Myanmar after 50 years of nightmare, something unexpected is happening here. And its pretty incredible. I took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting colder sha, la, la, la, la, la, sha, la, la, la, la, la, sha, la, la, la, la, la, sha, la, la, la, la, anthony in yangon, capital city of myanmar, its dark. Blackouts are frequent with the ancient power grid. What sources of light there are in the street cast an eerie, yellow orange hue. For almost 100 years under british rule, this was rangoon. In 1948, after helping the british fight off the japanese, and with a new taste for selfdetermination, the country gained independence. After a decade of instability, however, the military consolidated power and never let go. Elections . They came and went. The results ignored, opposition punished or silenced entirely. Burma, now myanmar, where orwell had once served as a colonial policeman, where hed first grown to despise the apparatus of a security state, became more orwellian than even he could have imagined, a nation where even having an opinion could be dangerous. President obama i am very honored to be here at this university and to be the first president of the United States of america to visit your country. Anthony morning in yangon. To nearly everyones surprise, there have been some huge changes in recent months. Aung the most difficult time in any transition is when we think that success is in sight. Anthony nobel prizewinning democracy champion aung san suu kyi, for nearly 15 years under house arrest, was released, and has now taken an active role in politics. Just as the door is opening, my crew and i are among the first to record what has been unseen for decades by most of the world. Meanwhile, this Southeast Asian country of 80 Million People is collectively holding its breath, waiting to see whats next. And will this loosening of government grip last . Of course, morning in yangon has always been about tea. Its black, indianstyle tea, usually with a thick dollop of sweetened condensed milk. You want it sweet, less sweet, very sweet, strong, less strong . Everybodys got a preference; everybodys got a preferred tea shop where they know, presumably, how you like yours. U thiha i said im only less sweet, and a bit strong. Anthony journalist and publisher u thiha saw. We meet at the tea shop. U thiha anything could happen in a tea shop. This place mean, uh, a lot of things, not just a place for breakfast and snacks. Anthony for 50 years of paranoia and repression, tea houses were also the main forum for guarded and notsoguarded discussions of the daily news, where you tried to piece together the real stories behind the ludicrously chopped and censored newspapers. Carefully, of course, because informers and secret police were also heavily represented in these hotbeds of sedition and discontent. So, given your profession, how have you managed to stay out of prison all of these years . U thiha no. I was there. Anthony oh, really . U thiha two times. Anthony two times. U thiha once special burma Police Called me. Hey, u thiha saw, will you please come into office . We need to talk. Anthony right. U thiha so i went over there and the total was 89 days in the prison. There was this very serious control that came with the First Military government. Anthony right. U thiha press scrutiny and registration. So anthony oh, that doesnt sound good. U thiha we need to send in our copies to that office and then take a look at everything. They would say, take this out. Take that out or black this out, or just, take the whole story out. Anthony magazines that would come into the country would they cut out, literally cut out the pieces. U thiha well, the people under this kind of tight censorship, people become more, i think, creative. Take a look, careful reading, there may be something between the lines, messages. Anthony right. It was something you were accused of, uh, sending these secret messages. In the back, a cauldron of salty little fish bubble over hardwood coals. Fingers work mountains of sweet bean, one of the fillings for the variety of pastries that are stuffed, shaped, and put into an old stone oven. In another corner, the heartening slap of fresh bread,f a tandoori. And, of course, eggs bob and spin in the magical hell broth of fish, spice, and herb. Mohinga . Uh, this i must have. Correct me if im wrong, if theres a national dish, a fundamental, most beloved dish, would it be would it be this . U thiha yeah, for example, take a look at all this sweet stuff. This is indian. These are chinese, et cetera. But then mohinga is a local thing. And its popular not in the city but also in the rural areas, too, in a fish base with some rice or noodles. We would sometimes we put in some crispies, like fried beans or anthony mmhmm. U thiha fried. Anthony mm. U thiha so, these are some coriander leaves. Anthony yeah. U thiha you can mix some some limes. Anthony sprinkle some in here. Mm. Good textures. Particularly in the light of, uh, obamas recent visit, these are interesting times. Significant changes for the first time in, you know, 50 years. U thiha yeah. Theres one thing which is quite significant. For example, take a look around. All kinds of people, all age groups. But a couple of years ago, people would be when youre talking about politics, you you tone down. Anthony right. U thiha i mean, you would be whispering. But nowadays, people just being more are being, uh, outspoken. So, this has all become much more open. In last july, theyre sort of relaxing the rules about censorship. August 20th, we were called into the office, we being publishers, editors. And the direor general of the department said, the boss, okay, 48 years and 20 days of censorship is gone. Thats it. Anthony feel good . U thiha yeah. Thats what weve been waiting for so many years. Anthony i love the answer. Its a careful yes. U thiha yeah. First, people within the country, we have some doubt about, okay, is it real, the changes and the reforms . But, as now its about a couple of years, and then now people start believing that, oh, maybe, maybe its real. The process is still very young. It is still possible when the generals stop and think, okay, thats enough is enough. Lets turn back all our stuff. Im optimistic about the changes and the reforms. But im still cautiously optimistic. Anthony in yangon, motorbikes are outlawed. Why is a matter of much rumor and speculation. So, its the bus for me. Something seems almost out of sync. Not too long ago, even filming here officially as an open, professional western film crew would have been unthinkable. In 2007, a japanese journalist was shot pointblank and killed filming a street demonstration. Be seen talking to anybody with a camera and there would likely be a knock on your door in the middle of the night. Yet so far, confronted with our cameras, a few smiles, and mostly indifference at worst, shocking considering how recently the government has started to relax its grip. Ma we love to eat. And dont forget, for 50 years, we were under two dictatorships, and especially under some socialists, you have not a lot of things to do. But, you know, cook and share food and you know. Anthony this is ma thengi, a famous and very controversial figure in public life. Myanmar or burma . Ma myanmar, because thats original name since the, uh, 13th century. Anthony ma thengi, like u thiha saw, has also spent time in prison. But on emerging after three years, she became in the minds of many an apologist for the regime. Fairly or not, i leave to others. Ma sometimes, outsiders, um, act as if, you know, its only after the military junta went away that, you know, things happened. First we were sort of, like, in a frozen state, like snow white. Dead. Anthony but her many wellknown books on the culinary traditions of myanmar make her a compelling advocate for burmese cuisine. So youre very passionate about the cooking and the cuisine here, and ma well, its just that i like to eat and i eat like a pig. [ chuckles ] anthony this is yangons restaurant. Ma salads, i think, are the best of our food. Im going to order a lot of salads that you havent had. You know, its going to be like a sort of a tasting thing. Anthony theres pic head salad with kaffir lime leaf, long bean salad with sesame and fish sauce, penny leaf salad, even this salad of indiastyle samosa. Everythings out there at the same time. Ma yes. Anthony no first course, second course. Ma no, no, no, no. If im invited to a friends house, the table would be covered with dishes. Anthony right. Ma covered. Anthony and its really about the interaction between a lot of colors, textures, and flavors in one dish ma yes. Yeah. Anthony or ma different. Anthony different. Ma yeah. Anthony wow, im in love. Thats good. Ma yes. It is. Anthony and of course theres the maddeningly delicious condiments and pickles with which to make each dish your own. Ma you make a lot of different combinations with each mouthful. Anthony ah. And this is something very confusing in general in this part of the world. Everybody Eats Everything differently, to very much to their taste. Ma anything goes. Anthony anything goes. Ma you make every mouthful you can make as different as you want. Hear that sizzle . Yeah. Red lobsters lobster shrimp summerfest is back get all the lobster and shrimp you crave, together in so many new ways. Theres new cedar plank seafood bake. Tender Maine Lobster and shrimp, cedar roasted to perfection. Or new caribbean lobster and shrimp. Sweet pineapple salsa on grilled rock lobster, paired with jumbo coconut shrimp. And wait. Theres lobster shrimp overboard its a Seafood Party on a plate. So hurry in. cause lobster shrimp summerfest wont last. A hilton getaway means you get more because. You get another day in paradise. Get a sunset on a sunday. Get more stories to share. Get more from your Summer Getaway with exclusive hilton offers. Book yours, only at hilton. Com proven to protect street skaters and freestylers. Stops up to 97 uv. Lasts through heat. Through sweat. Coppertone. Proven to protect. But as it grew bigger and bigger,ness. It took a whole lot more. Thats why i switched to the spark cash card from capital one. With it, i earn unlimited 2 cash back on everything i buy. Everything. And that 2 cash back adds up to thousands of dollars each year. So i can keep growing my business in big leaps whats in your wallet . Most people come to la with big dreams. We came with big appetites. With expedia, you could book a flight, hotel, car, and activity all in one place. Anthony credit cards accepted almost nowhere. Cash machines, uhuh. Wifi . Internet . Rare. 3g . You got to be kidding. If you need to Exchange Money here, only crisp, absolutely new 100 bills accepted. In myanmar, its another, older world. Oh, and whats up with this . With all the, uh, kissing sounds, that smooching, kissing, you know, sound that youre hearing all over the place . My wife would have been in, like, ten fights so far. Sorry . Who who are you smooching at . Bitch . This is how you summon a waiter in myanmar. I know. I know. Try that at hooters and you will be rightly ejected. It takes some getting used to, for sure. This is a big, noisy seafood house where fish is prepared in the style of rhakine, the coastal province to the west named for the rhakine people, one of over 135 distinct ethnic groups around here. See, now were talking. You know, prawn curry is one of those one of those things everybody tells you you got to eat here. Prawns from the river, in tomato curry. I tell you this, good sauce. Oh, thats good. That is good, my friends. We shall know them by the number of their dead. Early morning in yangon. Among the crush of commuters, shoppers, people trying to make a living, rise up the last remnants of empire, faded, often crumbling, but still there after all these years. These are the offices, businesses, and public buildings of the british colonials. The sofaer building was once one of the swankest Department Stores in rangoon. A century ago, when kiplings poem mandalay was beckoning the overheated imaginations of a generation of young englishmen, here you could buy fine egyptian cigarettes, french liqueurs. The floor tiles were shipped over from manchester. Now, people live here. A halfcentury as a pariah state has left very few of these buildings in good repair. And there are divergent views on whether to preserve them. For many, a reminder of colonial subjugation. For others, a vestige of a golden time. These days in myanmar in the streets, on the docks, its all about moving forward. In an economy ripe to explode if things continue trending in their current direction, the busy hustle and bustle of yangons port appears even busier today as workers prepare for the oncoming holiday. Philippe hey, chef. Anthony hello. Philippe how are you doing . Anthony it figures, doesnt it . Philippe yeah, it does. Welcome to myanmar. Anthony philippe lajaunie, owner proprietor of my old restaurant, les halles. It seems only natural that, uh, youd bee in burma, myanmar, at the same time as me. Back before anything, before i wrote the book that changed my life from brokeass utilitygrade chef to whatever it is i am today, id never been to asia until this guy sent me to japan and got me hooked on a continent. Philippe but there we go. Anthony oh, nice. Chicken head. Yeah. Philippe that is the perfect mood awakener. Anthony oh, yeah. Philippe travels constantly. Hes been bouncing around asia for decades. Like all good travelers, hes relentlessly curious and without fear or prejudice. Philippe its fantastic. Anthony it makes perfect sense, then, that over cold brew and chicken necks in the port of yangon, philippe is the one joining me to explore this particular moment in myanmar. Philippe thats the money tree. Anthony oh, it is going to be a party. Philippe yeah. Anthony full moon party tonight. Philippe full moon party, thats right. Anthony now, what that means, we have no idea. Philippe we dont know. There is only one way to find out, i suppose. Well, it sounds like a party. Anthony oh, it gets crazy from now on. Its full moon day, a holiday marking the end of the rainy season. And today marks the beginning of three days of break out the crazy. Giant speakers compete for attention, everybody cheerfully oblivious to the distortion. Cotton candy, trinkets, tube socks, just like a new york street fair, but with infinitely better food. Oh, are these the little birds . Philippe yeah. These guys are really good. Was flying just a bit earlier this morning. Anthony ill tell you, its the backbone of every street fair in the world, isnt it, deepfried food . Philippe thats right. And here they also have the the little, uh, uh, batter, where they break a quail egg in it. One shot. Its really good. Thats it . Hes happy . All right. This is so tasty. Much less greasy than i thought it would be. In fact, rather delicate. Anthony yeah, any time you tell me crispy little bird, im all over it. Philippe good head. Good beak, too. Anthony good beak. Philippe crispy and tender. Anthony oh, and they have rides. Check this out. Okay, its a ferris wheel, but the power source, not unusual for these parts, is not electric. It aint gas. Oh man, are you kidding me . Its human power. Philippe you have to see it to believe it. Anthony an absolutely insanely dangerous, closely choreographed process of first getting the giant, heavilyladen wheel in motion, and then getting it up to top speed and keeping it there. Wow. Look at this thing tilting out, too. Philippe thats the break. Three guys the other way. Anthony note the footwear, by the way. And its not just this one. Every couple of blocks, bigger and bigger ferris wheels, each one with its own troop of acrobatic spinners. And sure, going for a ride is tempting, but cnn host implicated in death of four underage carnies. 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But its also three days of merit accruing, the practice of performing charitable or otherwise good works in the hopes of jacking up your karma. Money trees are paraded around pinned with cash donations for monks. Free banquets and feasts are held. And many moments of spiritual reflection. The majority of people here practice theravada buddhism, the oldest, most conservative form of the religion, which, simply put, asserts that existence is pretty much a continuous cycle of suffering through birth, death, and rebirth. Noisy today. Zarni very noisy, very noisy, yes. Anthony the morning star tea house, where ive come, well, for a couple of reasons. Reason one the musthave, bonedeep, oldschool favorite around here, la pet tok, the salad of fermented tea leaves. I know. That does not sound good. But youd be wrong to think that. Take the fermented tea leaves. Add cabbage, tomatoes, lots and lots of crunchy bits like toasted peanuts, season with lime and fish sauce. This is absolutely delicious. Zarni you like it . Anthony oh, yeah. Its fantastic. Zarni yes, yes, fantastic. Anthony simple, delicious. Things not to be taken for granted if youve been in and out of the joint like this guy, zarni bo, activist, astrologer, and threetimes convict. Yeah, everyone ive met in this country so far, in fact, has been to prison. It it seems, uh zarni yes, this happens again and again for us in myanmar. Anthony for almos