Hi, I will be visiting myanmar for a few days and I was wondering if anyone can give me some general tips.. dangers, annoyances, must eats, must sees.. etc. I will be visiting Yangon
much appreciated!
going to myanmar in a few week.. general tips?
Hi I am going to yangon on 12th july, have you been already what can I eat and drink there? What beer and how much is the cost of living?
cheers Dave
going to myanmar in a few week.. general tips?
Sorry, it%26#39;s too late to help you Doggar but maybe others will benefit.
Just returned from Myanmar and had a great time. Some thoughts:
The electricity is somewhat iffy outside of Yangon so take a candle or flashlight. A flashlight also helps if you are going to Bagan as the inside of some pagodas have dark stairwells.
If you book some of your flights %26amp; hotel rooms on the internet before you leave and pay by credit card, you won%26#39;t have to lug around so much cash.
Forget bringing lots of $1 bills usd. The 1000 kyat note is usually an even exchange with the usd but is cheaper ($1 usd=1250 kyat).
Wake up early to watch the monks collecting alms from the faithful.
Take the 3 hour circle train ride in Yangon. It was so interesting to see the outskirts of town and watch the locals enter the train thru the windows!
If you wear prescription glasses take your script with you. Glasses are so cheap in Yangon. We got two pair of perscription glasses with cute frames and multicoating for $24.00 usd! They were done in about 2 hours.
Holy smoke. The famous marionette show in Mandalay......zzzzzzzz.
E-mail was available everywhere we went but we found internet access in only one place in Mandalay. We didn%26#39;t look that hard, tho.
In Mandalay, go to ';the'; chapati restaurant mentioned in Lonely Planet. It%26#39;s the best! We had dinner for 2 for 80 cents USD.
We wished we had taken pencils or pens or something to give to the local elementary schools we saw while on a short trek.
We never felt in danger anywhere in Myanmar. Tho, when the electricity if out some of the areas feel sketchy.
Burmese food is not good. Bleah. We tried many times and love Asian food....usually. At outdoor restaurants they only cook once a day and leave the food in the pot to sit all day. It is air temperature when served. Cipro chaser, please.
Staying in a resort at an isolated location (like along the shore of Inle Lake or along the Ayeyarwady in Bagan) makes for a picturesque hotel but you can%26#39;t just stroll around in the evenings or eat where you like unless you hire a taxi, trishaw, horse/cart or boat. We tried the resort in Bagan and decided against the resorts at Inle Lake. Good decision.
Don%26#39;t exchange too much money at once. Remember the 1000 kyat note is the biggest denomination. If you exchange $100 you will get around 120 bills!
A 1 hour massage in Nyaungshwe was $3.00 usd!
I know there must be more good thoughts but I%26#39;m all out.
It was a wonderful place to visit, the people are friendly and many speak English. Traveling was easy to arrange and everyone was just as helpful as they could be. No rip-offs or problems. Talk to the locals about their lives; they are very open and you will get a new appreciation for your home country. The sites in Myanmar should be right up there with Angkor Wat but few know about them. I wish the people the best of luck and thank them for being so gracious to us.
i just came back from myanmar . went to yangon and mandalay
cant comment on the touristy stuff (cos i didnt go for leisure) but like to share some of my experience.
Mandalay
took air mandalay from yangon to mandalay (btw domestic flights are propeller type of planes).. i must say.. the air con is so weak and ventilation is bad that i felt sick (having cold sweat) while on board.
on return trip from mandalay to yangon i took yangon air and the aircon was so much better.
Sedona hotel has a pretty nice pool which unfortunately i never got a chance to use. Its facing the old palace which i was told that you can actually go in (there are 4 entrances) and the old palace takes up about 1/3 of mandalay already. the mandalay hill can also be seen from a distance.. which unfortunately i didnt get to go as well.
however, one thing to note that sedona has power trip pretty often. e.g. i couldnt have the hair dryer on for more than 1 min.. power trips :O (however didnt have this issue when i was in traders hotel yangon)
Yangon
passed by the huge pagoda (was told entrance is US$5) while travelling on the road and its really amazing.
btw, i am not so certain about negative comments of burmese food.
a burmese friend told me that you cant get decent authentic burmese food around. He invited me to his place for dinner and i must say that i fell in love with the food. It was simply delicious.
also, in hotels, you may note they also serve the myanmar local breakfast during the breakfast buffet - do give it a try - the rice noodle with the sauce, and the ';crackers';.. if u like spice, add the chilli flakes and its really hot!
oh yes, try the mangoes and pineapples.. gosh they are so so so so sweet! even though the mangoes are not even in season now!
forgot to add...
internet
its about US$2 for 30minutes if i rem correctly at the hotel business centre.. email sites such as yahoo and hotmail are banned sites..
International calls
international call is expensive. e.g. US$4.50 PER minute for call from myanmar to Singapore.
Just back from 12 days in Myanmar - loved it! Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Kalaw and Inle Lake on a small group tour.
In Yangon - have a %26#39;Sling%26#39; in the Bar at the Strand Hotel (USD6, but very atmospheric); Bogyoke Market touristy but worth a visit; Shwedagon Pagoda unlike any temple I%26#39;ve seen before - all that gold!
Overnight train to Mandalay - %26#39;soft%26#39; sleeper, but %26#39;hard%26#39; track - a bit bouncy (suggest red wine %26#39;sleeping pills%26#39;) - don%26#39;t expect to get too much sleep.
Mingun - a bit touristy, but worth a look (need to take a boat up river); Pyin U Lwin - hill station with beautiful national gardens; Mandalay Hill great spot to watch sunset.
9 hour ferry trip from Mandalay to Bagan - long day and the scenery is not overly exciting, but the only way to go.
Bagan - too many temples! Hire a bike to get around; Mt Popa - worth the climb (700 steps) for the view from the top.
Kalaw - hill station with good walks through countryside. Everest Restaurant recommended.
Inle Lake - hire a boat for the day for tour around - stunning!(Like Venice only different!)
I found e-mail/internet almost non-existent outside Yangon. English 3-pin plugs in Yangon; 2 pin plugs elswhere. %26#39;Chinese%26#39; food most places - meal and a beer USD3.
Hawkers a bit of a problem in the more touristy areas, but markets in non-touristy areas just delightful. Myanmar still in the %26#39;ox and cart%26#39; era outside of big towns, but the people are so friendly and welcoming.
Put Myanmar on your %26#39;must see%26#39; list and go soon.
I actually found the food to be very good overall in Myanmar. I enjoyed going to teashops in Yangon and Mandalay; great cheap tea and tasty snacks such as paratha and samosas. Good cheap Indian places, too. Chinese restaurants are also common but a bit more expensive than the Indian and Burmese places. Sandy%26#39;s Myanmar Cuisine (near the lake and Shwedagon Pagoda) is very good.
In Mandalay I highly recommend the Aya Mit Tar restaurant, only about 2 blocks from the Moustache Brothers show. Great food and outstanding service. You get tons of side dishes (which the waiters can refill for you at no extra charge) in addition to your main course.
In Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake) I also like the Unique Superb Food House. Great for veggie dishes, as is the Nepali Restaurant in Mandalay.
In the Bagan area, try the Silver House restaurant in New Bagan. Very good food and service. But tell the waiter to turn on the fans!
Konnichiwa!
For international media --%26gt; www.oag.com --%26gt; lookup for Myanmar info
For Myanmar%26#39;s Myanmar info --%26gt; www.myanmars.net
Aung Kyaw Moe
