Nice to see. Most people in industrialised countries nowadays seem so habituated to automobiles that, to them, doing anything without them seems impossible. Which, of course, many centuries of human civilisation across the world disprove.
I met a man from China who said that it wasn't the government destroying China it was the automobile. I've met people from Myanmar and Thailand who share the same sentiment. In Cambodia they just asked what a car was.
It's not cultural differences that keep those people riding bikes, it's poverty. If they could afford to purchase and maintain a car, they would in a heartbeat... and so would every human being who's ever lived.
I was imagining if the bamboo slipped, the person riding in the back would get a face full of wood. But then again I'm from a country that requires helmets for riding a bike at all.
It's really cheap to be in Myanmar (you could spend a month there and spend about 500 dollars easy). The best time to go is the rainy season (from about July to October). The best places to go are Mandalay and Bagan. The best food to eat is Shan style noodles and Lahpet Thok (also nothing beats real Durian). The people are friendly and almost everyone speaks English in the cities.
Honestly, Myanmar is the best place I've ever been. On a complete side note get some worm medication before you leave; it's like 10 cents there but over 100 dollars US.