Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been in the news a lot since the uprising in its two largest cities during the last week of September. Myanmar is a country the size of Texas, with a population of about 50 million, primarily bordering Thailand, India and China.

The uprising started as a result of the oppressive military junta government suddenly doubling the price of gasoline. This created hardships, especially for poor people. Many Buddhist monks led the unarmed protest marches, which government troops broke up, eventually firing bullets into the crowds and killing an unknown number of people. "Suspects" were rounded up and jailed. Some are still in jail or unaccounted for. The United Nations and several countries individually have now renewed efforts to pressure the Myanmar government to provide more freedom and democracy for the people.

The news coverage, whether intended or not, has been to greatly damage Myanmar's tourism industry, making many poor people suffer. Tourism has continued to be safe, assuming you did not join the marchers, because unlike unrest in the Middle East and some African countries, the protesters were unarmed and did not even have access to arms. It was more like the Tiananmen Square protests in China.

My husband and I first visited Myanmar in November 2005. We were enchanted by the people and amazed by the sights and culture. Life in the rural areas is much like it was hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago. Subsistence-level farming is the norm, with nearly everything done by hand. The housing is meager, but everyone has enough to eat. The Buddhism practiced here is serene, meditative, friendly, kind, deferential, happy and content. They welcome tourists with caring and friendship. Due to government control of the media, most rural and small town people know less about the September uprising than we do.

The cities have changed little since Burma attained its independence from Britain in 1948. The buildings are still mostly colonial. The Swedagon in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the tallest of all Buddhist stupas, plated with solid gold. At Bagan there are 5,000 temples and stupas, constituting the most extensive ruins of a bygone civilization in the world, with the possible exception of Angkor in Cambodia. Inle Lake with its thousands of acres of floating gardens, and its housing on stilts in the water, is idyllic.

We recently returned to Myanmar, taking five of our grandchildren, ages 6 to 11, and their six parents. During and after the September uprising, we had some concerns about safety, which were resolved as things calmed down. We decided to make sure all of our expenditures went to the private sector so we would be helping the people, not the government.

In areas frequented by tourists, the accommodations and food are excellent and inexpensive, but hardly anyone is there. The only two people we met from the United States were part of a 20-person group from Florida, but 18 of them had canceled, leaving only the couple we met!

Our family had one of the most memorable experiences of our lives visiting Myanmar. It was hugely educational. We developed lasting friendships, and our dollars helped a lot of suffering people. We think this was better than staying away in protest to their bad government.

We encourage all who love to travel and see new cultures not to hesitate to visit Myanmar. Start planning your trip. You will have the time of your life!

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Jeralynn Winder lives in Salt Lake City.