Beyond Rangoon Page #2

to say goodbye?

Andy!

She's not going anywhere!

Here, take my cash. You've got the number of The Oriental,

right? I'm going to stay there until I hear from you.

Andy, don't worry about me.

It's just a couple of days. I'll be fine.

Laura -- hey!

Don't do anything dumb!

Laura, stay in the embassy until they give you a

new passport and get on the first flight to Bangkok!

Bye.

Promise!

An American passport is worth a LOT of

money in this country, and some of our

fellow citizens have been known to sell theirs.

That's why they've been so tough on you.

-Oh, uh, this should get you out of the country.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, here's a, uh, a plastic thing for your, uh...

-Oh, yes.

I was hoping to see a little of the countryside.

Do you have any suggestions?

It won't be the easiest time

to do anything like that.

They've just put a temporary hold

on all incoming tourist groups.

But... they're still letting people out?

Oh, sure, but right now you might be

the only tourist left in the country.

Even at the best of times,

only official tour groups are allowed beyond Rangoon.

Um, if you're stuck here tonight,

there's a little Burmese restaurant I could show you.

Why?

Well -- where are you...

Hey, come here. Let bird free.

You get good karma. 10 kyats! 10 kyats only!

Go!

I'm afraid your bird has come back.

All they know is the cage.

Forgive me for importuning you.

I am a tour guide.

I wait here for clients coming out of

the embassy -- such as you, perhaps.

I have many favorable comments in this book,

and pictures of beautiful sites.

I didn't think there were any tours right now.

There are no official tours.

Hm. I see, so you're an unofficial guide.

You could call me that.

Isn't that illegal?

In Burma everything is illegal.

Okay.

Do you think you could take me somewhere in the country,

somewhere off the tourist track?

Yes.

But at the moment it would be wiser

to remain within Rangoon.

Why?

There are military checkpoints

going out of the city.

Hm.

Maybe the soldiers could be persuaded to let us through

if we offered them a little money.

Okay.

Let's go.

Shall we go to your hotel

and pick up your husband?

No.

Then we shall go now.

I'm Laura Bowman.

My name is Aung Ko.

And this is my motorcar.

So. There I was in a beat-up Chevy,

in the middle of nowhere...

...but there was something comforting about traveling

with someone who knew nothing about me.

Oh. Checkpoint.

-Oh. Is it time to do some persuading?

-Yes. 50 kyats would be very persuasive now.

Here.

Thank you.

Burma is a land of monks... and soldiers...

...as you may have noticed.

We all spend a little time as a monk.

But once a soldier, always a soldier.

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