Also included is a transcript of my journal from the 1977 visit along with some contemporary comments. This appears after the photo thumbnails. Click on a thumbnail to open a lager version of the picture in a new window.

Burma 1977

This is a transcript of the portion of my journal covering the seven days I spent in Burma in August of 1977. At that time tourists were allowed no more than seven days in the country. Most travelers financed their seven-day stay by selling duty-free cigarettes and liquor, purchased in the previous country, on the black market. Doing so resulted in an effective exchange rate of about 1 Kyat (pronounced "chat") being worth less than three US cents. At that rate a meal cost about twenty cents and a decent hotel room in Rangoon could be had for a couple of dollars. [Notes in brackets are recent additions.]

14 August 1977

Had an early meal at KC's [Kathmandu], read a bit and finally went to the airport. Checked in with relatively no hassle (except my knife was confiscated) and then bought a carton of 555 cigs for $4.50 and a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label for $8.00.

The plane ride was a joy. A nice meal and loads of free drinks. [This was with Thai International back when smoking was still allowed. I recall the flight attendants coming down the aisle with a tray for smokers. You could select a cigarette. The FA would light it with a gold tipped match and put the match out in a bowl of water in which an orchid was floating.]

Arrived Rangoon and breezed through the formalities. Patrick and Maura [an Irish couple with whom I was traveling] had a bit more trouble. Finally got a cab to the President Hotel where they checked in. I walked down to the Orient, only to find it full. So, I returned with a German guy named Martin and we got a double room.

We went to the nearby train station where a guy named "Joe" got us the tickets [to Mandalay] quite quickly. He and his friend then tried to purchase our duty free stuff for the outrageously low price of 200 Kyat. We took a cab to the YMCA where we got 300.

Martin and I then headed out on foot to see the Sule Pagoda and have a look round the inside of the Botataung Pagoda. While there we met a monk named Emawunsa who lives there. He took us on a walk and bus ride to get some fresh coconut and then took us to the family's home where we met his parents, brother and sister; all of whom spoke very good English, although the sister was a bit shy.

We were then only a short walk from the hotel so I went back and showered and relaxed.

15 August

Awoke at 5:30, showered and went down for the rip-off continental breakfast in the hotel (6Ky [18 cents]). Got to the train station at 6:45 and boarded car #9 ('ordinary class' - i.e. wooden benches, no glass in the windows) for the 12 1/2 hour ride to Mandalay. We first rode through delta country and then through drier and drier land until the sun went down. We made few stops, but at each one there were many people selling all types of fruit and prepared food. I bought 15 bananas for 3Ky and chicken Beriyana (spicy w/rice and wrapped in a banana leaf) for 6Ky. Other things available on and off the train were papayas, pineapple, naspati (apple/pear), duck, chicken, tea, etc., etc. Saw many ornate and plain pagodas on hills, mountains and in towns.

Arrived in Mandalay at 7:30 and, after reporting at the immigration (!) office we bargained for a horse cart to take us to the Tun Hla hotel for 6Ky where we got a double room for 30Ky [$1.80]. Had a brief supper, showered and crashed!

16 August

Had breakfast in the hotel and then took the number 5 bus out to Mandalay Hill. Climbed the hill, had great views of the valley. Saw many Pagodas and Buddha's, including a huge standing one carved out of one hunk of marble. Had some tea near the top in a breezy covered alcove. At the bottom, we saw the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, which houses a huge sitting Buddha, also marble. We also saw the Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, a wonderful carved teak building, and the Kuthodaw Pagoda which houses 729 marble slabs on which is carved the Buddhist Triptika. We had lunch of rice and pork near here and then bussed back to the hotel for a swim in the filthy pool. Had some fresh lime soda and a nap.

We then took a combination of #5 & #1 buses to the Arakan Pagoda south of town which houses the Mahamuni Buddha -- a gilded figure, lavishly decorated, reached only at the end of four long dark corridors in which all sorts of touristy Burmese items are sold. On the bus, we met a Christian convert Burmese named Ruth, recently married to a Buddhist artist. They took us to their home in the local monastery.

We then took a bus to the night market where I had a wonderful supper of rice topped with all sorts of nuts, sausage, pork rind, lentils, etc., for 2.5 Ky. We bought pineapples and saw all sorts of items on sale. We then took a; trishaw back to the hotel. I bopped out to the Mandalay Hotel for a beer -- Mandalay Beer, People's Brewery, Mandalay, Burma -- for 6Ky [18 cents].

17 August

Awakened at 4:00 AM for the taxi ride to the river boat. Arrived at the dock about 4:30 but the boat didn't leave until 5:30. The four of us located a few square feet near the food stall and plopped down our stuff and ourselves. We purchased deck class tickets for about 14Ky [about 40 cents]. The voyage was long and slow and slightly uncomfortable. Had an OK breakfast of rice, beef, pickled bean sprouts and green tea for 5Ky. Had ersatz coffee, stale cake and green tea all day. At every stop local girls boarded with plates of fascinating looking food balanced on their heads. Tried a lovely little scone filled with honey and coconut.

Arrived at a "sleeping stop" (Pokaku) at 5:30 PM. [The boat could not navigate the river at night.] Martin and I had a look round to see the town and look for a hotel. We found that we were not allowed to stay at any of the places in town. Bought some bread, beer and rum and had a quick bowl of Chinese flat noodles topped with slices of spicy sausage cut with scissors. [We bought the rum at a bar. They wouldn't sell us a bottle, so they poured the rum in a bowel and measured it, shot by shot, back into the bottle.] On re-boarding the boat we bought some simple sleeping mats for 2Ky each. I drank my rum, somehow found a spot to put my mat and quickly fell asleep.

18 August

Awoke at about 4:15 while the boat was still in Pokako. Lazed around a bit and then got coffee and cake. Upon arrival near Pagan the boat became stuck on a sand bar for one hour. After landing at the beach we were accosted by hawkers from the various hotels. We picked the Zor Nee and got a free pony cart ride through the tiny village to the lovely split bamboo structure that is the Zor Nee Restaurant. Our room (8Ky each) is spacious and airy w/ 2 windows, mosquito nets and high ceilings. We showered and then went to the Burma Air office to book a flight to Rangoon. We then took a horse cart to the Government hotel (Thiripyitsaya Hotel) where we had terrible sandwiches. We then walked to a near-by-ruined pagoda (Gawdawpalin) which we climbed to get a magnificent view of the surrounds. It was so hot that we returned to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon. At about 5 we walked off to explore more temples including the Ananda and the Thatbyinnyu, which we climbed at sunset at the beginning of a lightening and thunderstorm. We took a circuitous route to the Nation restaurant which we abandoned because it had no rice. We had a good but slow meal at the Burma during a rainstorm and then walked home for a good night's sleep.

19 August

Got up early (6), had breakfast at the hotel and then walked south of town to Myinkaba Pagan, an interesting village where laquerware is made. En route and return we looked at several interesting pagodas. In town we had coffee at a small shop where the locals stared at us for awhile. On the way back it began to rain hard so we hurried back to the Zor Nee for lunch. We sat around most of the hot afternoon and then had a walk into town for a look at the shops and then supper at the Nation for 9Ky. We then walked to the Thiripytsayo hotel for a beer and then to bed.

20 August

Got up briefly at 5:30AM to watch the beautiful sunrise. The golden dawn made the pagodas it lighted shimmer with a soft and pleasant glow. Other pagodas were silhouetted before the breaking dawn, their magnificence slowly crumbling before the advancing sun and breaking clouds.

Then slept until 8:00 and had a brief breakfast. Spent the morning reading and packing up. Arrived at the BAC office around 12:00 and then waited 45 minutes for the bus. At the airport we waited another 45 minutes for the ticket seller to arrive and until 1:30 to board the Fokker F-27 Friendship. We took off at 1:45 and had an interesting 1 hour and 15 minute flight down the Irwaddy -- from the dry upper plains to rain forest and finally to the rice paddy filled delta and Rangoon.

At Rangoon we had some serious problems regarding free transport into town. After some heavy arguing we finally got a free taxi. Martin and I each got singles for 17.60Ky [52 cents] at the Orient. (A double was 44Ky, 250% of the single price. Another priceless piece of Asian logic.)

After some tea and some rest we walked out Bogyoke Street to the night market where I had two bowls of rice, sausage and pork, soup, onions and pepper sauce, tea and a cigarette for 3Ky [9 cents!]. I then walked to the central market area and bought bananas and two small loaves of bread of different types for breakfast. Then showered and went to bed.

21 August

Got up early to see the sunrise on Shwe Dagon Pagoda, the sun was not shining. At about 9:30 we took the number 10) bus to the Pagoda and spent three hours walking around the beautiful area with its multitude of shrines. We caught the same bus back, packed, lunched and met the Irish at the Thamada Hotel. Took a taxi to the airport for the short flight to Bangkok. Arrived at about 6 local time and took the number 29 bus in to the railroad station near which we booked a small room with one bed at the Thai Song Creet hotel on Rama IV Road for 40 Bhat (two dollars). Had a nice pork curry and Coke supper for 7 Bhat (30 cents).