Considering taking the family to Myanmar/Burma

Hi. Have been to Burma 3 times - including twice with kids; 3yrs & 18 months the first time; 12 weeks, 2 years, 8 yrs & 9 yrs the second. The locals are fantastic with kids. Food is good, though need to monitor for hygiene. Definitely opt for aircon where available, or tempers will fray. Many accommodation options will have family rooms available. We found it more convenient and time-sensible to rent a van and driver - though if do, must make it very clear that YOU will decide where you stay and eat - beforehand - and bargain for the total price. Make sure when bargaining that the terms are explicit and written - including your complete freedom of movement- i.e., transport not only from A to B, but wherever you want in-between.
We've gone north and south. Found the main centres and the smaller towns and the villages in-between enjoyable. I particularly liked Mandalay and Inle Lake. Bagan is good, but you may become 'templed-out'. Definitely take a trip on the Irrawaddy - relaxing and interesting.

Be aware that Burma is more 'rustic' than much of Southeast Asia. Aside from the other reasons for going, it's an important oft-missed 'link' between SEA and the subcontinent.

Enjoy.

Thanks - this helps a lot. Any particular agency/driver you can recommend?

No, can't recall names of drivers. The first one we found several years ago whilst trolling the cafes of the central tourist area. The last we used was about 15 months ago, and operated out of Motherland 2 Guest House in Rangoon - no doubt still does. Motherland 2 likely remains in Lonely Planet guide. I think the latter is a good option, as Motherland 2 is a good info hub generally. Also has family rooms that can be booked on-line. Just a note: the humidity can be oppressive. So, as a rule of thumb, if we accomplished one act of 'touristia' per day we considered ourselves successful ...

Thanks a lot - very helpful. I'll go through the forum in depth!

Hello,we travelled to Burma with our 5 children 3 years ago in June/July,we just loved it and would highly recommend it,the only negative was the heat and we are use to that being from QLD but the humidity is certainly hard to take.We have just returned from Cambodia/Vietnam and Cambodia reminded us so much of Burma,so put that on your list as well,I did post a trip report on Burma,just search under Callous,happy travels,kindest cheers,Carol.

I have done two trips to Myanmar with kids and we are planning to go back. We loved Bagan (do not miss). We used a guide there recommended in the previous edition of LP guide. He took us to private homes and to a school as well as the temples. Inle Lake was also amazing. We took a boat 2 1/2 each way to a back lake, which was opened for tourism a couple of years ago. Amazing experience. Everybody was so curious about us and invited us to a wedding. Yangon is one of my favorite cities. There is a French cafe/restaurant next to the large market place. They serve wonderful crepes, pizza, pasta etc.. european foods. We ate there many times, because on our long trip the kids got tired of only eating local foods. The only town I was not so keen on was Mandalay. There was more of "rip of the tourist" attitude there. There are a couple of sight there worth seeing though. I have used Radiant Tours to organize all the hotels and flights. They were great. They met me upon arrival and I paid everything in cash. It felt a little weird, but all their tickets and coupons were valid. They only accept perfect US dollars. I just got money from the bank in the US and they rejected most of the bills. Next time I will order new $100 bills from my bank. They have the greatest value on black money market. We also went to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia etc.. and Myanmar is our favorite.

What sormula says re- US notes is correct. I think it's pre- 1993 notes that are particularly avoided. Worn or torn notes will be rejected. I recall there being some sheepishness when I've in turn rejected worn notes from vendors ... I agree with other posters that Burma is pleasant - particularly the people. But I have too short an attention span to spend much time in temples - we found fighting humidity-induced inertia a challenge in itself. That said some of the temples are particularly good value - of course including shwedagon pagoda. (Sub-note: if you go to Shwedagon without a guide, take not of which entry you use, particularly at night, as it can be maze-like). It's difficult to judge re- the different cuisines which is 'best'. I enjoyed Burmese food, but found it a bit bland compared to Indian, Thai, Malay, Lao, and Viet fares. Similar in that sense to Cambodian cuisine. Malaysia offered the best range, highest quality, and best prices - pretty tough act to follow. Perhaps sormula has the right idea - using guides and tours in Myanmar. We're philosophically averse to such organisation - and basically far too cheap for same.

Thanks so far for all the tips to date - we don't like humidy but we've done a lot of traveling in humid conditions so I guess we'll be ok.
Sormula - thanks for the tips - its good to know where to find some European type foods from time to time and I'll look into Radian Tours. I see I'll have to be especially careful on the USD notes we take.