Getting Around Burma
At
the time of our visit in 1986, because Burma had been closed to the outside
world and trading had been restricted for so long, there was a severe
shortage of most things that the western world takes for granted. Everyday
items such as pens and pencils, and even rubber bands, were eagerly
received. EL gave away her hair clips and grips to young girls who pointed
at them and showed a keen interest in them. In Mandalay a young man
approached us and asked Paul if he would trade his watch for US dollars. As
Paul was rather attached to his old Swatch he regretfully declined. The next
day, as we toured various temples and pagodas in Pagan, the same young man
kept popping out of unexpected doorways in a rather surreal fashion, and
repeated his offer. In the face of such doggedness, Paul had to give
in.
The
effect of Burma's seclusion from the outside world was particularly
noticeable in the varied and mostly rundown modes of transportation we
encountered wherever we went. Cars newer than mid-50 models were rare.
Willy's Jeeps, left behind by the Americans after WWII, were common
especially up country. For the tourist, getting between the major cities
could be done by air, rail, bus, or some form of taxi service.
Air travel was, for the most part, unreliable. Two years after our visit, Paul's brother
was wakened in his Rangoon hotel room by a phone call at 4:30am to be apologetically
informed that his 6am flight to Mandalay had been cancelled because the
plane had been commandeered by some military VIP. He found himself stranded
in Rangoon for two days � not a happy situation when you are on a
seven-day visa. Catching our flight from Pagan back to Rangoon was a tense
affair for us: we expected, as independent travelers, that we might be
bumped off our flight in favor of package tourists. Fortunately for us the
flight was not full.
Buses
provided a fairly common form of public transport around Burma. They tended
to be rather ancient, unreliable, and very crowded. The bus that we caught
from Mandalay to Pagan appeared not to have any suspension so the second
part of our journey along a deeply rutted dirt track was a truly
bone-jarring affair. Plus the inch-wide gaps between the floor boards let in
gusts of yellow dust that made breathing difficult. Though we had an
enforced stop for a VIP convoy the bus, quite miraculously, did not break
down.
Most vehicles, it seemed to us, were kept running by sheer
resourcefulness and force of will. Because spare parts were obviously impossible to come by, many vehicles
seemed to be held together by ingenious, home-made parts and devices. Gas or petrol was
rationed and costly when available on the black market. To save on fuel,
drivers free-wheeled whenever they could. The driver of the jeep that took
us between Mandalay and Maymyo practised this form of economy.
Unfortunately, his petrol gauge did not work and his hope or gamble that
there would be enough fuel to get us back did not pan out. Another form of
economy that Burmese drivers practised was to switch off their vehicle
lights when driving at night, in order to prolong the life of their light
bulbs. So a night ride was be a pretty hairy experience for the
faint-hearted tourist.
Around Pagan and Maymyo, the most enjoyable form of transport was the
horse-cart or carriage. It suited the pace of life very well.
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