A cyclone approaches Burma. Now. Currently gathering strength in the northern Indian Ocean it approaches the Bay of Bengal heading for Bangladesh and northwestern Burma, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya, displaced by recent ethnic violence, are living in makeshift tents in low-lying areas. This time, the government and the UN relief agencies are making an attempt to move people out of the way, no easy task, perhaps an impossible task. Five years ago, another cyclone, another time, it was a different story entirely. Continue reading →

Seven years ago the military government in Burma packed up and left Yangon and moved north 320 km to a brand spanking new capital, Naypyidaw. The name means “royal capital” or “abode of the kings” ostensibly celebrating ancient kings, but it seems a little ironic, named as it was by the Generals so long in power. Continue reading →

The first full day of our time in Burma we went to have breakfast with a thousand monks who live at the Mahaganayon Monastery in Amarapura, near Mandalay. The Monastery is quite lovely with many buildings under the shade of huge trees. It feels like a campus, which indeed is what it is, a place of Buddhist study, a peaceful place.

At about 11:00 every morning, the monks gather to have their last meal of the day. After this, they can only drink water, until they arise early the next morning. Visitors can watch as the monks have their meal in total silence. At least that’s how it is promoted on the tour circuit. Continue reading →