WJ READER'S TRAVEL TALES


Excerpts from MARILYN’S LETTERS HOME to ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
from the country of MYANMAR (old BURMA) -- DECEMBER 2005 - JANUARY 2006
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12/6/05 from the Post office in the BANGKOK AIRPORT, Thailand
Dear all: Whew. It is now noon on Tuesday for you in Alaska...I think. We have just been flying
and waiting in airports since I left home Monday at 1:00 am. For me it is about 5:00 Wednesday
morning. I'm in the post office area of the Bangkok airport. Everything has gone super smoothly
for our group. All ten of us are together and looking forward to our next flight in about 3 hours
that will take us on into Myanmar. That's only a 2 or 3-hour flight where as the one from LA to
Taipei was nearly 14 hours! I was able to sleep quite a lot. The seats reclined almost flat. It
certainly was worth it to have arranged the up-grade on EVA Air. Beautiful service by "China doll"
flight attendants who were efficient, courteous, groomed perfectly and dressed in tailored
uniforms, even to a pressed serving apron. The food was wonderful. They never let us get
hungry: 2 big meals, one soup break, 2 juice breaks, wine with meals. Plenty of tea or coffee. A
meal starts out with hot towel to freshen up with. That speaks for itself. Yes!? At the Anchorage
airport an Alaska attendant helped me repack the two suitcases of medical supplies into 2 boxes
that we taped together to make one box of about 68 pounds. That way I was excused from any
excess baggage fees. Great. And we were off!! So now I must close. Will look for Internet in
Myanmar, but I know it will be pretty scarce and slow if we do find it. Looking forward to a hot
shower and our first hotel, then getting out and seeing the sights, meeting people. Love to all of you.


12/15/05 FROM Bit of Bagan, Restaurant in BAGAN (sometimes called Pagan), Myanmar
I am in a beautiful, tiny restaurant in Bagan Myanmar. Everything has been beyond words - wonderful.
I miss you all. Surprisingly, they have an internet-connected computer here; however, it is almost
impossibly slow. I have been on for 16 minutes only to read one message (of several, but they’ll have
to wait. Thanks tho!) and to send this one out. I love you all and we are having a wonderful LIFE-time time!!
AMAZING stuff. I will write more when we get to Thailand in about 4-5 days and I can find better Internet.


12/21/05 FROM the Village of BAN KRUD in Southern Thailand after two weeks in Myanmar.
Dear Everyone: Remember we called this journey a pilgrimage. We were going to the people.
We took many items, many severely needed and some just for making life a bit easier. So now
I’ll tell you about the two glorious weeks we spent in Myanmar (Burma). Our guide was
provided to us by the well-known tour company, Destinations Asia, with whom our organizers
worked for one year to plan this trip! Her name was MayMay, a 27-year old, university-educated
Burmese woman. Incredible. She made the trip soooooooo much more than just touring “seeing
things.” She was always giving us background, constantly interpreting, tending to logistics. She
never was too tired for more questions. Her essence was pure sweetness, yet she was solid as a
rock -- slight and beautiful, as many Myanmar people are. Considering all that they contend with
politically and because they live so primitively and close to the land, they always just find a
WAY and they do enjoy life. Never saw a scowl. Never a short or exasperated word. You wave
at any one on the roadway and they'll break into a huge bright smile. You say, "ming ga la ba"
(Hello. We wish auspicious things for you, all day long.) and they absolutely beam! Still their
lives are far from peachy. In any family someone has been, or is presently, a political prisoner.
Most everyone has had close brushes with the regime. The authorities keep tight control and
enforce many very strict rules for which 7-year prison sentences are routinely given. They have
refused to acknowledge the democratically elected woman leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. She, in
fact, has been under house arrest in her home in central Yangon for 10 of the past 16 years. We
were told not to question our guide on political matters and we didn't. What little we learned was
only if it was volunteered. Sometimes that happened on the street from a stranger who
recognized us as Westerners. The Burmese are very openly curious, but very cautious because
contact with outsiders is carefully watched.
May took us to places most groups never would know of. She could see that we were a spiritual
bunch and interested in just about everything. Here is just a small listing of some of the “100s”
of things we did. We saw 11th century to 13th century pagodas, some at sunset and at sunrise;
arriving by horse cart, we looked over a countryside studded with ancient temples as numerous
as trees (This was in Bagan, sometimes written Pagan on the maps); toured a cave containing
over 8000 Buddha images originally placed there during WWII for safe-keeping; lodged at a
floating island resort in the middle of a huge lake (Inle Lake) where the fishermen stand on their
hand-made dugout canoe-type boats, rowing with one leg, leaving free both arms and hands for
fishing; went to markets after markets, shopped till we dropped; visited temples by the dozen;
saw the lacquer factory, the silk weaving factory, the jade factory, paper making, umbrella
making, silver pounding. I have left out sooo much.
I could go on and on. Maybe the most heart-warming time was at the orphanage where we left
bags of schools supplies and toys. It was not a sad place at all. The main man teacher has been
there 35 years and has a purest of pure hearts. It is on Inle Lake and beautiful beyond words.
Hopefully my photos (440 so far) will give some idea of the essence of magical Myanmar. I am
so glad to have seen it early on. Definitely it is a country in the midst of forming. How will it
evolve? Who knows. Too early to tell. We did not see many soldiers. We felt soooo comfortable
and safe at all times, totally cared for by the people. However, I am sure the authorities always
knew of our whereabouts and all the proper fees were paid to the proper departments.
I must go now. I love you all! Merry Christmas!!!! And Happy 2006!!!!!



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