Burma/Myanmar - anyone been?

i71jskz5xu42pb

Planning the big holiday for the year and Burma/Myanmar is on the list since it has opened up a bit.

Anybody here been? Based on the reviews prior to the government's recent opening up it did not sounds like a nice place: limits on where you could travel, locals discouraged from interacting with tourists, etc. Has this changed?

That aside, is it a nice place to visit?

Arcee

I was there in October and November last year. I went on an organised tour just because I wanted to see as much as I could in a short space of time and it's still difficult to arrange your own transport between towns if travelling solo. Here's the tour I did http://www.geckosadventures.com/south-east-asia/burma/feel-the-burm-2013 I like this company - I've done about 6 of their tours over the years.

In terms of getting a visa - there's no embassy in Ireland so I used a company called Travcoour in the UK - I sent them my passport, they handled all the embassy stuff in the UK then couriered it back to me. It's an expensive service but very efficient and reliable. I used them for a Vietnam visa about 6 years ago too. http://www.travcour.com/

I would definitely recommend it but you should go with an open mind, and not expect too much from the standards of accomodation! The transportation (trains, planes, taxis) is pretty unsafe for the most part too so be aware of that. Have you travelled to Laos or Cambodia before? It's most similar to the really rural parts of those countries.

In terms of restrictions on places you can visit, that is still true but you really don't want to go to those places anyway - they are largely populated by refugees, rebels or landmines!

Overall, the country is still very underdeveloped and the tourism infrastructure is not yet in place. This is part of what I really liked about it but if you like your comforts when you travel, Burma may not be the place to go

There are two big cities that most people visit - Rangoon and Mandalay and to be honest, they are the least enjoyable parts - there is very little to do in them and they are typical big, dirty, asian cities. The rural parts are stunning though - Bagan is amazing and was probably my fave thing about Burma. The country life moves at a lovely place. The people are incredibly friendly too.



There are a couple of opportunities to go trekking (at Kalaw and Inle Lake). I would highly recommend doing this as you get to see lots of the countryside and meet random locals along the way!
The one thing that struck me most was the lack of English - most of SEA like Thailand and Cambodia etc has put up a few English signs in places that tourists go but not in Burma! Very few people speak it and there are literally no English signs anywhere - this can be difficult if you are at a train station or airport and trying to figure out how to get where you need to go!



The other thing that is vitally important (and I cannot stress this enough) is how fickle they are about the quality of the dollars you bring over. If there is even a tiny crease or mark or fold they just won't accept it. I thought all the guide books were exaggerating but no, it's really true - they will check the notes down to every corner so make sure to order pristine, brand new bills from your bank. The other thing is that I thought they would accept dollars everywhere but actually, I used local currency for 95% of transactions. Most of the guide books tell you not to change money at the counter in Rangoon airport becuase of the bad exchange rate, but in the couple of months before I went - that counter was replaced with an official one that charges the usual market rate so it's safe to change money there now. Which is useful because the taxi drivers from the airport (and in general) seem to prefer local currency.


Other things you will need - definitely bring a torch. The lighting is very poor and non-existent in some places. One that straps on to your head is best because you may be cycling or using your hands to hold onto railings etc.


On my tour I took an overnight train from Rangoon to Bagan (about 15/16 hours). It was..... well..... hellish. There's no other way to put it! It's old, rickety, terrifying and the AC doesn't normally work. Still - all part of the experience! Bring a sleeping sheet or a light sleeping bag liner to sleep on - the blankets they give you on the train haven't been washed since the beginning of time. Also bring your own food and try not to visit the bathroom unless absolutely necessary



Internet access is surprisingly widely available (again, contrary to the guide books) and in particular - I had wifi at nearly every hotel I stayed at (they were budget hotelos too) so I used my iphone to send mails etc a lot. It's internet access from the stone age, mind you, so can be painfully slow.



So, you should have internet access but definitely no phone service - no mobiles will work there and international calls cost about $6 or $7 per minute from special shops, not available outside the big cities.


The poverty is fairly extreme there and begging is prevalent in the cities but if you want to help out some little kiddies - bring a few tennis balls or little notepads and crayons with you to give to them.


Food.... well, the food is not great and is prepared in very basic conditions and pretty much everyone on my trip was sick at some point - bring plenty of dioralyte and immodium! It's very chinese-influenced so you will see lots of veggie friend noodles and fried rice. I'll normally try any kind of food once, but I lived on both those dishes for 2 weeks - wasn't very adventurous outside of that! Chicken a bit grisly, beef... maybe not actually beef etc



Overall, the Geckos tour I toook was great except I think the guide was somewhat limited by the country if you know what I mean - for example, he could often only give one restaurant recommendation because that was literally the only decent restaurant where we were staying. So we may have wanted more from him then he could give sometimes. It really is a very under-developed, rough around the edges place to visit so go with an open mind and low expectations for your comfort levels - you might be plesantly surprised then because some places are actually lovely! The crowds are coming and they're going to spoil it so get there soon I think.

Oh, also -friendliest people I have met across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. They are fascinated by foreigners and will try and be in all your photos :-)

Let me know if you have any other qs....

i71jskz5xu42pb

Thanks for the very detailed reply, really above and beyond. I'll try keep this thread updated as I find out more.

I hear you - it's rough around the edges, but like yourself I'd like to see it before it gets overrun and possibly destroyed by larger scale tourism (maybe they'll see sense and go for something a bit more sustainable). South India is about as rough as I've had it, and that was not especially rough.

One of the other things I'm thinking about is the fact that, although it has opened up a a bit, the military heads are still running the show. Kind of conflicted as to whether I want to put money in their pockets to be honest.
Most recent advice I can find is:

Wikipedia wrote:

In May 2011, however, Aung San Suu Kyi and her party National League for Democracy expressed the opinion that responsible tourism to Burma should be encouraged. Tourists are welcome to Burma provided they are "keen to promote the welfare of the common people and the conservation of the environment and to acquire an insight into the cultural, political and social life of the country while enjoying a happy and fulfilling holiday in Burma."[8] In their official statement they request not only the development of the people's livelihood but also the promotion of "self respect and self reliance in the people."[9]

Responsible tourism might be easier said than done.

Separately a friend of a friend has been with a tour company

"I went with exodus - for the most part oaps but pretty cool nonetheless. Itinerary of trip is on website - it was all amazing. Need at least two weeks to see it"

http://www.exodus.co.uk/countries/burma-holidays/
They seem to run a bike tour now as well

Tipperary animal lover

There's terrible violence at the moment there between Muslims and Buddhists so check out how safe the areas your going to.

trihead

hi
I was there about 2 years ago on a short trip - about 10 days.
I flew from bangkok via http://www.airasia.com ( budget airline like ryanair) v good, clean and excellent safety record. I got visa on arrival in airport - they had just started it. Bagan is one of the highlights - I bused up it up and a got a flight back.
If you stay in one of the b+b you will get info on tours and buses etc.
When i was there they had nothing like the backpacker strips ( street full of backpackers hostels/ cafes/ tours) you get in other asia cities but might have picked up by now.

Great place to go.

enjoy

the dollars thing is a big issue so watch it. They have to v newish - clean and crisp otherwise useless there. no marks whatsever even a little black dot. Also watch out for the scams changing money due to above - there are plenty around in that country.