Meet You In Myanmar!

By: Andrea Ross

This month I am lucky enough to be leading a group in Myanmar for a week on land and a week diving off the coast. Our Myanmar Culture and Conservation Trip is a collaboration project with Dr. Andrea Marshall- leading expert, reigning Queen of the Mantas and, for me, one of my best friends from high school!

I arrived in Myanmar a few days early to get things prepared and have time to explore the hotels and restaurants here in Yangon.  As it worked out, my arrival overlapped with Arlene and Yi- Han Chang’s tour with Journeys Within here in Myanmar. They had already been to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia so Myanmar was their next spot.

Arlene and Yi-Han are lovely, loyal clients that I met for the first time at the LA Times Travel Show years ago.  Yi-Han is a self proclaimed foodie and is up for trying anything so Tin, our Myanmar director, suggested we have lunch at Feel Myanmar, a local restaurant with an excellent variety of delicious local specialties.  Set up like a buffet, you approach the plates of food but, rather than helping yourself, you point to what you want and a floating waiter takes your order.  After heating up the food, the waiter brings it to your table.

To get a better feel for Myanmar gastronomy, we tried a little of everything- Burmese curries, Indian breads and chicken, Thai Papaya Salad (or som tum), delicious but smelly fish paste (according to Yi-Han, I don’t go near the stuff) and wonderful satay and desserts!  Not only was the food a total pleasure, but Yi-Han told us an amazing story about his family’s passage from Beijing to Southern China in 1941 as the Japanese moved in during World War II.  As he and his family struggled up the Burma Road, the Japanese closed in behind, taking Myanmar as they went. Yi-Han was only 7 but he still remembers the black teeth of the betel nut-chewing Burmese and, of course, the food they ate along the way!

Before lunch started Simon, our guide here in Yangon, turned to me and said what lovely guests Journeys Within has and how all the guides enjoy working with us because our guests are so kind. Arlene and Yi-Han were perfect examples of our wonderful Journeys Within guests!  After lunch they headed off to the airport and I headed to our Myanmar Directors house for dinner…at least I’ll get to keep eating well! It is always a pleasure to meet guests as they travel with us and, while I’m used to meeting guests in Cambodia, it’s a special treat to get to meet them in other exciting locations. Thanks to Arlene and Yi-Han for being such great company over such great food! Where should we meet next?!?