Who has not seen the pics in TV in 2007-soldiers up to their teeth in weapons- hitting unarmed people to death – like a Japanese journalist. Monks with bloody heads. This is how the mass-demonstration of the monks was crashed.

Mandalay today is a rather (not tops) modern city- noisy – but without the hectic of other Asian metropoles. And you see relatively few soldiers. Modern buildings surround the clock – tower, erected by the colonial masters to teach their oriental charges to be "on time" – which is so much likely as the proverbial snow in hell. A few streets from there you find the Zegyo market.

In a few years – so the talk goes – this will vanish and be replaced by yet another neon-lit supermarket hall, but right now, the market-women still reign over the food on this town. Tomatoes, bananas, two dozen kinds of dried fish – but also with mountains of crab-paste, bean-cookies, and the best of all:  snake fish – supposed to supercharge male potency.  Not too far away we find men with white streaked faces – and flex-machines drilling into a huge white marble block – ahhh – we hear with surprise – this is going to be one of Buddhas toes.

Other families work on Buddhas elbow and Buddhas stomach. A very special artist will be in charge of Buddhas face. Apparently this is a real profession in Burma – "the maker of Buddhas face".  A rather strange profession, we find, but interesting all the same, just like the other one – that of the gold-beater: he beats 10m2 hair-thin foil of gold out of a 32gram piece of real gold, as he hammers on that piece for days on end. This – is also for the Buddha, of course.

We all love Thailand, but let’s face it, it has it’s ugly side, too. Whereas Myanmar is – on the surface of course- the virgin – (as yet untouched by Tommy Hilfinger, Mercedes and Burger King style buildings and stores, it is still somewhat authentic) and Thailand (in comparison) is the whore. 

Apparently 400 000 tourists came to Mayanmar in 2006, 20 000 of those were Germans. After the monks’ demonstrations and the following unrest, tourism collapsed.  Hotels released staff or closed down all together, souvenir shops closed.

The generals don’t really care. They are making big profits with  Jade, Teak-wood, gas and minerals. The chambermaids, bell-boys, gardeners – in short – the small people of the population have no income now.  And even the more educated people don’t understand the "boykott" for political reasons = the cold shoulder the Western world is showing them.

Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon is surely fascinating. Especially in the evening, when the last rays of sun touch the golden needle of it’s top, with a slight pink-rosè touch…. Women with jasmin-chains around their neck kneel in awe and prayer. Pink clothed nuns are saying their ritsch-ratsch prayers in endless monotony.  Pictures of peace and pure bliss. These are just as true as the other side: the violence – the death of innocent people.

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RE: TWO MONTHS IN MAYANMAR POSSIBLE?

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Make Money on Vacation

Indonesia In Extreme Style

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For most travelers Republic of Indonesia is mainly associated with Bali island. However, the country has a lot to offer for those who are eager to take a rest far from trendy resorts and beach exotics. Those who love everything out of ordinary can choose an extreme tour.

Travel managers say that the number of tourists who choose adventurous trips is getting bigger and bigger. Indonesia is probably one of the best places to spend your time this way. The country includes: Greater Sunda Islands (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java and Madura), Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku islands and the western part of the New Guinea island, formerly known as Irian Jaya. This is the real expanse for extreme travelers.

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The most typical pastime is a trip to Java and Bali islands. This is in fact not an extreme tour, and it suits simple tourists who love active rest. Having arrived at Jakarta, travelers change their means of transport to Jeeps and ride along the Java island, admiring volcanoes, national parks, active geysers and wild animals. I trip like this usually includes a tour around huge internationally renowned temples, like Buddhist Borobudur and Hindu Prambanan. In Borobudur you can observe 1500 VIII-X century bas-reliefs and sculptures whereas Prambanan offers stunningly graceful and realistic sculptures that portray gods. After a week of walks along rural roads tourists find themselves on Bali. At day, the best pastime is sunbathing and swimming whereas at night you can spent your time clubbing and partying. Such 15-day tour costs no less than $1500.
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Those who value real adventures are offered other kinds of trips. For instance, you can pay $2,5-5 thousand and spent your time on Irian Jaya island living among cannibals (better not to spend too much time here) – an ancient nationality which managed to preserve its world-known traditions. Tourists live in real Papuan villages, raft along tropical rivers, participate in magical rituals and wild hunting using primitive tools. You will also get your doze of adrenalin when participating in tours called “Visiting head hunters”. This is a trip to Kalimantan island, during which you will travel on Jeeps, boats and by foot along the primeval jungles surrounded with rhinoceroses, giant butterflies, orang-utans and bears. Travelers spend two weeks on getting acquainted with customs and tempers of local wild tribes, familiarizing themselves with a fabulous sultan’s palace in Tenggarong, dancing at Tanamur – the country’s most famous disco and doing shopping at local floating market.
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Another kind of extreme tour is a trip to Sumatra island, where you can enjoy Krakatoa volcano, which erupted in 1883 – this was one of the largest cataclysms in history of human being. Travelers will also float along the Palembong canals – the Venice of the South-Eastern Asia, visit Bukittinggi, the capital of Minangkabau ethnic group. Some scientists say that it is in this city that descendants of Macedonian warriors and Amazons live. The journey is accomplished with a tour around the jungles.

By: Tatyana Kogut.

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Eye to Eye With A Sumatran Tiger

called Panthera Tigris Sumatrae, the Sumatran Tiger weighs in the range of two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds for males and one hundred and sixty to two hundred pounds for adult females. Length is about seven and a half feet for males and six and a half feet for females. Body color is darker than other tiger variants and stripes are narrower. Face and neck is characterized by marked growth of hair, giving the appearance of a mane. Paws have webbing between toes that enables the big cat to swim at quite a rapid pace.

An inhabitant of dense lowland and mountain forests, swamps and peat moss forests, the Sumatran Tiger is a solitary and nocturnal feline that takes a variety of prey animals for food. These include wild boar, tapir and deer typically but also fowl and fish at times. Even orang-utans are hunted when they come down from trees.

Our guide was taking us up Bukit Lawang in the North of Sumatra so that we could meet one of Sumatra’s last orang-utans. Walking in front of us with his long bush-knife in an atmosphere that reminded me very much to my last sauna-visit back home, we hassled to keep up with him when he suddently disappeared. We heard him crying out loud "Ouhouhouhouhou!" After a while he came back with a bit of anger on his face – "I’ll bring him into your sight – I promise!" But the orang-utan keeps in hiding.

Meanwhile, we are allowed to taste from a huge Chinin-tree, it tastes really bitter; I make a mental note to drink a Gin and Tonic tonight, which also contains chinin.

After an hour we sit down on an old tree-trunk fully exhaused, scratching our thorn-wounds and moskito-bites. Then we hear a growling far away, I feel a chill crawl over my spine and forearms, we exchange looks while the guide makes a sign for us to hush-up. Then we can take a glimpse of him through the shrubbery – a tiger! I’m so scared and elated at the same time, I can hardly breath. Luckily, he takes no notice of us but, after pausing a while, he proceeds in the other direction.

So we got to see one of the last Sumatran tigers; other animals included in the cat’s diet are porcupines, crocodiles, snakes and young rhinos. Our guide tells us, the tiger has been seen forcing some of its prey to take to water in a chase, where it swims over and kills them.

Early in the twentieth century, tigers occupied nearly the entire island of Sumatra. They are now only found in some scattered and segregated reserves. Many tigers live outside the protected areas and are shot by poachers or come into conflict with locals. They are among the many species on the once serene island of Sumatra that are losing the battle of survival to human encroachment.

Mating season for Sumatran Tigers is in the times of Winter and Spring though they have been known to mate year round. Pregnancy lasts three and a half months following which a litter of up to six cubs is born, with two to three being the norm. The young begin to venture outside their den at two weeks of age and start hunting at around six months. Independence is gained at two years of age. Lifespan is known to be fifteen years in the wild and twenty years in captive programs.

If you also want to take a chance to see a tiger, you should fly via Singapore to Medan in Indonesia, from where it is not too far into Gunung Leuser National Park.

You can enjoy a luxury holiday, and take half-day trekking tours into the jungle – be sure to hire a professional guide.  To really see the best, you should book 2 days and stay overnight in a camp. It’s eerie, yes -; but actually, in 2 days you do stand  a good chance to meet up with an organg utan. Calculate Euro 50/person/day for such an adventure.

The author, Brigitta J. Vetter, is a member of Global Resorts Network and can as such travel extensively. If you are interested to check out the incredible club-memberships, check Global Resorts Network 

B. Vetter

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