Friendly Faces of Myanmar

We wish we could stay longer. That's how we're feeling with only a few days left before departure. Our travels in Myanmar have been quite busy, and, as a result of limited time, we've found ourselves on the well trodden tourist trail: a 15-hour overnight bus from Yangon to Mandalay, a boat trip on the Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay to Bagan, and then on to Inle Lake in the western Shan State. Two weeks in this country is not enough to fully appreciate what it has to offer. The biggest reason for our desire to stay longer, however, is the people of Myanmar.

Tourism in Myanmar has not fully developed like it has in China, Thailand and even India, therefore the people have not yet been tainted by it. Those who want our business approach us with friendly calls, and leave us be when we decline their offers. The many men in the market who offer to change money just smile and fade away after hearing us utter "no, thanks." Taxi drivers reply yes or no to our requests and the following negotiations are quick and straightforward. The shopkeepers are not aggressive, and don't curse or frown when we don't buy from them like they did in China. And the people, in general, don't stare at us as they did in India. Instead, the people in Myanmar look upon us with friendly eyes, and when our eyes meet, warm smiles spread over all of our faces. Their shy, yet, kind personalities mix together to create an environment of curiosity and, as a result, they are open to conversation and cultural exchange.

An unexpected number of people are fluent in English (Myanmar was once a British colony) and this allows us to communicate with many of them. Several of the local people we met while traveling independently happened to be professional tour guides. Our casual conversations with them turned out to be a great source of information. They must pass examinations for foreign language skills and knowledge of Burmese history, tourism sites and local culture before they are granted their professional license. And it seems that this profession is an attractive job prospect among young adults.

One of the guides that I met amazed me in more than one way. He was a bright man, fluent in English, with the capacity to articulate his motherland's history and culture in a rich vocabulary and with deep knowledge of the subject. I asked him if he had lived abroad, and when he replied that he had not, I inquired about how he gained his great language skills. He replied, "When I'm not working, I watch hours and hours of CNN and BBC. At first, I had to use the dictionary a lot, but there isn't much need for that now. I watch many Hollywood movies on DVD. They are great for learning conversational English. And I read English newspapers, whenever I can get hold of them." It's no wonder that the man was on top of recent world events and could ask intelligent questions about America and Japan.

He went on to tell me more about his country, that the government doesn't censor foreign news and Hollywood movies are widely available on an as-is basis. He joked, "The same for music. American Hip-hop with bad language is okay here, too." He also said that the government has been working on issues that are directly connected with people's lives, and that the standard of living is slowly on the rise; there is a widening gap between rich and poor, but it's not a major issue at the moment; that the nation has been slowly opening its doors to the world; and that there is a good deal of corruption, but that's politics. "Isn't that the same in America?" he asked.

Inle Lake is well known for the vibrant village life in stilted houses that sit on the lake. Nyaungshwe, the lakeside town that hosts most of the visiting tourists, is still a rather quiet and sleepy town. As we walk around the residential area it's easy to observe the life happening around us. We see that people are maintaining their age-old fundamental values. They support each other within the community and hold on to a true sense of "family values." Their sense of family as the core unit of daily life can be seen everywhere: older children look after younger brothers and sisters, children support parents with house chores, the older generations pass on their knowledge to the young, working closely with them, and rewarding them with love and a gentle touch. These basic gestures are natural and given with ease. Similar behavior extends to neighbors and local community members, all with a peaceful undertone that is often accompanied with laughter and song.

And do these people love to sing! Whether it be traditional folk songs, recent love ballads, rocking tunes, or American pop, they sing while going about their daily activities; while they walk or ride their bicycles, relax under the cool shade of a tree, or look after their shops. Their singing voices express to us an inner happiness, even if their lives might be hard. Why else would a man sing a happy-sounding song, while walking home from work, well after dusk, under the rising full moon?

In our short travel to Myanmar, we made many contacts and could communicate directly with the locals, thanks to their friendly and curious personalities and their ability to speak English. The aforementioned guide said, "The future of Myanmar is bright. It will become a nation that the world would notice someday, even if it would take another 100 years." The world should take note of the way these people are today, whatever their future might be. And because of that we already want to visit again, hopefully very soon.