Appropriate Clothing

I%26#39;m going to Myanmar in August. I understand that his is the monsoon season. My preferred clothing in hot, humid weather is shorts (knee-length and I%26#39;m male), but I read that this may be inappropriate. I don%26#39;t want to offend local sensibilities. Does anyone have experience on the do%26#39;s and don%26#39;ts in this regard?

Appropriate Clothing

We have travelled to Myanmar a few times now and shorts are fine. Just note that you will need to take some trousers for the temples etc. I found the trousers that zip off at the knees are very useful.

Best regards

James

Appropriate Clothing

Hi Numbat, August in Myanmar is not exactly the best time to go- December, January is balmy and pleasant...but at least you are not going AFTER the monsoon season, around October...that is the worst time for malaria, since they have the opportunity to breed after the heavy rains.

Clothing-wise, my concern is more for health than fashion, so I recommend covering your ankles and arms, hence wearing 100% light-weight cotton/linen fabrics in long-sleeves, as well as ankle-length trousers. Try avoiding dark colours and go for the whites, since for some strange reason, I got bitten a lot when I visited during my macabre phase (all-black wardrobe). (I didn%26#39;t realize that mosquitoes were so colour-biased...:) On my last visit there, I avoided being outdoors during dusk and don%26#39;t remember getting bitten. But then again, I had covered myself with my own mix of lemongrass/citronella in a 2.5% dilution of grapeseed oil. Grapeseed is not as oily or greasy as sweet almond oil and upon application, leaves your skin smooth without an oily residue.

I lost a friend to the mozzie demise, and thereafter took the above precautions whenever I visited- including homeopathic anti-malarial oral prophylactics.

As regards appropriateness of dress- agree with other post about when visiting temples (ditto all religious places all over the world) but elsewhere, knee-length shorts are not uncommon amongst local expats anyway and not a problem at all.

Hope info helps, P.

Numbat-

Shorts are fine, especially knee length. It%26#39;s also not a bad idea to try the local style of dress, the longyii. You can buy an inexpensive, pre-cut one for about a dollar, and the Myanmar will appreciate the effort. You will also have MANY, MANY people showing you how to tie it properly - always a good way to make impromptu, lifetime friends.

Don%26#39;t worry about the monsoon if you are going to Yangon, Mandalay, Inle, etc. It really is only a problem if you are going off the regular visitors%26#39; path. Also, it seldom rains in Bagan, and there are few experiences like being the ONLY visitor at Shwezigon during sunset. Tis could easily happen during the month of August.

Also, it is a good idea to wear collared shirts and always look neat. Unless you are a teenager, you will receive a warmer welcome if you make a little effort to look decent. You can buy inexpensive collared shirts in Yangon for like a dollar or two each.

Good luck!

vc