FROM PAST TO PRESENT

BURMA UNDERWENT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AFTER INGE SARGENT LEFT THE COUNTRY. TAKE AT LOOK AT HER FORMER HOME HSIPAW, AN UNTOUCHED AREA OF MYANMAR

dominated global headlines in 2012 for all the right reasons. The National League for Democracy swept the country’s byelection, the world’s most famous former house arrestee, Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected to Parliament, and international sanctions were lifted. The country was on track to morph from recluse to world player by the year’s end.

But old habits die hard. That year, I tried to obtain a tourist visa to Myanmar. The man behind the counter at the Burmese embassy perused my application, saw the words ‘Occupation: Writer’ and promptly tore it in two. He passed me a new application and whispered, “this time, you are a housewife”. Permission granted.

The rules were in flux. The old way of doing things was ending, and a new script had yet to be written. Change was afoot, but how much and, more importantly, would it last?

The world waited for these answers with bated breath. Tourists, however, did not. Instead, they pounced. Myanmar attracted over one million tourists in 2012 – a record at that time. This year it expects five times that amount. And while tourism spurs economic growth, it can come at a price. In Bagan, a woman I met expressed her frustration and concern about the rising number of children who spent their days selling trinkets to tourists rather than attending school.

First-time travellers to Myanmar are largely hitting the hotspots – places such as Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay. This means that many areas of the country are still blissfully quiet.