The Native Tourist: A Holiday Pilgrimage in Myanmar [Paperback]

Ma Thanegi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

This is the delightful story of an eighteen-day bus pilgrimage to sixty pagodas across Myanmar. As the author settles into her seat, the aisle blocked with luggage, she trains our eyes on the collection of characters that, like it or not, will be her traveling companions for the whirlwind tour. This native tourist amuses us with her adventures of eating at roadside cafes, climbing up pagodas, bathing in rivers, shopping at markets, and sleeping on temple floors. Along the way, she encounters deeply rooted cultural values and develops camaraderie with strangers that become like family for the duration of her travels. Ma Thanegi is a painter, writer, and journalist who was born and educated in Myanmar. She lives in Yangon (Rangoon) and is a contributing editor of the Myanmar Times and editor of Enchanting Myanmar, a travel magazine. She was detained for three years in Insein prison for her involvement in the 1988 uprisings as a personal assistant to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ma Thanegi is a painter, writer, and journalist who was born and educated in Myanmar. She lives in Yangon (Rangoon) and is a contributing editor of the Myanmar Times and editor of Enchanting Myanmar, a travel magazine. She was detained for three years in Insein prison for her involvement in the 1988 uprisings as a personal assistant to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 209 pages
• Publisher: Silkworm Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9749575628
• ISBN-13: 978-9749575628
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,434,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Travel > Asia > Myanmar

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't learn much, nice wit, January 21, 2011

By 

Paul S "Paul" (Portland OR area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Native Tourist: A Holiday Pilgrimage in Myanmar (Paperback)

I've been reading a lot of Myanmar related books in the past few years having spent 2 months there over 2 trips. This one didn't really teach me anything major, maybe a few "ah hahs". The author does have a good wit. Some of the writing is mundane - I ate x, I went and saw y. Worth a read if you don't expect much. Me, I was much more impressed by "Burma/Myanmar: What everyone needs to know".

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp Wit and Red Lipstick, January 15, 2011

By 

Janet Brown "author of Tone Deaf in Bangkok" (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Native Tourist: A Holiday Pilgrimage in Myanmar (Paperback)

Whether you call it Myanmar or Burma, this Southeast Asian country is little-known to most Westerners. Travelers who venture into its borders almost universally fall in love with the beauty of this place and with its delightful people, but their viewpoints are usually limited to what they see in a matter of days--or at best a couple of weeks.

I can't remember when I first read The Native Tourist, but I picked it up with no expectations and no knowledge of Myanmar, except that it bordered the country I love and live in, which is Thailand. I didn't even know if the writer was male or female at first--until I realized that few men would travel with their tube of red lipstick.

Few Myanmar women did either at the time this book was written, and Ma Thanegi was a shocking anomaly, with her cropped hair and her lipstick and her solitary travels in a country where women cluster in groups. But it's her iconoclastic, unconventional point of view that makes her book sheer pleasure to read.

With deep respect for her pilgrimage and her fellow-pilgrims, Ma Thanegi buses her way around sacred spots in her native land, always taking notes, always eating, always looking for good stories. By the end of this book, I fell in love with Myanmar and the lady who showed it to me. I'm willing to bet you will too, both with The Native Tourist and her latest Myanmar adventure chronicle, Defiled on the Ayeyarwaddy.