Phone Kyaw is a driver for the author of this blog travelogue. Do you agree with this driver?

[him] moderator

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"A.I.D.S. is a big problem here..." I knew. Reliable sources report over 400,000 HIV positive persons in the country. The problem is worse than in Thailand because the government denies the problem rather than admit to it, despite the hopeful ad just outside Yangon airport, warning newly arrived visitors. What's more, a woman buying condoms to protect herself is subject to arrest for prostitution, and likewise is anyone carrying syringes considered a drug abuser. Even if the government started taking measures right away, it would probably be too late because the disease is already too widespread. Every day new cases are added to the already astonishing grand total. There are several reasons for this : Burmese women returning home after having worked in Thailand as prostitutes, Chinese businessmen paying big money (well, in Myanmar it is) to 'do it' with a Burmese virgin, poor blood screening, drug abuse and the connected sharing of dirty syringe needles and the rape of women in minority villages by the military (this is seen by the army staff as a way of defeating the enemy, so is not punishable). All these things happen on a large scale, definitely larger than what is generally assumed.
Phone Kyaw said if there's one thing foreigners should refrain from when coming to Myanmar, it's having sexual intercourse with Burmese women. "The risk of getting A.I.D.S. is very high but not only that... The girls here are very ashamed and having sex outside a marital relationship will ruin their morality for the rest of their lives." Personally I think that someone who traverses half the globe just to get laid, is a rather sad individual...

After about four hours - we had taken a couple of breaks - we arrived at Ye Maung Gyi Camp. We had a drink in one of the cafes there, all run by women. Suddenly a heavy rain shower broke loose. Fortunately it didn't last long but long enough to make the trail very slippery. An hour later, we arrived back at the Sea Sar, tired but content.

At night we discussed where we would head to next. The South provided us with another chance to get off the beaten track. I wanted to go to Mawlamyine. Phone Kyaw said we could go there by way of Kayin state. Although the Kayin state is largely inaccessible because of 'insurgences', the southern part can be visited. Sounded like a great idea...

Posted by volvo2005fs at 6:39 PM

http://daihoji.blogspot.com/2008/10/myanmar-twenty-eight-days-in-golden_9716.html