We are spending Christmas Holidays in Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Southern India and NY Eve in Singapore. We are in Singapore enroute from Yangon, Myanmar to Colombo, Sri Lanka now.

WE FELL IN LOVE WITH MYANMAR - I will definitely go back. Myanmar is a land of contradictions. We have just left what is known as the BLACK HOLE - and the GOLDEN LAND; specifically, Yangon Myanmar (Burma).

The borders are Thailand and Laos (to the East), Bangladesh (to the West), India and China to the North and the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Islands to the South.

It's an eclectic combination of colonial architecture, Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, Christian churches and Mosques. There are rivers, mountains, jungles, coastlines and Yangon is one buzzing capital city.

There is much controversy if tourists should visit since it is now ruled by military regime - you hear of the oppression and forced slave labor camps and the government rules with an iron fist. There is supposedly much Human Rights Abuse. In fact, there is NO OUTSIDE EMAIL (such as hotmail, yahoo, etc.) and the papers and TVs are gov't controlled. B/C of the US sanctions, NO CREDIT CARDS are taken - so US dollars CASH ONLY for everything. Political freedom is strictly curtailed. Peaceful assembly is banned and Citizens are FORBIDDEN to talk to foreigners about politics, etc. The locals say VERY much corruption in the bureaucratic system. Cost of living - GOOD salary is US $100 per month, average makes $2 per month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Myanmar is very isolated and there is NO OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.

Burma is a very rich country - full of rice, cotton, teak wood, gems (especially pearls, sapphires, rubies, diamonds) but now the most opium, heroin and methamphetamine trade are the cash crops. There are only about 200,000 tourists who visiti annually The majority are Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysian, Singapore - less than 7% Americans.

The children -- only 27% complete primary school so there is much poverty, of course. Everyone is young (under 20). Not a long life span b/c of the poor medicine, etc.

90% of the population is Buddhist which Christians (7%), Muslim and Hindi making up the rest. There are even NAT (SPRIT) worship. Magnificent temples abound and everywhere you will see monks praying - Old monks, young monks, even women monks The most spectacular pagoda in Southeast Asia - with a 76 carat diamond on top, encrusted with REAL gold and jewels containing Buddha's hair. Yet, there are many Christmas decorations and Christmas music is played everywhere for what tourists that are there.

I decided to make a list of memorable things about Burma:

1. EVERYONE is sooooooooooooo friendly. A very young population (mostly under 20). Because there are so few Western travelers, they just 'stare' and then come up and say 'Hello When I would say "Mingalaba" meaning Hello in their language, they just beamed. They were very gracious and inquisitive and all wanted me to take their photo. Usually, EVERYONE knows 'TEXAS" but not here - though they know USA. Everyone is very thin - compared to them, I am a big fat heifer...so imagine Ken. BUT, plumpness is becoming a sign of wealth. They are very clean and dressed neat.

2. EVERYONE wore sarongs (skirts), Western style shirts and flip-flops - this is women, men and children.

3. The panorama from our room was to die for - we had a corner suite on one of the top floors in the best hotel in Yangon - and you could see golden and jeweled pagodas, temples, churches, Mosque minarets, Hindu temples - and of course the river and city.

4. The average day - EVERYONE smokes cigarettes - they buy them single b/c they are so poor. And they chew betel nut which makes their teeth red and rotten. There are teashops on every block (kind of like Starbucks). They have good Myanmar beer. It is cheap, cheap and more cheap - 1/2 price of Vietnam. A cab is $1 anywhere within the city (of 4 million) and a dinner for 2 (Ken eats a lot, you know) would cost us $5. JA coke is maybe 5 cents as well as water - you could live like a king there for $10 per day per couple. Shopping - I did get for the economy again. Jewels (like you would not believe!!!!!!!!!!) - well, what a bargain; - it's great to be able to buy a $25,000 pearl and diamond necklace for $2000 but you have to pay cash but that's too much cash to bring to a foreign country. And, they like NEW CRISP US Dollars - if there's just one tear or a mark on them, forget it - you're not going to exchange it.

5. The people are very poor - but do not beg. They make do and are happy with life. Yangon is NOISY (except there is a ban on blowing your car horn - you'll get a $50 ticket). We were there for the shopping festival - MILLIONS all crowded at the market (like the Galleria) and it was NOISY with people screaming to come and buy, disco music playing, etc. Boy, were the buses crowded - PACKED, people hanging out the back. They all cook on the street so the smells are great - just makes for a sort of pollution with all the fires.

Burma is extremely safe. HOWEVER, there was a little cafe with an indoor shop next to the market (very famous with the foreigners - no locals b/c they couldn't afford it) and Ken and I would take breaks there or meet there for tea - great tea. It was packed on Sat and Sun - absolutely no seats outside to sit at. We were there on Monday, as usual but a bit later - about 1:30pm. Everyone was saying hi (the market had overflowed in front of the cafe) and I was taking photos of the waiters, the crowd....my usual stuff. I had just gone to the toilet so took off my money belt (it was about 90 degrees there and I was hot - it is the 'cold' season now) and then came back to the table, opened my bag and took everything out - was checking my camera batteries, etc. We were sitting along the wall to the building and sipping ice cold tea when all of a sudden BOOM!!!!!!!!!! A VERY LOUD BOOM. I will never forget that sound - it still echoes in my ears. I think I was in shock and looked at Ken and said, 'honey, what was that?" and he screamed "IT'S A BOMB - RUN". But of course, 'everything' I owned was scattered over the table. Ken grabbed what he could but I dropped my camera - I stopped to get it and he screamed to forget the camera - RUN! Everyone was panicked and running. I looked in and saw tons of smoke and the lady I like so much stumbling out. Of course our first instinct was to run back in and help but we didn't know how many were planted. All the cops and military came and closed the shop and shut off the street. They did an emergency evacuation of the market next door - we're talking MILLIONS of people b/c it was the biggest event of the year. The cafe remains closed. Apparently, someone went into the store and placed a bag (they think the men's bathroom - where I had just been next too) there and when one of the workers opened it to see who's it was, it exploded. It's what called a "SOFT" bomb - I don't know what that is - I know I've heard of it before. BUT, it scared us very bad. The man who opened the bag was killed and the woman hurt very badly. Everyone said we were lucky to be alive I always say God's angels are guarding me where I go. Of course nobody is 'allowed' to talk of 'THE INCIDENT" as they called it. But Burma is very, very safe and this apparently was an attack on foreigners. I told Ken it could have happened anywhere but I am very thankful this Christmas to be alive and well. You always hear about the bombs but never think you will be in it - it all happened sooooooo fast.

Anyway, just wanted to give everyone an update on where we are - going now to Sri Lanka.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS

GOD"S ANGLES ARE WITH US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JANET AND KEN

Read the McAfee's New Year's Eve report from Sri Lanka