Chapter 1. “Introduction” The sun had hit the horizon, and the dim lighting from restaurants surrounded us. Dedan, two other foreign friends and I, were sitting in our favorite bbq-station in 19th street, one of the famous hang-out places in downtown Yangon. It was a calm evening without too many people, so we manage to get one of the larger tables out in the street. The intense smell and sound of people talking, eating, chewing betel nut, drinking beer, and smoking cigarettes consumed us, while sellers and beggars regularly tried to get our attention. During our meal, we had discussed and shared different travel-experiences, fun stories, and pictures, to Dedan´s amusement. His dream is to travel for one year or at least see some more of the world. He proudly told us of the three countries he had been; Myanmar, Thailand and lately for work; Singapore. Singapore was an unchallenged favorite. Three countries, including Myanmar, are more than most locals have seen. Dedan laughs a bit under his breath and takes a sip of his beer as he leans relaxed back in his chair and smile. He seems to somehow disappear into his mind for a second. As he looks calmly out in the air and lights his cigarette, he had decided to tell us about his first meeting with the internet. I guess, for Dedan, this was the one story that we, the foreigners, would never surpass with our travels. Dedan shakes his head a bit, laughing as he explains how he had saved some money over an extended period. He says: “At this time we had no internet like today, so we must go to café, and that was expensive.” This happened back in 2012, only 6 years ago. When Dedan had arrived at the café, he tells us how he was placed in front of a big old-style computer. While gesticulating the size of the computers screen, he almost knocks his beer of the table. The employee had opened a browser and a search-monitor for him, he was not sure if it was Google or another page. At the time, he would not have known the difference. Dedan is at this point, staring straight at me with crystal bright eyes; I could easily imagine shining stars in them. On the edge of his chair leaning forward eagerly, he continues smiling: “you know, the first thing I searched is ‘Yangon,’ not Bangkok or Singapore!” Dedan laughs heartwarmingly. “It was strange; I did not understand where the picture came from.” He jokes of the fact that the first thing he searched for was Yangon, his hometown when he could have typed anything else, and further how impressed he was of the pictures. 12