In Bangkok
Last Wednesday residents living near a certain bungalow on Yangon's broad and leafy University Avenue, were surprised to hear government officials talking through loudhailers to the occupants inside.
That resident is Myanmar's celebrity, imprisoned Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi is leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). The officials were trying to coax her out of the bungalow, where she has spent much of the last two decades under house arrest, to meet visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari who has been trying to wheedle concessions out of the ruling military regime.
On that and another occasion on this visit, however – and for the first time – she snubbed the envoy, refusing to emerge and be driven to the meeting.
The media, exile groups and the blogosphere went wild, believing Ms Suu Kyi was signalling that, given Gambari's lack of access to generals who really matter, even he was in no position to coax any major changes out of the regime, so it was pointless to meet him.
Most wrote off the Gambari mission as an abject failure.
But things in Myanmar are rarely what they seem.
Yes, Ms Suu Kyi's snub was a surprise for the junta, and definitely an embarrassment for the UN envoy.
But it certainly shook things up – and how the main players use it will be interesting.
The question is, did she overplay her hand and will the tactic backfire? The state media now has evidence to show that she is ''obstinate'' and if she is marginalised from the Gambari process, it will suit the regime.
Mr Gambari will be briefing the UN Security Council soon on his visit. By then it will be clear if the regime – which appeared to be friendlier in tone during this visit – is going to show some movement on the UN's other concerns, such as the release of political prisoners.
If this is not forthcoming, then the Gambari mission may be truly consigned to the dustbin with no substantive change inside Myanmar, where the generals have already made amply clear that progress towards their own brand of ''democracy'' will be on their terms - or not at all.