So on the way to the border I started my research. We had about 3 books between the 6 of us that discussed Myanmar. Here's what I got; the government is bad and the people are good. Basically the current military government lost the last democratic election and didn't give up power. Instead they put Aung San Suu Kyi behind bars were she currently resides. This reminded me of South Africa and Nelson Mandela in a way. She won a Nobel Peace prize for her work and writings. We knew that supporting the government would be bad but supporting the people would be good so that was our goal. First off we had to pay the government to get into the country so there went 15 bucks each. Then, at the border, they told us that we had to stay there for a night because no buses were running to Kengtung. Also, if we wanted to go to Kengtung then we had to have a government guide aka spy with us at all times. That was expensive too at 1000 bat a day (you can get food, accommodation and beer in Thailand for that). I asked for a map, a few sites to see and a few words to say then we headed out to find accommodation. This is in the city of Tachileik. Another thing we new was that hotels gave some of the money to the government so we looked for the cheapest hotel which is expensive compared to anywhere else...no AC, no hot water. Whatever, we wanted the experience. Drop our bags and head out for some traditional Burmese tea. We also wanted to try the beetlenut that makes everyones mouth red and is a stimulant of sorts. That was funny as we were all dripping spit down our faces trying to do it correctly. After tea we decided to check out a meditation temple so we wandered the streets until we found the compound. It was great to laugh with the little monks-in-training as they were amazed at how tall we all are. We then sat down in front of the master just to see what would happen. He had a video screen next to him and was toggling between different cameras on the compound. We found out later that he does this to make sure people are meditating and practicing correctly. If he sees something then he sends someone out to fix it. Pretty cool. Next we are escorted by another monk to a place where they agreed to show us some meditation techniques. Turns out this is a Vipassana meditation center. Last time I backpacked around Europe I did a 10 day Vipassana course. One of the most difficult things I have ever done but also one of the most rewarding. 10 days of silence and meditation. It is free, you can only pay when you are done what you want. They have a center in Joshua Tree if anyone is interested locally but they are also all over the world.
After that we catch a late dinner of fried rice with egg on top, small bowls of soup, krapao (minced meat) and sampled some beer. The cheap beer is 'Chinese beer' and it tastes like shit...1 buck...the good beer is Myanmar beer and that costs 3 bucks...it is also owned by the government...fuckers. Also, there are no prices in the menus or anything and we all knew we were paying a 'special' rate on everything which feels a lot like being ripped off.
Colby, Maarten and I woke at 6AM to hit the morning market and get another lesson at the center. It was really fun to practice walking meditation and get to sit with the master for a bit. There was beautiful chanting going on when we first showed up. After our second lesson we bounce back to the group. They were in charge of sorting out our guide as we were hoping to have a few to choose from. Actually, the day before we met a cool kid named Mr. Carter who said he could be our guide. Right off the bat we all liked him but were scared that he may not be legit. They went with him to the border the next morning and we were told that he isn't 'licensed' and we had to use the guide they assigned. Mr. Moonk was not very cool. Before we left with Moonk, we decided to take Carter out for food. Best Burmese in town and it was pretty good. Butterfish, sweet pork, sardines, mutton and veggies. The conversation was awesome as Carter dove right in to politics, theology and world experiences. This is what we wanted and we were all bummed he couldn't come with us.
Moonk gets us a tuk tuk to the bus station and the guy tries to rip us off...first effed up thing he did. While waiting for the bus I decided to try and blend in a little. I put on the longyi I had purchased that morning, got some tanaka for my face and started chewing beetlenut. Tanaka is bark that they put on their face for a natural sunscreen.
The bus ride was somewhat uneventful. 3 checkpoints and horrible music on repeat. I offered my cd for the bus and after two songs it got cut off for something better...Shakira music videos...holy shnickies those hips don't lie. I'll take a back seat to Shakira any day (I'll take any seat near her!) We arrive at Kengtung and head for accommodation. 5 bucks a person, no shower, no ac, no fan. Colby and I shared a room and paid 10 bucks for it...so ridiculous. We then walked to local food which was not good then headed to the lake for a walk. On the way we bought some fireworks which were really fun and lit them off with some local kids. We walked to a club that was empty then decided to play a little snooker instead. All of us were stressing on our lack of freedom and inability to be spontaneous. As well as the ridiculous prices of everything.
Next morning we get up early and head to the morning market. I bought another longyi an had it tailored. I also bought some Burmese Hip Hop and Rock that is pretty cool. We boarded a tuk tuk for a day of trekking to the hill tribes. First tribe is a Christian tribe of Akah people. They offer us bananas and peanuts and we offer them some toys and a soccer ball. They took us up to the top of their hill with the most amazing view and we had a great game of soccer. That was super fun. Then next village we went to was super poor. As we walk up Moonk turns and says they are super poor, have kids that starve and most aren't wearing clothes. When we approach the kids mob Maarten because he has the chocolate. I didn't like the feeling of being there and neither did Maria. Our guide told us to get things for the people but he wasn't specific. I didn't realize until we were there what we had brought...sugar and trash. These kids were gobbling chocolate and tossing the wrappers on the ground. Made me feel a little ignorant so we decided to pick up trash in the village before leaving. I tried to impress on Moonk that he has the power to help these people by helping the tourists he brings there. We want to make a positive impact and had no idea what we were walking in to. The good thing that came out of that was the conversation between our group about impacts, histories and life. Next stop was a fruit farm and waterfall where we grubbed on huge pomelos, grapefruits and oranges. The waterfall was ok but we were ready to bounce. Maarten and I wanted to play some more football with the locals in Kengtung so we made it back just before the sunset. I thought both of us scored goals because we kicked it between the bricks set up as posts. I actually had a break-away and dribbled it right through the posts only to find out after that you only score if you knock a brick over...what the fuck.hahahahah. We had a good dinner that night but it costs 55 bucks...WHAT!> And 25 of that was beer...screw it, we want out.
I wanted to come back and say, 'Burma isn't ready for us yet' but have heard other things to the contrary. What I will say is do NOT go there through Mae Sai like we did. I talked with someone who got a proper visa and flew in. He didn't have to hire a spy and really enjoyed the country. Also, things change there daily. There is an election planned next month that could change things. Do research and do it properly.
Every time we passed through Mae Sai we grubbed on some bomb fried chicken...so good. Caught a bus back to Chang Rai for our last night together. This cool group had been together for 1 full week and we have grown close. It was Maria's birthday so we got her a cake and celebrated on the town. So nice to drink cheap, good beer and do what we want.
Now Colby, Sebastian and I are in Chang Mai...stay tuned!
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