Another 1k flyer and I traveled to Yangon, I had heard it was extremely backwards, but much to our surpise the city was not backwards, had great infrastucture, roads, communications, cyber cafe'.
Food was extremely cheap and mostly Indian Origin.

The only downside was that they thought they were in New York city with the tourist prices.

For example I had 1 shirt, I pair of pants, 1 underwear washed and ironed. total price $12 US dollars.
We went to a bar, $6 US to get in and $3 for a beer or coke and $5 for rum and coke.

I can't comment on the country side but I would assume from other people I have talked to that it is pretty primative.

I would not hesitate to go back in the future.
Regards,
Robert

Did you go anywhere outside Yangon? in Yangon?

No we were limited to only 2 days, so we enjoyed the local sites only.

Hopefully next time will be longer.

A trip to Bagan is a must. It is like Siem Reap before the crowds. Beautiful local crafts too.

I-flybynight � Rangoon, Burma is my wife�s hometown. I wish I would have known of your travels there to provide some helpful advice. FYI � next time change your money on the �blackmarket� for much better rates.

It is great to known other FTers are traveling to this strange, complicated yet wonderful land.

Nevsky is totallt correct about Bagan. I also recommend a trip to Lake Inle. The CRJ lands on the narrowest runway in the world at Heho International Airport in Burma.



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JD3, UA PE, NW Gold
�I want a hamburger, no a cheeseburger. I want a hotdog. I want a milkshake. I want potato sala--You'll get nothing and like it!�

I went to Rangoon last fall (on the $600 BKK fares -- thanks FT!).

I was also very surprised at the prices. In Bangkok I could get a very filling lunch for $0.75, but in Rangoon the only natives who could afford to "eat out" were members of the military junta.

Shopping at the markets I found much better prices, though the exchange rate fluctuated wildly depending on how recently the police had visited.

The high point of the trip was the "Circle Line" train trip around the city and suburbs. It was not very comfortable -- we sat on wooden slats and the only refreshment was a boy with a bucket of water and communal ladle -- but it was our best sense of the "real" Rangoon. I gathered this was how the middle class commmuted (poorer people took the buses and endured the pollution). Round trip was half a cent for locals, one dollar for westerners -- and I guarantee you will be the only westerner on board. "First Class" is a rope draped across the last boxcar; seating arrangements were enforced by people with guns.

Bring lots of cigarettes for the soldiers, candy for the children, and expect a lot of stares. Men literally fought over our refuse (empty Marlboro pack from the US), and the kids loved our JAL sweets.

We traveled to a temple accessible only by boat on the way to Bagan; I will definitely go back as soon as possible. Next time I will bring more cash and more candy.

dcr

From the sound of these posts, few of these FTer's are concerned that the foreign currency they spent in Myanmar is supporting a military junta that represses democracy and restricts freedom of speech and freedom of movement of its own citizens. I'm no flaming liberal and even the Bush Administration has criticized the junta for repressing democratic activities. Nevertheless, I have travelled to Kengtung and Mongla (NE Myanmar) with local Burmese who sent as little of our tourist dollars as possible to the central government. No one we spoke with wanted to continue living under the existing government. Like other FTer's I witnessed Myanmar's beauty. I also witnessed the results of the government's repression. It is an awful thing to talk with people scared to death to criticise their own government. I am not suggesting that FTer's avoid travelling to Myanmar. Furthermore, I do not claim to be an expert on the complexities of this amazing country. However, I am suggesting that we spend our travel dollars in ways that respect the same democratic principles in the countries that we are visiting that we want for own country.

[This message has been edited by bennytma (edited Mar 02, 2004).]

I will soon be going to Myanmar for 4 nights and 3 days. I will be checking out Yangon for 2 days and I will be spending my final day in the nearby countryside. I expect prices to be pretty expensive (not lodging), but for the fact that I will hire an English speaking driver each day (I don't want to inadvertantly break any rules, ie taking pictures of the wrong things).

Any tips on what to do? I have a Lonely Planet so I will see the main Temples and I guess the Market in Yangon. Any suggestions on where to eat for cheap (ie hawkerstands) I want to have some genuine Burmese cuisine, to judge it formyself..

HI food is extremely inexpensive in Burma in fact you can eat for less than a dollar a meal.
If you are looking to book a driver, most speak english try a post I made on the asian forum for best travel agent in Bangkok use search words travel agnet bangkok. the travel agent is Dado Travel International. I would look it up buy am flying out to Australia right now.
Anyway her name is Miss Marilyn and see has an agency in Yangoon, she is from Yangoon. and one in Bangkok. She got us real good accomodations for $25 a night. Also check her for taxi, trips around Maynamar etc. Very worth while. Email her and tell her you found her listed on Flyer Talk forum and she'll give you a special deal.

One tip. If you have room in your bags, bring back an "EBONY WOOD carved Elephant. It should cost you about $10 to $25 and its worth over a $100 here. Ebony wood is very heavy and its black.
Enjoy.
Robert

I will be staying at the May Shan guesthouse as it seems to be highly reccomended. I think that I will probably be using their driver as my driver/guide so that I don't make any mistakes (ie taking photos of the wrong things etc).

Thanks for the tip on Ebony wood and I will most definitly look up your travel agent. Many thanks for the tip. Anyone else with suggestions on what to eat/do in Yangon? Thanks.

Hello Burma Travelers,

The food is Burma is different - they eat tea leafs and small nuts. The food is a lot of India type curries. I really like some of it especially - a breakfast catfish soup with noddles call Moe Hinga. Ask for it from the locals, they will be delighted. The tourist eating places will serve decent food at a reasonable prices. We took 10 people out for Chinese food at Shan Khan for $80 USDs - lots of food and drinks. I can not afford to do that in the States.

I know nothing about hotels in Rangoon. I stayed at Queen's Park twice when it was new cause my wife's aunts live around the corner. The last coupld of visits I slept on my father-in-laws floor on a mat with the rest of the family.

The one huge do not miss site in Rangoon is Shwe Dagon. Visit this work of wonder early in the morning and after dark. I love this place. I could stay there for hours - I never tire of Shwe Dagon. The LP guide has a good overview of all the various structures which surround Shwe Dagon. Great place to watch people and be watched by the Burmese people. Starring is not considered rude. I am starred at the time everywhere in Burma.

If you travel to Burma - also do not miss Bagan. Wonderful pagodas on a dry plain. Lake Inle is also interesting and relaxing to visit.

There is a great deal wrong in Burma. In the past, 13 years since I have been with my Burmese wife small things have changed but the overall situation for the Burmese people has slowly gotten worse. I am not very hopeful things will change being that most of the free world is busy fighting terrorism. The free world will be too busy with the terror war to help crumble the corrupt socialist military committee dictatorship of Burma. I hope my last two statements are proven wrong over the years.

Burma is a fasicinating place to visit. It is also a safe place to visit. The Burmese people are very friendly, curious and helpful. Nothing to fear traveling to Burma.

PM if you want more information about Burma.

Is insulting people? For the OP, if you are different in ANY way (abnormally short, tall, fat, white, black, etc.), get used to people staring, laughing, making comments, asking rude questions, etc. Its like a country full of 2nd graders. I disagree with all that has been written on this thread. I have NEVER been treated as poorly as I was in Myanmar. For the OP, bring ample cash, especially in small bills. Everything will be quoted in dollars and you will be thoroughly screwed over every chance you get. Get used to being viewed as a walking dollar instead of a human being. I was quoted 5 dollars to go two miles in a taxicab. Its cheaper than that in the US let alone in a country such as this. The market is filled with lots of crap and things you shouldnt be buying. ivory, turtle shells, rhino horns, elephant tusks, etc. Apparently #2 in Myanmar's official creed of ignoring other countries who try and pressure Myanmar knows no boundaries. Get used to monks begging and demanding money, get used to kids with hands in your pockets, get used to betel nut spit on the ground and occasionally on your feet or other parts of you, and get used to a country with some of the most beautiful icons in the world being visited by some of the worlds poorest people. I couldnt care less about the political issues of the country. Change comes from within and I frankly do not think that the people there are ready to change. The government reflects the people and the people reflect the government.

If youre this close to going then you are going, but just be prepared and have realistic expectations. If anything, you can count yourself as one of the roughly 50,000 visitors that should visit this year. If youre from the US, you are roughly one of 7,000. And JD3, I am sure your wife and her family are all very nice and treat you like royalty. But as someone traveling alone and who knows no one there, I was not. I was made to feel so uncomfortable that I left and will only return under very very particular circumstances.

Darren,

It sounds like you had a bit of an experience in Burma� I am sorry you feel you were treated so poorly.

I would agree it is a country of 2nd graders due to the political situation. They are so sheltered from the reality of the world outside Burma. And yes, they do ask a great deal of blunt questions.

And actually the Burmese vendors and merchants try to get over on me all the time. The sport of it all is very fun if you�re prepared for the experience. If you did not buy Burmese kyats on the black market, then you were not as informed a traveler as you need to be. Never spend USDs on taxi cab rides in Burma.

The monks begging and demanding money were children acting as monks as a part of their religious training. They were not real Buddhist monks.

As for betel nut spit on the ground and occasionally on your feet or other parts of you, a quick spit back in the direction it came usually solves that issue. But, I admit the betel nut spitting is out of control in Burma.

I sort of see why you state, �The government reflects the people and the people reflect the government.� The political situation in Burma drives everything has occurred, that occurs or will occur in that country. It drove all the experiences you encountered in Burma, what it did not drive was your reaction to them.

Darren I spent a couple of weeks in Burma earlier this year. I had a very different experience. I went to Yangon, Mandalay, took the boat down the Irawaddy (sp?) to Bagan and then to Inle Lake. I've been around the world a bit and I have to say the people I ran across in Burma were exceptionally kind and accepting. I didn't get ripped off and I enjoyed a good deal of interaction with people.

I was mystified to read your post. Do you have the same problem in other developing countries? Maybe you expect something different than the country has to offer. I've found the wonder of traveling is finding myself adapting and changing with the environment. It feels a little like learning something and, thereby, growing.

Nor4, I visited my 41, 42, and 43rd countries this summer, including MM. I regard myself as a seasoned traveler and due to budgetary constraints I am limited to doing things on a very, very local level. Taking local busses and trains, eating local food, going to local (read: often free) entertainment, etc. I thoroughly dislike meeting other travelers under most circumstances and would much rather spend my time doing things with the local population. I have been to many countries that probably fit your description of developing including a recent six week stay in one. I have been asked odd questions and given odd nicknames, I have been poked, I have been touched, I have been watched, and I have not in the past had a problem with any of it. I know that I am different than the people that I am going to visit and so I need to go with an open mind and an air of acceptance that *I* am going to be the one who is different. I also accept the fact that not everyone is going to like me. I tend to be quiet and mild mannered, though, so those times are very few and far between. I am glad that your experience in MM was different than mine. I cannot put into words just how badly I wanted to love the country. As I said, I tend to stay out of politics and so I go to places with a very open and objective mind. I have opinions, mind you, but I dont feel its my place in the world to spout them off to everyone that passes by. If I am talking, I am not listening. If I am not listening, I am not learning. But that is irrespective of many things. Not the least of which is that *no one* said hello to me, *no one* asked me any questions other than about my physical appearance, *no one* asked me where I was from, and *many* looked at me as an outsider that was to be disliked. I cant explain why. Maybe its becasue physically I am *very* different from them and that made them uncomfortable. I dont know. But all I can say is that it was not something that made me happy to be there and at a certain point enough was enough. Again, I am glad your experience was good, however, I believe the OP deserves an opposing view as well.

And JD3, I did buy kyats on the black market. I even still have 600 or 700, though I know I am not technically supposed to. I did go in with a lot of information and I dont feel my experience was due to being mis or uninformed. Nor was it from being unprepared for what I was getting myself into. I have been to a lot of SE Asia and I tend to have realistic expectations of what its going to be like there.