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GRIFFIN
BYTEWORKS
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burma, april 1988
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I visited Burma just a
few months before the August 1988 student demonstrations that
ended with bloodshed in the streets of Rangoon. Visas
were restricted to visits of a maximum of seven days, so it
was a mad dash around to see as much of the country as possible.
To make it even harder for foreigners to see things the government
preferred to keep quiet, one had restricted access to only
a few approved parts of the country. The Ne Win government
of the day was no less suppresive of its citizens than is
today's military junta, although Burma was rarely mentioned
in the press before Aung Sang Suu Kyi burst upon the scene
after the massacre, championing the democratic cause.
Note: Almost all place names mentioned
on this page (with the exception of Mandalay), including the
name of the country itself, have been changed by the new regime
since 1988t; I have used the names as they were at the time
of my visit.
(All images with turned-down corners can be enlarged
by clicking on the image.)
(except for the dog-eared baggage check above!)
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The Shwedagon
Pagoda, in Rangoon is covered in gold leaf.
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A mobile
street performance, with the unique-sounding Burmese
music blaring out the back of a bus, it's roof serving as
the stage.
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A one-Kyat note, basically
worthless to foreigners. When I visited, Kyats were
available in these denominations: 1, 5, 10, 15, 45 and
90. The strange numbers were a product of General Ne
Win's obsession with numerology and the goverment's efforts
to keep one step ahead of black marketeers. Periodically,
certain denominations are withdrawn from circulation, and
replaced with new bills. Just before I arrived, the
equally strange 25, 35 and 75-kyat notes had been withdrawn
from circulation and replaced with the 15, 45 and 90 notes!
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Country Wales? No, this is the Candacraig
Hotel in Maymyo, an old British hill station north of
Mandalay. The plains of central Burma become almost
unbearably hot towards the end of the dry season, and the
relatively cool air of Maymyo comes as a welcome relief.
The town retains the charm of a quaint English village,
complete with Tudor-style archetecture and tea houses.
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A grain merchant
in Maymyo, with kids happy to see a camera!
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Horse and carriage beneath my window at the Candacraig
Hotel. this is the standard form of transport
in Maymyo, and indeed in much of Burma.
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Burma's answer to Ayers Rock. Also known in some
circles as "The Worlds Biggest Pile of Bricks",
this is the unfinished
pagoda of Mingun, on the opposite side of the Irrawaddy
River from Mandalay. Had it been completed, it would
have been the largest pagoda in the world, according to
locals. Looking at pictures of this place makes me
sweat: in all my life, I have never experienced temperatures
as hot as I did at this place, and I actually suffered symptoms
of a mild heat stroke for the next day or so!
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On the Irrawaddy River
near Mandalay.
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A drinks vendor
in Mandalay.
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From Mandalay, I nervously flew on Burma Airways to Pagan,
an ancient abandoned capital of Burma. It is a sea
of pagodas - the one shown here is the Mingalazedi
Pagoda, overlooking the Irrawaddy River.
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Hauling grass
from the Irrawaddy riverbank.
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ubiquious Burmese taxi
vehicle, with a Buddhist monk as a passenger. |
Recommended Books: |
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Copyright © 1988 Kai Griffin
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