MYANMAR
Forty years of military rule and isolation has created a country with unique “quirks” but recent moderation of views has allowed an increase of outside investment. Myanmar is situated between India and Asia, with influences from both, yet the country is entirely distinct. Even though the country changed it's name in 1989 a lot of people still historically refer to it as Burma. Of the 61.1m citizens 70% are Burmese. The Shan (10%), Karen (7%), and Rakhine (4%) are the largest ethnic minorities. It's a large (about the same size as Texas) naturally resource rich country.
Myanmar is current answer to where does the person go who’s been everywhere. Most of the travelers you meet in Myanmar have been all over and the primary attraction of the visit is the yet to be (and hopefully never) Westernized culture. This doesn't mean that Myanmar is some backwater country - it has quite a few natural resources and the city centers are a tick above what you may see in India. Outside the city centers it gets rural and desolate pretty quickly. 2011 political reforms have opened the country to foreign investment and intrepid travelers. It seems as everyone is in search of an authentic glimpse of Myanmar before the foreign investment destroys the historical culture. If Myanmar is on your list of places to visit you may want to consider moving it up on rankings - the country is changing daily.
Myanmar is current answer to where does the person go who’s been everywhere. Most of the travelers you meet in Myanmar have been all over and the primary attraction of the visit is the yet to be (and hopefully never) Westernized culture. This doesn't mean that Myanmar is some backwater country - it has quite a few natural resources and the city centers are a tick above what you may see in India. Outside the city centers it gets rural and desolate pretty quickly. 2011 political reforms have opened the country to foreign investment and intrepid travelers. It seems as everyone is in search of an authentic glimpse of Myanmar before the foreign investment destroys the historical culture. If Myanmar is on your list of places to visit you may want to consider moving it up on rankings - the country is changing daily.
MYANMAR DESTINATIONS
BAGAN
|
HSIPAW
|
INLE LAKE
|
IRRAWADDY
|
MANDALAY
|
YANGON
|
COUNTRY BACKGROUND
HISTORY
12th - 13th Centuries: Rise of the Pagan Empire
1885: Britain consolidates Burma into Indian Empire following three separate wars earlier in the century
Jan. 4, 1948: Independence followed by civil war (still ongoing)
Mar. 2, 1962: General Ne Win leads coup d’etat
2011: Military Junta officially dissolved, new constitution ratified by less conservative military council
GOVERNMENT
Significant reform since 2010: new constitution, non-military political parties run for office (80% victory for open seats in 2012), political prisoners freed (including Aung San Suu Kyi), internet restrictions lifted
Current Pres.: Thein Sein - elected through MP committees; considered a moderate and clean from corruption, enacted reforms above
Bicameral parliament - ¼ of seats selected by military
ECONOMY
Military controls businesses in significant industries (oil, consumer goods, transportation and tourism - even hotels)
Rich in jade, gems, oil, and natural gas but questionable human rights and working conditions in these areas
180 out of 183 on government corruption index
EDUCATION
Lack of an educated workforce and infrastructure hinder potential following decrease of isolation -> Yangon University shut down most of 1990s - fear of protests
Primary and Secondary school available - exam determines university enrollment or enter workplace
Teachers paid less, if at all, than tour guides...so if you're education and you speak English you work as a tour guide instead of a teacher
HEALTHCARE
0.5 - 3.0% of GDP - consistently lowest in the world
Patients pay for medicine and treatment in public facilities; facilities lack basic equipment and services
12th - 13th Centuries: Rise of the Pagan Empire
1885: Britain consolidates Burma into Indian Empire following three separate wars earlier in the century
Jan. 4, 1948: Independence followed by civil war (still ongoing)
Mar. 2, 1962: General Ne Win leads coup d’etat
2011: Military Junta officially dissolved, new constitution ratified by less conservative military council
GOVERNMENT
Significant reform since 2010: new constitution, non-military political parties run for office (80% victory for open seats in 2012), political prisoners freed (including Aung San Suu Kyi), internet restrictions lifted
Current Pres.: Thein Sein - elected through MP committees; considered a moderate and clean from corruption, enacted reforms above
Bicameral parliament - ¼ of seats selected by military
ECONOMY
Military controls businesses in significant industries (oil, consumer goods, transportation and tourism - even hotels)
Rich in jade, gems, oil, and natural gas but questionable human rights and working conditions in these areas
180 out of 183 on government corruption index
EDUCATION
Lack of an educated workforce and infrastructure hinder potential following decrease of isolation -> Yangon University shut down most of 1990s - fear of protests
Primary and Secondary school available - exam determines university enrollment or enter workplace
Teachers paid less, if at all, than tour guides...so if you're education and you speak English you work as a tour guide instead of a teacher
HEALTHCARE
0.5 - 3.0% of GDP - consistently lowest in the world
Patients pay for medicine and treatment in public facilities; facilities lack basic equipment and services
TRAVEL INFORMATION
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Three primary types of cuisines reflecting the major ethnicities: Myanmar, Shan, and Chinese. Lots of noodle and rice based dish. Due to city locations near rivers and lakes reasonably priced fish is available on most menus.
It’s fascinating to watch tourist behavior - everybody comes to Myanmar because it’s a new destination, off the beaten path, and the want to see a culture before its been changed by foreign influences - so where do these people dine? Where ever the guide book tells them to…and then complain afterwards of how touristy Myanmar has become.
With so few restaurants reviewed and listed in guidebooks dining is the best way to find your own personal Myanmar experience. Here’s the breakdown on restaurant “categories”:
SITES, ATTRACTIONS, ADVENTURES
There’s not much to see or do and the countryside is very…ugly. The limited sites means there’s likely to be lots of other tourists with you at each location but if you arrive early there’ll be less people. This doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement but I think the more places you'll visit the more appreciation you'll have for Myanmar but it's a completely different travel mindset then going to a "check the box" site country like Thailand. The people are fantastic and usually excited to see tourists. People will ask to you to join them for dinner, offer free motorbike rides, and show genuine interest in who you are and why you’ve come to Myanmar. There are some absolutely fabulous quirks - driving on the wrong side of the road, men's attire, and women's makeup. Hopefully these things never change because they are distinctly Myanmar.
Relatively easy to get around between and within cities. Inter-city travel I booked the bus tickets through the hotel and went to an agency once because it was an uncommon route.
- Limited hostel options and budget hotels - I stayed at hostels in Yangon and Bagan and budget hotels everywhere else. The budget hotel prices were higher than in India but better quality and consistency as well - all had flush toilets, warm showers, etc.
- Breakfast included - quantity of what was included varied but the quality was usually decent to start the day
Three primary types of cuisines reflecting the major ethnicities: Myanmar, Shan, and Chinese. Lots of noodle and rice based dish. Due to city locations near rivers and lakes reasonably priced fish is available on most menus.
It’s fascinating to watch tourist behavior - everybody comes to Myanmar because it’s a new destination, off the beaten path, and the want to see a culture before its been changed by foreign influences - so where do these people dine? Where ever the guide book tells them to…and then complain afterwards of how touristy Myanmar has become.
With so few restaurants reviewed and listed in guidebooks dining is the best way to find your own personal Myanmar experience. Here’s the breakdown on restaurant “categories”:
- Coffee and/or Beer Cafe - recognizable because of the small, child size chairs and lots of men around (women don’t drink in conservative Myanmar). These places have very limited menus but a meal should cost less than $1.
- Local Restaurants - two types - the permanent and pop-up. At night chefs pop-up through Yangon and Mandalay serving a set course or quasi buffet style meals. You can spot the good ones because there’s no seats available and you’ll need to wait until someone leaves to grab your place. Locals will be stunned your sitting with them and since there’s no menu you’ll need their assistance on what to order. The only thing to watch out for is the pop-ups don’t have a sink - arrive a too late and you may be able to tell your eating off a plate that wasn’t washed with hot water and soap. The permanent restaurants offer a similar local dining experience without the al fresca / on the street tables. Meals will cost $1 - $3 depending upon how much you load up on.
- Tourist Restaurants - like the local permanent places but with a tablecloth and lots of Westerners. Meals $2-$4. Shrimp and duck meals will run $6-$8.
SITES, ATTRACTIONS, ADVENTURES
There’s not much to see or do and the countryside is very…ugly. The limited sites means there’s likely to be lots of other tourists with you at each location but if you arrive early there’ll be less people. This doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement but I think the more places you'll visit the more appreciation you'll have for Myanmar but it's a completely different travel mindset then going to a "check the box" site country like Thailand. The people are fantastic and usually excited to see tourists. People will ask to you to join them for dinner, offer free motorbike rides, and show genuine interest in who you are and why you’ve come to Myanmar. There are some absolutely fabulous quirks - driving on the wrong side of the road, men's attire, and women's makeup. Hopefully these things never change because they are distinctly Myanmar.
- Yangon - Shwedagon Pagoda, “Lesser” Pagodas (sleeping and sitting Buddhas both constructed in the 1960s), Circular Train (if you go it’s the only place that strictly enforced payment by USD so be sure to bring a $1 bill)
- Inle Lake - Boat Ride (leave very early in the morning ~5:30 - 6; the fishermen are on the lake at night and if you leave too late you’ll only see the fishermen who pose for tourists); Bike Ride around the lake, Puppet Show
- Mandalay - Motorbike tour around the city suburbs - monastery to watch monk daily feeding and mile long teak bridge; Mandalay Hill temple complex
- Pyin Oo Lwin to Hsipaw train - in Hsipaw you can visit the Shan Palace
- Bagan - thousands of temples and pagodas - incredibly easy to have fascinating temples all to yourself - an electric bike rental makes it easy to cover the entire area
Relatively easy to get around between and within cities. Inter-city travel I booked the bus tickets through the hotel and went to an agency once because it was an uncommon route.
- Planes - there are a few routes but very expensive
- Buses cover most of the country and usually leave early night (6-7 pm) and arrive at the destination early the next morning (3-5am). I had booked hotel rooms for the morning of arrival so I could check in and continue sleeping. There are three types of buses - “local”, “tourist”, and “VIP”. I didn’t ride and of the local intercity buses but they looked pretty bad when you’d see them at bus stops. The tourist buses are nice comparable to a MegaBus or Greyhound in the US. The VIP buses are pretty amazing - three seats across and a bathroom as well. Tourist bus is about $1.25/hr and VIP about $1.75/hr - so a ten hour bus ride from Bagan to Yangon would be about $13 or $17 respectively. The roads are horrible and the buses shake quite a bit.
- Airport and Bus Station Transit to Hotel - these costs can be quite high - you can spend $13 on a 10 hour bus ride then a 15 minute taxi costs $7. The rates are fixed and no driver’s were willing to negotiate a lower fare. Fortunately the outgoing bus ticket included a ride back to the bus station.
- Ferry - I took the ferry from Mandalay to Bagan - I enjoyed it but it was expensive $40, long (over 12 hours from hotel to hotel), and incredibly boring
- Train - the Pyin Oo Lwin to Hsipaw is considered one of the must do train rides in the world
- Taxis (Yangon) and Motorbikes (Mandalay) are not metered and you’ll need to negotiate a rate in advance - typically about $2.50. At other locations I walked or traveled around using a bicycle.
- Visas are easy to obtain while on the road. I picked mine up in Kuala Lumpur. The process is handled through an agency - total fee was ~$40 - $30 visa, $10 agency fee.
- Cash - its been recommended that you bring USD vs. taking money out of an ATM on arrival. Supposedly the KBZ Bank allows KYAT withdrawal using Western debit and visa cards - I did not give this a try to confirm. You’ll receive better rates for larger denominations of currency. If you bring cash these means you’ll be walking around with $300+ whenever you’re in transit - fortunately Myanmar is a very safe country. Whatever you decide between bringing cash or using an ATM it’s worthin noting that outside of hotels, few places accept credit cards.
- As noted above the only place that strictly enforced payment in USD was the Yangon circular train. Every other place accept KYAT (albeit at the marked up 1 to 1,000 rate).