Reading Material and other thoughts about Burma

Well, we're in Luang Nam Tha right now and it's a very very sleepy town. Nice to have a full meal, though, an actual shower, etc.

Speaking of food, the meals trekking were amazing. We ate traditional Khmu and Akha meals. Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, delicous broths, ferns and fresh greens gathered from the forest.

But the purpose of this posting is to mention reading material and a few more thoughts on Burma.

I just finished up Peter Carey's "My Life as a Fake". It's a very inventive and well-written book that takes place in Australia and Malaysia. It's already influencing the way I think about incorporating my travel experiences into writing.

Secondly, I'm reading "Secret Histories: Finding George Orwell in a Burmese Teashop", which Zander just finished. It's an incredible book and it's given us further insights into the nature of one of worst dictatorships on the face of the planet.

I mentioned in an earlier posting that I now believe that westerners should visit Burma despite the atrocious government policy. The reason is very simple. Before we visited Kyaingtong, we knew little about the situation and had nothing more than a simple curiosity about visiting. Now we're both very interested in the current political situation and want to learn more.

This is the penalty for saying anything detrimental about the government to a foreigner:

7 years in prison and possible torture.

All the same, there we had several opportunities to talk with Burmese in coded language about the Burmese government. These were not topics that we bought up ourselves. The Burmese people are so weary and discouraged by their government that they look at western tourists as a ray of hope.

I'll never forget being in a Burmese tea shop, waiting for a friend to write down a simple question that he would not dare voice. An informant came into the tea shop and as a result he became frightened and we all left shortly thereafter. This friend knew all the informants in town.

I'll never forget that we couldn't even explain that the United States has a president, a congress, and a house of representatives. Even that could get our friends in trouble.

I also won't forget a friend telling us that he believed it was good for foreigners to visit. He viewed it as one of the only catalysts for change.

I highly recommend reading "Secret Histories", and also learning more about the current situation in Burma. It is every bit as terrible and important an issue as Tibet.