I am looking out of my window, enjoying the beauty of this day of May. But, rather than go out for a walk, I decided to sit down and write to you.

I am overwhelmed by two opposite emotions. The first is the pain and the sadness I and my wife feel as frequent visitors to a land of thousands of golden pagodas, a land know by its contemporary name of Myanmar, or its former name of Burma, or its sentimental name of the Golden Land, a land and its people cruelly punished by the fury of cyclone Nargis, a monster that brought death and destruction when it passed through the southern part of Myanmar, just a mere two weeks ago. It left behind thousands of dead, destroying entire village, turning into a homeless crowd perhaps a million people who will carry in their heart the bitterest of memories.

The second is the emotion of joy we feel knowing that in a few weeks time we will be in the company of our dear Myanmar friends. You guessed it right: at the beginning of July I will already be in Myanmar, a place where both of us are expected with excitement.

The best comparison that will help you in your decision to visit Myanmar or perhaps to re-consider your decision to cancel your already scheduled trip is to look at the experience of Thailand.

In both countries death arrived to many thousands of people on the wings of a deadly tsunami, a monster wave several meters high that destroyed everything in its way. The ttsunami that hit Thailand was caused by a monster earthquake; the tsunami that destroyed the delta of the Ayeyarwaddy River was a companion of cyclone Nargis.

Cyclone, taiphoon, or hurricane are different names given to the same destructive force of nature.

The Thai tsunami of a few years ago hit and destroyed long stretches of beaches, facing west, of Phuket Island. The Myanmar tidal wave that arrived on the wings of cyclone Nargis swept across the delta of the Ayeyarwaddy River, a division of the country by passed by our visitors. Eighty percent of the tourist sites are to be found in the Bagan – Mandalay – Inle Lake” area of Myanmar. In fact, Bagan, with its over two thousand ancient temples, lies in the driest part of the country. The majority of tourists visiting Myanmar come by way of Bangkok.  Some being their tour in Mandalay, arriving from Chiang Mai, spending just one night in Yangon before leaving for home. Many spend this one night in Yangon at the beginning of their tour.

Yes, the cyclone swept through Yangon too, but we are only in May. The high season of Myanmar and Thai tourism falls between the months of October and February. While Phuket Island suffered tremendously, tourism in the rest of Thailand did not experience a significant drop.

I would like to stress one thing: the tourist areas of Myanmar are far to the north of the path of destruction followed by Nargis. As such, they escaped the fury of Mother Nature. And Yangon?  Being the commercial heart of the country, it is evident that clean-up operation has begun in earnest.

It is worth remembering that Myanmar is bigger in size than Thailand. For a potential tourist, size of a country is everything, be it the weather, a natural catastrophe, or human conflict. Huge numbers of foreigners sign up for an unforgettable vacation in Thailand, without being aware that the country’s three southernmost provinces are off –limits to visitors for reasons of Muslim unrest.

All over the world the media (print or electronic) is craving for shocking, sensational news and images, which will scare the daylights out of many people (and possible potential tourists).

But on the spot the reality may look very different, a far cry forma media story. Being a widely traveled globetrotter, I could give you hundreds of examples where a natural catastrophe affected only a limited area of that country, life following its course in the rest.

The uninterrupted, perhaps increased flow of tourism to such a country is the best thing that can heal both the country and the spirit of its people.

Both I and my wife are praying for the souls of the thousands of victims, for the survival and recuperation of the others, but we think that by returning to Myanmar in a couple of weeks, we bring them a ray of light and hope in a better and more peaceful future.

Golden Land Travel is actively involved in the great humanitarian effort of generous assistance.

However, our colleagues based abroad (see their e-mail addresses in our website) would be more than happy to answer any travel related questions that you might have.

I send you my warmest greeting in the hope of seeing you soon in Myanmar.

Best Regards,

Victor Buga

Director of Marketing

For North America and Eastern Europe

Golden Land Travel Services

Yangon, Myanmar