The Stranger (a Short Story)

By: Carlo Convertini

I always knew I’ve been at ease in the ever-changing role of the stranger: he who’s always coming from a mystic and distant place called elsewhere; he who’s always passing by, running away, out of place and out-rooted. The stranger is like a flower in a vase, you can carry it around, keep it in the sun or hide it  in the shade.

If being a stranger were a job it would be filled with alibi. As a stranger it’s easier to live with the fact no one understands you, of being the other one, identified with a luggage, with the fact you should go home at some point, of being always at a certain distance from something or not being able to speak the language, of not having friends, of being the one missing, of walking alone with the wind.

When you live in your own context/place I think it is a bit more difficult to truly recognize yourself in a role. As a stranger instead you are guaranteed at least of one exclusive point of view. You will have a small part in the scene, you wont be left out, lost in the outskirts with dirty shoes because at any given moment you are entitled to raise and declare: "Wait a minute! I am the stranger!".

A Schengen Visa for Asia

The team behind evisaasia.com are based in Malaysia. It all started when the team began developing an online visa system for the government of Cambodia 6 years ago. Eventually, it led to the creation of this project, which encompasses more than 20 countries in Asia and provides secure and reliable visa services for travelers worldwide.

The Changing Face of Burma

By: Gabrielle Yetter

With one hand balanced on the steering wheel, our driver, Thura Thein, fumbled in his pocket as he drove along the busy Yangon road from the airport.

A moment later, he pulled out a photograph. Smiling broadly, he thrust it toward us. “This is me with Aung San Suu Kyi,” he proudly declared, and he pointed out the home where the revered Burmese opposition leader spent 15 years under house arrest.

“She saved our country,” said one of the Burmese tour guides we met at Shwedagon Temple. “Our country is changing and everyone is very hopeful.”

It was the same everywhere. People smiled when talking about Burma (or Myanmar, as the military regime named it). Street vendors sold t-shirts displaying Suu Kyi’s face. An office in Bagan hung signs proclaiming “National League for Democracy “.

Things are shifting – and the people we met were happy to share their joy.

It hasn’t been like this for long. The Lonely Planet guide of 2011 cautions travelers “Don’t raise political questions and issues in inappropriate situations” and “Show equal caution regarding what you ask or say on the phone or via email” as well as  “Asking a taxi driver to take you past Aung San Suu Khyi’s house or to an NLD office could implicated them”.

Myanmar’s food

By: Keith Lyons

After decades of isolation, Myanmar is opening up to the rest of the world. Virtually unknown outside South-East Asia, Myanmar's cuisine is now being discovered by an increasing number of visitors, as well as those fortunate to have a rare Burmese restaurant in their city. So is Burmese food just rice and curry? Is it true they don't just drink tea, but also eat it? Are Myanmar dishes too simple, spicy, oily or sweet?

For starters, if you look on a map you will see that Myanmar is located between three gastronomic superpowers: India, China and Thailand. As you would expect, there are Indian, Chinese and South-East Asian influences on the food you find in Myanmar, but Burmese cuisine is quite distinctive, and not just curry and rice.

Sure, steamed white rice is the foundation of many meals, but travelers to Myanmar are often impressed with the variety of food available not just across the country, but at each meal. Let me explain. When you order a curry, hearty salad or noodle dish, you'll get a spread of accompaniments: pickled vegetables, fermented beans, fried shrimps, onion and chilli, raw fresh vegetables and dips, fresh herbs like mint and pennywort, and a paste made from salted fish or shrimps called ngapi. In fact ngapi is more than a condiment, being the base for many mains, salads and soups. Also often served free with many meals is a simple black pepper soup.

‘The Lady’of Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi

By: Diana van Oort

Aung San Suu Kyi is without a doubt the most iconic Burmese politician. As the Chairperson and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), she has been described as charismatic, dedicated, inspirational, courageous and stubborn. She was born on 19 June 1945 in Rangoon and is the third child and only daughter of Aung San (father) and Khin Kyi (mother). Her father founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma’s independence from the British Empire in 1947. He was assassinated by his rivals in the same year. He’s still held in high esteem. Her mother was appointed Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s Political Life

Aung San Suu Kyi grew up with her mother and two brothers. One, Aung San Lin, drowned when he was eight. The other, Aung San Oo migrated to The United States. After Aung San Lin's death, the family moved to a house by Inya Lake, where she still lives today. Aung San Suu Kyi is a Theravada Buddhist.

The Moustache Brothers: Burma’s Comedy Trio Keeps on Cracking Jokes against the Grain

By: Diana van Oort

Humor and totalitarian regimes don’t go well together, something the Moustache Brothers from Burma can attest to The Moustache brothers are a comedy trio from Mandalay, known for their live performances that combine comedy, classic Burmese dance, and sharp satirical criticism of the military regime. In 1996 they paid a high price for cracking jokes against the regime.

The Moustache Brothers: “All I did was cracking some jokes”

"All I did was cracking some jokes. But for that, I was sentenced to hard labor," says Par Par Lay in an interview with Newshour on the BBC World Service. "I didn't revolt against the government but I was charged with a political crime." In 1996 Par Par Lay, 64, and his cousin, 60-year-old Lu Zaw, were sent to prison after they performed outside the house of Burma's most famous political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi, where they made the military government the butt of some jokes. Lu Maw, 62-year, avoided prison, apparently after they drew lots to decide who would actually deliver the controversial jokes. They came out of prison in 2003. In 2010 Aung San Suu Kyi herself was released from house arrest by Burma's new, nominally civilian government.

Elephant Dance Festival Myanmar

The Elephant Dance Festival lasts for two days and takes place in Myanmar. Life-size paper elephants with two people inside dance and sing throughout the city. The elephants are beautifully made of paper and bamboo. The dancers make three circles around the foot of the hill in Kyaukse, near to Mandalay, to honor the Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda. Next morning the pilgrims climb to the top of the hill, which is 975 ft high, to offer fruits, cakes and small figurines of elephants.

Signs of Change: Traveling through Burma

Text & Images by: Willem van Gent

Willem van Gent and Willy van Rooijen are a Dutch couple who traveled through Burma. They share their experiences and first signs of change on Latitudes.

In the fall of 2010 we find ourselves in the south of Laos. In the lobby of our hotel at the Mekong we watch the news that the house arrest of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (66) has been lifted. We decide there and then that Burma will be our next destination.

December 2011. To our surprise getting a visa for Burma at the Bangkok embassy is going very smoothly. And we are certainly not the only ones who want to go there. It is almost impossible to find a room in the capital Yangon.

Changes are in the air but nobody knows how fast the reformist process the new president Thein Sein has started, will go on. We stay a few days in Yangon and do the things all tourists do. We walk around and enjoy the street life, with the tea houses, the small stalls, the sounds and smells of a city where people spend a big part of their days outside.

Transportation in Burma: Riding Iron Deathtraps for Fun

The Naga Festival

By: Maya Liem

Every year on January 15th the Naga people, living in Myanmar, celebrate the Lunar New Year Festival, known as Kaing Bi. All Naga tribes in Myanmar send delegations to celebrate their most important festival of the year. At midnight on new year’s eve, the Naga chief prays at the festival site. When the praying is over, people sacrifice cattle, pigs and chickens, which will be prepared for the meal at the festival. The festival is usually celebrated with lots of food, rice wine and dances.

Naga, a people divided

The term Naga people is given to a conglomeration of tribes living in the North Eastern part of India (in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh) and the North Western part of Myanmar (in the Naga Self-Administered Zone, Sagaing division). Although many Naga have been Christianized after the arrival of missionaries from the middle of the 19th century on, and the new educational system has brought changes to the old social patterns and cultural practices, the Naga people still attract the attention of the outside world.