The CEO Magazine Asia — January 2018

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aist-deep in rushing water, I’m laughing

uncontrollably as I try to gain my footing on

the riverbed below while scrubbing behind the

ears of a ‘retired’ 47-year-old female elephant

named Yu Moe Yin. Her skin is tough and

leathery, but her eyes are kind, and she sinks deeper into the water,

letting it cool her down in the heat of the midday sun.

This incredible experience would have been unthinkable

a decade ago when Myanmar was closed to tourism and

international sanctions were still in place. But with the ‘Saffron

Revolution’ of 2007, and the first democratic elections in 2010,

this Buddhist country, which is full to the brim with temples, monks

and enterprising locals, has opened itself up to tourists and

investment alike.

BEING SECURE AND THINKING SOCIAL

While there are security concerns in small pockets of the country,

most of the state is developing at a rapid pace, and most tourist

areas are safe for travellers. As we embarked on our two-week

holiday, we knew we wanted to experience the best Myanmar had

to offer as well as get off the beaten track.

Also, as much as possible, we wanted to support the local

Burmese people rather than the military generals who own most

major banks, airlines and resorts. The social enterprise scene has

expanded dramatically in Myanmar in recent years – a social

enterprise being a business with a primarily social objective that

reinvests its profits for that purpose – and we encountered inspiring

people and innovative and exciting enterprises across the country.

CITY OF GOLD

Pablo Neruda described Yangon (then Rangoon) as “a city of

blood, dreams and gold”, and the minute we see the gilded

masterpiece that is the Shwedagon Paya (Pagoda) on our drive

to our hotel we certainly get the gold part. Dominating the city »

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