Well I'm finally back from my trip to Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and the quick stop in Thailand and I haven't quite processed everything I saw there just yet... but I'm working on it.

Myanmar was unbelievable. The impressions I am left with will never leave me, such optimism and happiness amongst people who have suffered with 65 years of a military junta and still today face such grave poverty. Their hope for the current changes and the continued rise of their beloved Lady Aung San Suu Kyi towards a place in government was truly inspiring. I was in awe at the role in which gold plays in their society, gold is simply the only understanding of wealth they have. However, it isn't the normal desire to procure gold for oneself to be 'rich'... no the poor people of Myanmar buy gold after particularly great harvests or profitable years and then donate it to their local Buddhist Pagoda! Gold leaf is still manually produced in Mandalay (pounded flat) and sold at every pagoda in the nation (and trust me there are thousands and thousands of them).

The biggest and most impressive Pagoda in the country is the main pilgrimage point, Swedagon and is covered in an estimated 45 tonnes of gold. Seriously. I may be a bit skeptical about that figure, but there is no doubt that it's a number in the multiple of tonnes. This in a city where they can't even keep the power running for a full 24 hours a day (we had many blackouts during our stay). I spent a great deal of time with local people, in villages, in a shared pilgrimage to Golden Rock (look it up... so cool) and in local cafes and restaurants. My personal guide was a brilliant translator so I got access I really couldn't have imagined.

The people were so proud of their new openness and the freedom to speak their minds. There were pictures of their Lady everywhere and her party was actively and openly campaigning. There was a real feeling of a new dawn and a future prosperity. As someone involved in the Tourism industry, it was a shock to see so many incredible things in such a beautiful country and yet see almost no tourists whatsoever. Trust me on this, within 10 years the whole nation will have transformed completely and it will rise very quickly on the 'places to go' list. Which means more gold purchasing and greater claims of wealth for the countries pagodas and Monasteries. It was strange to see just how intertwined their love of gold was with their religion, in fact it was almost a part of the religion itself... perhaps the folks on this board are actually just Theravada Buddhists and don't know it :) If the countries wealth does increase as I predict, I can just imagine the increased demand for gold- farmers even buy it to offset their inflation... it is really the only alternative currency in the nation!

What was also interesting was the growth in the reverence for silver in many parts of the country as gold prices have soared. I bought a few nicely designed silver items for my kids from places where I could watch the silver workers outside the shops.

I have a load of photos if any of you are interested and will post my Flickr account here for all to see soon.

As for AUM, nice to see a bit of an uptick to the 10 dollar range, but I really won't show any signs of excitement until we're in the 30 range & I start seeing myself back in profits. I have NO doubt that will happen. It's 'when' not 'if'.

I've also been watching the political scene in the US over the past month, anywhere I could get internet access... what a bloody gong show. Seriously, Washington is not broken, that happened long ago, it's just now nakedly & openly a nest of unrepentant criminals and total fools. I honestly feel for those living there, as voting is such a ridiculous waste of time in a nation where you really are damned if you do, damned if you don't. So sad. But one thing is for sure, you will have 4 more years of Obama... not one of those Republicans could win a general election even if the collective populous drank a hallucinogenic Kool-aid on election day. It's like a race to see who can be more hyperbolic, extreme and out-of-touch... except Ron Paul, but no one pays attention to him other then John Stewart (and members of this board).

Anyhow, great to be back and thanks to all for the great posts of late, I am always here reading if not always here writing.

Over and out

Over and out

Soul