This article was initially written for those who were looking for a unique vactation spot and a chance to read about the positives of the country without all the negative. Well, with the current crisis in Burma now, foreigners are prohibited from entering the country and it is extremely dangerous. However, I still encourage reading this so when democracy prevails (hopefully!) or stability is reinstated, you will be encouraged to visit and support the amazing, brave people who live there and deserve to not be neglected.

The culture that you experience when you visit this place is unbelivable. It is such a different world, one without banks and atms, where the food is foreign and unknown (I think 70% of the time I had no idea what I was eating), and the sanitation and heat take time getting used to. But the people are incredible. We had a family invite us into thier home and give us tea and snacks. We played a game of soccer with the neighborhood kids. If an opportunity arises to visit this place, it will more than exceed your wildest expectations. Its a place where you wont run into the usual tourist crowds, or once out of the city, crowds in general.

The most amazing view I have ever seen came from the top of a temple in Bagan. The city is known for its approximatly 2,300 temples-no exaggeration. Some local teenagers befriended us and took us around to the most impressive temples in the city. We rented bikes for transportation (only a few dollars). Our new friends took us to abandoned temples that we could climb to the top. The view from the top of these were simply breathtaking. You could see everything on the flat land. There were mountains in the background, a river that flowed out to the horizon, and over 2,000 stupas and temples-and hardly anything else. Bagan is the old capital of Myanmar and today has little substance besides the ancient buddhist culture that lingers. My friends and I stayed in a little hotel, where we were the only guests. $2 bottles of rum kept us occupied in a city with no night life.

There is one absolutly must-see sight in the capital city of Yangon, the gold-covered Shwegadon pagoda. This amazing site has numerous little temples which house Buddah statues, which in turn just surround the gigantic main temple, which is said to be the home of 8 hairs of Buddha. Gold covers everything and anything. The view is amazing during the day or at night. Monks are constantly on site, and most are looking to improve thier english so you can expect to be confronted for a friendly conversation. I met two who gave me a guided tour through the complex, briefing me on the history of the pagoda and Buddhism as we circumambulated it.

Myanmar was the biggest surprise I could have ever imagined. Honestly, I was scared to set foot into the country. The news only portrayed how dangerous it might be. However, once I got onto the streets of Yangon, the strong buddhist culture filled the air with a sense of comfort and disbelief.

Please help the people of Burma and the country by printing out the letters and sending them to the addresses listed below.
[The Letter is already written you just have to print it out and mail it in. PLEASE show your support by doing so! Thanks]

We are hoping that with over 1,000 letters to the Committee on Foreign Affairs UN Office and ABC World News, we will be able to gain not only attention but media coverage on the situation in Burma and make it aware to the public.

Make sure to sign your name and please share any personal experiences you had with Burma and its people.
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The Committee on Foreign Affairs
2170 Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington DC 20515

ABC World
Mojgan Jayranpour
147 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023

UN-Human Rights
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary General
United Nations-S-378
Washington DC 20510
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It is time we started actually doing things to help Burma instead of just talking about it. We can not continually defend freedom by deserting it abroad. Thank you!

LETTER:
[Your Name]
[Your Street Address]
[Your Province and Postal Code]
[Date]

To: [ ]

I am writing to you to ask you to help stop and bring awareness to the incredulous violations of Human Rights and the War going on in Burma.

The Burmese people are ruled by State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), led by Senior General Than Shwe. It is a brutal military regime that kills, tortures and kidnaps its people for questioning any of the decrees or laws handed down by the government. U.N. General Assembly has named Burma as one of the worst human rights abusers in the world.

Violations of Human rights in Burma include, the widespread use of forced labor, forced relocations, censorship, use of child soldiers, violations of religious freedom, and atrocities committed against ethnic minorities, whose regions make up most of the country's territory. They also have been destroying and killing over 3,000 villages and villagers in Eastern Burma (which to put in context for you is twice as many as have been destroyed in Darfur). Burmese Muslims were especially targeted for persecution. There are more than 1,000 political and religious prisoners, arrests of pro-democracy supporters continue and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is still in detention.

The SPDC did not permit local human rights groups to operate in Burma and those human rights and democracy organizations that did function had to do so from abroad.

Burma is an amazing Asia country hidden away between India and Thailand. Most Americans do not even know about the existence of this country. And if they knew what was going on there, they would want immediate action and recognition.

How many times in the past have people said "What is wrong with young kids today?"

Well these young kids are speaking out and trying to take action to help others. Assist us in helping the country of Burma. Please do not let our efforts and enthusiasm go to waste. We are writing because we believe that the United States can help the crisis in Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi appealed to us to "Please use your liberty to promote ours."
We have a responsibility, as well as to our own conscience and morality, to help end the killings and egregious human rights violations in Burma.

Thank you for listening,

Sincerely
[Signature]

For ABC: Please ask them for Media Coverage on the Crisis in Burma