I am thinking of changing my currently pretty vague plans from traveling to Myanmar in March and April to traveling in November and December. The Nov-Dec dates fit all my other plans best, especially getting home for my nephew's wedding (which falls just 2 days after the end of Songkran, which I was hoping to experience again in Chiang Mai.)
My main concerns with the Nov-Dec dates are:
1. Would weather in parts of the country be such that I would have to carry socks, closed shoes and a jacket? I love to go to S E Asia and wear nothing but cheap flip flops 95% of the time and Tevas for the 5% of the time when I have a need for surer footing. I would assume that if I needed warm clothes and shoes when I went into areas that are colder than others, I could buy some cheaply on site and leave them behind when I no longer need them. Is this correct? I don't like cold weather and would rather perhaps not go to Myanmar at that time if I will be cold all the time. I see the temperature charts for Myanmar listing highs and lows, but are the lows simply in the dead of night and not going to impact my daytime wanderings or will I have to do more to avoid those cold lows than stay in my bed till the sun is high?
2. Will the high season for travel in Nov-Dec (especially around X-mas) impact my trip with things like higher prices and trouble finding a decent backpacker-style guesthouse? Will intercity busses, trains and boats be booked up far in advance? Or is the relative lack of tourism in Myanmar going to make the usual high season travel hassles less of an issue there? I would never want to go to, say, Phuket over the Xmas holidays.
Thanks!
Phuket and anywhere in Myanmar is like chauk and cheese.. Nowhere in Myanmar... will you experience hordes of tourists... not even during the busy season.. (December-January).. No problem with transport or guesthouse as long as you make arrangements as early as you can along the way. You may find the odd flight booked up.. with tourgroups and such. but generally a few days advance booking is all that you need...
As for it being cool.. when the sun sets it does get cool... This is realy only an issue around Bagan and Inle... and in the far north.. Something woolen or a few layers is required... As for socks and shoes... again at night closed shoes may come in handy.... but all this is so cheap.. We bought sweaters in Mandaly.. something like $2.50 for a nice wanrm one.. during the day its warm and further south (around Yangon)... its wanm.. even at night.
Just wanted to add.. You may not get the discount on guesthouses that you perhaps would get during low season.. But they are so inexpensive anyway.. and the bonus then is that you have beautiful dry days to enjoy your visit.. and as for going to Phuket... I'm not going to go back there.. ever.. come high or low season... (hell or high water).. had my last visit to that zoo already:-)
Yes, my first visit to Phuket was my last. Thanks Mos for the reassuring info on "high season" travel in Myanmar.
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