Summary:
Should people travel to Myanmar?
That is very hard to answer. First, and to be noticed, you pay visa fees (at least when I paid them) to a bank in Singapore. That is part of this questionable system of getting funds in foreign currency for the current regime. It is an illusion to travel there without completely avoiding the support of this system.
The junta, in its efforts to attract foreign visitors, paints a rosy picture of Myanmar. But the truth is far from beautiful. The people and the landscape, however, are the true gems of this nation, shining through the veil of propaganda.
Pictures taken in Yangon, July 2023
Impressions:
If you move around in the country, you will be checked constantly by military control points, and yes, they do ask for money. Do they care if you witness a massacre or violence? It's hard to say; I do not know.
What can be witnessed is that Myanmar is desperately trying to create a facade of business as usual where there is no business. Without any doubt, there are many impoverished people in this country. When we drove around the fields from Shan state toward Mandalay, I saw not even one farming machine. Everything is done by hand in this country, which indicates very well what kind of income people have when doing farm work.
There are only a few foreign products available, and if they are available, they seem to be fake. They offered a German medicine product that I had never heard of, just as an example.
They have beautiful mountains and parks, but there are no trails, for example. I know that in Southeast Asia, there is no culture of walking or hiking, but they could offer that for tourists, but no...
Bagan is such an interesting place. But as a visitor, you experience just a little of it because tour guides are missing. I just want to mention a few things I noticed.
The food is excellent, and you can find delicious options almost everywhere. It's always good and reasonably priced. Don't miss trying the Shan noodles and a Shan breakfast with fried fish with fermented tea leaves.
The travel video:
Conclusion:
I would not travel to Myanmar without visiting people I know. If you are there, you have to support the Myanmar government in some way. Poor people will not profit from your travel because there will not be many visitors. In 3 weeks, I have seen maybe 5 Western people. If I am sincere, this journey has made me sad and very concerned about this wonderful country with wonderful people, which has no future under the current conditions. The Myanmar Kyat has lost a lot of value and will continue to do so. This will make it even harder for people to send their children abroad or leave and try a better life under better conditions.
