THE ROAD TO MANDALAY
Burma is a hidden country, sandwiched between India, China, and Thailand, along with a bit of Bangladesh and Laos.
During the Cold War under a Soviet-aligned Military Marxist dictatorship, guerrilla rebellions broke out.  In the 1980s as a private operative for President Reagan’s strategy to terminate the Soviet Empire, I clandestinely crossed from Thailand into Burma on more than one occasion with Karenni and Karen guerrillas.
The military junta resisted, even changing Burma’s name to "Myanmar," Rangoon to "Yangon," and moving the capital to an empty plain called Nay Pyi Taw in 1989.
Twenty years later the junta began relenting and freeing up the country, so much so by 2015 I was confident enough to take a small group of friends to explore the country. We had a wonderful enlightening time.
Now I’m thinking of doing this again next year, as a number of you have asked if I would. What I’d like to show you is a small sample of what we saw – just a hint, a taste of all there is in this extraordinary land. All the photos are mine.















