Yuzana Hotel in Burma

After almost 40 years of travel in Southeast Asia, I’ve found a new candidate for the region’s most beautiful hotel-room view. Yuzana Hotel (130 Shwe Gon Dine Rood, Bahan Township, Yangon, BURMA) has some rooms looking directly upon the huge, golden Shwedagon Pagoda, the spiritual center of Burmese Buddhism. This close-up view is truly awesome both day and night.

The cost? In July ’03 it was only about $20 per night, single or double, and that included breakfast!

This amazing find was arranged for me by Percy Win Swe at Santa Maria Tours & Travel (No. 195 B 32nd St., Pabedan Township 11141, Yangon, Myanmar; phone 95-1-254-625, fax 95-1-201-966, e-mail santamaria@mpt.mail.net.mm or visit www.myanmars.net/maria).

This small agency has helped me on past visits to Burma as well, and I’d highly recommend it for their personal service and sense of the culture and people. They provide a firsthand, warm sense of this often-overlooked country.

I know that many people justifiably ask about the appropriateness of travel to Burma at this time. I can only say that all of the Burmese I have met feel it is very important for them to have more person-to-person contact with the wider world. It is possible to stay in locally owned hotels that benefit the local economy, rather than in the large, government-affiliated hotels.

DWIGHT CLARK
Palo Alto, CA