22 Days in Burma, Northern Thailand & Southern Laos
Jan 24th, 2011, 05:45 PM
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I'll now post info for those interested in reading recommendations for this trip and my packing strategy.
Books I enjoyed in preparation for Burma
Aung, Maung Htin. Burmese Folk Tales. Oxford University Press, 1954. A
sweet emersion in to the culture and myths of Burma through traditional
tales.
Connelly, Karen. Burmese Lessons. Doubleday, 2009
A personal account of the author’s visits to Burma, her attraction to the gracious people, repulsion at the military regime, her flirtation with the life of a resistance fighters‘s wife, her visits to resistance military camps and refugee camps. All this is spun around her love relationship with a resistance leader, told in breezy prose with candor and humor.
Edwardson, Morgan (ed). To Myanmar With Love: A Travel Guide for the connoisseur. Things Asian Press, 2009. A compilation of personal experiences, vignettes and recommendations from various experienced Burma travelers.
Ghosh, Amitav. The Glass Palace. Random House, 2000.
An engaging novel set in Burma during the 1885 (3rd) British invasion. It follows the exile of the royal family and the colorful characters who live through it.
Kyi, Aung San Suu. Letters from Burma. Penguin Books, 1991.*
A wonderful collection of Suu Kyi’s writings. Her words come straight from the heart and the strength and gentleness of this special Lady shine through on every page. It is also illustrated with her lovely drawings.
Mason, Daniel. The Piano Tuner. Vintage Books, 2003.*
A beautifully written novel set in the jungles of 1886 Burma when a piano tuner is commissioned by the British War Office to repair a rare piano belonging to a physician.
McClelland, Mac. For Us Surrender is Out of the Question. 2010 Soft Skull Press The author tells of her 2006 trip to Thailand volunteering & living among ethnic rebels.
Orwell, George. Burmese Days. 1934. *The classic tale of life in Burma during the finals days of British rule from a very British point of view.
David I. Steinberg, Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2010
The most scholarly and comprehensive picture of Burma today in the context of its history and culture.
Strachan, Paul. Pagan: Art and Architecture of Old Burma. Kiscadale Publications, 1989. A scholarly and comprehensive book covering the history of Pagan’s architectural history, periods and styles, followed by an exhaustive catalog of Pagan’s structures and helpful commentary on their distinctive features.
Thant Myint-U. The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma. Farrar, 2006
Written by the grandson of U Thant, the renown, former Secretary-General of the UN, he recounts the history of Burma beginning in 1885. Mostly it is an engaging history book with personal tidbits and People Magazine info sprinkled about to add flavoring. ...like his visits with ASSK as teens. Reading the chronology of Burma’s cultural, political and economic life puts its current state of affairs into perspective. He seems to tell it straight.
Wong, Kenneth. A Prayer for Burma. Santa Monica Press, 2003.* Wong, a Burmese-American, writes of his return to his homeland highlighting its special beauty and its terrible plight.
* read prior to my first trip in ‘05
For Laos
Cotterill, Colin. Any of his detective novels set in late 1970s Vientiane featuring Dr Siri.
Lambert, Larrry. White Powder: A Novel of the CIA and the Secret War in Laos. Niederhauser, 2010. An interesting fictional account that has the ring of truth.
PACKING TIPS
Packing for a trip that involves cold, warm and hot weather is a challenge.
I pack everything in zippered sweater bags or Eagle packing modules. Small bags hold undergarments. I use separate a bag for cold weather gear, for beach/resort wear and for warm weather tops and bottoms. I only unpack the modules I’ll need for that climate. I usually bring old tennis shoes and give them away to make room for new purchases. A hat with chin strap comes in handy.
Our third world medical kit includes, besides the usual, an epi kit, hand, knee and ankle braces, eye drops and wash. I’ve already mentioned the rolls of camping toilet paper and Purell.
I carry 5-6 small baggies of home mixed trail mix, a roll of bubble wrap and a cardboard cylinder (for art work).
I bring copies of passport, extra passport photos, copies credit cards and driver’s license that my husband and I both carry. I print out copies of our itinerary and place them on top of our clothes before zipping the bags.In my carrry-on bag, besides the usual, I carry a complete change of clothes in case my suitcase does to reach me for several days.
Books I enjoyed in preparation for Burma
Aung, Maung Htin. Burmese Folk Tales. Oxford University Press, 1954. A
sweet emersion in to the culture and myths of Burma through traditional
tales.
Connelly, Karen. Burmese Lessons. Doubleday, 2009
A personal account of the author’s visits to Burma, her attraction to the gracious people, repulsion at the military regime, her flirtation with the life of a resistance fighters‘s wife, her visits to resistance military camps and refugee camps. All this is spun around her love relationship with a resistance leader, told in breezy prose with candor and humor.
Edwardson, Morgan (ed). To Myanmar With Love: A Travel Guide for the connoisseur. Things Asian Press, 2009. A compilation of personal experiences, vignettes and recommendations from various experienced Burma travelers.
Ghosh, Amitav. The Glass Palace. Random House, 2000.
An engaging novel set in Burma during the 1885 (3rd) British invasion. It follows the exile of the royal family and the colorful characters who live through it.
Kyi, Aung San Suu. Letters from Burma. Penguin Books, 1991.*
A wonderful collection of Suu Kyi’s writings. Her words come straight from the heart and the strength and gentleness of this special Lady shine through on every page. It is also illustrated with her lovely drawings.
Mason, Daniel. The Piano Tuner. Vintage Books, 2003.*
A beautifully written novel set in the jungles of 1886 Burma when a piano tuner is commissioned by the British War Office to repair a rare piano belonging to a physician.
McClelland, Mac. For Us Surrender is Out of the Question. 2010 Soft Skull Press The author tells of her 2006 trip to Thailand volunteering & living among ethnic rebels.
Orwell, George. Burmese Days. 1934. *The classic tale of life in Burma during the finals days of British rule from a very British point of view.
David I. Steinberg, Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2010
The most scholarly and comprehensive picture of Burma today in the context of its history and culture.
Strachan, Paul. Pagan: Art and Architecture of Old Burma. Kiscadale Publications, 1989. A scholarly and comprehensive book covering the history of Pagan’s architectural history, periods and styles, followed by an exhaustive catalog of Pagan’s structures and helpful commentary on their distinctive features.
Thant Myint-U. The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma. Farrar, 2006
Written by the grandson of U Thant, the renown, former Secretary-General of the UN, he recounts the history of Burma beginning in 1885. Mostly it is an engaging history book with personal tidbits and People Magazine info sprinkled about to add flavoring. ...like his visits with ASSK as teens. Reading the chronology of Burma’s cultural, political and economic life puts its current state of affairs into perspective. He seems to tell it straight.
Wong, Kenneth. A Prayer for Burma. Santa Monica Press, 2003.* Wong, a Burmese-American, writes of his return to his homeland highlighting its special beauty and its terrible plight.
* read prior to my first trip in ‘05
For Laos
Cotterill, Colin. Any of his detective novels set in late 1970s Vientiane featuring Dr Siri.
Lambert, Larrry. White Powder: A Novel of the CIA and the Secret War in Laos. Niederhauser, 2010. An interesting fictional account that has the ring of truth.
PACKING TIPS
Packing for a trip that involves cold, warm and hot weather is a challenge.
I pack everything in zippered sweater bags or Eagle packing modules. Small bags hold undergarments. I use separate a bag for cold weather gear, for beach/resort wear and for warm weather tops and bottoms. I only unpack the modules I’ll need for that climate. I usually bring old tennis shoes and give them away to make room for new purchases. A hat with chin strap comes in handy.
Our third world medical kit includes, besides the usual, an epi kit, hand, knee and ankle braces, eye drops and wash. I’ve already mentioned the rolls of camping toilet paper and Purell.
I carry 5-6 small baggies of home mixed trail mix, a roll of bubble wrap and a cardboard cylinder (for art work).
I bring copies of passport, extra passport photos, copies credit cards and driver’s license that my husband and I both carry. I print out copies of our itinerary and place them on top of our clothes before zipping the bags.In my carrry-on bag, besides the usual, I carry a complete change of clothes in case my suitcase does to reach me for several days.
Jan 26th, 2011, 05:41 AM
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Thanks Robbie for validating my obsessive compulsive packing ways, but it does work to organize and keep clothes for different climates together. Enjoyed your report and soooo glad you enjoyed the Vogue.
Jun 4th, 2011, 09:12 AM
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hi robbie - awesome trip report. wondering if you could share the email address for your contact eddy at sea tours? was this their website: http://www.seatoursthai.com ? i didnt see an email address; only phone numbers to call... any help would be appreciated! thx!
Jun 4th, 2011, 10:22 AM
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Eddie's email is [email protected] Many of us have used him for plane tickets we can't book on the web.
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