EPIC TRIP
Motos & SUPs in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
words :: Feet Banks photos :: Jimmy Martinello
As our secret stashes on the ski hill get less and less secret and the remote campsite or surf spot sees more and more campers, it starts to feel like Walt Disney was right—it’s a small world after all. And only getting smaller. Which is to say it’s only getting busier. The good news, however, is that the wilderness is vast, and there are still plenty of unexplored spots even here in the Coast Mountains that fly under the travel blogger radar and are too grueling or remote for even the most hardcore Instagram influencer to sully. But an entire unexplored country? That’s rare. The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is the largest nation in mainland Southeast Asia and borders India to the northwest, China to the northeast, and Laos and Thailand to the east. A British colony from 1885-1948, Myanmar’s independence was crushed by a military coup in 1962, and the country struggled under military dictatorship in one form or another (and numerous human rights issues) until 2011, when Myanmar “opened up” and the government began considering tourism as supplementary income to the nation’s rich natural resources. In late 2019, with the borders open and a large tropical archipelago of limestone islands that could be the long-hidden cousin of Thailand’s infamous Railay Beach rock climbing scene, Mountain Lifers Jimmy Martinello, Jon Burak, and Justin Sweeny cleared their calendars, rolled up their inflatable SUPS, found what might be the only place in the country to rent enduro dirtbikes, and booked flights. When the window to exploration opens, it’s best to catch the breeze as early as possible…
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