Myanmar

Quick Facts

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Capital

Naypyidaw

Population

42,000,000

Government

Military junta

Religions

Buddhism, Islam, Christianity

Languages

Burmese

Calling Code

+95

Nationality

Burmese

Local name

Myanma Naingngandaw

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Introduction

ubein bridge

© All Rights Reserved matthi

Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, changed its name in 1989, a time marked by massive civil upheaval. The military dictatorship which had ensured its own control over the past twenty five years found its power challenged by the popular National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD won the election that year; but the military government refused to let go of its power and now, almost fifteen years on, Myanmar remains under their control.

All of which makes travel to Myanmar a questionable proposition. While travel isn't particularly dangerous, some people recommend boycotting tourism as a way of opposing the government. But if special care is taken to stay in locally owned hotels and use government services as little as possible, travel can support the pro-democracy movement. This is because many people that don't want to work for the government own and operate the small independent guesthouses and restaurants. Plus, the country's fascinating traditional culture, emphatic landscape and charming capital make it a destination most of us will not want to miss out on.

Brief History

Geography

Myanmar's geography is very diverse. Most people live along or near the Irrawaddy River Valley that flows roughly down the center of the country. The problem is Myanmar is much larger than just the Irrawaddy River Valley. In the far north, the climate is similar to Tibet, while the south is covered by dense jungle. The center is a large plain, much like the Savannah of Africa. On the far eastern and western sides of the country there are dense mountainous jungles where remote minority groups live. Then there is a long part of land going much further south then Yangon, where there are still island nomads living a traditional life.

Myanmar shares international borders with Thailand, India, Laos, China and Bangladesh. Crossing overland in and out of Myanmar is a head ache. Please read below for more details.

Regions

Myanmar is organised into seven states and seven divisions.

• Ayeyarwady Division - Pathein, Chaungtha Beach
• Bago Division - Pyinmana, Bago, Pyay
• Magway Division - Magwe
• Mandalay Division - Mandalay, Bagan, Inwa, Mingun, Pyin U Lwin, Monywa, Shwebo
• Sagaing Division -
• Tanintharyi Division -
• Yangon Division - Yangon
• Chin State -
• Kachin State -
• Kayin State (Karen) -
• Kayah State (Karenni) -
• Mon State -
• Rakhine State (Arakan) -
• Shan State - Taunggyi, Nyaung Shwe, Kalaw, Kengtung, Tachileik, Hsipaw, Lashio

Cities

• Yangon is the largest city in Myanmar with over 5 million people.
• Naypyidaw is the new capital of Myanmar that no one ever goes to.
• Bago
• Inwa (formerly Ava)
• Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar and home to many great sights.
• Pathein
• Taunggyi
• Meiktila
• Pyay
• Nyaung Shwe is the township around Inle Lake.

Sights and Activities

Bagan

Pagoda, Bagan

© All Rights Reserved Winkekatze

Bagan is a stunning ancient temple city on the Irrawaddy River that rivals almost all other ancient cities in Asia. Bagan sits on the banks of the Ayerwaddy River and is home to the largest area of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world many of which dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Although 'only' 2200 remain today, there once were an estimated 13 000! Ananda is Bagan's holiest temple and dates back to 1091.

Inle Lake

Inle Lake is one of the best sights in Myanmar. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar and is framed on both sides with stunning mountains. It is a great place to enjoy hikes and the sights of village life on the water. Read more about this stunning place in the Inle Lake article.

Beaches

Although not as popular compared to many other South East Asian countries regarding its beachlife, there are some fine long and white beaches like the ones around Ngapali in western Rakhine State. It is still relatively low key with a good choice of budget and midrange places. Recently though, several more upmarket hotels cater to the more wealthy people. Getting there either requires flying or taking a long bumpy busride. Still, it is worth the effort because it still is quiet compared to other countries and has excellent seafood.

Different journeys

harbour along the ayeyarwaddy

© All Rights Reserved matthi

Travelling by boat along the mighty Irrawaddy River is a travel experience which is one of a kind. The best and most travelled part is between Mandalay and Bhamo more to the north. Another experience is to take the train between Mandalay and Lashio, Hsipaw, and Pwin U Lwin. The trains are slow, crowded but very fascinating and like the boat trip gives you an insight into the everyday local life of people travelling. The Pyin U Lwin - Hsipaw section includes the famous Gokteik Viaduct.

Other sights and activities

• Mount Popa - 50 kilometers from Bagan, is a peak topped by gold stupas. Reaching it requires you to go up 777 steps on your bare feeth.
• Kyaikhto - 160 kilometers from Yangon, is famous for its golden boulder and pagoda balancing over a cliff.
• Minority people near Kengtung - Ann and Akha people, in the northeast of the country.
• Sri Kittara - ancient sight near Pyay, halfway between Yangon and Mandalay.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Most of Myanmar (except the mountains in the north) have a hot and humid tropical climate. Temperatures are well above 30 degrees Celcius during the day and mostly around 20 degrees at night. Temperatures from mid March to May can reach 40 degrees and even a bit more in Mandalay, making this time rather unpleasant for visiting most places except the mountains. This time is often called the hot dry season.

From June to October is rainy season. There is massive amounts of rainfall this time of year which can make travel unpleasant. At the same time most of the more popular sights will be empty and hotels will have plenty of vacancies. If someone is hardcore loner this would their time to travel. The wettest places along the coast receive a massive 1400 mm during the wettest months.

The best time to visit is during the cool dry season which is December to February. During this period there is still warm and pleasant weather. It usually is dry and rather sunny during these months. Some places even can get chilly at night, especially more inland or in the mountains. On long bus rides bring some warm cloths for the night.

Getting There

Myanmar shares borders with India, Bangladesh, Laos, China and Thailand. However, it is only possible to enter Myanmar by land from China and Thailand.

By Plane

Yangon International Airport (RGN) is where most travellers start their trip in Myanmar. It has good connections in the region but does not have direct flights from Europe, North America or Australia.

Myanmar Airways International, the international airline of Myanmar, flies to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. While they do not operate any aircraft, they are on code share with Jetstar Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Thai Airways.

The Bangkok-Yangon route, the most commonly used one, is serviced by Thai Airways and AirAsia.

Other international airlines flying into this airport include Air India, Air Bagan, Air China, Air Mandalay, Bangkok Airways, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hong Kong Express Airways, Singapore Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.

There are also connections to Mandalay, for example from Chiang Mai in Thailand and Kunming in China.

By Land

It is possible to enter Myanmar by land from China and Thailand.

From China:
It is only possible to enter Myanmar from the border at Ruili in the southwest of the Chinese province of Yunnan. However, you can not travel by yourself; you have to arrange all transport and a guide including permits. This can be done either in Ruili or in Kunming. If arranging in Ruili, be sure you have your visa for Myanmar because you can only arrange this in Kunming! After travelling across the border you will be guided to the town of Lashio in Myanamar, from where you are free to travel by yourself to the rest of the country. Travelling the other way around (entering China from Myanmar) should be possible, but requires lots of money and patience, as you have to arrange very expensive permits, as it seems directly from the military regime!

Although every now and then there seems to be some news of new borders opening, most of the time this is only the case for local people from either side of that border.

From Thailand:
There are four border posts opened for travellers from Thailand. Out of these, only two have are possible for travellers to travel further into the country. The other two are for day-trips only.

• Tachileik / Mae Sai: Onward travel is only possible by flying from Tachileik or Kengtung further north, from where there are flights to Heho (Inle Lake), Yangon and Mandalay.
• Kawthoung / Ranong: Onward travel is possible by sea from Kawthoung to Myeik/Dawei and Yangon and by air to Myeik and Yangon.
• Mae Sot / Myawadi: Day-trip pass only. Travellers must leave on the same day.
• Three Pagodas Pass: Day-trip pass only. Travellers must leave on the same day.

Getting around

Myanmar

© All Rights Reserved ejgalang

By Plane

There are four domestic carriers; three private ones and one government-owned, with the latter being Myanma Airways (not to be confused with Myanmar Airways International). This one has a poor safety record and is better avoided. The other three airlines are Air Bagan, Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways. They all offer flights between the main airports of Yangon, Mandalay, Bagain and Heho (for lake Inle) as well as flying to more remote places like Sittwe at the west coast, Kawthoung in the south (for onward travel to and from Thailand) and Kengtung (also for onward travel to and from Thailand).

By Train

Although buses are often more reliable and faster, the train is more comfortable and for some people more fun as well. The most often used train ride is the one between Yangon and Mandalay with many overnight trains and one train during the day as well. The journey takes between 12 and 15 hours.

By Car

Renting a car with a driver is just a bit more expensive than renting one yourself (if you would like that at all with roads and road signs being poor) and thus a good way to see lots of the country if time is your main concern. The costs of hiring a car and driver may fluctuate wildly according to the prices of black market gasoline, since it is officially rationed and queues snake over kilometres overnight just to buy limited amounts of government gasoline.

By Bus

Myanmar has an extensive bus network. Although buses are usually faster than trains, they are not more comfortable and roads can be in a poor condition on some routes. If you are travelling in a small group, you can choose to take shared taxis or even rent a car for one or more days, which in the latter case means more freedom of stopping anywhere you want and usually faster transport as well.

By Boat

The most popular route for travellers is over the Ayerwaddy river from Mandalay to Bagan, which lasts between 10 and 15 hours, depending on the water levels and choice of boats. Remember it is over 10 dollars cheaper to take the ferry from Bagan to Mandalay on the exact same boat.

Red Tape

Many people believe that the red tape to get into Myanmar would be very difficult. This is only true if an international crisis is occurring. The majority of the time one can visit Myanmar pretty hassle free from the red tape point of view. The easiest way to obtain a visa is to fly into Bangkok and then purchase a visa. This can be done easily by going to the Myanmar Embassy before 11 am and then pick up a passport with a visa after 3 pm. The visa office remains open till around 6 pm, even though the rest of the embassy has shut down.

If a traveller does not have the time to do this, then they can arrange a visa on a arrival. This can be done with a travel agent over the internet. The agent will send the traveller a proof of purchase and when the traveller arrives in the country he or she will get a special stamp in their passport. This is not cheaper or less of a hassle then just arriving in Bangkok a few days early and buying a visa there.

Money

See also: Money Matters

The official currency is the kyat (pronounced ch-at). Exchanging FECs (Foreign Exchange Certificates) is no longer necessary on arrival. When paying for tickets for trains, buses, planes and hotel rooms most people want US dollars instead of local currency. Many people will refuse to take local currency for those purchases.

When making purchases on the street or in smaller non-tourist shops people always want kyat. Therefore keep some kyat with you at all times while travelling in the country. Remember that kyat is a non tradable currency meaning that once you leave the country it is next to impossible to exchange it. Even if you could exchange kyat in another country the vendors would most likely give you the horrible official government rate.

The official exchange rate for kyat is set by the federal government and it does not reflect inflation. The official rate moves around 7 kyat to 1 USD. The black market rate moves around 1500 to 2500 kyat to 1 USD. Never exchange your money at banks or the airport because you will get very bad rate of 450 kyat to 1 USD to 1000 kyat to 1 USD. It is best to change money in Yangon because the rates get worse the further one travels from the largest city in the country. Try to change money at hotels and guesthouses or the Yangon jewelry market. Remember to check and count all bills. Some cities in the north give very good rates for Chinese RMB and not for USD. In general USD is preferred over the EURO.

Work

Study

At this time it is almost impossible to study as a foreigner in Myanmar. This is because the government does not trust foreign students interacting with their students.

Language

Eat

Eating in Myanmar is an interesting experience. The food is a blend Indian, Thai, Chinese and local cuisine. Many smaller restaurants will serve either curry or noodles. If at a curry restaurant a metal tray will be brought to you with many small servings of different kinds of curry plus some bread and rice. Noodle restaurants will serve different kinds of noodle soup and more common the further north one travels. Many minority groups have there own cuisine that is very good and different from the traditional. Groups like the Shan are known throughout Myanmar for having amazing food.

There has always been a Chinese population in Myanmar and Chinese restaurants can be found in almost ever city in Myanmar, although there tends to more of them north of Mandalay. Most of the Chinese food is like southern Chinese food, although some spicier and saltier versions of Chinese food can be found as well. Chinese food can be a good switch after eating curry for several weeks straight.

If in one of the major cities or a tourist centre it always possible to find western food. Although not great it can be a good break and chance to remember home. The western food is almost always more expensive then the local food.

Snack Food

On the streets of any Myanmar town there will always be something cooking or being deep fried. Most of this is different kinds of snack food is extremely cheap. Some of the snack is very good. Make sure to try many different kinds of street snack food while in the country.

Sleep

The major tourist areas have plenty of cheap hotels that range from $7 to $15. Due to hotels having to pay a government charge per person sharing a room with another person does not save lots of money. Therefore a $15 room for a single will become a $20 room for a double. If looking for luxury style lodging only the largest cities and largest tourist areas will have hotels for that market.

In many towns a few budget guesthouses will be very popular, with good reason, while the others will be unpopular for good reasons. It can be difficult to get a room at the more popular guesthouses. In smaller towns there might be only one hotel, but usually this hotel will have many different kinds of rooms to service all kinds of costumers. Almost all guesthouses include breakfast every morning, which is a nice bonus.

Drink

Alcohol

It will be hard to find any kind of international brand of spirits. Luckily for the boozer in all of us Myanmar has plenty of cheap domestic varieties of all kinds of beer and spirits. There is cheap local rum, whisky and vodka.

Although the cheapest bottles of spirits go for about 600 kyat they taste there value. These liquids might actually make you go blind. Some of the stuff that is a little more expensive, maybe around 1000 to 2000 kyat, are actually pretty good.

The beer on the other hand is pretty good. There are a few brands that can be bought nationally such as Myanmar Beer and Mandalay Beer, which are pretty good. A 850 ml bottle will cost between 500 to 1000 kyat depending on how far into the countryside one has travelled. There are also many local beers, which are cheaper and can be pretty good.

Water

Do not drink the tap water ever! Only drink tea if it has been boiled and even then be hesitant. Bottle water is easy to buy and everywhere in the country.

Soda

Although it is possible to buy international soda brands like Coke and Pepsi they can be quite expensive because they have to be imported from Thailand. Luckily there are many domestic copy cat brands of soda to drink while in Myanmar, like Star Cola. Give these different kinds of drinks a chance and maybe a few them might grow on you. In general the local soda is extremely cheap and is served in the glass bottle that the restaurant will keep.

Health

See also: Travel Health

There are no western level hospitals in Myanmar. For any emergency requiring surgery the only option is to evacuated to Bangkok. Do not trust the local hospitals with anything more then a minor problem.

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

In areas that travellers around allowed in Myanmar are very safe. There is very little crime and the traffic although crazy is not as wild as some neighboring countries. There are still some areas with active insurgents, especially in the north eastern part of the country. These areas of Myanmar are closed to all foreigners.

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