Journeys Through South East Asia - Seabourn 2002

“Burma is a peaceful country. Though weak and poor, it has flowers, music, resignation, sunshine, Buddhist images, smiles….”

From "Harp of Burma," by Michio Takeyama, post WWII

“Burma is one of those countries of charm and cruelty. I have found more warmth, more wholehearted love, more tenderness, more courage and more caring concern among my people, as well hope together, suffer together and struggle together, than anywhere else in the world. But those who exude hate and vindictiveness and rave about annihilating and crushing us are also Burmese, our own people.”

From "Letter from Burma," by Aung San Suu Kyi, "the important lady," in 1995

In October, 1992, my daughter, Alana, and I were delighted to have a three-day stay in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) on board our Seabourn Spirit cruise. It was enlightening and enjoyable.

As we sailed toward Yangon on the dirty brown Yangon River, we began to see in the distance the gleaming, glistening golden stupas of the city and its environs. Later when we walked and rode the streets of Yangon, it was the golden faces of the people that were fascinating (golden by virtue of paste they put on their cheeks as protection from the sun). It is indeed a golden land. But it is also a technicolor world with all the Burmese wearing their vivid local dress. Somehow here there is a heightening of the senses.

Before arriving, as I had with Vietnam the previous year, I was concerned that we wouldn't be entirely free to move around, that perhaps-like the Burmese--we would be under surveillance. We were free to move but probably were under surveillance.

Alana and I had only one experience that was somewhat unnerving. We had been given a ten-minute cyclo (a bicycle with side car) ride as part of our Seabourn Experience, which also included a reception at Amanresorts' ultraluxe Strand Hotel. Almost at the end of our ride, which turned out to be double the ten minutes, my driver was pulled over to the side by a policeman and interrogated while Alana's driver was also stopped.

The policeman in English said we must return to where we had boarded the cyclos. Very quickly we were surrounded by a group of people; some were ordinary citizens but others might have been secret police. The policeman pulled a taxi over and sent us with Alana's driver back to The Strand while he detained my driver and kept the cyclos. We thought the problem was an invalid license or the lack of lights. (All the cyclos seemed to be without lights.) The next day we were told that the difficulty was that "the drivers were overly enthusiastic" and had taken us on either the wrong street or in the wrong lane on the street.

Myanmar is a land of intense spirituality. As our guide said when I commented on the seemingly happy faces of the people: "That is the way they really are." They are busy and industrious but serene.

All you have to do is visit one of their temples, like the immense Shwedagon, which even has an elevator and an escalator, to see how religion figures in the daily lives of the people. This is in stark contrast to us in the States. In an attempt to obtain some of the calm of people like the Burmese we read "Yoga for Busy People" and cram yoga classes into our full schedules. (I am guilty with my 15-minute daily yoga).

There is that lovely veneer but seething underneath lie the harsh realities of this country-the military dictatorship, its repression and human rights violation countered however by the strong stand of Aung San Suu Kyi. The awe people feel of her as well as their fear of expressing it were underscored by our private guide, who in our car would refer to her as "the important lady" and only when we were out of the car standing by Lake Inya did he say that Suu lived across the lake.

They are not yet "ruined by prosperity" as one of lecturers says. He went on to add that each time he comes back to this country, it offers a better value. This makes Myanmar more attractive to us who come to visit but less attractive for those who live there. The flip side is the poverty. A striking example of this is the shortage of electricity with even the main streets at times being without streetlights-the only brightness coming from the stores and restaurants that line them.

Becoming participants in the modern world is too expensive for most Burmese. It costs $1,000 to set up inter-net access, and cell phones run between $3,000 and $4,000. Cars are generally second hand and imported from Japan.

However, the people are aware of what is happening in the rest of the world. Several small children selling their goods dockside said to us with great excitement: "Tiger Woods." "Michael Jackson."

This is a wondrous country, somewhat off the tourist path. This is partly because Myanmar banned tourists from 1962 to 1988 but also because many disagree with the repressive police state.

By visiting there we can perhaps help the people in a small way toward understanding the rest of the world so that they think of us beyond Tiger Woods and Michael Jackson.

My Hotel “Find”

Our guide took us to the Pansea Hotel, which was new to me, so that we could enjoy its small shop. The minute we entered the lush gardens with an infinity pool and saw the colonial style hotel I thought had made a personal discovery. And then I saw a discrete sign showing Stanford Alumni Tours's schedule. So much for my little secret! However, I would love to return to this land and stay in Yangon at this treasure.

Singapore

In the year and a half since I had been in this city, there were additions to the scene as there always are. This time the "biggie" was The Esplanade, the theatre complex that the locals say looks like an armadillo, a durian fruit cut in half or a microphone. It is in a dramatic setting on the water. And like Sydney's opera house, is destined to be a landmark of Singapore. But it will never have the breathtaking beauty of Sydney's building.

Also new since I had been in Singapore are the Spice Gardens, quite nice but not a must, although the cooking classes that are given there sound enticing.

Kuala Lumpur

Our bus took a gorgeous road lined with plantings and a separate motorcycle lane on the 45-minute drive to K.L. from our ship. (One lady wondered why they had the port so far from the capitol city.)

Since I had been in this city 16 years ago, startling changes have occurred. There are so many new buildings. The Petronas Towers, designed by Argentian Cesar Pelli, is the most famous modern landmark of this city. Because of the spires atop the towers, the building qualifies as the tallest in the world leaving Chicago's Sear Tower behind. The tapering twin towers are graceful and delicate, in a faint way reminiscent of spires on a Gothic cathedral.

Petronas Towers is built on a former racecourse. It was in a Holiday Inn overlooking this course that I stayed 16 years ago. Such differences.

K.L. is a busy city geared to business in the manner of Singapore. As in Singapore, there is an attempt to add attractions for tourists. The Orchid Garden, something that most Asian cities seem to feel necessary, is one such addition. Pleasant as it is, it no way reaches the beauty of Singapore's.

Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort

“It's a very special place. The Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort is a real gem. It's the closest to a five-star facility we visited and head and shoulders above the other Pearl Beach resorts we visited and heard about. It's very secluded, so there's not a lot to do outside of the resort, but Bora Bora is only 20 miles away. Taha'a would be a great first stop for honeymooners before moving on to Bora Bora, which was my favorite island.”

M.W., Jacksonville, FL