I have dreamed of riding the rail ever since I was a young child. I collected pieces of model railroad sets -- setting them up in my small room -- imagining myself one of the passengers. I would lie on the floor with my ear to the ground, watching the toy engine make its circular path around the small track. Only the slight hiss of the electric motor and the scraping of metal tracks could be heard as it whizzed around in endless circles.

As my plane started to make its final approach, I could see the rice paddies come into focus from beneath the clouds. Far different was this view from the one I had experienced leaving Bangkok just over an hour earlier. From a city filled with millions of people, snarled traffic, towering skyscrapers and pollution to rival all cities in the world, this was a view to be cherished. I had finally landed in Myanmar.

Since 1988 Myanmar has been under the military rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) - formerly known as Slorc - an abominable military junta. Prospective travellers should monitor events in Myanmar and weigh up the arguments in support of and opposition to travel.