Burma is back in tourists' sights

Burma is now the hottest travel spot on the planet.

This just in: The hottest tourist destination for 2012 is Burma.

If you don't believe me, just ask all the travel agents around the world who are being inundated with requests to go to the Asian nation formerly known as Myanmar.

Canadian travel agents I speak to say since Burma's military regime surrendered power to a new president and with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit indicating the U.S. wants to normalize relations with the country, more and more people now want to travel to Burma, the last Asian country to come out from behind the bamboo curtain which veiled the atrocities that once went on in that beautiful land.

Of course, the main reason the tourism spotlight has been turned on Burma is because of the courageous efforts of Aung San Suu Kyi to restore dignity to her homeland which offers tourists some of Asia's most treasured historic relics. Suu Kyi, who once told tourists to stay away from Burma,  now is encouraging travellers to come help her country get back on its economic feet through tourism.

Canadian tour companies like Tour East Holidays of Toronto, the largest organizer of Asian holidays for Canadians, says interest in Burma has doubled in recent months.

The London Telegraph reports about 300,000 foreign tourists visited Burma last year while 19 million arrived in neighbouring Thailand.

However, because Burma has been out of the tourism limelight for so long, don't expect much when you arrive. Hotels and resorts have a long way to go to equal what tourists are treated to in Thailand but with this new interest in Burma, you can bet major chains will soon be building new properties there.

Jury duty hangs me out to dry

Day II of jury duty is over – still no trial to preside over for juror 1557.

Nerves are getting frayed. The grumbling is getting louder.

Biggest complaints: Why do we have to pay for coffee? Why is there no free Internet access?

There are 200 of us cramped in a jury lounge and in the last 24 hours we’ve been called to court just once -12 of our members were picked for a criminal trial from a pool of 50– the rest of us just sit and wait.

One perspective juror wonders why we are being kept from our jobs – “with so many people out of work maybe they should pick jurors from the unemployment roll instead of the tax list (which is what they do in Ontario).”

Some people are getting very cozy – I think one affair has started up in the back of the room.

There’s lots of sneezing and coughing – I’m sure I’ll be sick for weeks after this.

On my death bed, I hope I get credit for the days I’m spending here.