Some Notes on Islam in Myanmar
After hearing great stories about their separate trips to Myanmar from our friends Shann & Jules, Meg & Dan, and Patrick, we decided it was time we went to the "Golden" country of Myanmar.
So in the summer of 2015, we arranged ourselves a trip to this fantastic country. Much like Singapore and Malaya, Burma was a British colonial stronghold. Following World War II and the great colonial breakup of the world, Myanmar went through a couple of power changes, and the military junta that emerged under the infamous Ne Win closed Burma's door to the outside world and isolated his country for the next 30+ years. Myanmar only emerged within the past two decades, and it shows. The country is in many ways still very backward when compared to neighbors like Thailand and Malaysia. There are several nationalistic groups in the wilds of the country, and most of them have been fighting (and are still fighting) wars for greater autonomy for the last 50 years. However, modernity and development is coming rapidly to Myanmar. There are some emerging tourists trails, and for those seeking extra adventures there is a lot of areas to explore. Some areas are still closed due to the rebel groups, but it is surprisingly open already and will likely stay that way.
Our trip lasted 17 days, and we entered and exited through Yangon International. Really, it's the only realistic way to get here. The only other international airport is Mandalay, and the flights are only from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We found a country full of hospitality, friendliness, and culture. We ended up making significant stops in several places, and ended up logging close to 2,000 km via road travel in that time. Please click on any of the chapters above, or start with the Yangon page and click along as a travelogue. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!
All photos and infographics copyright Kit Davidson, with appropriate sources.