Reflections

     As Cynthia and I come out of our jet lag, slowly the mind begins to clear.  With the clarity comes some feelings and observations about the journey we have just had.  Going into the trip I was a bit concerned about how being on the road would effect our general state of health.  Many of you know I am diabetic.  Since I was diagnosed in my mid fifties I have let it influence very little in terms of my daily activities, or our more ambitious desires in terms of travel.  But I also know that a schedule and somewhat of a routine are factors in keeping the glucose readings under control.  Being on the road in S.E. Asia does not fit that bill, nor would one want it to.  I am glad to report that both Cynthia and I stayed healthy the entire journey.  One time when we were in the extreme heat of Southern Cambodia Cynthia got dehydrated and had a set back.  She recovered within half a day.  Of course that would happen when we were staying in the most challenging of situations.  By that I mean our room was a bit of a dive.
     We approached this trip as we had not done before, we treated ourselves to comfort.  In Myanmar one doesn't have a huge choice.  One either stays in the few low rent hotels there are, or one pays a price.  There is no in between.  Also we booked ahead of time which is also out of the ordinary for our travel style, but seemed necessary given the limited infrastructure for travelers in Myanmar.  On U.S. standards the rooms were not outrageous, but for S.E. Asia hotels in Myanmar are expensive.  In general we paid between $50 and $80 a night (less in Cambodia and Laos).  Sometimes that was for three of us.  I have to say that the comfort did make a difference in how we felt, especially over the long haul.  The rooms were air conditioned, and believe me with a few exceptions, it was hot.  Also, to my surprise, most of them had refrigerators (a profit center with the mini bars), thus I was able to keep the insulin chilled.  It would not be out the ordinary to spend a few hours in the afternoon just chilling, and it really helped to be able to do that in a room with light and cool air.  Another thing we did to make the trip easier was to fly more than we had done before.  Rather than getting beat up on a bus for 8-12 hours we flew for 45 minutes. Not only does it save the body but it gives one more time to do what you came there for.  See the country.  In all we took 7 flights either between countries or within a country.  It definitely added to the expense of the trip, but we more than made up for it in savings on the body!
     There is no question that going into the trip Myanmar was our focus.  It seemed the less traveled, perhaps less developed, the "forbidden fruit".   Many of these preconceived notions turned out to be true, others not.  In terms of sights to visit Myanmar has some true highlights.  The problem, if there is one, is that there are three main places all tourists go, so there is a concentration of foreigners in those locations.  We did get off the beaten path in Southern Myanmar, but we didn't make it to the North where it is more tribal, but also has less in the way of traveler accommodations. Permits are often needed in order to go.  But something clicked about 1/3 into the trip that I have always known.  I am a tourist myself.  To have an attitude about tourists, as many people do, is to have an attitude about oneself.  Yes, it is nice to be unique but the reality is that is going to happen less and less in this world, even in a place like Myanmar.
     As referenced in a previous blog, Myanmar seemed less restrictive than I had expected it to be.  It seemed to have come a long way in terms of  personal freedoms.  The internet has become widely available within the last five years or so.  Cell phones, which ten years ago cost an outrageous $10,000, now are affordable for the everyday person.  But all is not well.  Since we have left, Shan State in the North has seen violence between the army and citizens that is the worst in years.  Another occurrence that has really hit home since our visit was government violence against a group who was protesting an education bill.  As we were making our way North via car we came upon a large group of people marching down the middle of the road.  They were boisterous, sign-carrying young people who were clearly doing a protest march.  Some English was spoken so we asked what was happening.  They indicated it was a protest march about education and they were walking from Mandalay to Yangon, believe me a long way. They had already been marching for 3 weeks and had several more weeks to go.  It definitely made an impression.  As I was cruising the news about 2 weeks later I came upon an article about mass arrests and jailing of some protestors near Yangon.  It turned out that the army met the very same group outside of Yangon that we had encountered. They were forcibly broken up, and there was a mass arrest of the protestors.  So clearly, though things are better, not all is milk and honey in Myanmar.

Protestors on the road from Mandalay to Yangon, Myanmar

     Traveling in Cambodia and Laos was an education.  I knew very little about either country, and what I did know was either related to the Vietnam War or the genocide of the Khmer Rouge.  What I came away with was a thorough respect for the resilience of the population of both countries.  Cambodia embraces their past as a way to approach the future, or maybe I should say how not to approach their future.  They have acknowledged their horrific past (see blog post "Cambodia with Mixed Emotions") but seem to have moved on.  The population is young and vital.  Their economy seems to be strong, Phnom Penh is a happening city, and of course they have the incredible resource that is Angkor Wat.  I would definitely return to Cambodia, try to do some of the areas further to the East, and enjoy the energy that tends to be infectious.
     It was interesting to me to again realize that government affects life, but only so far.  Day-to-day existence, especially for a traveler, can be the same in a military dictatorship as it is in a full fledged democracy.  Laos (Lao Peoples Democratic Republic) has been definitely communist since 1975. They have a close relationship with Vietnam and revere Ho Chi Minh as a great father and leader.  Actually it was the only time we had an occurrence where a young woman asked us where we were from, and when we said the U.S. her response was "oh no".  But as travelers we were made welcome, had no restrictions on where we could go, and witnessed many small businesses that were individually owned and thriving.  Laos paid the price for their location on the globe as they were systematically carpet bombed by the U.S. during the Vietnam war.  Ho's name comes up once again, the reason being that the U.S. was trying to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail.  Apparently it didn't work.  But they are still suffering from the effects.  While Cambodia has all the unexploded land mines, Laos has mass amounts of unexploded ordinance.  It is a situation that is not going away any time soon, yet the country seems not to obsess on the past.  In fact, if I had to recommend any city to visit in that part of the world it could be Luang Prabang.

Buddhist monks accepting alms, Luang Prabang, Laos

     There is no doubt that this trip has rekindled Cynthia's and my love for travel.  Our project in Paxanax, Guatemala was all consuming for many years.  Now we have a comfortable home there and can look at other places to keep the juices flowing.  Even on the plane on the way home we looked at each other and said, "where next"?  We feel so fortunate to be able to fulfill these dreams.  We are definitely not rich, but life is moving fast and we both agree that there is no better way to spend what we do have than on travel.  Besides, I have always liked the adage, "die broke".  So hopefully, off in the future, this blog will continue with stories of other far away places.      

JB, photos by Cynthia Davis