Journey to the North

This is just a quick update to explain what I'll be doing for the next five or so days. In about half an hour I'll be leaving to go to the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw, followed by old city of Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake, all destinations that I will elaborate upon later. I'm not expecting great internet anywhere I go, so posts will probably be infrequent until I return. At any rate, here is a bit of information on Naypyidaw...

Named as the new capital city of Myanmar in 2005, Naypyidaw was more or less built from scratch in preparation for events that had yet to happen and people that had yet to arrive. The reason for the move from Yangon, like many other things in this country, is shrouded in a bit of mystery. Officially, the capital was moved due to the increasing congestion of Yangon. Naypyidaw is indeed in a far better location for a national capital due to its position near the center of the country. Rumor, however, was that the ruling military leaders foresaw a foreign invasion (possibly predicted by an astrologer), and sought to relocate the government to a more advantageous position than Yangon. At any rate, from what I understand the new capital is mostly complete, and here to stay.

What I am most interested in is to see how alive the city has become. Most reports from the capital by foreign journalist paint it as a ghost town, but many of those are not at all up to date, and it is my understanding that the city now boasts almost 1 million people and is one of the fastest growing in Asia. I've got to leave now, but let me make it perfectly clear that I am very excited to see Naypyidaw. It is one of the most obscure capital cities in the world, and for someone who obsesses over these types of things, this opportunity is priceless.