For the first time in 52 year, Myanmar will be represented in the Miss Universe pageant…
Born and raised in Yangon, Moe Set Wine will represent her home country of Myanmar for the first time in over 50 years at tomorrow night’s televised Miss Universe pageant. While Miss. Wine is well educated, likeable and of course beautiful, her presence in the competition has outsiders buzzing about the chances to make it past the preliminary rounds.
So far the contestant seems to be taking her role as ambassador for her country seriously, recognizing that this is an opportunity to break old stereo-types in front of a world audience. This global competition also gives Wine a chance to shed a modern light on Myanmar (Burma), a place that is often seen as being stuck in the past.
In her own words Miss Wine said, ” I didn’t enter the competition for the prize or the cameras. I did it to represent my country on the world stage.”
The Miss Universe pageant may seem trivial to some, Wine’s appearance is major shift for a country rapidly trying to gain legitimacy after decades of suffering under a ruling dictator.
Participating in the competition means Wine will have to sport the trademark red swimsuit — challenging the countries view on modest dress. Aware of the delicacy of the issue, Wine said that those present at the selection process didn’t mind.
“The people who came to the show actually love it. They accept it because the announcer also explained that this is to see how healthy a body is,” she said when she was crowned Miss. Myanmar.
Regardless of her final ranking, it is clear that the public is anxious to see what Miss. Wine and Myanmar has to offer.
Being held in Russia the Miss Universe pageant will be televised tomorrow, Nov. 9.
Travelling in Cambodia over the weekend? You may notice a number of shops closed and the street uncharacteristically quiet thanks to the annual holiday of Pchum Ben — a celebration for those whose souls who have passed on.
Pchum Ben, known as All Souls or Ancestors’ Day, is a national holiday that offers the cosmic opportunity to pay one’s respects to deceased family members. During the three day Khmer holiday — one that marks the ending of an 15-day religious festival — food is taken to pagodas as an offering to ancestors who are believed to have the ability to temporarily leave their station in the afterlife.
The souls of the dead who are receiving punishment for their sins — souls whose eternity are condemned to hell — are thought to be able to temporarily leave their torment in order to receive the offering of their and with it short-term relief.
There are some who believe that spirits will go on to bless those families who leave food and curse those that don’t.
Unique to Cambodia, the holiday is marked in the real world by monks chanting prayers overnight as they close the door on what links the spiritual with the corporal.
After offerings are made to their ancestors, families use the remaining time off to spend time with those loved ones still present. For visitors to Cambodia, this presents the opportunity to take in one of the countries most hallowed traditions.
Here at Journeys Within, we strive to support sustainable tourism, an industry the United Nations Environmental Program has recognized as a key economic sector that can help countries, established and developing, transition to a greener economy…
The hit Hollywood film The Beach has dramatically increased tourism to Koh Phi Phi and surrounding islands — this influx of tourists has taken its toll on the natural environment.
In a report released earlier this month, the environmental arm of the United Nations recognized the positive role that tourism can play in a green future. With tourism on the rise globally the paper notes that tourism is one way for developing countries to join the global economy while protecting natural resources. Seeing the largest worldwide increase — there is an average 10% rise in international visitors each year — Southeast Asia needs to take notes of how to develop tourism sustainable.
Not unrealistic, the paper acknowledges possible negative impacts of that come from tourism. Increased waste, pollution stemming from transportation, an increase in water consumption, loss of cultural identity and an increase in conflicts with indigenous populations can all have long-term effects on the local environment.
However, more importantly the report goes on to outline how governments can use the power of tourism to help create long-lasting employment opportunities; because of the size and reach of the sector, this is a critical element of transitioning to a green economy. It goes on to outline, in theory, how long-term sustainability, environmental and otherwise, comes from a careful and delicate balance of social, economic and environmental issues.
According to the UN sustainable tourism should:
1. Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. 2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance. 3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.
Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building.
Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices among them.
While this balancing act is no small feat, the fact that tourism is being discussed on the world stage in the same breath as environmental sustainability demonstrates a shifting paradigm in how the world thinks about travel.
Countries like Cambodia, Laos and most recently Myanmar are all anxious to make their mark in the global stage and each has a tourism plan to help them achieve this. These countries recognize that the tourism sector, one that is rapidly ballooning, is one of the fastest ways to grow the amount of money coming into the country — both in terms of investments and direct tourism spending.
The short-term the play to attract as many people as possible as quickly as possible may work, the mass influx combined without proper planning will have devastating long-term effects on the countries. This latest report provides planning tools to mediate some these effects.
By including tourism as one of the sectors that can help economies develop, the UN is contributing to a conversation that conscientious tourism businesses have been involved with for some time; mainly how can we ensure that our guests get a great travel experience while also benefiting the communities.
Here at Journeys Within, we believe that taking the time to choose vendors that make an effort to be environmentally, socially and cultural responsible, as well as educating our guests about the regions they visit. Support for programs that create sustainable opportunities in tourism can help ensure that there is a brighter and greener future for everyone.
The Eastern and Oriental Express celebrate their 20th anniversary with a special journey through Southeast Asia…
When it comes to luxury travel, no mode of transportation balances beauty, nostalgia and opulence quite like a classic rail journey.
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Eastern and Oriental Express, the company behind the recreation of the Orient Express, is offering a special four-night ‘rail and relaxation’ experience taking passengers from Bangkok to Luang Prabang in style.
Highlights on the two-night rail adventure include a visit to the Khao Yai Hills to taste the ‘new latitude’ Thai wines, a chance to view the UNESCO site of Phimai in Thailand and the crossing of the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River to Vientiane.
The journey continues as guests are transferred to La Residence Phou Vao for a two-night stay. Owned and operated by Orient-Express, the hotel is situated in Luang Prabang, the country’s ex-royal capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Featuring stylish dining cars serving up fine foods, aperitifs on tap and a classic piano for entertainment, the appearance of Hercules Poroit is the only thing that could make this classic rail-car experience more legendary.
Why not let our experts include this four-day, once in a lifetime experience as part of your next Southeast Asian itinerary?
One of the main reasons for our trip to the Northeast was to investigate sustainable wildlife opportunities for our guests …
Bob and Onion were the first elephants we laid our eyes on at the Elephant Valley Project. Giant, slow moving and deliberate a group of us watched as they made their way from the jungle into the river for a bath. The entire group was silenced by their presence, even the know–it-all freelance writer anxious to share his views on everything.
Conservation in Asia is a complicated equation. In a perfect world — which is of course an imaginary place — the intrinsic value of animals and ecosystems would always be respected and preserved. Realistically, as Cambodia and neighboring countries look to grow their economies, environmental interests are not alone and are often not prioritized.
While we were visiting the area, it occurred to me that Elephants, in all their glory, embody this modern-day struggle between development and conservation. As majestic as they are — to be in their presence is certainly overwhelming — their value in Asia goes well beyond an intrinsic one.
Currently, the biggest threat against the endangered wild Asian elephant is habitat loss and population fragmentation — there isn’t enough jungle left for them to roam and what is left separates herds with man-made obstacles.
For captive elephants and their owners in Mondulkiri there is an obvious struggle between traditions, economic opportunities and the animal’s welfare.
Looking to find a sustainable and humane elephant experience for our guests, my colleagues and I visited the Elephant Valley Project, a non-government organisation looking to improve the health and welfare of captive elephants.
Regine, and behind her Narla, make their way to Heaven, one of the Elephant Valley Projects elephant areas.
After climbing down to the river, we watched silently as Onion submerge herself completely in the water, like a toddler down by the lake. Bob, less keen on dunking his head, was happy to blow water out of his trunk.
Recognizing that the well-being of the elephants in Mondulkiri depends on the well-being of the neighbouring communities, the Elephant Valley Project is taking a holistic approach to protection. Beyond providing a jungle sanctuary for the dozen or so elephants that are currently residents, the organization funds rangers to protect local parks, provides healthcare for the neighbouring village and offers training for mahouts looking to take better care of their elephants. Looking to alleviate poverty on a wider scale — the less desperate people are the better nature fares — the NGO is looking at extending their health coverage to include more villages.
While it remains to be seen how successful the Elephant Valley Project will be with their future outreach, there was something unique about the elephant experience they offer. They don’t allow riding, in fact interaction with the elephants is limited. What they do offer is an opportunity to see elephants in as natural an environment as could be created. The rescues create small herds, talk to each other and act like, well elephants. Having seen elephants throughout Asia, either chained up or walking in circles with a basket loaded with tourists, it was fascinating to see them in their element.
Elephant ownership is a tradition among the Bunong, the ethnic minority that inhabit the area around the sanctuary. Pachyderms have been caught and used throughout the region as work animals for generations. Once used for logging and construction, the aging animals are now being passed down to the next generation of owners whose knowledge of animal care and interest in the beasts is increasingly diluted; poverty-stricken children and grandchildren of original owners share the stake in what income the animal can produce.
While elephants are still being used for the odd logging job, there is increasing pressure on the animals to turn a profit, causing some families to look to the tourism industry as a money maker.
In Pulung village, we met a woman whose family was one of about twenty with shared ownership of a 55-year-old elephant. The elephant, once used in logging, was no longer needed in the forest and the families were struggling to care for the elephant on their meager income.
We were told the elephantsroam free until they are booked for a tour — one that includes walking the elephant to a local watering hole and giving it its daily bath. Upon having a tour booked, the elephant’s mahout would go into the jungle and collect the animal. Unlike the Elephant Valley Project, the Bunong do let guests ride the elephants for portions of the trek. Initially we were told that guests could only ride bareback, but later we saw evidence that baskets are still used. (Despite the size of the animal, it is not good for an elephant to carry heavy weight on its spine.)
While there was little doubt among my colleagues and I that the conditions weren’t ideal for the elephants, it was equally important for us to note that things weren’t much better for the community. Part of an ethnic minority, the Bunong have been relocated and forced to adapt to modern life. Living in small villages on the outskirts of Sen Monorom, they see little benefits from local tourism and even less investment in infrastructure from the government.
The community also seem to come to term with the fact that this would be the last generation to own elephants as the Bunong don’t breed their captive elephants. Baby elephants bred without the proper, very expensive, ceremony are believed to be bad luck and most of the captive elephants in the north are of an advanced age.
The pace and scale of development in Cambodia’s Northeast is having drastic effects of conservation efforts, not just for elephants. In Mondulkiri rubber plantations, road construction, mineral mining and logging are among the many interests vying for a piece of the same environmental pie. For the elephant’s sake, and ours, I sure hope there is enough to go around or that people learn to take less.
