Gone Astray: Russell Johnson » Burma http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress News, opinion, podcasts and video on travel, world culture, media, science and technology. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 2006-2009 rjohnson@connectedtraveler.com (Russell Johnson) rjohnson@connectedtraveler.com (Russell Johnson) travel 1440 http://connectedtraveler.com/images/RJHSBlog.jpg Gone Astray: Russell Johnson http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress 144 144 A fresh quirky take on people and places around the world, travel, culture, humor, music Russell Johnson Russell Johnson rjohnson@connectedtraveler.com no no Burmese Days http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2011/11/18/burmese-days/ http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2011/11/18/burmese-days/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:17:38 +0000 Russell Johnson http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/?p=529
Bagan, Burma-Russell Johnson

Who would have thought that practically overnight Aung San Suu Kyi would be allowed back into politics and a US Secretary of State would plan a visit to Burma for the first time in fifty years.

When I spent some time there in the 90s, Burma was a country of spies and whispers. Its currency donned the portraits of dictators with either small heads or large hats…or both.  But I did find it one of the most fascinating and seemingly-innocent (if you engaged with the people, not the government) places I had ever visited, possibly because it was so isolated, locked in a time warp world remindful of  George Orwell’s 1934 descriptions in “Burmese Days.”

I changed my attitude about Burma several years ago from that of  a place that should be boycotted by tourists to one of encouraging travel there, as outsiders could be a good influence on this isolated country.  Now, Burma may have to brace itself for a real tourist boom, which could help jump-start the economy of one of the poorest countries on earth.  But tourism comes with big-time dangers.  A couple of years ago I worked on an Asian Development Bank plan to develop tourism as a poverty alleviator in the Mekong River region, of which Burma is a part. It looked beautiful on paper, but too often politics and greed get in the way of good, noble plans. Many once-charming, once- pristine places are now overwhelmed by a tourist culture at the expense of environments and local people.

I would dream of seeing a Burma with a more transparent government setting an example for the rest of the region and the world. I can dream, can’t I?

I can’t wait to go back.

]]> http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2011/11/18/burmese-days/feed/ 0 Burma Redux -Podcast http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2005/07/28/burma-redux-podcast/ http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2005/07/28/burma-redux-podcast/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2005 18:23:16 +0000 Russell Johnson http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/?p=69
Burma Redux
When is the last time you heard a travel writer suggest that you should not
go somewhere? Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country also known as Burma, is in the news again…and the news is not good. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who fairly won election as President in the early nineties but was blocked by the country’s repressive military regime, is still being held under house arrest. Last week, thankfully, Myanmar did not take over the lead of ASEAN, which was due it because of its position in the alphabet. The generals say they still needs more time to “democratize.” But the rest of the world is rolling its collective eyes.

Myanmar was one of my stops on a project to develop sustainable tourism along the Mekong River, funded by the Asian Development Bank, UNESCAP and others. Many people and countries are boycotting the country, having given up on “constructive engagement.” I would love to go back but won’t until “democratization” becomes a bit more real. In the meantime, we thought you’d like to know something about this sad but enchanting place.
MP3
Read More

]]> http://connectedtraveler.com/wordpress/2005/07/28/burma-redux-podcast/feed/ 0 0:09:43 Burma Redux When is the last time you heard a travel writer suggest that you should not go somewhere? Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country also known as Burma, is in the news again…and the news is not good. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu [...] Burma Redux When is the last time you heard a travel writer suggest that you should not go somewhere? Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country also known as Burma, is in the news again…and the news is not good. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who fairly won election as President in the early nineties but was blocked by the country’s repressive military regime, is still being held under house arrest. Last week, thankfully, Myanmar did not take over the lead of ASEAN, which was due it because of its position in the alphabet. The generals say they still needs more time to “democratize.” But the rest of the world is rolling its collective eyes. Myanmar was one of my stops on a project to develop sustainable tourism along the Mekong River, funded by the Asian Development Bank, UNESCAP and others. Many people and countries are boycotting the country, having given up on “constructive engagement.” I would love to go back but won’t until “democratization” becomes a bit more real. In the meantime, we thought you’d like to know something about this sad but enchanting place. MP3 Read More Audio, Burma, Places Russell Johnson no no