We have been in Myanmar for over two weeks, though it feels like a month. This can happen when you experience so many beautiful and special things!
The day after our arrival in Yangon was a busy day as we immediately had three business appointments. Fortunately, after a good night’s sleep in the hotel we had virtually no problems with jet lag.
Two businessmen in Myanmar, whom we know well, invited us to come with them to the mountains for a few days. We went with their group of friends, a total of 25 people, and they really went the extra mile!! On their request, we stood in front of our hotel at 7 a.m., ready with a modestly packed weekend bag. After a few minutes, two robust Jeeps appeared at the hotel. The profile of the tires promised something exciting, so we got in quickly.
Most of the roads here are not very good quality and we were already used to that, but after 4 hours of driving it suddenly became clear to us why we needed the robust Jeeps. During the 6 hours that followed the roads got rougher and rougher and a couple of times we got stuck in the mud. Wow, what a ride!
When we arrived at the top, we saw another couple of Jeeps because part of the group had left earlier to set up the temporary kitchen and sleeping rooms. There were three buildings on a flat section. A men's and women's bedroom and a small building for the kitchen. As we were the only couple, we got a room together in the men's quarters. We were lucky, at least that’s what we initially thought, until the night began… After two hours we were still awake with all the snoring men surrounding us, and this was in combination with sleeping on a "mattress" the thickness of a piece of cardboard.
The next morning, we heard a huge bang and saw smoke and a rifle - the following days we ate rice with buffalo meat.
We had a very pleasant and special time in the mountains with the incredibly friendly and helpful group of friends. Amongst good conversations and campfires, we made a lot of useful new contacts that would like to help us in various areas. We are really surprised with how many contacts we have gotten already!
When we climbed to the top of the mountain at 6 am we were struck by the spectacular view. We were well above the clouds and saw the sun rise over the mountains. Unbelievable, how beautiful it is!
After three nights, the 10-hour down trip started again and we came down safely, though again well shaken.
What is special to mention is that the roads here in the mountains of Chin are of such quality that the people pray every time before the ride starts, whether you are in a taxi, taxi van, touring car, or city bus. Before you go into the mountains the driver puts his vehicle on the side of the road for a moment and the driver, or the traveler next to him, prays for protection. We cannot understand what they are saying, but together with the rest of the traveling companions, we wisely conclude aloud with "Amen!"
In Taisun, the very old heritage village close to Falam in Chin State, the villagers have already worked very hard, as we saw when we arrived. The villagers, who will take care of the construction of the lodges for our business activities have already cut down a lot of wood in the forests.
The villagers were very happy that the tall white foreigners were back and wanted to invite us all to stay for the night. The mayor wanted to prevent a fuss and decided that we would sleep with him. Period! We immediately got a bowl of bananas with smiling eyes, which is something different than a cappuccino with a stroopwafel.
We talked to the men and Albert explained to them what the next steps will be. We must first go to the capital to arrange building and residence permits before they can start building. They didn’t seem to have thought of that step yet.
We went to the government office in Hakha for two days to speak with the Chief Minister, Vice President, and the Minister of Tourism. All three took plenty of time and were very positive! Another government official, with whom we had contact earlier, was somehow opposed to the plans of the villagers and wanted to thwart it. However, that was immediately swept off the table in the conversations with the men stated above.
We were invited to attend an official ceremony to celebrate that 50% of the villages in Chin are now connected to the electricity grid. During the ceremony the expectation was expressed that in 2030 every village will have electricity. Awesome!
We now need to set up a company with a local partner. As foreigners we are not allowed to be active in this village and are obliged to choose a local partner. Only if we work together with a local partner will we get a permit for the tourist activities. Fortunately, we now know many people and we have met several whom we trust that have indicated that they would like to be our partner. As soon as we have set up our company, we must write a formal letter with our plans for tourism and the training center to the Chief Minister and the Minister of Tourism, who have promised to sign in full for agreement. A few more bumps but then we hope to have full permission to get started here!
It all sounds like a great adventure, but we are here to help people who actually have nothing. We see great poverty; many people are simply surviving each day. We see a baby in a few cloths lying on the side of the road in the dust because the mother is carrying stones back and forth with all the other women from dawn to dusk to build the road. We see the children in the village glisten with happiness as they each get a baby toy that we brought from the Netherlands. We see many people who are actually doing nothing because there is no meaningful work for them to do.
We are happy that by now we have 20 people working to collect wood for us and to prepare for the construction of the houses, this feeds 20 families. They have hope in their eyes because they see jobs being created for them and a future for their children, that's what we do it for.
A lot has happened in recent weeks that we are grateful for! We constantly have the feeling that we are on the top of the mountain and that we are enormously blessed.
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