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Myanmar Travel Guide

Erin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 09:58:39 +0000

Years ago, people would have hardly ever considered Myanmar when listing off dream destinations, but since the country has opened itself up to the world, it has become more and more popular as a tourist destination. We really didn’t know what to expect when we went there, so I decided to share what I’ve learned to help other people prepare for their trip. Overall, Myanmar is a really great country. It’s not as developed as the Western world, but it’s still such a fantastic place to visit. As long as you’re prepared for some of the nuances of a less-developed country with a vastly different culture, you will have a wonderful time there. BEFORE YOU GO VISA – You will need a visa to get into Myanmar. A standard single-entry tourist visa costs USD $50, is valid for 90 days and allows a trip length of 28 days. Business visas cost USD $70, are valid for 90 days and allow a trip length of 70 days. Recently Myanmar began accepting online applications for evisas. The evisa application and list of countries who are allowed to apply online can be found here. BRING EXTRA OF ANY NECESSITIES – whether it be something you NEED or something you just prefer, bring extra because finding medical items or comfort/convenience items is not always easy and will sometimes be impossible. If there is an item you MUST have or something you just won’t be happy without, bring a spare just in case. MONEY CURRENCY – The local currency is called kyat (pronounced similar to ‘chat’) and since 2012, the government is pushing for that to be used more than USD. Even so, you will still find places that will accept USD. ATMS & CREDIT CARDS – Myanmar is slowly starting to accept credit cards, but it is not widespread. ATMs are plentiful and some larger business are starting to take credit cards, but still be prepared to pay cash since most smaller shops and street vendors won’t take credit cards. MAKE SURE USD IS PRISTINE – The government won’t allow shopkeepers to trade bills with tears, smudges, creases or any type of imperfection, so the vendors will, in turn, not accept anything except a bill in perfect condition. I took all of our USD and ironed them before going on the trip and that took care of the creases and folds. Also, make sure none of your bills are older than 2006. BRING HARD CASE FOR MONEY – In order to keep your bills in mint condition, be sure to bring a flat wallet or hard case to keep the bills flat and unbent. BILL DENOMINATIONS – For exchanging at local exchange shops, you’ll want larger bills. Those get the best exchange rates. Still bring smaller bills, though, to use for tips and purchases at small shops or eateries. WHILE YOU ARE THERE DON’T DRINK THE WATER! – The water in Myanmar is not suitable for drinking. Water bottles are roughly USD .20, so it’s not too bad to have to buy water. Plus, the three hotels we stayed in were really good about giving us extra water when we left for the day, so be sure to ask your hotel for a bottle or two before heading out. LIMITED INTERNET AND CELL SERVICE – There is no public wifi in Myanmar, so if you need cell or internet service, pick up a SIM card. SIM cards are available at the airport and train stations. If you go to Bagan, you won’t have service even if you buy a local SIM card. The infrastructure of the country is still developing, so only the major cities have semi-reliable cell service. We survived 5 days only having insanely slow wifi in hotel lobbies and not having cell service at all when we were in Bagan, so it’s not hard to get by without it. REMOVE SHOES (AND SOMETIMES SOCKS) AT RELIGIOUS SITES – This is just how it is, no way around it. If you try to wear your shoes, you will be asked to either leave or go back and take your shoes off. This is a pretty big one and some people will get quite offended if you don’t respect their culture and remove your shoes before entering temples and shrines. HAGGLING IS EXPECTED – Unless you are in an actual store with posted prices, the vendors will negotiate with you. Some will drop the price quite a bit and others will only drop it a little. The higher a quantity you buy, the bigger the discount will be. Also, the more friendly and companionable you are, the more willing most of the vendors will be to lower the price. If you’re at a tourist spot and the vendor won’t negotiate, there’s most likely another vendor with similar items nearby. POWER GOES OUT PERIODICALLY – This happened to us every day we were there. Sometimes it was in the afternoon and sometimes in the evening. It was a little disconcerting to have the power go off while I was taking a shower. You may want to bring a flashlight. Sometimes the power only went off for less than a minute and sometimes it was close to 10 minutes. INSIST ON RECEIVING CHANGE IN THE SAME CURRENCY YOU PAID WITH – Since the government is pushing for the exclusive use of kyat, this may not be an issue for much longer, but it still is at the moment. If you pay in USD, make sure you are given USD in change. If they give you kyat instead of USD, you will end up being shorted. US POWER PLUGS – Every hotel we stayed at in Myanmar had US power outlets, so if you are from the US, you don’t need an adapter. If you are not from the US, bring a US-type power adapter. RELIGIOUS SITE DRESS CODE – when you visit any of the temples or religious sites, you will need to wear a shirt with sleeves (cap sleeves are fine) and longer shorts. It is offensive for you to go to their religious sites or enter their temples wearing anything that shows your shoulders or knees (men and women). Some places have cover-ups that you can purchase that are lightweight and have very pretty designs or you could bring something lightweight to throw on before going inside. SUPER DUSTY AND SMOKY – No matter where we went, it was either dusty or smoky. Or both. The locals burn weeds and other things, so you’ll smell a lot of smoke along with all the dust from it being so dry there. The rural areas are the worse, though you’ll still find the smoke and dust in the cities sometimes. If you have asthma or a breathing condition, bring an extra inhaler and/or whatever else you need to manage your condition. Face masks are a good idea, too. We wore ours several times when the dust got really bad. WEATHER – Myanmar has three seasons: hot, not too hot and hot & rainy. The best times to visit are between November and February. Those are the coolest months. We were there at the end of January and it was hot, but not too bad. Rainy season goes from May to October and the super hot time of year is March through May. COSTS FOOD – Food is so cheap there. Tourist hotspots will cost you a several dollars for a meal, but if you go to the smaller restaurants or street vendors, you can get a meal for $1-2. Bottled water is about .20 per bottle. HOTELS – Hotels vary. We got a cheap hotel in Yangon for $25 and it was okay, but the entire place reeked of cigarette smoke. We looked around town and found a place for $40 a night that was really nice and didn’t smell bad at all. In Bagan, we paid $25 a night and were happy with our hotel. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was comfortable and the staff was really nice. TAXIS – Taxis are pretty cheap. Some use meters and some don’t, but it shouldn’t cost more than $3 to cross the entire town. If the taxi doesn’t want to use a meter, don’t agree to pay more than $3 or 3700 kyat. SOUVENIRS – It depends on the site and the vendor. Some will charge less than $1 for some items while another vendor will charge $1-2 for the same item. Sand paintings are really cool (factory-made) and cost anywhere from $8-16, though if you buy several they’ll give you a discount. BUSES – You can ask your hotel to book a bus for you and arrange for you to be picked up from the hotel or somewhere nearby. Buses that the locals ride are adequate for short distances, but for the longer-distance trips, you’ll want to splurge for the ‘VIP’ bus. That can vary from $15-20 for a 12-hour trip, but it’s worth it. The ‘VIP’ bus comes with reclining seats, televisions, blankets, AC and complimentary meals. FYI MOST SOUVENIR PAINTINGS ARE FACTORY-MADE, NOT HANDMADE – Vendors like to tell people all the paintings are hand-made, but you will find the same ones at every temple. The ones that really are hand-made will be the ones that are unique and the ones where you can see the artists painting them. PAY FOR PICTURES – One of the things we found in Myanmar was that many people who you photograph will ask for money afterwards, even if you ask for permission before. We didn’t understand this at first and a lady yelled at us when we started walking away. Once we figured out what she was upset about, we gave her some money and she was happy. Not everyone will ask for money after you take a photo, but it does happen, especially in more touristy areas. SOMEONE WATCHES YOUR SHOES, THEY EXPECT YOU TO BUY SOMETHING – When visiting temples, it is required for you to take your shoes off. Sometimes vendors will offer to watch your shoes and when you come back, they’ll insist you purchase something since they watched your shoes and kept them safe. SOMEONE GUIDES YOU SOMEWHERE, THEY WILL EXPECT YOU TO BUY/PAY/DONATE – Periodically, someone will offer to show you something ‘really cool’ at whatever tourist place you are currently at and then take you to see it. Vendors want you to purchase something from them. Kids or teens will then try to get you to donate for their schooling or some ‘official’ charity thing that they have a form for. Random adults just want you to pay them for their service. If you have money to spare, go for it. If you are on a tighter budget, it’s best to just decline their offer and say you want to look around on your own. NO NON-SMOKING ROOMS IN THE CHEAP HOTELS – Myanmar doesn’t quite have the same bad view of smoking as the US does. Even though we reserved a non-smoking room in Yangon, we ended up with a heavily smoked in room and the front desk said all their rooms smelled like that when we went to inquire about changing rooms. We found the same response at all the cheaper hotels we contacted. It wasn’t until we contacted some of the mid-range hotels that we were able to find a true non-smoking room. If you absolutely require a non-smoking room, be sure to verify with the hotel that they do indeed have non-smoking rooms. TIPS BRING WET WIPES – the floors in public buildings can be quite dirty, so if you’re in a place where you have to also take your socks off, you will probably want to wipe your feet off before putting your socks and shoes back on. Plus, it’s really hot and dusty there and the wet wipes can be a periodic refresher during the day. WEAR EASILY REMOVED SHOES OR STURDY SANDALS – Pretty much every temple you go to will require you to remove your shoes before entering, so if you plan on going...

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Sule Pagoda

Erin — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 03:17:11 +0000

In the geographical and religious center of Yangon, Myanmar, is a site that holds importance for both religious and political groups. It is as ancient as it is important to the Myanmar people. The site is Sule Pagoda, a 2,500-year-old Burmese Stupa shrouded in legend. According to Burmese legend, the site where Sule pagoda now stands was once the home of a powerful spirit named Sularata. The king of the spirits, Sakka, wished to help the legendary Burmese King Okkalap build a shrine for the Buddha’s sacred hair-relic on the same site where three previous Buddhas had buried sacred relics in past ages. Unfortunately, these events had happened so long ago that not even Sakka knew where they were buried. Sularata, however, was so old that he had witnessed the past events and was able to tell King Sakka where the three previous Buddha relics had been buried. Thus, instead of just housing one Buddha relic, the Sule Pagoda site houses four. When we visited Sule Pagoda, we didn’t know what to expect. We arrived in Myanmar, stowed our stuff at the hotel and immediately set out to explore. We got in a taxi and asked the driver what he recommended and he brought us to Sule Pagoda. He said this was one of the most important pagodas to the Burmese people. The first thing we saw when we arrived at the pagoda was a group of women sitting on the ground with baskets. Our taxi driver told us the birds symbolize the captivity of the Burmese people endured for centuries and that releasing them is a symbol of hope for the continued peace and freedom of the people. We all know things aren’t that great in Myanmar, but it has improve and things are continuing to improve, so there is hope for continued improvement and with that thought we purchased two birds. Troy got a little confused and thought the birds were a snack, but I quickly set him straight. After paying for our tickets we took our little birdies to the furthest corner of the complex and set them free. Yes, they are most likely trained to return to the bird women, but we like to imagine our birds flew far away and remain free. Once we’d set our birds free (where they flew far away and lived happily by a small river) we began wandering around. One of the interesting features of Sule Pagoda is the pagoda itself. It is believed to have been built before the other famous pagoda in Yangon, Shwedagon Pagoda, making it over 2,500 years old. The pagoda itself was constructed using the basic form utilized in Indian architecture, but the embellishments and final design are of a Mon-style Burmese influence. The main pagoda is octagonal in shape. Each side is 24 feet long and the pinnacle reaches 144 ft 9 l/2 in. While the pagoda itself is about 2,500 years old, none of the other structures in the complex is more than just over 100 years old. Several image houses surround the pagoda and house a variety of Buddha statues. There are also Buddha statues along the walls of the complex. A few of the covered prayer areas. There are several of these Buddha shrines surrounding the pagoda. I asked one of my students at the Myanmar Refugee School in Kuala Lumpur what the characters said and they told me that each of these shrines around the pagoda has a day of the week and a person washes the Buddha and prays to the Buddha that represents the day they were born. Next to the Buddha shrine is a bell. There are ten of these and each one is a different size, age and style in commemoration of large donations made to the upkeep of the pagoda complex. The grey box on the opposite side of the shrine is for people to make smaller donations. Someone saw us admiring this and told us that prayers go in the bird and are taken along the cable to the top of the pagoda where they are received and delivered to the Buddha. There were other things we saw around the complex that we don’t know what they mean or what they are used for, but they look neat.

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Yangon’s Circle Train: A Journey in Photos

Erin — Tue, 19 May 2015 14:00:22 +0000

When I was googling things to do in Yangon, I realized that I wanted to do something more than just run around looking at temples. We did that a lot in Thailand and Cambodia and we would be doing that in Bagan, so I decided that I wanted to switch things up a bit and do something more cultural. When I came across the Circle Train, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. The Circle Train in Yangon isn’t exactly a tourist destination. This train is what locals use to get from Yangon, the capitol, to other outlying villages. There’s nothing fancy or touristy about it. Nobody sings, dances or otherwise tries to entertain foreign guests. It’s just people living their everyday lives, going to and from work and carrying their wares. It was perfect. The official name of the train is the Yangon Circular Railway. It was built in 1954 by the British and is still the most-used mode of transportation for the locals to get from their villages to the capitol. Roughly 150,000 people ride the train per day. There are 39 stops on the main circle route, but there are several offshoots that different trains go down. The Circle Train begins service from Yangon Central Railroad Station at 6:10am and the last train departs at 2:25pm. Below is the current list of departure times. One of the fun things about the train is that you can get off at any of the stations and hang out until the next train arrives. Then you hop back on and continue on your way. The entire circuit takes about 3 hours if you stay on the train the entire time. But before you get on the train, you have to purchase a ticket. The ticket office is located on Platform 7, which is also where the train departs from. Just follow the signs and you’ll get there pretty easily. Once on the platform you’ll go about halfway down and find the ticket office. Locals can purchase tickets from the window, but foreigners have to go inside and provide some information first. You’ll have to show them your passport so they can write down your passport number and name, but that’s about it. The only issue we had there was that we gave them a $1 that wasn’t pristine, so the guy apologized profusely and asked if we had one in better condition. It’s a government thing, so we just went through our little tin and gave him a bill he approved of. He was really nice about it, and I think a little embarrassed, but it wasn’t that big a deal. After we got our tickets we sat on the platform and waited. We had just missed the 10:10 train, so we just hung out and people-watched for a half an hour. It was a lot of fun. One of the engines that wasn’t in service that day People milling around, waiting for the train Betel leaf cigarette maker. These aren’t actually smoked like traditional cigarettes, they’re just shaped like them. The rolled leaves are then chewed on like tobacco and the juice is spat onto the ground. So, I supposed it’s more like a cigarette/chewing tobacco hybrid. This little boy was just as happy as could be playing with his peanut shells. Not sure what game they’re playing, but it looks kinda like Pachisi This kid was pretty awesome. He was doing all sorts of breakdance moves. The girl seated behind him has her entire face covered by Thanaka Paste. This sign was all over Myanmar. They’re really trying to increase their tourism numbers and work hard to make sure visitors have a good time. Eventually, the train arrived and off we went. I hope you’ll pardon my less than stellar photos. This was my first time taking photos from a moving vehicle, so it was a learning process. I have to say, this is my favorite photo of the entire day. This little girl is just so adorable and was so excited about us taking her picture. She waved at us several times while we were on the platform before boarding the train. This is the inside of the non-air conditioned train car. I won’t say the seats were super comfortable, but we were moving around enough that it didn’t matter too much. We spent a lot of time kneeling on the seats with our heads out the windows or leaning out the doors, so we just used the seats when we were tired of that. One time the train was so crowded that we were standing, but two women got up and insisted that we sit in their seats. We tried to decline, but they were so insistent and kept pushing us toward the seats, so we sat down. I felt like we were being rude by taking their seats, but we also felt that it might be offensive if we declined. But nobody seemed to mind us sitting, so it wasn’t that big a deal. People walk along the tracks and go through holes in the fences to get to nearby homes These are some of the nicer homes. Not the rich homes, but more like middle class. Vegetable garden and laundry area. Kids hanging out on a gas car. Yes, this guy had these on the train. I’m not entirely sure what he’s doing, but it looks like he’s fishing. This is the normal Western reaction when people lean out of trains. In Myanmar, nobody cares. Troy got off the train at one of the stations and tried to blend in with the locals. How did he do? You haven’t truly experienced Myanmar until you’ve hung out the side of a moving train. Someone’s backyard. She’s carrying a type of fried bread rings, kinda of like donuts, but not quite as sweet. These are their brooms. Simple, but effective. This man was selling fried pastries with a type of mincemeat in them. I can’t stand mincemeat, so I didn’t get any. They smelled good, though. Working in the fields. They don’t even get Sundays off. We both sat and hung out the door for a while, but some locals told us that we were in the way, so I went back to hanging out the window. It was just as fun. This is one of the smaller train stations. One of the rural villages. The houses are all attached to each other and support each other. One of the things I had a hard time with in Asia was the garbage. Trash doesn’t bother most Asians, so it’s everywhere. This is a trash heap just outside one of the villages. Working in the rice fields. We saw several people sleeping on the trains. If I worked as hard as they do, I’d sleep on the train, too. The read bucket is the ‘water fountain’. People would pay a few coins and get a tin cup of water to drink. Then the next person would pay and get a tin cup. When a person finished their drink, they just passed the cup on and that person would dip the cup into the bucket. The most common site along the train ride was rice fields. Looks like it was laundry day at this house. This guy had to make multiple trips to get on the train. It was great. This little guy was so cute! He kept staring at me for the longest time and every time I waved he’d sit there with his mouth open. It was adorable. I tried to give him cookies, but he didn’t want them. What kid doesn’t want cookies?!?!?! More beautiful fields. Transporting their vegetables to the market. If I’d been at home, I would have bought a ton. As it got warmer on the ride, more people hung out the side of the train. This is Danyingon Station. There was a huge mix of people selling their fruits and vegetables at the little makeshift market and others who were waiting to put their fruits and vegetables on the train to sell at other stations or in Yangon. It was pretty chaotic, people trying to get on the train at Danyingon Station. It seemed like they all wanted to get in the same car. Some people just handed their wares through the windows to hold a spot until they could get on the train. It really amazed me that people would bring these huge bundles of fruits and vegetables onto the train. Not sure what’s in here, but it sure is a large bundle. It was really neat to see how people would just shuffle themselves and their things around so more people could fit. Nobody got in fights. Nobody complained. They all just worked together to make sure everyone could get on the train. Kinda cool. More people selling fruits and vegetables. These women here are wearing Thanaka Paste. It’s used to protect the skin and some women do some really neat designs. It was fun watching these two separate and bundle plants. After I took this picture, the guy behind them just sat and stared at me. It was a little weird, but that ended up being a typical thing. Many of the rural villagers don’t see a lot of white people, so it’s a bit of a novelty to them. Train vendor selling packaged cigarettes (for foreigners and ‘wealthy’ locals) and betel nut cigarettes. Behind the row of square tins is a flat surface with betel tree leaves. Inside the square tins is a slaked lime paste (calcium hydroxide mixed with water). He rubs the paste on the leaves and then takes the small circle tins behind the packaged cigarettes and sprinkles the tobacco on the paste and rolls the leaf into a cigarette. The ‘cigarettes’ aren’t smoked, but chewed on, similar to chewing tobacco. Women waiting for the train. Squatting is how Asians sit when there aren’t chairs. Behind the women are two jugs with cups on top. Under the cups are plates that cover the opening to a communal water jug. That is what the locals use as a drinking fountain. More pastries filled with meat. Getting back into Yangon. This is what a lot of the buildings look like. Last station before the end. These two were just so adorable. It was fun watching them tease each other. Working hard to fix the railroads. There are even small rice fields on the outskirts of Yangon. Obligatory selfie after finishing our 3-hour journey. It was so much fun! These girls were hilarious. We were taking a selfie after the train ride and the girl in blue kept asking us to kiss and requesting us to take more photos of each other and them. It was pretty funny. Most people only knew enough English to barter, but these girls were able to have a decent conversation with us. They wanted to know where we were from, what brought us to Myanmar, if we liked the train and how long we were visiting for. They were nice girls. See the little boy in green? He followed us from the station all the way back to our hotel. I kept trying to get photos of him, but he was so sneaky. That’s some awesome multi-tasking. Talking, laughing, holding a baby and balancing a bag on your head. Downtown Yangon. Nice little book market on the street. It was fun watching people leaf through different books, laugh at something and then grab another book. Harry Potter has made it to Myanmar. This lady did say we could take a photo, I promise. She laughed after we took a photo. The little boy stared at us like that the entire time we were there. This is the best I got of our little stalker. I did talk to him a couple of times. Sort of. He didn’t speak English, but we pantomimed. I had more cookies and gave him a package and he seemed a little disappointed. When I finished...

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