Myanmar has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. But a lot has happened since 2010.
At that time Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi was still under house arrest, receiving the world’s sympathy and adulation for her brave and determined opposition to Burma’s military rulers.
Now she is Myanmar’s de facto leader and is under fire for not speaking up against the forced expulsion of the Muslim Rohingya community, which the United Nations and many others regard as ethnic cleansing but which the Burmese see as sending foreigners back to where they came from.
Whatever the circumstances, there is no excuse for the inhumane treatment of innocent people, especially women and children.
There are probably days when Aung San Suu Kyi wishes she was back in her cosy Yangon bungalow under house arrest.
This trip is to the Mandalay area in what is sometimes called Upper Burma in particular Pyin Oo Lwin, formerly the British hill station of Maymyo, named after a Colonel May.
A sister site to Thrifty Traveller contains five articles about this area, which you can read by following these links:
These are among the finest botanical gardens in the whole of Asia.
Pyin Oo Lwin, formerly known as Maymyo, has a wonderful climate, many well preserved colonial buildings and beautiful flowers and gardens.
A Mr McDougall, a mixed race Anglo-Burmese had interesting stories to tell of his family history.
4. Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin Train
This four-hour train ride costs only 40 cents.
5. Mandalay
To be honest, Mandalay was slightly disappointing but there were still a few sights worth seeing.
This article first appeared on thriftytraveller.wordpress.com