If you love to travel then you know the feeling. (I’ve written about it previously – click here ) It’s that tingling sense of excitment. The one you get when you think about your next great adventure – the planning, the preparation, the scheduling. If you love to travel,then you know the feeling. And you also know that this feeling, this anticipation, is a very important and quite joyful part of the journey.
My next journey is now officially in the Anticipation Phase. Some have asked where I am headed off to next. The answer? Myanmar. Previously known as Burma, this small Southeast Asian country on the eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal, is bounded on the north by India and China and on the east by Thailand and Laos.
Officially known today as the “Republic of the Union of Myanmar”, it was formerly a British Colony known as Burma. It gained it’s independence in 1948 as a democracy which was later overthrown in 1962 by a military coup. In 1989 the military government changed the British translation of names of many places and locations back to their more original form. Burma became Myanmar – a naming convention which is now recognized by some, and not by others, due to past as well as ongoing political issues. Myanmar continued as a military dictatorship until 2011 when a civilian government was elected. Today it is known by some as Myanmar, by others as Burma, and is frequently referred to as Myanmar (Burma).
While operating as a military dictatorship, Myanmar was isolated by many other governments and as a result was cut off from many social, economic, and technological developments and advances taking place elsewhere. Today, Myanmar (Burma) is beginning to emerge from this isolated past but it has a long road ahead. Because of this history Myanmar currently offers an opportunity to discover and get a sense of a bit of Southeast Asia as it was before the advent of technology, commercialism and high impact tourism( think Thailand and Viet Nam).
I’m planning to head off on my Journey to Myanmar in November and December. The adventure is still very much in the planning stage (and the Anticipation Phase), I’ll be sharing more as details emerge – travel gear, photography equipment, transportation, etc. So be sure to visit again to learn more. Or better yet, subscribe to this site and get new articles e-mailed to you directly as soon as they are published. Just click “subscribe” at top of the right hand sidebar ( using a desktop ) or scroll to the subscribe section at the bottom of the post (if using a mobil device – iPad, etc.) . (Rest assured, your information is kept strictly confidential. We do not share or sell any of your information.)
And if, by any chance, you have traveled to Myanmar – by all means, please leave a comment or write via e-mail. I’m really in that research and learning stage and readers would love to hear of your experiences and your ideas about where to go and stay as we’ll as what to see and what to do. Thanks in advance!
Journey to Myanmar (Burma) ………………….. Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr.B., The Photo Trekker