Myanmar : conclusions and tips

• 18 + 29 days;

• 3 +1 train journeys;

• 4 +1 domestic flights;

• 1+ 2 visits to Bagan;

• 37 nats;

• 3959966969 Buddhas in all possible positions;

• 1 hike + 1 trek;

• 1 English course.

What I liked MOST

• Always one of my best trips ever, maybe the best trip;

• People’s smiles are still free;

• Historical sites;

• Sunrise and sunset in Bagan.

What I liked LEAST

• Its military dictatorship fake democracy;

• Lack of freedom;

• Most of still many of the off the beaten path sites need a Government’s permission and are very expensive;

• All the stories about changing dollars;

• I did not like to carry all the cash with me all the time since the first day;

• Kids working when they should be at school.

Useful Information :

• Visa must be obtained before arrival and it is valid only for 28 days;

• Visa counting starts from the following day of your arrival so at the end you have 29 days;

• All guest houses have wi fi connection but at the end few times works it so “wi fi availability” should not be a criteria for choosing one guest house;

• Some guest houses in Yangon start having dorms so they are new and clean . .  and cheap!;

• Now it is possible to book accommodation online. Websites like booking.com have proposals all around Myanmar;

• Change rate is best in big cities, early in the morning and on the previous day. Change rate can change many times during the same day;

• Before leaving to Myanmar I read a book called “Secret stories of Burma”, by Emma Larkin. This journalist follows George Orwell’s steps in Burma and her book presents a picture of the country that the local Government tries to avoid to be known. Not an easy reading but very interesting.

My Myanmar Pictures :

2011 08 MYANMAR