The rally – which started in Cape Town, South Africa, on July 28 – consists of 22 four-wheel-drive vehicles and 52 Malaysian participants, said the defence advisor at the Malaysian embassy in Yangon, Colonel Sanusi Hashin.

Several passengers were noticeably unhappy with the drivers and scolded them for our predicament, but they assured us that a bus was coming. The temperature steadily dropped as night fell.

TWELVE townships in Yangon Division administered by the Ministry for Progress of Border Areas and National Races will be “upgraded” by the Yangon Division Peace and Development Council to serve as model townships for the rest of Myanmar, an official from the council said last week.

“These practices are very dangerous because most consumers and vendors don’t know about the possible side-effects of pharmaceuticals, or about hypersensitivity, dose intervals and duration of usage,”...

Ko Nay Phone Latt, an organiser of the group who keeps a blog at nayphonelatt.blogspot.com, said blogs, or web logs, are increasing in popularity in Myanmar and internationally there are now more blogs than there are conventional news websites.

“Myanmar people are the nicest and most giving people I have ever met,” says Rebekka. “I love my job. I love working with the children at my school.” When asked how the kids compare to those at home, all three agree that they are much easier to deal with.

“We have fulfilled our purpose over the past 11 years,” said Tin Moe Lwin, founder of Talents and Models. “We have trained many very exceptional, talented young individuals to become success-ful entertainers and models.”