Is This Burma

Is This Burma?
Alistair Caldicott (Author)

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Myanmar

This is Burma, a land on the outer periphery of our far away consciousness, and it is not quite what you might think it is. For better and worse it never has been.

Here is a country with a very large ‘DO NOT DISTURB!’ sign creaking and dangling from its front door.

You would have every right to expect Burma, troubled and repressed as we know of it, to be a grim, sombre and miserably wretched place.

Somehow, astoundingly and defiantly, it is not. What it definitely is though, is a quite extraordinary country, rarely anything less than exceptional. If you can let go of your preconceptions, Burma has so much inside it to be discovered and revealed.

Let this remarakable journey inside Burma glide you down great rivers, haul you up remote mountains, tip-toe inside secretive monasteries and also shed light on remarkable lives. Let it introduce you to remarkable characters and let it take you where foreigners are forbidden to go: by motorbike right up to the Chinese border.

Prepare to be surprised by a very exceptional country.

Is this Burma? Why not read on to discover for yourself?

Why go to Burma?
Travel, tourism and trade, if conducted with a sufficiently open, well-informed mind, independent thought, cultural sensitivity and a discretionary purse, can affect things in a very positive way and do a great deal to open up a country. In particular, travel and tourism can afford a country’s people the precious opportunity to open up their lives to the outside world.

In the words of one Burmese man:

"Go and see for yourself. Listen for yourself. Then you can decide. What will you know, or anyone know, if you never come and never speak to us, and us to you?"

Alistair Caldicott has travelled extensively through close to 100 countries and is the author of 8 books form diverse parts of the world. His collection of travel photos and videos can be found online.

In his own words:
"Go further. Experience more. Build bridges, not walls. Travel can be like a tunnel. You go in one end, certain of what you know, what you believe and who you are. By the time you come out the other end, dazzled by the glare of new and very different perspectives, you don't really know where you are or how to get back to where you once were.
"Travel does many things. It threatens you, it exposes you. But it makes you, it defines you. It excites you, it challenges you. Ultimately, if you are true to yourself, travel will reward you in a way that no amount of material consumption or career advancement ever can.
"Money can never make anyone truly fulfilled and rich. Experiences can do. They shape your existence. Why travel, or live, in fear of received wisdom? Why not see for yourself? Being too cautious means never being pleasantly surprised. It is a simple, but easily neglected principle: if you go further you see and do more. I always enjoy trying to go further and see more. That's what life is about.
"I've seen incredible beauty. I've listened to evil and felt the unpleasant breath of anger. Kindness has moved my soul. Nature has hijacked me into insignificance. Man made accomplishments have strangled the comfort of my breathing.
"I have experienced the unexpected wonder of very poor people opening their hearts and homes to me. I have also experienced the greed and nastiness of people trying to rob me and rip me off. Sometimes I have sunk into the gritty depths of despair. I've seen delight in people's eyes. Never for one moment have I doubted the privilege and value of my experiences. My aim is to share them with you as intimately as I can."

• Rank: #243284 in eBooks
• Published on: 2012-11-18
• Released on: 2012-11-18
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1