News from The Myanmar Time May 21 -27, 2007

Island paradise under stress from local lifestyles

Still relatively new as a travel destination, Myeik Archipelago is suffering from a lack of regulation that some in the travel industry worry could destroy the area's natural beauty and keep potential visitors away.

Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine has a self-professed craze for underwater exploration, an obsession that has taken her to Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to snorkel and dive among some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.

But she said none of these compare with the experience of travelling to Myanmar's own Myeik Archipelago, which she visited for the first time in March.

"Nothing can compare with the feeling of being alone among the islands of the archipelago," said Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine, the sales and marketing manager of Yangon based EPG Travel Company Ltd.

In other countries, by contrast, there are always several boats at snorkelling and dive sites, and so many people in the water that they frequently bump into one another.

Myeik Archipelago offers relative isolation that is hard to find in more heavily visited
diving sites in other countries.  Pic: Khin Hninn Phyyu

But while Myeik Archipelago might be a paradise of beauty and solitude, Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine said her trip there left her with mixed feelings, not all of which were pleasurable.

While snorkelling in the water near 115 Island, she spotted a large, black, kite-shaped object op se~ Believing she had spotted a ray, she surfaced and shouted for her travel comli::fni'ons to come look at her discovery.

Her joy lasted just a few moments, until she noticed that the object was not a living sea creature at all but merely an old longyi wrapped around something on the seabed and waving in the current.

Opened to tourists in 1997, Myeik Archipelago is sti!l relatively new as a travel destination. It is a vast area that draws few divers, giving those who do come a feeling of privacy.

But travel experts say the area is sure to draw ever-increasing numbers of tourists as word gets out about the archipelago's rich natural resources, which include extensive coral reefs, abundant marine life and unique diving sites.

This prospect has led many local travel and tour promoters to worry about potential conflicts between those who want to maintain the beauty of the site to attract more tourists and those whose families have lived in the area for years and who make a living from fishing in local waters.

Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine said ~he old longyi she saw was a good example careless behavior and regulated waste dumping on the part of local fishermen, and just the sort of thing that might upset tourists who come to snorkel or dive in the archipelago.

She added that spotting the, old ~arment, along with other junk lying nearby like old slippers and ropes, was all the more shocking because the waters just 50 metres way on the opposite side of the island were crystal clear and free from debris.

U Khin Maung Nyo, another participant on the same trip, said ~here was also plenty of garbage &oating on the surface of the water as well, including collections of discarded water bottles and plastic bags drifting an island where their boat stopped.

"It was shocking to see garbage in such a wide sea," he said.

U Mya Min Din, the marketing and operations manager at Santa Maria Travels and Tours Co., Ltd, who also joined the trip, said his snorkelling experience was breathtaking. Although it was his first such experience, he said he found it easy to learn the necessary techniques.

But not all the underwater scenery was pleasant, he said, citing the broken coral reefs near Taung La Po Island that he learnt were a consequence of illegal dynamite fishing.

Also called blast fishing, this is the practice of using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. It can be extremely destructive to the surrounding ecosystem because the shockwaves often destroy the underlying habitat, including coral reefs, that support fish populations.

Although dynamite fishing is illegal in Myanmar - local signs forbidding the practice include the stern warning, "No prisoners to be taken" - some cases still occur in the outermost islands of the archipelago, said a natural resource expert in the area.

"The fishermen just drop the dynamite in the water and with one explosion all the beauty is gone," he said, adding that sound of the blasts is so loud that it can be heard in distant villages.

The underwater shockwaves can also damage the hearing of nearby divers in the water, he said.

U Than Kyaw Zaw, a'manager at Tourism Myanmar Company, said coral can also be damaged by anchors dropped from fishing boats.

He said such damage can be seen at Kyunn Phi Lar Island, one of the most beautiful sites in the area for snorkelling due to its long beach and extensive coral reef system.

"Such practices are prohibited in other countries. They have strict regulations about where boats can anchor," U Than Kyaw Zaw said.
One method used in other countries is to attach a bolt to the seabed to which boats can be anchored without damaging coral, he said.

"Coral reefs are very delicate and take many years to form. [The people who destroy reefs] have no idea about the damage caused by their reckless behaviour," he said.

Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine said that other countries where she has been snorkelling and diving have clearly defined rules intended to preserve their marine resources.

"They won't allow us to wear sunscreen or makeup when we get into the water. They won't let us do anything to cause even the slightest damage to their resources," she said. "They pay special attention to environmental conservation and no fishing is allowed."

She said they even count every bottle and disposable bag taken onto the boats and make sure the same number are still there at the end of the day to prevent people from discarding them overboard.

U Aye Min Oo, the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Myanmar Company, said tourists are-rarely a source of pollution or damage in Myeik Archipelago because they are very much aware of environmental conservation issues.

"Tourists really hate it when they see a passing boat ,leaking oil because they know that even a single drop of oil can cause damage to the environment," he said, adding that his company has even learnt good habits from tourists such as not throwing trash overboard aIid not flushing toilets into the water.

U Aye Min Oo said part of the reason for weak local regulations is the fact that Myeik Archipelago has only been open to tourism for 10 years. Meanwhile, other countries like Thailand and the Philippines have had decades to refine their rules for behavior at sensitive sites.

Travel experts agreed that developing sustainable practices in Myeik Archipelago would require the combined efforts' of local residents; government authorities and anyone else who had a stake in boosting the travel industry and preserving the environment.

U Aye Min Oo pointed out that finding ways to preserve the environment would be beneficial to everyone involved.

"We don't need to export anything from our country. [Tourism] is a clean way of making money," he said.

"All we need to do is preserve what we have and earn money from displaying it to visitors," agreed Daw Pyinsa Kalyani Khine.

Sailing out into the blue horizon

Briefs

Under Christ's nose, a monumental scandal rocks Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO - Army troops have been moved in to control access to one of Brazil's top tourist attrac¬tions, Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer monument, after police broke up a huge embez¬zling scam.

Federal police arrested 20 people on May 10 for alleg¬edly embezzling US$150,000-250,000 a month from funds tourists paid to visit the fabled land¬mark and symbol of the pic¬turesque seaside city.

Right under the nose of the towering Christ with arms outstretched to form a cross, police launched "Oeration (Judas) Iscariot," nabbing ticket agents, tour guides, security guards and other police involved in the alleged theft of the money from the Tijuca National Park service.

Federal police chief Paulo Lacerda told reporters that this wave of arrests was just the first phase of the operation and that more could follow.

Police said the people involved were mainly toll takers on Mount Corcovado, or better put, toll keepers.

Of every 15 vehicles that headed up to the monument, they only recorded one, and kept the change, police said of the skimming scam believed to have gone on for eight lucrative years.

Alice Springs to become a dry city

SYDNEY - Alice Springs will become a dry city after the Northern Territory Li¬censing Commission ap¬proved a ban on public drinking of alcohol.

The ban will take effect from August 1 and outlaw alcohol consumption in all public areas, including the main thoroughfare Todd Mall, parks, camps and suburbs.

The Alice Springs Town Council applied for dry town status in October"last year, a first for the territory.

Commission chairman Richard O'Sullivan said many Alice Springs residents held a deep concern and frustration about alcohol abuse and public safety.

"Every resident has a right to feel safe in his or her own community and it is apparent to the commission that many residents do not feel safe - particularly if they are in the mall or on the streets late at night," Mr O'Sullivan said in his findings.

PRISTINE beaches, tropical forests and stunning underwater scenes filled a once in a lifetime Tourism Myanmar Company (TMC) promotion- trip I took to the Myeik Archipelago.

TMC has offered travel packages into the archipelago lucrative aboard the Mergui Princess since 2003 and added the Ayer Princess in 2006.

The archipelago covers 36,000 square kilometres in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar's southern coast and includes SOO mostly uninhabited islands.

The Mergui Princess and Ayer Princess double as charter boats and floating hotels because no commercial lodgings are available on the islands. Both vessels house a total of five or six guests in three air-conditioned staterooms.

Our trip was a three day, two night special package that took us to Taung La Bo Island, Island 115, Nyaung Wee Island, Myauk Nee and Salone Island along the way, with all food and drinks included.

Day 1: Into the unknown

On the first morning I and the other 10 guests boarded our allocated vessel at the town of Kawthoung.

At 10:30am we left Kawthoung Jetty and I ventured out onto the sundeck to look out over the water. The boat gently picked up speed and headed towards the archipelago, saying goodbye to Kawthoung as its golden statue of King Bayintnaung slowly faded into the distance.

Around midday U Aye Min 00, chief executive officer of TMC, yelled out that there were large animals swimming in front of the boat and I immediately rushed over to look. When I saw what was in the water I almost jumped for job - dolphins! Even from a distance J-could see their shining grey bodies-as they danced and played in the.: water. But as we drew near they disappeared from sight to continue their fun beyond our prying eyes.

As the hours crept by the colour of the water gradually changed from the emerald green of shallow seas to the dark blue of deep water. Eventually we made our first stop - an island shaped like the outline of the letter "B".

I was immediately struck by the untouched beauty of the beach and the shells and coral that had washed ashore. I had never seen such white and powdery sand in my life.

While many of the other guests went swimming, I hopped in a kayak with two others and took off to explore the island's coastline.

As we kayaked on, we watched in awe as a white-bellied eagle speared down from the sky, plucked a snake from the ocean and flew back to the island, the snake wriggling and writhing as it tried to escape certain death.

Later, we dropped anchor off Island 115 to eat a delicious dinner of chicken and pork curry, sweet and sour seafood and seaweed salad, all prepared by the boat's chef. After dinner I retired to the cabin I shared with three other girls and slept in a king-size single bed.


Day 2: Visiting Nemo's world

Day Two was the busiest and most memorable day of the trip. I woke up extra early to watch the sunrise and was rewarded with a view of the Salone fishing boats heading out to sea. The sight of them heading out toward the rising s~ was truly magical.
At 8:30 we kitted ourselves out with snorkelling I equipment and set off to explore the undersea world. Through my mask I could see I tentacles of coral snaking out over the seabed, and elsewhere huge knuckles of reef surrounded by fish in all colours of the rainbow.

As I leisurely glided over the sea bottom I sighted a patch sea anemones swaying in the current and swam over to investigate. Closing in on the eerily Medusa-like outcropping I spotted orange and-white striped clownfish made famous in the film Finding Nemo - taking refuge in the coral they call home.

After snorkelling we visited the Salone village at Nyaung Wee Island, which consists of some 20 households, I including four Myanmar.

All around the village people were busily replacing their old palm thatch roofs with shiny new corrugated iron ones for the coming rainy I season. .

The Salone people formerly I lived almost entirely on the water and only retreated to the safety of land during the monsoon. But in recent years many have permanently I settled on islands within the archipelago like Bo Cho and Nyaung Wee.

That night I slept like a baby and my dreams were filled with all the wonderful underwater sights I'd experienced that day.


Day 3: Pearling lessons

Day Three began with a tour of the Myanmar Andaman Pearl operation, where we learned how oysters and pearls are cultivated.
Many tanks lined the room but I was puzzled when I looked into several of them and saw only water. However, when some' of the water was scooped out and placed under a microscope I could see minute oysters shaped like tiny fish scales.

Staff explained that it takes more than four years for an oyster to grow a pearl and many die before ever producing even one.

On our way back to Kawthoung we stopped at Salone Island. Contrary to its name, no sea gypsies actually live on the island, but there is a magnificent golden pagoda perched atop a hill.

After some trekking and exploration on the island we got back into our boats and puttered back to town.

My three-day holiday in Myeik Archipelago would cost about $540, not including $300 for return airfares, so it is not a shoestring holiday. But you get what you pay for in terms of the uniqueness of the experience and top quality service.

The Myeik Archipelago is an extremely attractive tourism destination. For one thing, its remoteness means much of the region remains unmolested by development. The variety of flora and fauna is amazing and some of the larger islands are rumoured to be home to exotic wildlife like tigers, deer and elephants. And the reefs provide amazing fishing, snorkelling and diving opportunities in clear, clean water.

Even better, the package tours offered by companies such as Tourism Myanmar Company are relatively environmentally friendly because guests stay aboard boats and cannot litter on the islands.

News from The Myanmar Time May 21 -27, 2007
 

Top