Far away from the action in Burma...

You've perhaps heard of the drama in Burma: military folks crushing peaceful protests, people being killed, and of all things, monks being whacked. Burma doesn't appear in the news often, so the Burmese may really be suffering.

Time to re-familiarize myself with the country.

So I picked up a Burma map and looked at its geography. The main action's up north; down south Burma narrows into a thin archipelago connected to the Andaman Sea. The Andaman Sea's got some amazing beaches.

"Dang, South Burma must have amazing beaches," I thought, a sort of Johnny-come-lately realization that was the day's moment of zen.

Indeed, it does. The Mergui archipelago in southern Burma is touted as an isolated haven with sensational beaches, clear water and stark beauty. Isolated, well, because Burma doesn't want tourists in its country. That also means amazing snorkelling and diving for the lucky ones who manage to get there.

Here's one photo tour of a Mergui island. And when the Burmese gov't decides not to be the party pooper, it'll perhaps be one of the country's hotspots. Maybe I'm wrong, but Burma doesn't offer much otherwise.

China's also partying in Mergui, renting an island to watch India, which has a strong naval presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, not too far away.

China has a history of using Burma to keep India under watch since World War II, so this shouldn't be a surprise. Read The Burma Road to get an amazing insight into how it started.