I am sitting now in the comfort of a hostel in Bangkok in a bit of a culture shock. I have arrived to glitzy shopping malls and traffic jams after spending the last 3 weeks traveling in rickety trains, bumpy horse carriages, battered buses, and taxis on their last wheel. The country? Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The 20 days I just spent there will stay with me for the rest of my life. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of genuine kindness by the local people and came away with a feeling that I truly experienced something magical. There is an incredible amount of excitement in the air as rapid changes are rippling through the country. I believe now is the best time to visit this land that is on the cusp of some remarkable breakthroughs. For now I want to leave you with some first images of this country and its people that left a deep impression on me.
One thing you might notice right away is the makeup on some people’s faces. This is used as both a sunblock and a form of makeup. It is interesting to note that the Myanmar people (and people in most SE Asian countries) wish that their skin was lighter. There are skin lighteners in a lot of facial products, including sunblock. Coming from a Western culture that is obsessed with tanning, it is fascinating to me to visit countries where the outlook is the exact opposite.
Did you get to visit the 2nd Burma Road that Grandpa helped build?
Curt – I thought Grandpa was stationed in India?
More info on the Burma Road from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060746386/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=vifracr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060746386
and a National Geographic article from the November 2003 issue:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/myanmar/burma-road-text/1
Great images! I spent 4 weeks in Myanmar in 2010 and will definitely go back as soon as some of the regional travel restrictions are lifted. It’s like only 35% of the country is open for travel!!!!
Thanks Bill! I’m guessing politically things have changed fairly dramatically since you were there in 2010. Large portions of the country are still not open for travel so it gives me a good reason to return in a couple years.
Yes, I am one of the pasty white chics that has done multiple things to be darker 🙂 The people of Myanmar all have brilliant skin tone. I would love to have that 🙂 Good Face-Series Post Creets! Really looking forward to seeing all your pictures!
Thanks Kate 🙂
Wow! Can’t wait for the other posts and pics. This has already inspired me to add Myanmar to my list for 2013!! Btw…the orphans I worked with in Chiang Mai were Burmese…guess it should have been on my list already.
Laura – Myanmar should definitely be on your list. It was really amazing. I had forgotten that the orphans you worked with in Chiang Mai were Burmese until you mentioned it again.
Cool pics Brian! What did you do to the boy that was sticking his tongue out at you….reminds me of some kids I know! Keep up the great photography!
Well Kristy, I think he just saw my mischievous face and decided to be the same. It has been a lot of fun taking people pictures, and kids especially love to goof around and be pranksters when the camera is turned on them. It seems to be a universal trait, unconstrained by borders or nationalities.