Memories of the Fallen in Taukkyan (Myanmar)

From Yangon (Myanmar), on your way to Bagan up north, you can get off your ride and check out this memorial cemetery where 2,700 British soldiers perished during World War II. The inclusive period of deaths was placed between 1939 and 1945. Between each grave were plants (like roses) beautifully maintained. Some unnamed graves were marked with "A soldier from the 1939-1945 war" written on their tombs. In front of all these wrote: "Their names (sic) liveth for evermore."

If you like almost-deserted spaces, pillars, and reminders of the follies of war, then Allied War Memorial Cemetery is worth a short detour. The cemetery is located in Taukkyan, in the township of Mingaladon, about 35 kilometers from Yangon.

This is the Eye in the Sky.

This photo only courtesy of cwgc.org.

Last Royal Palace in Mandalay, Myanmar

I was actually anxious of Myanmar's military men so anything that had anything to do with a government post flashed red lights with me. Even the guards at the Mandalay Palace grounds, the bastion of the very last Burmese monarchy founded by King Mindon between 1857 and 1859. The whole complex is surrounded by thick walls and a lovely moat. From my observation, very few tourists seem to visit this place. Maybe it's the entrance fee? Maybe it's the long-standing recommendation from Lonely Planet and other travel guides (i.e. not to patronize any government institution), but that must have changed by now after the rise of Aung San Suu Kyi and her new democratic republic. Check out the photo above if you can spot anyone. I took this from a tower. Oops, I see my left hand in the frame. Dang! :)

Mandalay is the last royal capital of Burma and the second biggest city of Myanmar, located 716 kilometers  (445 miles) north of Yangon (Rangoon).

This is the Eye in the Sky!  

Eye in the Sky visits Yangon, Myanmar

A row of colonial buildings in Yangon. This photo only courtesy of wikipedia's hintha.

I'm finally able to circumvent the block that this government has placed on Blogger, thanks to a friend I met at my hotel. Land locked, dusty, sweltering, Myanmar turns out to be a mystical place shrouded by military rule, a virtual place that the millenium has literally left behind. Cars that roam this former capital are beat up Toyotas and the denizens that walk around the streets don't carry cellphones around. Street billboards of the latest artist releases still advertise "available in tapes (cassettes) and CDs", and all email services are blocked by the government.

The telegram is well and alive.

For several days now, my skin has been burnt by the sun. I have taken to walking all over again. Who needs a taxi?

Though it strangely feels like being cut off from the rest of the "civilized" world, the demeanor of the people have been something to chant about.


This is the Eye in the Sky in new Burma.