What is Myanmar? It's a third world country with a third world economy. There's no way to sugar coat this. They work hard labour in a hot climate and have little to show for it at the end of each day....like much of the world...perhaps most of the world. Many of the countries we've visited these past few years are in this situation...Peru, Ecuador, India, Ghana, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and now Myanmar.
Much of their day to day life is also dictated by their lack of refrigeration. Fisherman fish and farmers harvest with an eye to getting their products to market before they rot or go bad...as if their existence isn't tough enough. The closest we've come to cold is in Bagan Myanmar which is 1000 feet above sea level. It got down to 8 degrees for a few hours at night. When the sun came up, that temperature reached 30 degrees fairly quickly.
There is no machinery visible in the farmer's fields, unless you call the single cylinder Chinese Buffalo a machine. It hauls people and goods at a very slow pace, throw in a bit of pollution, and that's about all it does.
Same with the fishermen. There's nothing fancy about catching what few fish there are. The nets are manually submerged from a longtail motor boat (often without the motor). Hard work that never ends.
The tourism industry is their best hope for short term relief and the coronavirus has knocked the wind out of it. There have been many cancellations and tourism is down 50%. The only masks we see are on the faces of uptight tourists...the locals don't seem to be concerned. It's not exactly a good breeding environment for any virus.
A two story house on stilts can be bought for $160.00, not that many have that kind of money.
We spent a few days with a 27 year old, educated and very articulate and thoughtful young man. Even though he's never left Myanmar in his life, he understands much of what is going on in the world. He impressed us a lot.
Phau proudly showed us his community of Inle Lake. We cycled and walked a lot. We visited villages and farming communities, areas off the beaten path. We spent hours looking in awe at the lives they live. Except for his life in Myanmar, a country he'll not likely ever leave, he's a pretty normal person. Consider:
His mom and dad have separated, the father apparently suffering from a mid life crisis and hooking up with another woman. "Maybe he'll come to his senses" said Phau. His mom is suffering from stage 2 breast cancer. She recently went through chemo and is now beginning 8 radiation treatments. Phau rides his motorbike an hour each way, each night, to visit her in the hospice. There's no help from the government so the money comes from the family's personal finances.
Phau's baby sister is studying French at a linguistics college in Yangon and his 23 year old brother is a bad alcoholic who "will likely die young". He drinks rye whiskey which is very cheap - 50 cents per quart. There isn't a lot for young people to do in some areas on the country so they look for other ways to amuse themselves....not unlike young people in the west.
Inle Lake is a tourist destination that will be a hot ticket in the years to come. It has a lot to offer. Great weather, very welcoming people, excellent hiking and cycling, good accommodation, delicious food, inexpensive everything and surprisingly, two exceptional wineries. Yes, the wine is better than Niagara's and they're only just beginning.
This tour is winding down....5 days in Thailand before flying home.