We’ve finally finished converting our 360 panoramic views to Flash. Our collection now includes 20 panoramas, so start spinning your way around Asia. We’ve even added three new views, including: a cave temple at Ajanta in India, Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia, and the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Myanmar.

To give you an idea about prices in Myanmar, we compiled a short list of things you may want or need.

Here’s what you can get in Myanmar for around a buck:

• 1 glass of iced coffee
• 4 packs of local cigarettes or 1/2 pack of Marlboros
• 17 days worth of Doxycycline
• 10 samosas (fried pastries filled with meat or vegetables)
• 4 liters (1 gal) of drinking water
• 1 can of Coca Cola or 1 liter of Myanmar Star Cola
• 3 small sheets of gold leaf
• 1 high-grade pomelo
• 2 Bamar curry dishes including all the side dishes
• 1 hour of Internet usage (tourist price) or 2.5 hours (local price)
• 125 ml (4.2 oz) of Listerine

These prices are after the black market exchange. If you were to change your dollars in a bank, you’d be paying $170 for each of those items. Ouch!

We’ve gotten several emails asking for more photos of Myanmar. Of course, a country as visually stunning as this begs for a full pictorial, so here it is …

Forget Botox, drink yourself younger with beer made of Spirulina algae!

Follow along as we experience rural life and meet Danu, Taung Yo, Pa-O and Paduang tribal people along the way.

Watch as we continue to explore the lake by boat, hit the market days, weave in and out of floating gardens, and glide between traditional stilt houses. Notice the unique leg-rowing technique of local fishermen, and don’t miss Nga Hpe Kyaung, the jumping cat monastery. Yes, you heard right…

The Paduang, sometimes annoyingly referred to as the “long-neck” tribe, are one of the most recognizable ethnic groups in the world. More properly called the Kayah Lahwi (their name for themselves), the Paduang embrace one of the most extreme beautification practices out there. As Paduang women grow, heavy brass coils are added to their necks pushing down their shoulders to create the illusion of a long neck. From Discovery Channel specials on “body modification” to literature on “body mutilation” the Paduang story has been told and sold and used and abused for a variety of purposes.

This tribe attracts a lot of attention, but due to decades of rebel activity in their home state of Kayah, very few outsiders have been able to visit Paduang villages in Myanmar. This might have been a sort of blessing in disguise.

In the early 90s, Paduang refugees fleeing conflict began crossing into neighboring Thailand. I remember hearing stories of travelers encountering the legendary “giraffe woman” when I first visited Thailand in 1990 and 91. At the time, the drug-laden Golden Triangle was still relatively volatile. (I remember floating through a shootout between Karen rebels and the Thai military on a bamboo raft – yikes!) Moreover, those visitors who did travel to the border with Myanmar did not usually visit refugee camps, so exchanges between Paduang and outsiders were relatively uncommon.

But conflict in the Thai portion of the Golden Triangle was coming to an end, and with a calming of the region, these initial encounters with the Paduang quickly evolved into a circus-like tourist show. Early experiments with “freakonomics” steadily evolved into a full-blown Paduang industry. Reports began to circulate that Paduang women were being held as virtual slaves so that tourists visiting the human zoo could photograph them for a fee. As they were often illegal immigrants in Thailand, the Paduang were easily exploited.

Wanting to get in on the Paduang show, business people in the Inle Lake region of Myanmar, an open region without travel restrictions, began to bring in Paduang women to draw tourists into their shops. The Paduang, desperate to survive, were easily lured into such schemes.

This disgusting behavior in Thailand and to a lesser extent in Myanmar drew widespread criticism from human rights organizations as well as tribal advocacy groups. Still today, Lonely Planet guidebooks for both Thailand and Myanmar implore visitors not to partake in the Paduang show, and if they visit, not to pay for photos.

Bypassing this exploitative experience sounds like a pretty obvious choice. This is why I have not seen the Paduang before. But very recently, I saw an interesting documentary discussing the further evolution of the Paduang story. The documentary described how human rights organizations and NGOs had been able to shape and form the freak show into something a little more palatable. It described how the Paduang were directly benefiting from tourist visits and associated handicraft sales. The documentary argued that the neck rings were a form of body art no worse that extreme tattooing or breast implants. Moreover, the documentary showed a professional male photo model in America who had enhanced his career opportunities by getting pec implants. The documentary posed an interesting question: when professional photo models are turning to body modification to enhance their career opportunities, how can we condemn the Paduang, a displaced tribal group, for charging tourists for photos?

The more I thought about the documentary, the more I wanted to meet a Paduang woman.

Fast forward to Inle Lake, Myanmar. When our long-tail boat driver asked our motley crew if we wanted to see a Paduang woman, everyone in the boat answered with a resounding no – except me. “I want to meet a Paduang woman,” I announced, “so I can ask her directly how she is being treated.”

Somewhat perplexed by my response and unsure of whether to challenge Lonely Planet’s recommendations, the others reluctantly agreed to the visit. I’m glad we did, it was not at all what I expected.

We stepped out of the long-tail into a stilt-hut tourist shop, which was actually quite nice. The owners greeted us with cups of tea and showed us their extensive collection of carved statues, puppets, antiques, jewelry, and woven scarves. Off to the side, I noticed a young Paduang woman walking by with a basket of yarn. I somewhat awkwardly followed her into a separate hut where she and several other Paduang women were weaving scarves. Busily working the looms, they were joking and laughing with each other, at times screaming and belly laughing in delight. They didn’t look like slaves.

The young Paduang woman I had seen smiled and welcomed me, another giggled and ran off into another room. The owners of the shop entered and asked me if I was interested in Paduang woven scarfs, the emphasis was not at all on the women’s necks. An older Paduang women eyed my camera bag and said something biting that sent the other women into hysterics. Rather than rushing to take a photo, I sat and watched the older woman weaving. I have to admit, their necks were incredibly impressive.

Noticing my curiosity, one of the women asked if I wanted to take a picture. Unsure, I hesitated. “Free,” she smiled. I was confused. Weren’t they selling pictures of themselves? I snapped a couple of portraits and some shots of the women weaving and then showed them the pictures on my camera’s digital display.

“Thank you,” said the younger Paduang woman before returning to work. No requests for money, no demand to purchase anything. I sat for some time watching them weave.

Some argue that the Paduang’s long necks give them an economic advantage over other Burmese tribal people. Most of Myanmar’s tribes lack education and training and have little prospect for work other than traditional agriculture. For many tribes who have been displaced by conflict and have lost their land, daily survival is a constant struggle. The Paduang’s unique tradition has given an impoverished people a means of bringing in income. Clearly, the women working in the tourist shop had been hired to lure in curious travelers. Many tribal women can weave, but the Paduang women got the jobs, and they got the jobs because of their neck rings.

Others argue that tourists are actively encouraging the Paduang to continue a horrible form of “body mutilation” which needs to be stopped. It is often rumored that if Paduang women remove their rings, their atrophied necks flop over causing them to suffocate. This rumor appears to be false; however, I was unable to find any online pictures of older Paduang women without their rings. Regardless, weighting the shoulders and severely altering a girl’s bone development is unquestionably an extreme beauty ideal which does affect how a woman is able to move her entire upper body.

What do the Paduang think?

I have no idea. Although they clearly interact with tourists on a daily basis, the four women we met only spoke enough English to greet us and introduce themselves. Over the years, Thomas and I have encountered numerous tribal groups in various stages of development. Looks and behavior tell us a lot. The women were clean and seemed healthy. They were laughing and joking with us and with each other. They seemed happy. The way the women interacted with us expressed amusement and equality rather than fear or submissiveness. I saw no obvious signs that the store owners were using or abusing these women. Both the woman and the store owners were proud of their products and not at all desperate to sell them. Here in Inle Lake, the women appeared to be living better than most tribal people trapped in a 21st century world.

So, what’s the answer?

The answer is that the world is complex. Paduang necks are fascinating and, in an anthropological sense, beautiful – but they also represent a terrifying form of abuse. This abuse is, however, allowing Paduang to survive in less than ideal circumstances. There are advocates who insist that the practice of placing neck rings on young girls must stop immediately. This makes sense for Paduang who have access to education and career training. But for the Paduang living in remote regions, removing the rings may be throwing away their best source of income. There are few easy answers. The Paduang conundrum is just one more example of the complex realities facing tribal people as they transition into a very foreign modern world.

NOTE: Second-hand reports and online sources indicate that the situation is worse in Thailand where Paduang tourism has gotten out of hand. (Wikipedia summarizes the situation well.) We have not been to these villages, so we will not comment on them – yet.

Photograph by Fanny Farkas

A typical meal consists of a big bowl of rice and two or three small curry dishes of either mutton, fish or chicken. What makes a Bamar meal so unique, however, are all the unidentifiable side dishes that add some extra flavors. And the best thing is, the small dishes keep coming until the table is completely covered.

Although I haven’t exactly figured out what most of these dishes are, tamarind seems to be one of the main ingredients served in one form or another. In addition, there are many leafy things and crunchy bits as well as oily pastes and fiery dips. The not-so-subtle flavors are often bitter or extremely tangy and can quickly overtake the entire dish, which is why Bamar food doesn’t always get a thumbs up from travelers. While some might find the tastes too extreme, Tony can’t get enough of it.

If you don’t particularly like Bamar cuisine for its flavors, you have to love it for its originality. I haven’t tasted anything else quite like it, which in itself is quite exciting. My favorite dish is the pickled tea leaf salad – it’s worth coming to Myanmar for this one dish alone.

These are questions we considered carefully before making our decision.

Reports indicate that Aung San Suu Kyi, the world-famous Burmese opposition leader who has been under house arrest for years, has advised travelers not to visit Myanmar arguing that such a visit serves to support an unjust regime. She and similarly-minded Burmese activists argue that tourism does little to support the average Burmese person and that tourist dollars will ultimately end up with the government.

Others argue that visitors to Myanmar serve to witness human rights abuses and oppression as well as bring an outsider’s perspective to the Burmese people who often have little access to international news or opinions. Burmese anti-tourism activists counter that visitors to the country see little of the “real” Myanmar and Burmese can find better news sources than the occasional tourist.

I have long followed Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle and was uncomfortable going against her and her supporters’ reported wishes. But our short visit here has made it clear that coming to Myanmar is important. True, we may not be exposed to every aspect of Burmese oppression, but talking to locals has taught me that their ultimate fear is simply being forgotten by the larger international community. When I mentioned President Obama’s referencing Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi in a recent speech, locals’ eyes lit up with excitement at the thought that such an important world leader had remembered them. (I decided not to mention the fact that Obama had severely mispronounced Aung San Suu Kyi’s name during the speech. Oops!)

Having said that, it is clear that tourist dollars are collectively funneled into government coffers. Visa fees, entry fees and hotel taxes are unavoidable contributions. To minimize your impact, you can choose to stay in inexpensive private guesthouses rather than government-run hotels. It is also better to travel by bus or privately owned car rather than airplanes, which are run by the government or those connected to the government.

This is where it gets more complicated. How do you determine whether a privately owned company is connected to the government or not? Some, such as the notorious businessman Tay Za, are referenced in guidebooks. Others may not be so obvious. The solution to this riddle is actually much easier than you might think – ask locals. You may not always get the correct answer. But then again, you often do.

The best thing you can do when visiting Myanmar is to travel independently. This is quite easy to do here as the infrastructure is actually much better than you might expect. If you require more luxury, then stay at home. This is clearly not the moment for high-end tourists to visit the country. We experienced one heartbreaking moment as bus loads of tourists drove out of a resort owned by Tay Za on their way to the airport. I understand that not everyone is a backpacker, but there is no reason to dump thousands of dollars into government hands.

Well, wouldn’t it be better to stay out of Myanmar altogether?

I would answer no. One of the most disturbing people we’ve met here was a well-educated Chinese businesswoman who was fluent in English and had lived in the West for years. While discussing human rights abuses in Myanmar, I asked about the democracy movement in China. Proudly, she announced that Chinese were growing richer and richer and no longer needed democracy, as if wealth were the only benefit of the institution. I quickly realized her definition of human rights abuse was not having a cell phone. In her world, unlawful imprisonment, oppression, freedom of speech, forced relocation were all non-issues.

It’s clear that Myanmar’s overwhelming influence is China. Locals have repeatedly acknowledged that the Western embargo on Myanmar products has been relatively pointless because China willingly rushes in to fill the void. Chinese goods fill Myanmar’s markets and the Chinese are racing to buy up all the resources they can get their hands on. (Picture an endless stream of trucks carrying out what is left of Myanmar’s tropical forests.) The West’s attempts to isolate Myanmar are providing China with the perfect opportunity to shape the country in its own image. International visitors to Myanmar provide a valuable wealth of perspectives whether French, Swedish, Canadian or Japanese to challenge Chinese definitions of development. Burmese are hungry for ideas and interaction. This interaction will prove vital as they define themselves and their future.

Beyond the rather abstract reason of countering Chinese influence, most Burmese we have encountered seem to feel tourism represents an economic opportunity for the average person. In places like Bagan, Inle Lake and Yangon, it is clear that many people are surviving off of tourist dollars. Every day, we are warmly welcomed and engaged by curious Burmese. Not once has anyone suggested that our presence is somehow conflicting with a larger movement towards freedom. (And I’ll mention here that we’ve had some pretty candid conversations, so I feel confident they would tell us to stay away if they felt it would benefit Burma.)

All in all, a cautious, well-planned budget to mid-range trip to Myanmar will probably do more good than harm. However, I will emphasize once again that high-end travel is currently not an option for those who want to visit the country without handing over large sums of money to a very questionable regime. If luxury is that important to you, you might want to wait until the political situation changes before you come.

Southeast Asia is hot, even when it’s the “cool” season.

Bagan will certainly be the highlight of our trip to Myanmar! Visitors can explore the ancient city by car, foot, horse cart, ox cart, or hot air balloon. But the best way to get away from everyone and see the remotest temples and ruins is by bicycle.

We’ve spent several days straining our leg muscles – and it’s so worth it. Watch Bagan through our eyes and see the temple city come alive.

It’s another tropical Christmas with loads of pineapple, rambutans, mango and pomelo under the tree – that would be a palm tree, of course. Hope everyone around the world is having a great holiday season.

This little guy was up early to check out my bike and make sure it was ready for today’s explorations of Bagan. Unfortunately, he must have missed something because I ended up with a flat tire on a dusty track miles from nowhere. Or, perhaps, the flat had something to do with my “short cut” through that stretch of thorny scrub. Hmmm.