Right up front, I really liked Burma, but a couple of things need to be discussed before I go into my appreciation of the Country. Burma is in the midst of political confusion, with no real understanding of who is actually in control, is it the the military (who ran the country as recently as 2011 under a junta)? or the "democratically" elected president? Or both (depending on where you are standing at any given time)? Recently the Country have been accused of genocide, stalled with repatriation programs, and jailed journalists that write unflattering articles. Sooooo, why doesn't a guy with the goal of getting around the world just keep his mouth shut and not care about such things? Well he doesn't care about such things (not exactly true, but I am not getting into human rights discussion in the middle of motorcycle blog), except for the fact that a Ministry official (aka government minder) is required to tag along when crossing the Country, as well as the tour agency he is assigned to oversee.
All these people and government controls can make the trip quite costly, that is of big concern to a around-the-worlder (RTW). If done solo, the trip across Burma would cost in excess of $2,000, but the tour agency worked to get a decent sized group together that reduced the per person cost to a palatable $430 to include all fees, payments, payoffs, hotels and breakfasts. The group primarily consisted of other RTWs making up a caravan of nine vehicles. Of the nine vehicles, there were four adventure bikes that hung together, three other motorcycles, an SUV and an RV. We were required to stay to a predefined route (to be honest, its Burma and there are not a whole lot of routes in which to choose) and were basically given free reign along that route, we just had to check in via Whatsapp every couple of hours with our positions and to verify all was well. Except for a schedule we had to keep, the government oversight really ended up being a non-issue, I only the saw the representative a couple of times, and since he didn't speak English, we never spoke. The tour guide I saw quite often. He was a westerner, fellow rider and adventure traveler, so he was quite enjoyable to hang out with. That pretty much summarizes everything about riding across Burma that has nothing to with actually riding across Burma. So what about Burma?
I found Burma to be just an amazing country, Similar to Nepal, the relief of leaving India and entering into the Country is immediately noticeable. The people seem to take real pride in their surroundings and it shows. The roads were in decent shape, the restaurants though austere were clean, garbage and other refuse were adequately addressed, and some of the most spectacular views abound almost everywhere. In terms of Burma being a developing country, the cities seemed well developed and thriving. With regards to Western investment, of what I saw, and unlike their neighbor Thailand, there seems to be very little. One thing that was quite noticeable was the spread between the haves and have-nots. Riding through the cities and larger towns, the number of mansions were all too noticeable. In some areas there were just lined up down the street.
To be honest, I am amazed that the Country was only recently opened to visitors. When compared to other newly opened countries (i.e. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc,), Burma seems to have entirely out paced them, but then again, I do not know their starting point. The country is sparsely inhabited, greatly influenced by the Buddhist religion/philosophy depending upon your bent (again, a discussion in which I will not participate), and the people are extremely polite, welcoming, and gracious. The police even seemed to be accommodating. Burma is ideally suited to motorcycle touring, which oddly enough you can do without a Ministry official or tour guide tagging along if you rent a bike inside the Country.
My biggest negative to the trip across Burma was the schedule. We made the run in basically four full days of riding. The days were long (7 to 13.5 hours a day), and there little time for side journeys. I never got to Rangoon/Yangon and all of the hundreds of attractions nearby, and only saw the City of Mandalay for two hours in the daylight. The trip was such a burner that it took a couple of days to recover, days I would of rather spent riding normal distances and still having time to explore. Again, motorcycle rental inside the Country is possible and one can ride un-monitored. One guy from the group is planning on returning and spending two weeks exploring the Country, which is probably the right amount of time to give it justice.
In short, too many people are treating Burma as a pass through country (including people in our group which is why we had to burn it across the Country) and not as the adventure it appears to be. Sure there are political issues that make Burma a bit of a black sheep, but hell, the only people at the moment going trough this country are RTWs, and if someone can't handle these issues, then the FARC in Columbia; crime in Guatemala; insane police corruption in Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc, etc etc, are beyond one's moral bounds.
What's in a Name?: Burma or Myanmar, which name is correct? The Country was officially called Burma until in 1989 when the military junta overthrew the Government. At this point, the unpopular self-appointed rulers renamed the country Myanmar (which, according to the Economist, is a derivation of Burma) as they felt "Burma" sounded too Colonial. Of course, since no one voted for the junta, or really accepted them, most people still referred to the Country as Burma, more as a show of disapproval than anything else. As a result, the name of the Country depends upon your political position. Burma if your against the military junta, or Myanmar if you are for it or are concerned about who is in earshot. When President Obama met with the former president of the Country, he referred to the state as Myanmar, but still today, the US Embassy's official address is listed as Burma, so the US has come down squarely on both sides. In the past couple of years the stigma behind what name one uses had faded quite a bit as the country has a whole host of more complex issues in which to find resolution (again, not gonna go there). As such, both names are considered acceptable, especially when used by a visitor.
Leg Distance: 820 mi (1,322 km)
All these people and government controls can make the trip quite costly, that is of big concern to a around-the-worlder (RTW). If done solo, the trip across Burma would cost in excess of $2,000, but the tour agency worked to get a decent sized group together that reduced the per person cost to a palatable $430 to include all fees, payments, payoffs, hotels and breakfasts. The group primarily consisted of other RTWs making up a caravan of nine vehicles. Of the nine vehicles, there were four adventure bikes that hung together, three other motorcycles, an SUV and an RV. We were required to stay to a predefined route (to be honest, its Burma and there are not a whole lot of routes in which to choose) and were basically given free reign along that route, we just had to check in via Whatsapp every couple of hours with our positions and to verify all was well. Except for a schedule we had to keep, the government oversight really ended up being a non-issue, I only the saw the representative a couple of times, and since he didn't speak English, we never spoke. The tour guide I saw quite often. He was a westerner, fellow rider and adventure traveler, so he was quite enjoyable to hang out with. That pretty much summarizes everything about riding across Burma that has nothing to with actually riding across Burma. So what about Burma?
I found Burma to be just an amazing country, Similar to Nepal, the relief of leaving India and entering into the Country is immediately noticeable. The people seem to take real pride in their surroundings and it shows. The roads were in decent shape, the restaurants though austere were clean, garbage and other refuse were adequately addressed, and some of the most spectacular views abound almost everywhere. In terms of Burma being a developing country, the cities seemed well developed and thriving. With regards to Western investment, of what I saw, and unlike their neighbor Thailand, there seems to be very little. One thing that was quite noticeable was the spread between the haves and have-nots. Riding through the cities and larger towns, the number of mansions were all too noticeable. In some areas there were just lined up down the street.
To be honest, I am amazed that the Country was only recently opened to visitors. When compared to other newly opened countries (i.e. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc,), Burma seems to have entirely out paced them, but then again, I do not know their starting point. The country is sparsely inhabited, greatly influenced by the Buddhist religion/philosophy depending upon your bent (again, a discussion in which I will not participate), and the people are extremely polite, welcoming, and gracious. The police even seemed to be accommodating. Burma is ideally suited to motorcycle touring, which oddly enough you can do without a Ministry official or tour guide tagging along if you rent a bike inside the Country.
My biggest negative to the trip across Burma was the schedule. We made the run in basically four full days of riding. The days were long (7 to 13.5 hours a day), and there little time for side journeys. I never got to Rangoon/Yangon and all of the hundreds of attractions nearby, and only saw the City of Mandalay for two hours in the daylight. The trip was such a burner that it took a couple of days to recover, days I would of rather spent riding normal distances and still having time to explore. Again, motorcycle rental inside the Country is possible and one can ride un-monitored. One guy from the group is planning on returning and spending two weeks exploring the Country, which is probably the right amount of time to give it justice.
In short, too many people are treating Burma as a pass through country (including people in our group which is why we had to burn it across the Country) and not as the adventure it appears to be. Sure there are political issues that make Burma a bit of a black sheep, but hell, the only people at the moment going trough this country are RTWs, and if someone can't handle these issues, then the FARC in Columbia; crime in Guatemala; insane police corruption in Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc, etc etc, are beyond one's moral bounds.
What's in a Name?: Burma or Myanmar, which name is correct? The Country was officially called Burma until in 1989 when the military junta overthrew the Government. At this point, the unpopular self-appointed rulers renamed the country Myanmar (which, according to the Economist, is a derivation of Burma) as they felt "Burma" sounded too Colonial. Of course, since no one voted for the junta, or really accepted them, most people still referred to the Country as Burma, more as a show of disapproval than anything else. As a result, the name of the Country depends upon your political position. Burma if your against the military junta, or Myanmar if you are for it or are concerned about who is in earshot. When President Obama met with the former president of the Country, he referred to the state as Myanmar, but still today, the US Embassy's official address is listed as Burma, so the US has come down squarely on both sides. In the past couple of years the stigma behind what name one uses had faded quite a bit as the country has a whole host of more complex issues in which to find resolution (again, not gonna go there). As such, both names are considered acceptable, especially when used by a visitor.
Leg Distance: 820 mi (1,322 km)
Total Distance Traveled by Motorcycle: 31,681 mi (51,098 km)
Countries/Territories Visited: USA, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Transnistria, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China (for 20 seconds), India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand
