One day in Burma

On the last day of 2007 we walked into Burma. A government guide met us on the bridge. In the afternoon we walked out with a Burmese monk.

A bridge connected Mae Sot, Thailand to Myawadi, Burma. The difference between the two sides of the river is stark. In Burma there are less paved roads and more dirt. The officials on the Burma side scared me- government, military, repression, injustice, murder. But they smiled and held onto our passports, taking our $20 for one day in Burma. And I felt so guilty giving this government any money, any support. But I wanted to talk to the Burmese, to spend some money in their shops, see how they live. For a while I wasn't sure if I'd get to talk to anybody, to have any sense of the real Burma- A government guide speaking perfect English followed us the first hour that we entered the country. He took us to a beautiful wat where I watched an army officer make an offering and pray to a Buddha shrine around a 600 year old Bodhi Tree. After lunch the guide realized we had no agenda and he left us for his afternoon nap.

Sarah and I walked to a market where they sold powder that makes women's face whiter. Some men also use the powder.

*unfinished