Well, not entirely. But soon I’m going to the most remote, out-of-the-way place I’ve ever been. I will have to put aside my comfort and everything I think I control in my life – my apartment, my familiar surroundings, my eating habits. Travel takes the control out of my life.
My flight is booked to Myanmar.
I’m spending 6 days in Myanmar by myself. Yes, by myself. Travel sanctions against the country were lifted in 2010, and since the deluge of tourists is still in its early stages, I hope to see it without too many outside influences.
The main reason I’m going to Myanmar is to say I’ve been to Myanmar. Not really. It’s Bagan. I’d never even heard of the place before last November. In fact I had no desire whatsoever to go Myanmar, or Asia for that fact. But I ended up there and saw this photo in the newspaper:
Extraordinary. Amazing. I have to see this place.
To travel from the local villages to the Bagan Archaeological Zone, it’s perfectly normal to take a horse-drawn cart. A horse-drawn cart! You can also rent a bike which I think will be my preferred method because horses scare me.
I think the main industry in the area is tourism now, as there’s a long list of hotels and guest houses in my guidebooks. I’ve read Myanmar is desperately in need of tourism to help their economy, especially from travelers who leave their money with locals rather than the authorities or foreign tourist companies. I’m willing to help them out.
So, traveling sans tour group, I’ll have to battle off my shyness and make new friends. Share meals with strangers. Talk to strangers! For a shy person, that actually causes me terror. But, I’m gonna do it. Me and my camera and my new stranger friends are going to wander among fields of temples. The newspaper made me do it.
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