Burma/Myanmar

Hi there
Anyone been to Burma? Am going to Laos in May and have a week to kill somewhere so was wondering whether anyone's been to Burma recently?

Be worth reading this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/feb/15/should-tourists-go-to-burma

I went in 2006 and thought it the most amazing country I have ever been to. The sights and scenery are incredible, the people amazing, and the food delicious. BUT the nagging feeling of guilt and apprehension about ethics of visiting this country was present at all times - you cannot help but see the signs of repression. It is interesting that in the Guardian article above the author mentions the (relative) openness of discussion re the govt - this is something that never happened during my stay. Checkpoints every few km between Yangon and Mandalay made travel slow and tedious.
I am not sure what the borders are like currently but when i visited you had to fly in from Thailand - worth checking out.
The 'ethical' decision if you do decide to travel is to avoid all govt run hotels and buses - for hotels this was easy, travel less clear. If you take the boat from Mandalay to Bagan you can avoid the govt trip very easily and be rewarded by the most amazing 12hours as you cruise down the Irrawaddy.

At the end of the day it is a value call re the ethics, but suffice to say it is quite a country

thanks for the link gustav, and hebdy, for your views, having been there yourself. agree, there are quite a few articles written about the "should you go" question... definitely worth reading. there is quite a detailed write up on the lonely planet website too.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/free_chapters/myanmar-10-should-you-go.pdf

some articles mention the fact that locals do not want tourists that go there, take pictures of the scenery and leave. in cambodia you see tourists pick up cute cambodian street kids, take a picture, put them down, wave goodbye and walk away. i shall hold my tongue on what i think about that.

in the same article they might also say that the tourism boycott and isolation will not help the current situation either.

the decision to go (or not) should be carefully and respectfully thought out. it's never black and white, and responsible travel cannot be overstated. i guess we all have our reasons for travelling to the places we do. would be great to get feedback/comments from people who have been there and what they thought of it.