Adventures in Burma of Yore

People who visit Myanmar, aka Burma, in 2014 will have a far different experience than I did in 1997. Yes, given the recent opening of the country, travel there is still an adventure. But to appreciate how far the country has come since the days of its hardest-core dictatorship, here's a look back.

The temples of Bagan

When I traveled to Myanmar/Burma* in 1997, a military dictatorship known as the SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) was at the height of its power. The country was completely cut off from the West, and ubiquitous billboards  headlined "The People's Desire" warned citizens to:

--oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views 
--oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the state and progress of the nation 
--oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the state and 
--crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy.

Needless to say, journalists entering the country were well-advised to list another profession on their visa applications.

The only English news came in the form of "The New Light of Myanmar", a government propaganda rag highlighting the various accomplishments of the generals illegitimately in charge. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was in the midst of a long-term house arrest, punishment for her party's win in a 1990 national election. The locals were extremely paranoid, with reason, as the government encouraged spying on thy neighbor (shades of Communist Europe). Talking politics with the Burmese meant first gaining their trust and then finding a quiet corner where one was not likely to be overheard.

Despite the intrigue and the political turmoil (or maybe because of it), I found Myanmar/Burma to be one of the most fascinating and complex places I have ever been. The people were gentle, the roads to Mandalay and Yangon and Bagan were captivating, and the countryside felt like something out of a Zen painting, complete with monks clad in orange, walking in front of hazy, watery horizons.

Thanks to new government policies, most travel publications are naming Myanmar/Burma* as one of the year's hot destinations. If you decide to go, remember, this is a country that has been closed off  to modernity for some time. But the beauty of that is, if you go soon, you can still have the adventure of discovery before it becomes overrun with Starbucks, McDonalds, Marriotts and tourists.

*For an explanation of what to call the country, click here.

What's a Weenie?

You may be asking yourself, "hey, is this a blog for me?  Am I, indeed, a weenie?" By reading this blog week over week, you will be able to determine whether you fall into this category or not. Just know that in no way is "weenie" pejorative. The fact is, anyone who is game for travel cannot be a total weenie.

You wanted to see a naked spa
picture, didn't you? 

That said, let me try to hone in on a definition. As I mention in my bio, I have been dragged into all sorts of compromising situations during my years of travel. Some adventures, like traveling to dictatorships in Asia and Europe, have been exciting and illuminating. Living in Bologna for six weeks to study Italian--I tackled that one with gusto.

For me, it's usually the ones that involve physicality that bring out my true inner weenie. As I sit astride a horse from Montana who has decided to practice for the Kentucky Derby; as I pedal a bicycle through Provence while heading straight into the Mistral; as my crampons slip and slide on a New Zealand glacier; as I drop my robe before entering a naked co-ed German sauna--I have to ask myself, to paraphrase The Talking Heads, how did I get here? A true adventure traveler never asks that question--they savor the precariousness of all situations--mental or physical.

Of course, people perceive peril differently. I have no problem walking through a souk in Marrakesh alone. But many others would view that as foolhardy. Similarly, when I traveled by myself behind the Iron Curtain, people thought I must be made of steel. Personally, I never felt safer. In other words, I have little fear of traveling alone.

On the other hand, make me go kayaking in Hawaii (long story--you'll hear about it in another post) or force me to go camping in the wilderness with no indoor plumbing and out comes my inner weenie.

What I am trying to say is that, on some level, everyone is a weenie. Everyone is not a weenie in the same way, but even the biggest hot dog has a slice of weenie in him. This blog is designed to encourage everyone--from the mini-weenie to the giant weenie--to take a step away from the proverbial cozy bun and mustard (sic) up the courage to relish adventure travel in a big way.

Going Crazy for Adventure Travel

One of the dangers of adventure travel is the possibility of losing your mind. Here are some travel-related syndromes to watch out for.

The big kahuna is Jerusalem Syndrome. The malady is reported to impact some pilgrims to the Holy City, and is characterized by religiously-themed obsessive ideas or delusions (thinking one is the Messiah or feeling the need to shout verses from the Bible), or by psychotic behaviors ranging from ritual bathing to compulsive fingernail and toenail cutting. Although it may affect those of any religion, Scandinavians and American Protestants seem particularly susceptible. Some psychologists say Jerusalem Syndrome is a unique illness, while others say it is merely a symptom of pre-existing mental conditions.

If you are on a tour of Jerusalem, beware of the following behaviors from members of your group, as cited by one Dr. Gregory Katz in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2000.

Stage 1- Afflicted tourist becomes nervous, agitated and tense.

Stage 2- Tourist splits away from the tour group.

Stage 3- An obsession with cleanliness.

Stage 4- Sufferer prepares a long white robe.

Stage 5- Person begins to sing psalms, Bible extracts or religious songs.

Stage 6- Person marches to a holy place in Jerusalem.

Stage 7- Person starts delivering sermons on any mount.

Meantime, Paris Syndrome is a transient condition, most often suffered by the Japanese, during visits to the City of Light. It was first widely reported in Nervure, a French psychiatric journal, in 2004. About 20 Japanese tourists a year are affected by the condition, which is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and sweating, among others. According to the authors of the Nervure study, Japanese are particularly prone due to language barriers, culture clashes, travel exhaustion, and a pre-idealized image of Paris, to which the reality does not mesh.

Finally, Florence Syndrome, better known as Stendhal Syndrome, is a condition named after the 19th-century French author, who was overcome by the beauty and breadth of Renaissance masterpieces during a visit to Italy. Nowadays, what is considered a psychosomatic condition is marked by symptoms including rapid heartbeat, weak knees, dizziness, fainting, and confusion. It is said to happen when individuals are exposed to art that is profoundly alluring or uncommonly comely. But given that the affliction is primarily the bane of middle-aged British women, perhaps it is exposure to, ahem statuesque exposure, that sets off such carnal responses.