My First TR: Burma at a Glance via Myanmar Airways (8M) and Yangon Airways
 

My First TR: Burma at a Glance via Myanmar Airways (8M) SIN-RGN and Yangon Airways RGN-Bagan-Mandalay-RGN

Living (or more accurately, surviving) in Vietnam through the 1980s, I feel compassionate to the blight of the Burmese people. Vietnam back then, just like Burma until recently, was as isolated as it could be, struggling under foreign sanctions and domestic economic mismanagement. I wanted to go to Burma and see for myself. Hence, this TR.

There are a few TRs about Burma but the flights are with either TG or MI. I’m glad I’m contributing something different. And I even flew in Y with 8M to boot. So I’m sorry there won’t be any obligatory pictures of me parading through dedicated check-in counters, the business lounge, the food spread, the bulky seats, and of course, the much anticipated feast/gluttony at 35,000 feet. To compensate, I selected a few pictures of Burma to include in this TR for your viewing pleasure. I hope you can see for yourself the country's beauty through its daily rhythm of life. Even in poverty and under oppression, there’s charm, grace, and love everywhere you look. Those are just some snapshots.

I hope you wouldn’t mind clicking HERE to see the TR on my FB. It's a slide show with commentaries that are informative, funny, and sometimes downright irreverent. Feel free to comment and/or make a friend request. Just tell me that you’re from FT so I’d know.

So, thanks for reading my first ever TR.

--tim

P.S. I took all the pictures with a teeny weeny Lumix LX5. I’d like to be as discreet as possible when taking pictures of people in public. I’m neither big nor strong nor a fast runner; I don’t want people to get angry and chase after me. I guess the quality of the pictures would have to be sacrificed. And hopefully, just a little bit.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D550/ry%3D400/

My First TR: Burma at a Glance via Myanmar Airways (8M) and Yangon Airways
 

I look forward to reding your TR once I land back home. One thing, though, that has turned me off a bit is your apparent disdain for those that like to travel in comfort, which here on FT are most of us!!!

Feast/gluttony at 35,000 ft? Not sure which airlines you are referring to, but I have never been engaged in, nor seen, a gluttonous feast on board an aircraft.

Your TR offered insights to the local culture and life in Myanmar.

Thank you for it.

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the TR.

Disdain? Hardly. I'd love to feast in the style of some of the recent travelers here (eg. flying F on SQ or TG or LH) if I had a chance. Unfortunately I don't get to fly J very often (only had 5 in my entire travel career and they were all short/medium hauls).

Great pics! I am headed to Myanmar in Nov and am also planning a trip up to Bagan/Mandalay at least.

FB page does not work for me... i do not partake on FB so if I have to sign up, i will have to pass on the TR...

...OP is entitled to their opinion. what is the problem if they have disdain although how you conclude that is totally beyond me...although there is a huge amount of narcissism rampant around this place. OP merely points it out ...and it is a fact......:confused:

Thank you.

I hope you'll be flying J. By November there will be a bunch of airlines returning to Burma after years of absence, like OZ, ANA, and JAL. This means if you start your trip in the US, you can fly to Yangon from NRT or ICN without an extra connection in either SIN or BKK as it's always been.

Who said OP isn't entitled to their opinion or there is a problem?

"So I’m sorry there won’t be any obligatory pictures of me parading through dedicated check-in counters, the business lounge, the food spread, the bulky seats, and of course, the much anticipated feast/gluttony at 35,000 feet."

I think those two key words sum it up, since you mentioned it.

Excellent report! I wonder who was using the Australia registered citation to jet around Burma.

Great report. I spent a couple of weeks there last November so your photos bring a lot of memories.

I tend to not shoot enough people pictures.
https://picasaweb.google.com/GlennAuve/Myanmar2011

My internal flights were all on Air Bagan. There are 4 or 5 airlines all flying the same routes around the country.

Thanks for witty, helpful TR
 

Appreciate the photos and commentary.

Reminds me to bring along the uV sterilizer for "bottled" water when I go on my adventure there early next year!

Great TR - always very curious about countries less travelled. Great to be able to see and read commentary like this...!

Very nice TR, I always enjoy seeing cultures completely different from mine.

Thank you. I agree. But we've got to hurry up and see Burma before they swing their door open and become more integrated with the global community and therefore will be more bland, like many other developing countries. In a perverse sort of way, the military junta and their closed door policy have preserved much of the Burmese way of life for us to see today.