Comments on: Visiting Burma: How To Do It Responsibly

By: Alastair

Alastair — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:40:21 +0000

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By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:28:13 +0000

Audrey, thanks a lot for the thoughtful (and informative) reply!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:55:51 +0000

@Sutapa: We felt very safe during our visit to Burma and every traveler we have met who has spent time in the country has said the same. The government doesn’t want to be known for jailing travelers – unless you swim across to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, you should really have no problem. Now, what you do need to be aware of as a traveler is that local people can be at risk of arrest. This means never initiating political or controversial topics – if a local person feels safe (i.e., knows there are no secret police around), then he/she will speak openly. People would tell us, “Burma is a rich country in resources; it doesn’t have to be a poor country. But the government controls everything now.” There was also quite a bit of frustration with selling food and natural resources to China for low prices, which in turn pushed up the local price because of reduced local supply.

We did meet a few Buddhist monks during our trip, but this was mostly at temples where they gave us information about the temple. What many people don’t realize is that the initial cause for the demonstrations was the increase in diesel prices – they began as economic demonstrations and then turned into more political/human rights demonstrations.

A good novel (but is grounded in historical events) about Burma over the 20th century is The Glass Palace. If you are back in Asia, definitely consider visiting Burma. It’s a fascinating place with incredibly warm people.

By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:37:04 +0000

The reason I ask about Buddhist monks is, they were at the forefront in the recent revolt against the Govt.

By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:15:03 +0000

I commend you guys for travelling to Burma. I would be a little concerned, but then I suppose the Myanmar government has more to lose by mistreating tourists given how bad their rep is anyway, so they should let citizens of the world alone. Did you guys meet any buddhist monks? Just curious…I know so little about Burma (even though I am from the Indian subcontinent and travel to Burma before 1947 was pretty normal).

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 07:38:32 +0000

@Chris: Reena has been in touch with us. I think an excerpt of this very article might be appearing on your site sometime soon.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 03:07:04 +0000

Hi, you might also be interested in a new non-profit project that uses storytelling for raising awareness about responsible travel to Burma. Thanks!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 06:22:51 +0000

@Tania: I’m glad to hear that you had a great time in Burma. The country is a gem, so are its people — particularly given the unnecessary difficulties they face. Continue spreading the word, because in the word of one of the Burmese people we met: “Tourism in Burma…it’s the people’s business.”

And I believe the Myanmar visa upon arrival at the airport in Yangon is long since gone. Even when we traveled, it was necessary to apply for a visa to Myanmar at the embassy in Bangkok.

In any event, well worth the effort to visit the people of Burma.

By: Tania Nesser

Tania Nesser — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 03:05:36 +0000

Burma has been one of my traveling gems. I joke and tell people I went because of a picture I saw of Ubein Bridge during sunset that a German backpacker took. I completely changed the course of my travels to go there after he basically told me everything you wrote in this post. I have since spread the word why I believe it is more important to go vs. avoiding.

I was one of the first travelers to receive a visa on arrival at the Yangon airport, but a Google search has led me to believe the service has been suspended.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:26:57 +0000

@Bessie: You guys would love it. We’ll be interested to hear your impressions if/when you decide to go.