Journey to Myanmar
 
 
Myanmar (formerly Burma), bordered by Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh is an isolated country ruled by an oppressive military junta that took power in 1962. Its resilient people have withstood centuries of oppression from Kublai Khan to King George VI to the present military regime. Our journey to this forgotten country began innocently enough last summer. My wife, and I had a chat with our sister-in-law about exploring new places on the planet that stretched us, opened our eyes to new experiences and were off the usual beaten path. We discovered that their family was planning a trip to Myanmar. They were on a quest to visit Yim Bya, a remote village, to see the result of their effort to raise money to build a school for the children of the village ...and deliver more aid, toys and supplies to keep it thriving. The plan was to visit key areas of the country, ending at Yim Bya, in the mountains of the Shan state. So, we invited ourselves along on what proved to be a remarkable journey of a lifetime, to a country rife with poverty and severe political repression. We got off the “grid” ...no phones, credit cards, computers …to a place of startling contrasts, under full U.S. economic sanctions where; access to safe drinking water is limited, a looming AIDS epidemic is denied by the government and electricity, even in the cities is unpredictable or non-existent. We met proud, isolated, people, visited extraordinary sites and were deeply moved by the beauty, history, culture and relationships we formed. The intrepid travelers were: My sister-in-law and brother-in-law; Michele Pollak and Mike Letchinger, their children Riva and Will Letchinger my wife, Ellen Letchinger and myself. Take a look ....
Street scene
Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue - built 1893
Shwedagon Pagoda - statue
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda - main stupa
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda - sunset, main stupa
Market
Market
Stupas
Michele and Riva
Sunset over the Central Plain
Sunset over the Central Plain
Stupa
Temple sign
On the road to Mt. Popa
On the road to Mt. Popa
Entrance to Mt Popa pagoda
Mt. Popa pagoda
Mt Popa pagoda
Mt. Popa pagoda
Young monk
Villagers
The road to Mandalay - really
Maha Ganayon Monastery - preparing rice offering
Maha Ganayon Monastery - daily meal
Ayeyarwady River
Ayeyarwady River sunset
Fisherman
Floating gardens
Floating gardens - home
Floating home
Textile mill
Mill workers
Hill tribe people
Young nuns
Oxen
Village children
Village child
Sunrise
On the road to Yim Bya
Greeted by schoolchildren
Greeted by schoolchildren
Will with the children
The women of the village
Dancing villager
The new school
The village
Cattle
First Grade class
Ellen, Riva and Punji - giving gifts
Village children and mothers
Joy
 
Yangon (formerly Rangoon)
Bagan - Central Myanmar
 
Mandalay - Central Myanmar
 
Inley Lake - Northeastern Myanmar
 
Yim Bya Village - Shan State, Myanmar
 
 
 
 
Travelers, l to r: Ellen, Riva, Michele. Mike
Will and Yours Truly
 
 
 
Links The Shanta Foundation - information about the school project and how you can help Irrawaddy - focused on political issues in Myanmar and Southeast Asia Burma Project - open society issues in Burma and Southeast Asia S P A R K - revealing authentic experiences e-mail Jim Learning The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason Letters From Burma or The Voice of Hope by Aung San Suu Kyi Burmese Days by George Orwell Myanmar - Lonely Planet Guide http://www.shantafoundation.com/http://www.irrawaddy.org/http://www.burmaproject.orghttp://www.spark-us.com/mailto:jim@spark-us.com?subject=Myanmarshapeimage_15_link_0shapeimage_15_link_1shapeimage_15_link_2shapeimage_15_link_3shapeimage_15_link_4
 
All photography and content © Jim Cohen 2007.  Not to be copied, reproduced and/or transmitted in any form by any means  without the expressed written permission of Jim Cohen.
Maha Ganayon Monastery - Young boy having his head shaved - prepares to be a monk