Myanmar

Ayeyarwady River

January 2010 • Got off the tourist loop (Yangon-Bagan-Mandalay-Inle Lake) and flew to Myitkyina, the northernmost town where foreigners are allowed to go without a special permit. Followed the Ayeyarwady River all the way back to Yangon, using local and express boat, train, minivan, bus. Rarely saw other foreigners, so the reception from locals was rock-star caliber. Sometimes the attention was endearing (like the guy in Monywa), and sometimes it was oppressive (like the girl in Pakokku). A lot of people want to learn or practice English, which is usually taught inaccurately by a Myanmar national rather than by a native speaker. And people are so starved for contact with the outside world, social boundaries are considerably more elastic than in other countries of the 21st century.

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