Today we visited Burma. Our visit made us grateful that we had decided not to travel around Burma for any amount of time. My first impression of Burma was the sign inside the immigration office which informed tourists of the places they where allowed to visit (and only once you had sought government permission). The officer we dealt with was happy to let us in for the day so long as we were only concerned with shopping. Before coming out here I read a book called 'Finding George Orwell in Burma',it is by a woman who traces Orwell's steps from his time as a colonial policeman in Burma. The book gives explicit details of how Burma functions as a closed society by keeping tabs on the every movement of foriegners and the locals they encounter; too much interaction can lead a local into much trouble and this makes for a hostile, paramoid environment. This we managed to glimpse for ourselves today, along with the severe destitution. Another noticeable feature in the little market town was the amount of fashion based on military styles; stalls full of army acessories and camouflaged style shirts. It was also not surprising that I didn't see any book shops here, just DVD stalls full of American films that glamourise military operations. The book 1984 by George Orwell, supposedly is a true reflection of Burmese society, and the few locals fortunate enough to obtain a secret supply of books refer to him as the prophet. It is a shame for Burma that they don't have vast oil reserves, then the world might give a s***. Anyway, on a more positive note, shopping for mp3s was the cheapest I have yet to see, and the duty free shop on the border had original prada and versace stuff for about 30 quid. The amount of great bargains to be had was too overwhelming and I didn't want to part with so much beer money on an impulse. I do apologise to anyone who isn't interested in the realities of totalitarian regimes on this side of the world. I know that you are hard at work and the view out the window hasn't changed much since last time you checked. Claire's postcards are always a bit more upbeat than mine, so I would check that out before you do any thing silly Dean