The chance acquisition of a large number of old Second World War vintage maps of Myanmar was a reminder of the dearth of such travel aids in the 1970s. Anyone wishing to see rural Myanmar in those days had to find other ways to get directions. Planning such trips always brought to mind Graham Greene's celebrated 1936 book Journey Without Maps, in which he described an African excursion later characterised as “a kind of Russian roulette”.

When I lived in Burma (as Myanmar was then known) in the 1970s, the resident foreign population was small—less than 1000 adults—and based almost entirely in Rangoon (now Yangon). Most seemed to enjoy life there, but only a relatively small proportion of them travelled outside the capital for recreational purposes. Those that did so usually joined the steady stream of backpackers and seven-day tourists who followed the well-trodden path via air and rail links from Rangoon to Pagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake and back to Rangoon. Even when they had the opportunity to do so, few seemed to venture further afield.

There were several reasons for this apparent reluctance to explore the country. One was the fact that large areas were off-limits to foreigners, due to the dangers posed by dacoits (armed bandits) and insurgents. In 1973, for example, there was a dramatic reminder of the dangers involved in straying outside the central lowlands when two Russian medical technicians were kidnapped from Taunggyi by the Shan United Army. Another consideration for many foreigners, particularly those with young families, was Burma's poor state of public health and the dearth of modern amenities, such as hotels and restaurants.

There was also the problem that air, rail and river transport facilities were limited and often unreliable. Provided that permission was obtained in advance from the authorities, it was possible to drive to most places in central Burma, but there was always the risk of not being able to find fuel, even on the black market. Also, in the 1970s there were only 30,000 kilometres of roads (despite Burma being the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia) and of these barely 21,500 kilometres were suitable for light transport. As most roads were unpaved, many became impassable during the annual monsoon.