BURMA 1934-41 Teeming with the joy and abundance of life, the great Irrawaddy river is the life-blood of Myanmar, the country once known as Burma. From its myriad of sources high in the jungle-clad slopes of the mountainous hills bordering China, the 'River of Blessings' winds a thousand miles South to its fertile delta that opens into the Bay of Bengal. To a little boy conceived in the Kachin Hills and living by the great river for his first five years, the country's fascinating wildness, creatures, culture and essence burn deep into his character, shaping the whole of his life.