The Spirit of the World ( On and Off)
Magical Places and Things - Inle Lake (2)
There are villages where people live on the lake in houses on stilts and then there are houses that are are more isolated like this one.
As I post this picture, I am reflecting on how much has changed in Myanmar since my visit 10 years ago. I went there immediately after the monks protested in Yangan against the harsh military rulers of the country. I had concerns, but the guide I found assured me that I would have a peaceful journey.
I found Win Ko in quite a wonderful way. I knew I wanted to go to Myanmar, but I didn't want to go with a company that was just an arm of the government. I wanted to be part of the protest against the government. During this time, I was also planning trips directly with companies within a country, but it was difficult finding one in Myanmar.
Then one day I was sitting on the patio of a large hotel in Cairo watching the world go by. I saw a man at the next table who was also eating alone. Our eyes met and we said hello to one another. Conrad was from America and we spoke about how rare it was to find another American who was travelling alone.
Our conversation lasted for more than an hour as we had so much in common. He lived in Bangkok where I used to live. He and his partner were world wide travellers. They had been to Burma several times and used a guide who was not associated with the government. He gave me his name and email address.
When I returned home, I immediately contacted Win Ko and arranged a trip through him. He did the itinerary and I was able to book the hotels through an Asian hotel booking site. It took a great deal of trust to travel this way just ten years ago. It was before any of the big travel sites showed any hotel rooms for Myanmar.
The trip was a success and I found myself being one of few foreigners travelling in the country. It is beyond tragic, now, to think the country has changed so much that I would feel a need to boycott again. This time for the genocide of Muslims. I will tell you more about Win Ko's career in the past ten years in another post.
Magical Places and Things - Inle Lake (2)
There are villages where people live on the lake in houses on stilts and then there are houses that are are more isolated like this one.
As I post this picture, I am reflecting on how much has changed in Myanmar since my visit 10 years ago. I went there immediately after the monks protested in Yangan against the harsh military rulers of the country. I had concerns, but the guide I found assured me that I would have a peaceful journey.
I found Win Ko in quite a wonderful way. I knew I wanted to go to Myanmar, but I didn't want to go with a company that was just an arm of the government. I wanted to be part of the protest against the government. During this time, I was also planning trips directly with companies within a country, but it was difficult finding one in Myanmar.
Then one day I was sitting on the patio of a large hotel in Cairo watching the world go by. I saw a man at the next table who was also eating alone. Our eyes met and we said hello to one another. Conrad was from America and we spoke about how rare it was to find another American who was travelling alone.
Our conversation lasted for more than an hour as we had so much in common. He lived in Bangkok where I used to live. He and his partner were world wide travellers. They had been to Burma several times and used a guide who was not associated with the government. He gave me his name and email address.
When I returned home, I immediately contacted Win Ko and arranged a trip through him. He did the itinerary and I was able to book the hotels through an Asian hotel booking site. It took a great deal of trust to travel this way just ten years ago. It was before any of the big travel sites showed any hotel rooms for Myanmar.
The trip was a success and I found myself being one of few foreigners travelling in the country. It is beyond tragic, now, to think the country has changed so much that I would feel a need to boycott again. This time for the genocide of Muslims. I will tell you more about Win Ko's career in the past ten years in another post.