"Welcome to Mandalay!" exclaimed the young man in the Manchester United shirt. The banners on the walls of the famous palace announced "Foreign Sycophants Shall Be Crushed". Burma's people are distinctly more hospitable than its regime.
In a city as exotic as Mandalay we were happy to simply absorb the bustle from a chapati stand sipping endless tsai before our evening entertainment, the vaudeville troupe, "The Moustache Brothers".
Their tiny front room was the venue for exuberant dancing, slapstick gags and extravagant costumes. We couldn't help but laugh along, if only for the remarkable spirit of the ageing performers. Three members of the family act have spent years in prison for making jokes at the expense of the junta. One is still behind bars.
Their tiny front room was the venue for exuberant dancing, slapstick gags and extravagant costumes. We couldn't help but laugh along, if only for the remarkable spirit of the ageing performers. Three members of the family act have spent years in prison for making jokes at the expense of the junta. One is still behind bars.
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