Burmese Days (Myanmar (Burma))

Member Name: Pablo_Sevilla

Product:	Myanmar (Burma)
Date:	31/05/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No crowds, wonderful culture and people, Swedagon pagoda, Sagaing Hill, cheap, rewarding

Disadvantages: Evil military junta, nightmare buses...

The first thing you need to do before going to Burma (Myanmar) isn't wondering about what you are going to need to pack; It's essential you first read up as much as possible about current events and the recent history of this troubled country.

There is a ethical debate on whether tourists should go or not because of the military junta that current controls the population; In recent years they have violently surpressed all forms of protest and have imprisoned and tortured thousands of dissidents (including Buddhist monks) as well as commiting genocide and over war crimes in regions bordering Thailand (Kayin State). Many pro-democracy Burmese groups have stated that people should not go, including noble prize winner, Aung Suu Kyi who has been under house arrest for more than a decade since winning the first elections in the country. The military junta refused to hand over power to the NLD (Nation League for Democarcy) and Suu Kyi (the leader) has been confined to her house cut off from the outside world ever since.

However there are equally as many people, including many Burmese themselves, who support tourism in there country and want people to go. They do not believe a travel boycott is productive because this kind of isolation only drags the economy down further than it already is with EU and US trade embargos already hitting the nation hard.

There are various arguments on both sides and the Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma) presents both sides of the argument very well.

In the end if you spend your money wisely you can avoid most of your money going to the military junta and instead it'll benefit private businesses run by ordinary Burmese families.

Here is a brief overview of the main destinations in Burma:

- Yangon (Rangoon city) Technically this is still the capital city and the largest in Myanmar; Swedagon Pagoda is the star attraction and for me rivals the Angkor Wat in Cambodia for the sheer "WOW" factor (it's not just another nice looking temple, far from it). Rangon also has lots of old British colonial buildings so you have churches alongside Buddhist wats as well as Hindu temples and the unique Chinese temples in the Indian and Chinese districts. It's this multiculutralism that makes Yangon so fascinating. There is also a huge Jade market where you can get the most beautifully carved jade and other precious gemstones for rock-bottom prices.

Mandalay- Mandalay is all about the temples on and around Mandalay hill. Burmese really love there pagodas and even the tiniest village usually has a dozen or so scattered around...It's best to climb Mandalay hill at sunset, although loads of people complain about the smog over the city this does make for truly amazing sunsets from the top of the hill!
An hour or so out of the city is Sagaing, a series of hills littered with pagodas that go far off into the distance over a vast plain. Definitely worth a day trip.
On the way back to Mandalay you should visit the longest teak bridge in the world and rent a boat to go on the lake on sunset. It's very beautiful.

Beaches - On the West Coast there is a choice of upmarket Ngpali beach or Chaur Tar beach which is more budget friendly (you can get great deals on rooms), the former has better sand but Chaur Tar has more to do with an island an hours voyage away that is worth a couple of hours.

Inle Lake- A great place to relax for a few days or to go trekking around the area. It's a big backpacker haunt so accomodation is cheap and it may be the only place in Burma that feels like a real tourist trap.

Budget: Accommodation is the most expensive thing. Budget range starts around 7 or 8$ less in Inle, though you usually get breakfast thrown in for free and good value for money. Most places are very friendly. Think $20 a day.

Food: I didnt find it so good! Cold noodles with popadom in Yangon didn't do it for me! Though the Indian street food is stupidly cheap and quite tasty. Watch what you eat though, a dodgy stomach isn't uncommon. The tea houses across the country are great.

Transport: In a word HARD! Roads are in very poor condition, buses are uncomfortable with little leg room. The Mandalay-Yangon bus is a nightmare, the worst journey i've ever had. Trains are more expensive but worth it because overnight bus journeys can be miserable. Don't plan too much or you will burn out fast! Air travel not an option because most airlines are government run and you don't want to give your dollars to the military junta. Contray to rumours you no longer have to have military escorts with you wherever you go (as of Feburary 2009), this stopped some years ago, but could change if protests kick off again.

Money: You have to change money on the black-market. Only fresh clean dollar bills are accepted, more recently money changers accept Euros. Must be unteared or they are useless and wont be accepted! You change everything into Kyat, the local curreny. You have to barter for an exchange rate, we were lucky and got 1200 kyat to 1$.

People: Some of the warmest i've ever met. Constantly invited to talk (even about politics when prompted) and constantly invited for tea in a tea shop. They love to talk!

Highly recommended, but do your research first!

Summary: Everyday is an intense, challenging but immensely rewarding experience...Highly reccommended!