Our three weeks in Myanmar

After reading so many helpful recounts of your travels through Myanmar, I thought I’d pen my own experiences in the hope that it may help others as theirs helped me. (Sorry, it is quite long but I prefer to be thorough).

We (fiancé and I) flew into Yangon on 30th June (rainy season) on Air Asia from Bangkok. We’d calculated how much cash we needed to bring in US dollars and added a bit more for good luck, knowing we couldn’t access our funds at an ATM in Myanmar. We had four weeks in total and took $1500 between two people. The new International Airport at Yangon is very nice, with friendly and helpful staff at both immigration and customs. We were under the impression that we should declare our laptop, cameras and cell phones but they weren’t interested and waved us on through. We were approached by taxi drivers before we even exited the terminal – first price was $6 to get into town, we offered $5 and they were happy with that. We had no prior reservation for accommodation in Yangon, so told the driver that we would pay about $15 a night and asked him to show us a decent place for that money. He was really helpful, taught us pronunciation of Burmese words and pointed out a few attractions on the way into town. He took us straight to Beautyland Hotel 2, we looked at the room and were immediately impressed with its cleanliness and the overtly friendly and helpful staff, so we took it. Our room was $16 per night, with hot water, TV, air-con, fantastic breakfast, and a good generator that ensured 24/7 electricity.

We stayed for three nights, visiting various pagodas and the market during the day. We got 1250 kyat per dollar at various places and didn’t have any problems being short-changed or anything.

On day four we took a bus to Bago (seats reserved through our hotel, cost 1000 kyat each) from the bus terminal in town as opposed to the terminal near the airport. The taxi to the bus terminal cost 1500 kyat. It took nearly three hours to get to Bago as the bus stopped countless times to let people on and off, and then it ran out of petrol near Bago! There isn’t much in the way of decent accommodation in Bago, we chose the Myananda Hotel as it looked the best but was by no means palatial. But for $10 a night it was fine. It only has electricity for about 8 hours a day so we had to check with reception regularly so we could time our hot showers and charging of our camera batteries with the 8 hour period. The generator only ran one light and the fan in our room. We shared a taxi out to Golden Rock with another couple who were also staying at our hotel ($40 total, $20 per couple) and set off at about 6.30am. It rained more or less for the whole day so we couldn’t see much. We had to wait for about an hour at Base Camp for the truck to take us to (near) the top as it’s Low Season so the truck only leaves when full. The 40 minute walk the rest of the way is very steep but not slippery, even in the rain. We had to wait around for about three hours to get taken back to Base Camp as the rain was so heavy. We got back to our hotel at about 7.30pm so it was a bit of a marathon. We stayed another night as we wanted to take the “recommended” tour of Bago the next day, courtesy of the motorbike guys which mobbed us when we first got off the bus the day before. They were all so sweet and nice, and in the end we chose two to take us around on the backs of their motorbikes. These guys have it down pat – instead of buying the $10 ticket and giving the government your money, you give the $10 (per person) to them and they drive you around and show you the “side” entrance to the sights, plus a few extra ones. We had no problem with this and had a really enjoyable day. I’d highly recommend anyone do this, even over going to Golden Rock (especially in rainy season). We saw so much – some of which are highlights of our trip. They know all the places to take you, you just sit back and enjoy the ride. We spent about six hours with them, then they dropped us back at the hotel so we could pick up our bags and catch our bus back to Yangon. This trip only took a little over two hours, still with many stops and this bus had leaking windows so the passengers sitting next to the windows got wet. Never mind, all part of the adventure! Beautyland Hotel 2 was too good to pass up and we’d stored our bags there anyway (free of charge). We stayed another three nights while shopping and finding the best airfare to Mandalay. (The bus trip to and from Bago put us off a long distance bus journey). Vega Air Ticket Centre (opposite Bogyoke Aung San Market) had the best price that we found - $71 each. Note: The airfares are identical on all three non-government airlines and on all days so it makes no difference who you fly with and when.

We flew Air Bagan to Mandalay (which was totally fine) and had a nasty surprise upon exiting the terminal (apart from the heat). Our LP book says the cost of a taxi to town (45 kms away!) should be about 7000-9000 kyat, so we found two other travelers in the terminal to share a taxi and thought maybe 10,000 kyat would be about right. No, these taxis wanted $20, $5 each! Then they agreed to charge 20,000 kyat instead (slightly better) but wouldn’t budge from there. So I insisted that if we had to pay 5,000 kyat each then they could take all four of us in separate cars – they didn’t like that idea and suddenly realized that they’d better play fair(er). In the end we paid 16,000 kyat but it took nearly half an hour to get that price. I know it seems silly arguing over a small amount like that, but it’s such a huge increase and if every foreigner just caves in and pays it then they think that it’s an acceptable price. It’s not. But you have no choice as there are no buses and all drivers are playing the same game. We had no reservation in Mandalay either but were keen to see the Royal City Hotel as it came highly recommended, and we can see why. It’s spotlessly clean, friendly staff, huge rooms with hot water, air-con and fan, TV, mini fridge and a lovely rooftop to chill out on. They wanted $18 for the room but we got them to $17 for a five night stay. They have a good generator as well so more 24/7 electricity. The couple we shared the taxi with decided to stay there as well so we shared another taxi (30,000 kyat total) around the Ancient Cities (Amarapura and Sagaing). I personally liked Sagaing the best and while the teak bridge at Amarapura was nice, the rest of the place was a bit of a letdown for me. We didn’t buy the $10 Mandalay ticket as we didn’t really wish to see any of the sights that are included in it, so we didn’t go to Inwa. We did take a half day trip to Mingun though, which was fantastic. Around Mandalay, we visited the Mahamuni Paya, Shwe In Bin Kyaung and Sandamani Paya – all of which have free admission and are all fantastic sights. It was so hot in Mandalay so went quite slowly. We went out to Mingun as well which was also worthwhile (it’s included in the $3 ticket for Sagaing). You can take up to five days I believe to see all the things included in these tickets, so no rush. We used a combination of bicycles (which we hired through our hotel) and trishaws to putter around town. On our second to last night in Mandalay we went to see the Moustache Brothers show but we were the only two that showed up and they only perform when there’s a minimum of four (understandably) so we chatted to them for a bit and agreed to come again the next night. Another couple showed up the next night so the show was on, and then came the admission cost – 6,000 kyat per person now! Our one year old LP book says it’s a 2,500 donation so we were a bit shocked at the increase. To be honest, it was mildly entertaining but all four of us were disappointed overall.

From Mandalay we intended to fly to Bagan as the airfare was only $28, but the driver of the taxi that took us around the Ancient Cities proposed a six day plan to us which took in absolutely everything we wanted to see and a bit more at a cost of $240 total. So we went for it and it was one of the best decisions we made. We went to Monywa first and saw the “Buddha Park” and a couple of unique pagodas – amazing photo opportunities here. We stayed at the Shwe Taung Tarn Hotel but wouldn’t rave about it. It was $16 a night but the TV didn’t work (don’t really care for TV but that’s one of the reasons they charge $16), there was no hot water morning or night (again OK if you’re expecting that and paying accordingly) and the air-con would cut out about every hour so in the middle of the night we’d wake up in a sweat and have to turn it back on, this went on all night) so in the morning we objected to paying $16 and they were happy with $12, including breakfast. I believe the Monywa Hotel (not government owned apparently) is the best hotel in town but rooms start at $20 so a bit much for us.

The next morning we set off for Bagan in the car and stopped at some lovely quaint villages along the way. We bought a watermelon on the side of the road earlier that day and decided to cut it up and give it to the kids at a particular village – what a magical experience – for them and us! They picked wild flowers and gave them to me as we left and it nearly brought tears to my eyes. We finally got to Pakokku after driving for what seemed like ages along some pretty bumpy and dusty roads, took the car ferry across the Ayeyarawady River and on to Bagan.

In Bagan we stayed at Aung Mingalar Hotel for $15 a night (with the usual hot water, air-con, TV and mini-fridge). Nice rooms and a really nice Myanmar breakfast too! (The latter must be requested a day in advance). Bagan is amazing, very hot though so I was really glad we had the car to get around all the pagodas. Two full days, (with a 3-4 hour break in the middle of each day) was enough to see everything with a car for transport. At one pagoda we met the couple from the Moustache Brothers show and offered them the two spare seats in our car to get to Kalaw (their plan was to find a share taxi to Kalaw) and so recouped a little of our money. Our driver was more than happy for us to do this.

We called in at Mt Popa on our way to Kalaw and I certainly wouldn’t rave about it. Apart from the fact that it’s perched on the top of a huge rock, it’s quite unremarkable and also quite smelly (due to all the monkeys). We stopped in Kalaw for one night only as we didn’t plan to do any trekking due to the fact that it’s rainy season and we had no gear. We stayed at Eastern Paradise Hotel ($15 per night, but we got it for $14 – TV, hot water and good generator). It felt a bit like staying at your Grandma’s house, but in a nice way.

From Kalaw we drove on to Inle Lake with a large detour via Pindaya Caves which were interesting enough, though I wouldn’t make a special trip just to see them, but they were (kind of) on the way. At Inle Lake we stayed at our Bagan hotel’s sister property, Aung Mingalar (owned by the same people). It’s a really nice place with maybe the best rooms we had in Myanmar. We got one for $15 per night (with all the usual features) and intended to stay for three nights. But upon exploring the town and realizing that the only drawcard is the lake, we cut it down to two nights. We took a six hour motorboat ride around the lake and while it was interesting to see the stilt villages and the Jumping Cat Monastery, the journey was more memorable than the other destinations (markets, weaving factories etc). Note; wear sunscreen on the lake, even if it’s horrendously overcast, or you’ll fry like I did due to the reflection off the water.

So we got through the Big Four (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake), plus a few extras, in three weeks. We spent nearly a week each in both Yangon and Mandalay which is more than most people would spend. All hotels seem to throw in breakfast too which is a bonus. We ended up spending about US $1200 in the three weeks we were there, including the domestic flights we took.

***If you’re looking for a car and driver from Mandalay – please contact Hla Win (pronounced La Win) in advance by email at tmchondy@mandalay.net.mm and he’ll happily help you plan your days and costs (according to where you want to go and what you want to see) and then meet you in Mandalay. We found that by the time we factored in taxis to and from airports, taxis around the sights for day-trips etc that it was cheaper to go by car than to fly. Plus we saw some places that we would never have seen if we flew, not to mention the experiences we had. He also took us to some wonderful little local restaurants that are off the tourist trail – this is where we had the best food in Myanmar. Having a car gave us so much freedom and flexibility and Hla Win taught us so much about Myanmar along the way. If you’re already in Mandalay and want to phone him, his number is 02-39997, 02-66998 or 02 60649.