season between November and May. Certain regions can be very wet during the summer months, but due to the size of the country it is possible to avoid these areas and still enjoy a worthwhile tour. The hills can be cold in winter and the plains of Bagan and Mandalay are very hot during the northern hemisphere summer ,with only short heavy showers interrupting the sunshine.

Yangon is usually your entry and exit point, although flights from Thailand into Bagan and Mandalay are increasing in regularity. Myanmar is a deceptively large country and few roads are of good quality so to save time flights are usually the best way to get around. The government-run airline is not of a high standard, so where there is a choice use more reliable privately-owned airlines. Where flying is not an option use private vehicles or river journeys. The train network is fairly extensive but is not comfortable and rarely convenient.

I chose to travel to Mandalay by air conditioned coach giving me a chance to drink in the beautiful countryside and villages we would have missed by flying. Half our party took the train and had an awful, long and uncomfortabnle journey.