Yangon
Yangon Zoo
Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon
Mandalay
Bagan / New Bagan / Nyaung Oo / Taunggyi
Inlay lake
Burma
Sunday 15 June 2014
Myanmar maps
Yangon
Yangon Zoo
Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon
Mandalay
Bagan / New Bagan / Nyaung Oo / Taunggyi
Burma
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Budget for Myanmar
Planning to go somewhere always involved a bit of budget. A backpacking trip is no different, and there is always the uncertainty of the amount exactly spend given all the little extra we enjoy during our holidays.
The length of the trip was a good 17 days, plus 4 days in Bangkok. To keep the figures clean, we only display the cost for Myanmar.
We took a number of taxi, including moto taxi, these cover short distance trips within the city. It is relatively cheap. The maximum we have paid for was in Yangon to go to the bus station. Cost: 10.000 MMK.
Once we took a boat between Mandalay to Bagan, this one was rather expensive for the journey: 40 USD.
More details about transport in a dedicated post http://offwegoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/transport-in-myanmar.html
Our budget for a double bed room in a guesthouse relatively well located (next to the city center) is around 40 USD / night. Breakfast is always included but quality vary.
The cheapest was in Yangoon, for around 25 USD, the most expensive in Mandalay for 50 USD. To cut on the accommodation cost, we traveled twice on a night bus; the VIP one.
More details on accommodation on dedicated post http://offwegoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/accomodation-in-myanmar.html
In Kalaw, we did a 3 day trek that includes the guide, the nights and the food in villagers house. As we formed a group of 6, the price was reduced to 36 000MMK / pp, down from 54 000 MMK/ pp if the group if formed of 2 only. We really enjoyed the group and helped each other during the trek. So, it was one of the good experience in Myanmar with the best possible value!
In Inle Lake, we hired a boat for 15 000 MMK. Again we shared the price with the group we formed during the trek.
I will not emphasize here all the activities we have done, as we will publish these in a new post.
In most places, restaurant and beer are very cheap. A meal for 2 in a local restaurant (on the street) is for less than 7000 MMK in most places, can be a bit higher in touristic areas.
Also, in a most sophisticated restaurant, or lounge bar, where you don't see a lot of locals, the price is more oriented for tourists.
A bottle of water ranges from 300 to 500 MMK a liter
A coke for 1000 MMK
A beer (Myanmar) 2000 MMK
Another beer (Dagon) 1500 MMK
To provide a better estimate, here are the costs we faced per category.
Context
Before speaking about figures, here is a bit more context about our trip.The length of the trip was a good 17 days, plus 4 days in Bangkok. To keep the figures clean, we only display the cost for Myanmar.
Level of comfort
Regarding our comfort requirement, we don't look at the cheapest flight / accommodation but rather at value for money. For instance, we do not sleep in dormitory, nor travel in local buses with no comfort. It is just our style of holidays, and also given the country is cheap, we can afford a little extra.Exchange rate
All accommodation and most buses were paid in USD. Other activities and restaurant are in MMK which the exchange rate from the airport was at the time 1USD = 964 MMKExpenses
Transportation
Flights
The main expense was the flight. We booked a flight between London and Yangon at least 6 months in advance. There are many options with different companies and lay over. We deliberately went for a stop over in Bangkok on the way back, so it was a bit more expensive. Flight with Thai Airways was 800 GBP / pp.Local transports
Once arrived you need to book some buses to travel from one big place to another. There are some VIP buses where you can sleep and entertainment system for up to 40 USD.We took a number of taxi, including moto taxi, these cover short distance trips within the city. It is relatively cheap. The maximum we have paid for was in Yangon to go to the bus station. Cost: 10.000 MMK.
Once we took a boat between Mandalay to Bagan, this one was rather expensive for the journey: 40 USD.
More details about transport in a dedicated post http://offwegoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/transport-in-myanmar.html
Accommodation
Accommodation doesn't come cheap in Myanmar and the comfort is nothing like home. The country opens up to tourist and there is a lack of infrastructure. As a result, guesthouses are relatively expensive for the quality they offer. Often they are fully booked too.Our budget for a double bed room in a guesthouse relatively well located (next to the city center) is around 40 USD / night. Breakfast is always included but quality vary.
The cheapest was in Yangoon, for around 25 USD, the most expensive in Mandalay for 50 USD. To cut on the accommodation cost, we traveled twice on a night bus; the VIP one.
More details on accommodation on dedicated post http://offwegoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/accomodation-in-myanmar.html
Activities
During our trip we did a lot of activities such as visiting the local zoo (Yangon), the pagoda etc. In some places such as Bagan and Inle Lake, tourists have to pay a fee up to 15 USD to visit.In Kalaw, we did a 3 day trek that includes the guide, the nights and the food in villagers house. As we formed a group of 6, the price was reduced to 36 000MMK / pp, down from 54 000 MMK/ pp if the group if formed of 2 only. We really enjoyed the group and helped each other during the trek. So, it was one of the good experience in Myanmar with the best possible value!
In Inle Lake, we hired a boat for 15 000 MMK. Again we shared the price with the group we formed during the trek.
I will not emphasize here all the activities we have done, as we will publish these in a new post.
Food and drinks
The pleasure of eating local food, drinking different beers and some wine.In most places, restaurant and beer are very cheap. A meal for 2 in a local restaurant (on the street) is for less than 7000 MMK in most places, can be a bit higher in touristic areas.
Also, in a most sophisticated restaurant, or lounge bar, where you don't see a lot of locals, the price is more oriented for tourists.
A bottle of water ranges from 300 to 500 MMK a liter
A coke for 1000 MMK
A beer (Myanmar) 2000 MMK
Another beer (Dagon) 1500 MMK
Other expenses
Other expenses range from souvenirs to medication if needed. Of course, it depends of what you want to buy and bring back home. So, I will not emphasize this point.Summary
In summary, I would say that this trip was more expensive that a similar holiday in Romania a couple of years ago.To provide a better estimate, here are the costs we faced per category.
| Category | USD |
| Accommodation | 381.5 |
| Attractions | 269.7 |
| Food & drinks | 185.6 |
| Laundry | 3.2 |
| Medicine | 1.8 |
| Souvenirs | 71.8 |
| Transport | 263.9 |
| Total | 1177.5 |
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Buy some nice souvenirs
During our trips, we visited lovely places, some of
which have dedicated art work that I still would love to take home. Despite the
limited budget, we have bought a couple of souvenirs and we are very glad we did,
although we could have bought more.
This blog post will guide you through the best places to go ‘shopping’
and list the best pieces you can buy and bring back from Myanmar.
Yangon
What should you buy in Yangon?
I would say everything you didn't buy elsewhere. Yangon in
itself doesn't have any specific souvenirs, but if you miss out something from elsewhere
try to find it again in Yangon. It might be a bit pricier, and you have more
chances to find it into the big market.
Also by walking around, it may give you further ideas.
Markets
In Yangon, the Bogyoke Aung San Market (formerly Scott's Market) is the biggest one
and you will find lots of small shops with local specialties. Here is the link
to find it out on the map http://goo.gl/KDXYsw
We didn’t try this one as we were in Yangon on a Monday,
which is the only day the market is closed. Instead, we went to Theingyi
Market which wasn’t opened until late in the morning. This market is
smaller and is specialised in drugs, medicine with a couple of
small antique shops. There are also many vendors around on the streets, but we didn’t really found out something interesting
to bring back home.
At night, along the streets, the black market pops up. Lots of
unofficial shops open and offer t-shirts, glasses, leather wallets… Almost
anything, the price is very cheap, so maybe the quality as well.
I was surprised that on some items there was a price tag, and
as it comes so cheap, no need to discuss a further discount.
The Green Elephant
As advised by our traveler book, we went to the Green
Elephant to find out some lacquerware gift before returning back home.
The shop is located far from the city centre, direction north
towards the airport, next to the university. It is quite a walk under the heavy sun. The prices are more expensive than elsewhere,
but the shop (also a high end restaurant) selects the best pieces from
over the country, so the selection is quite good.
In the end we bought some little souvenir, the least
expensive we could find.
Airport
It is your last opportunity to buy some souvenirs from
the country at the tax free shop within the transit area. Be aware that
the airport souvenir shops are really, really overpriced! Easily up to 5X the normal price!!
An example? A small lacquerware box to hold some cheerot
(local cigarette), was tagged at 15 USD; double the price from Inle Lake, and
without the cigarettes.
The advantage of buying at the airport?
- All price are USD, and you can buy by card
- The selection of souvenirs is quite good
- But once again, it is way too expensive!
Mandalay
In Mandalay as such, there is not much to visit but once you go a bit outside, it is a very nice place. It is the same on the souvenir side.We did a bike tour, and our guide showed us a typical market. I can't really remember the name of it, and where it was, but we bought the typical Myanmar dress, a longyi. Longyi come in standard size, women's one are colorful and they tight it up on the side, men's one have plain color with squares, they tight it up in the front. Price for 2 longyis, 6500 MMK, a really good deal!
 |
| The famous longyi |
The longyi is very traditional, all men and women wear it on the street. Also, it is part of the official school uniform. For this reason, I would say, it is a must buy. That's all we bought in Mandalay.
Bagan
Bagan is located next to the river Irrawaddy and offer a beautiful landscape with over 2000 pagodas. As it is very dry, and hot all day long, the ground is mainly sand and that is the base material of the sand painting.
In each pagoda, you will meet a lot of locals, young children as young as 2 years old, trying to sell you post card for 1000 MMK each. It is rather expensive but I am sure you can negotiate the price. Other locals, teens and adult will teach you the history of the pagoda, either in French or in English and show you the way to climb it up and enjoy the beautiful view. In exchange, they will ask for your time to sit down, so that they can display their artwork: sand painting.
 |
| Example of sand painting in Bagan from our pagoda guide |
As the name suggest, sand painting is a drawing in color or B/W made with the sand from Bagan . It represents either the beautiful landscape of Bagan, some Buddha, or characters linked to Buddha.
Most of the paintings are really well made, and it takes up to 5 days to make one depending on the size and complexity.
The artist will insist to have a look at all of his painting, and will reassure you by saying 'just looking, no buy'. Once seated, he will quietly display them all, his technique gauges your interest in any of them. Of course, he will try to sell one or more of them. Then it comes to the price, our pagoda guide started with an asking price of 20 000 MMK for a nice colorful Bagan landscape. Of course, the price was overstated, so he asked for the price I would give. In addition, he stated the time he spends making it and emphasize the family helping him at work. It is just a technique to make the deal in his favor by making it more emotional.
So, I said half the price, and came to an agreement mid way between his price and mine.
Thinking a bit more about the transaction, I could have lowered the price even more but it was already too late. Anyway, I am very happy with our purchase.
One thing to know, you will find only these sand paintings in Bagan and nowhere else. So, if you like them, you'd better buy them there. We only bought one are happy about it, but we could have bought a couple more, unfortunately we already left the city.
Kalaw
Altough Kalaw is a nice little city, with a beautiful market, we didn't buy anything. There was nothing special we could have thought of.
Inle Lake
Inle Lake is a beautiful region, where a whole village is built upon water; therefore you really need a boat for your journey.
There are many specialties around Inle lake:
- Lacquer ware
- Sun umbrella
- Paper lampshade
- Silk and cotton clothes
- Jewelry
Lacquer ware
Around Inle Lake you can find pretty much anything made of lacquer, from the small cigarette box to a much larger one.The boxes are really nice, well made with a typical design from Myanmar. In addition, they are quite affordable, so why not by a couple of them?
For instance, we bought one in Inle Lake at a cheerot factory, a small box containing the cigarettes for 7 000 MMK. I admit, it was a bit expensive, but the place had a lot of choice and we wanted to buy one. The same box would have been half the price at NyaungShwe.
Sun umbrella
Hand made from the Inle Lake area. Made from paper, I think these are really fragile and could be damaged on a plane even in the cabin. We thought it was too fragile to take one back, we preferred to take a picture instead.
Paper lampshade
Made with the same material as the sun umbrella, the paper lampshade is lighter as there is no wood structure. Folded, it doesn't take a lot a space in the luggage, and naturally you have some beautiful design. Some lampshade have the form of a star, and come in different colors.Price tag 1000 MMK each.
 |
| A paper lampshade once hanging |
Silk and cotton clothes
At the Inle Lake as well, there is a clothe factory that produce its own silk, also from the lotus flower. There are up to 100 workers, mainly women to take care of all the production steps manually.The factory is rather busy, but allows for tourist to visit. All the steps are explained through, and at the end of the visit, there is the big shop where any clothe is on sale.
Given the quality of the fiber, and the time needed to make a scarf for instance, the price tag is expensive. The shop is rather well equipped as it is possible to pay with credit card....
 |
| Manual fiber fabrication |
Jewelry
Also in Inle Lake, jewelry is hand made by a limited number of workers. They are pretty agile melting the silver and carving it into jewelry. They pay a lot of attention to details.
At the end of the visit, there is a mandatory stop by the shop to show the entire collection of jewelry. Again the goal is to sell to the tourist, price are negotiable and one can pay with visa.
 |
| Silver is melting at very high temperature before being carved to make it a jewel |
If you really like their pieces of jewelry and are not afraid of the price, this place is a good one.
On our side, we have opted for smaller pieces bought at the NyaungShwe market, at a discounted price of course. It is another interesting place to buy souvenirs, if you missed the ones during your boat trip on Inle lake.
On our side, we have opted for smaller pieces bought at the NyaungShwe market, at a discounted price of course. It is another interesting place to buy souvenirs, if you missed the ones during your boat trip on Inle lake.
Monday 9 December 2013
Transport in Myanmar
We already discussed about the flight, the accommodations, now let's speak about the transport.
- Train
- Bus
- Boat
- Scooter
- Taxi
- Collective taxi (or pick up)
Train
During our trip, we didn't take the train, given the bad reviews from fellow backpackers. Train are very slow, you never know when you will arrive at destination. It is also not comfortable at all, with bumpy cars, no air conditioning... In a country where 30C is a normal temperature in December, you don't want to cook in the train.Reservation is done at the train station, and for upper class you will have a seat reserved; but still the comfort will be very limited.
If you really feel like an adventurer, why not give it a try?
Bus
Bus are rather cheap, reliable and much more comfortable. It was our main way of transport to travel from city to city.All buses must be booked at least 1 day in advance. I emphasize it once again given that we have heard some stories of backpackers that could not get on a bus. On the bus, the seat is booked and filled up quite rapidly.
Booking can be done from the hotel at no or limited extra charge. Usually the hotel staff is quite friendly and will help you out for many things. You pay them directly and will confirm the booking for you.
Most of the time, you will have to catch a cab to go to the bus station, as it is located outside the city.
Yangon - Mandalay
We opted for a VIP night coach leaving Yangon at 10pm and arriving at Mandalay at 7am. A VIP bus (or 2+1 seats bus) is the most comfortable one and offer the following services:- 3 seats per row, large seats
- Seat you can recline quite a lot
- Blanket provided
- Individual entertainment system
- Bottle of water and can
- Some snacks
- Toothbrush and paste
The journey costs 24 USD per person and I think it was really worth it.
Bagan - Kalaw
We took a second bus between Bagan and Kalaw. Again, it was a night bus but opposite to the first one, it was not a fully comfortable bus. Hence, it was a bit cheaper at 12 USD for a 8 hours journey.I remember that we arrived at Kalaw a bit before 2am in the morning.
The journey was fine, in a normal coach without reclining seat. Fortunately, it wasn't full otherwise, people even seat in the alley as there is an extra seat per row (5 in total). The bus also stop quite frequently to pick up additional passengers.
Inle Lake - Yangon
The last bus we took was between Nyaungshwe and Yangon. Price was 27 USD for a VIP bus. There was a pick up service from the hotel in a collective bus to get to the bus station.We left around 7pm and arrived around 7am. The journey was quite comfortable and we didn't feel too tired the next morning.
Boat
Mandalay - Bagan
There are 2 types of boats, a slow and a fast one. The slow one take more than a day to cruise the river, the latter takes a good 8 hours. It is more expensive 40 USD, and relatively more comfortable with the air conditioning on the lower and upper deck.We were fairly disappointed by this journey as the boat is still slow, there are only tourists, it is expensive, and although the landscape is nice it doesn't justify the price tag.
Inside the boat, there is nothing to do, just sitting inside during peak sun time in order to avoid some sun burns and cool down with the air conditioning. The seating is not that comfy either.
There is always the possibility to buy a lunch and / or a drink. Beer was at 2000 and water a 1000 MMK (usual price 300). As you can see, prices are made for tourists.
Taxi
In Yangon, there are a lot of taxi, white car with a driver but no taximeter. So, always agree on a price before boarding the car. Usually the price tag is fair to travel around the city. The maximum we paid was to get to the bus station at 10pm: 10 000 MMK.
Scooter
Mandalay is the city of the scooter, they travel around the city from the morning to the evening. It is a convenient transportation mode, fast, reliable and cheap, although there is only 1 passenger at the time.Scooter taxi do not offer any helmet, so your head is naked and you'd better not fall down as it can be pretty bad. Fortunately, scooter drivers are quite good, we didn't feel unsafe on any of them.
One night we order 2 scooters to go back to the guesthouse, the cost was 2000 MMK.
Sunday 8 December 2013
Accomodation in Myanmar
Accommodation is said to be expensive in Myanmar compared to other Asian countries.
That is indeed the impression we had while travelling. Be warned that mattresses are hard!
Our average price per night was between 25$-45$. We usually had airco, private bathroom, double (or twin) bedroom, fridge and TV. Breakfast was included, as well as WIFI.
We booked the first night in Yangon. We sent several emails from home, but got no answer so the other hotels were booked during the journey.
Hotels will gladly give a call to book your next accommodation. Some will recommend places for you, while others will blankly wait for you to give the name and phone number of the hotel.
Staff is always helpful, smiling and will do what they can to give you a pleasant stay.
We always found a place to stay. We heard other travelers who had to call 10 different hotels before finding one available, but this did not happen to us. However, accommodation is scarce in some places, if you don't want to pay the high price, book in advance.
Most of the hotels will give you the "European" breakfast instead of the traditional Myanmar. What is that European breakfast? Eggs (your way), fruits (mango, melon, banana, papaya), white bread (sweet stuff), jam and butter. Lots of tea or coffee. It keeps you full, but it gets boring.
We went to the following hotels:
Yangon
Mother Land Inn 2
www.myanmarmotherlandinn.com
433, Lower Pazundaung Road
motherlandinn2@gmail.com
0095-1 291343
30$ per night for a double bedroom with air co and television. European or Myanmar breakfast (to be notified the day before).
Free shuttle service from or to the airport (we appreciated it on our first day).
A bit far from the city centre. There is always a taxi driver waiting outside.
They have a restaurant, no wifi but slow Internet on computers. Front terrace to have a drink.
Find them on Facebook.
Chan Myae Guest House
256/276 Maha Bandoola Garden Street
28$ per night for a double bedroom with air co, television, fridge. Myanmar breakfast (rice and vegetables topped with omelet).
Central location, books to borrow, family atmosphere (they were all watching tv in the lobby when we came back from our evening meal). Good wifi in the lobby.
They are also offering dormitory beds. Located on the 4th and 8th floor (be fit!).
Find them on Facebook.
Mandalay
Ma Ma Guest House
5B, 60th street, between 25th and 26th street, East Mahazayarbone
thamemama@mandalay.net.mm
(+95) 2 33411, (+95) 9 444 043284, (+95) 11 201440
42$ per night for a twin room, with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast on the terrace. Quiet area, big room, separate shower (usually there is no separation between the shower and toilet, so your bathroom is soaked in water after your shower. This was not the case with this guest house). Good wifi on the terrace. The owner, Alice, speaks very good English.
Every night, they placed mosquito repellent in front of our bedroom doors. There was indeed no mosquito in our room.
Ma Ma Guest House is located next to the Peacock Lodge.
Find them on Facebook.
Bagan
New Life Hotel
Main Road, Nyaung Oo (Next door to Thante Hotel, near central market)
(+95) 2 61 61035, (+95) 2 61 60646
40$ per night for a twin room, with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast. Convenient location. Ebikes only rental. The bus to Kalaw will stop in front of the hotel to pick you up.
During the evening and the night, our room was warmer than the outside. Too warm to be able to sleep. So we had to turn on the air co and I got ill because of it (sore throat and headache). Cockroaches in the bathroom during the night. Wifi was not always working.
Kalaw
Winner Hotel
Pyi Taung Su Road
(+95) 81 50025, (+95) 81 50279
winnerhotel.kalaw@gmail.com
25$ per night for a double room with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast with a view on the city. The best scrambled eggs and avocado juice. The air co was not needed as it is cooler in Kalaw (nights were chilly). Good wifi in the rooms.
Our bus arrived at 1.30am instead of 3am. Luckily, it stopped in front of the hotel we had booked. And the staff was able to give us a room for that night. So we stayed two nights instead of one.
Find them on Facebook
Inle Lake
(Lucky) Bright Hotel
53, Phaung Daw Side Road, Win Quarter, Nyaung Shwe
(+95) 081 209137, (+95) 081 209642
brighthotel.mm@gmail.com
www.luckybrighthotel.com
30$ per night for a double room with fan. Wifi in the lobby and sometimes in rooms. European breakfast on balcony terrace, including pancakes (how exciting!). The room was in need of a good clean up (spider webs, nests of bugs in the corners of the room, bottle cap near the bathroom window was there before we arrived and still there when we left). Bikes rental for 1.5$ per day per person. Good and quiet location, except for the prayers at 5.30am ;) The smallest room of our entire trip. Weird reception from the teenage girl (no hello on arrival, no check of our identity) but other staff was nicer.
That is indeed the impression we had while travelling. Be warned that mattresses are hard!
Our average price per night was between 25$-45$. We usually had airco, private bathroom, double (or twin) bedroom, fridge and TV. Breakfast was included, as well as WIFI.
We booked the first night in Yangon. We sent several emails from home, but got no answer so the other hotels were booked during the journey.
Hotels will gladly give a call to book your next accommodation. Some will recommend places for you, while others will blankly wait for you to give the name and phone number of the hotel.
Staff is always helpful, smiling and will do what they can to give you a pleasant stay.
We always found a place to stay. We heard other travelers who had to call 10 different hotels before finding one available, but this did not happen to us. However, accommodation is scarce in some places, if you don't want to pay the high price, book in advance.
Most of the hotels will give you the "European" breakfast instead of the traditional Myanmar. What is that European breakfast? Eggs (your way), fruits (mango, melon, banana, papaya), white bread (sweet stuff), jam and butter. Lots of tea or coffee. It keeps you full, but it gets boring.
We went to the following hotels:
Yangon
Mother Land Inn 2
www.myanmarmotherlandinn.com
433, Lower Pazundaung Road
motherlandinn2@gmail.com
0095-1 291343
30$ per night for a double bedroom with air co and television. European or Myanmar breakfast (to be notified the day before).
Free shuttle service from or to the airport (we appreciated it on our first day).
A bit far from the city centre. There is always a taxi driver waiting outside.
They have a restaurant, no wifi but slow Internet on computers. Front terrace to have a drink.
Find them on Facebook.
Chan Myae Guest House
256/276 Maha Bandoola Garden Street
28$ per night for a double bedroom with air co, television, fridge. Myanmar breakfast (rice and vegetables topped with omelet).
Central location, books to borrow, family atmosphere (they were all watching tv in the lobby when we came back from our evening meal). Good wifi in the lobby.
They are also offering dormitory beds. Located on the 4th and 8th floor (be fit!).
Find them on Facebook.
Mandalay
Ma Ma Guest House
5B, 60th street, between 25th and 26th street, East Mahazayarbonethamemama@mandalay.net.mm
(+95) 2 33411, (+95) 9 444 043284, (+95) 11 201440
42$ per night for a twin room, with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast on the terrace. Quiet area, big room, separate shower (usually there is no separation between the shower and toilet, so your bathroom is soaked in water after your shower. This was not the case with this guest house). Good wifi on the terrace. The owner, Alice, speaks very good English.
Every night, they placed mosquito repellent in front of our bedroom doors. There was indeed no mosquito in our room.
Ma Ma Guest House is located next to the Peacock Lodge.
Find them on Facebook.
Bagan
New Life Hotel
Main Road, Nyaung Oo (Next door to Thante Hotel, near central market)
(+95) 2 61 61035, (+95) 2 61 60646
40$ per night for a twin room, with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast. Convenient location. Ebikes only rental. The bus to Kalaw will stop in front of the hotel to pick you up.
During the evening and the night, our room was warmer than the outside. Too warm to be able to sleep. So we had to turn on the air co and I got ill because of it (sore throat and headache). Cockroaches in the bathroom during the night. Wifi was not always working.
Kalaw
Winner Hotel
Pyi Taung Su Road
(+95) 81 50025, (+95) 81 50279
winnerhotel.kalaw@gmail.com
25$ per night for a double room with air co, television, fridge (refilled with two bottles of water). European breakfast with a view on the city. The best scrambled eggs and avocado juice. The air co was not needed as it is cooler in Kalaw (nights were chilly). Good wifi in the rooms.
Our bus arrived at 1.30am instead of 3am. Luckily, it stopped in front of the hotel we had booked. And the staff was able to give us a room for that night. So we stayed two nights instead of one.
Find them on Facebook
Inle Lake
(Lucky) Bright Hotel
53, Phaung Daw Side Road, Win Quarter, Nyaung Shwe(+95) 081 209137, (+95) 081 209642
brighthotel.mm@gmail.com
www.luckybrighthotel.com
30$ per night for a double room with fan. Wifi in the lobby and sometimes in rooms. European breakfast on balcony terrace, including pancakes (how exciting!). The room was in need of a good clean up (spider webs, nests of bugs in the corners of the room, bottle cap near the bathroom window was there before we arrived and still there when we left). Bikes rental for 1.5$ per day per person. Good and quiet location, except for the prayers at 5.30am ;) The smallest room of our entire trip. Weird reception from the teenage girl (no hello on arrival, no check of our identity) but other staff was nicer.
The airport, very first part of our trip!
Now that the holidays are already over, we have some time to update the blog and share some advice on how you can enjoy a similar trip. As I would call it, a beautiful trip to Myanmar.
Take off was a bit delayed on a Boing 747. The flight was comfortable with a large selection of movies, TV shows... to enjoy during 12 hours. The service was good as well. Meals were decent, with wine and alcohol available for free on board.
Thai Airways is a better company to fly with than the US ones (United Airways...).
During that time, we could have gone outside the airport and visited Bangkok a little bit. There is a sky train from the airport to the city and in 1 hour, we could have had enough time to leave the airport and stop somewhere with the train.
Doing so, you will have to pass the immigration, and make sure you come back to the airport on time, so not to miss your flight.
There is a 30 min time difference between Yangon and Bangkok, which I find a bit weird considering that I always thought any time difference was a minimum of an hour.
Yangon airport looks old fashion, it is like landing in a different world.
At the immigration, you will have to complete a document stating how long you stay, some personal details and present your passport. It was straight forward.
There is no train, and I wouldn't count on the bus either. Taxi is definitively the best option to go downtown.
We arranged pick up from the airport, as it was provided by the guest house we were staying for the night. More on this in the next blog post.
Flight to Bangkok
We flew from London Heathrow on a Saturday morning at 11:50. At the airport, make sure to be at the airport 2h in advance in order to do the usual check in. We didn't encounter any difficulties doing so. At the check in, the company asked if we have a visa to go to Myanmar, what we had.Take off was a bit delayed on a Boing 747. The flight was comfortable with a large selection of movies, TV shows... to enjoy during 12 hours. The service was good as well. Meals were decent, with wine and alcohol available for free on board.
Thai Airways is a better company to fly with than the US ones (United Airways...).
Transit
Arriving at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport almost on time, we waited for 6 hours before catching our corresponding flight to Yangon.During that time, we could have gone outside the airport and visited Bangkok a little bit. There is a sky train from the airport to the city and in 1 hour, we could have had enough time to leave the airport and stop somewhere with the train.
Doing so, you will have to pass the immigration, and make sure you come back to the airport on time, so not to miss your flight.
Flight to Yangon
The flight to Yangon, was rather short, 1h 45 min and with the same company.There is a 30 min time difference between Yangon and Bangkok, which I find a bit weird considering that I always thought any time difference was a minimum of an hour.
Yangon airport looks old fashion, it is like landing in a different world.
At the immigration, you will have to complete a document stating how long you stay, some personal details and present your passport. It was straight forward.
Change
The airport is the best place to get some change. Many official banks are located after the immigration with the exchange rate being pretty much the same. I could change 1 USD against 964 MMK. A decent rate.Transport
Taxi's are widely available, always negotiate the price before as there is no taxi meter.There is no train, and I wouldn't count on the bus either. Taxi is definitively the best option to go downtown.
We arranged pick up from the airport, as it was provided by the guest house we were staying for the night. More on this in the next blog post.
Our itinerary in Myanmar and Bangkok
We traveled for three weeks, from Saturday 16/11/2013 to Saturday 7/12/2013.
Here is the detail of our journey:
16/11: Flight from London Heathrow to Yangon with a 6 hours transit in Bangkok
17/11: Arrived in Yangon in the afternoon
18/11: Visit Yangon. Leaving to Mandalay with the night bus.
19/11 - 20/11: Visit Mandalay
21/11: Day boat trip to Bagan, we left early morning and arrived late afternoon
22/11 - 24/11: Visit Bagan. Left on 24/11 with the night bus to Kalaw.
25/11: Arrived at 1.30am. Visit Kalaw and booked our trek to Inle Lake.
26/11 - 28/11: Trek to Inle Lake (3 days / 2 nights). We arrived at Inle Lake in the afternoon.
29/11 - 01/12: Visit Inle Lake. We left on 01/12 with the nigh bus to Yangon.
02/12: Visit Yangon
03/12: Flight from Yangon to Bangkok. We arrived in the afternoon.
04/12 - 6/12: Visit Bangkok
07/12: Flight from Bangkok to London Heathrow. We left at 12.15am and arrived around 6.30am (13 hours flight)
Here is the detail of our journey:
16/11: Flight from London Heathrow to Yangon with a 6 hours transit in Bangkok
17/11: Arrived in Yangon in the afternoon
18/11: Visit Yangon. Leaving to Mandalay with the night bus.
19/11 - 20/11: Visit Mandalay
21/11: Day boat trip to Bagan, we left early morning and arrived late afternoon
22/11 - 24/11: Visit Bagan. Left on 24/11 with the night bus to Kalaw.
25/11: Arrived at 1.30am. Visit Kalaw and booked our trek to Inle Lake.
26/11 - 28/11: Trek to Inle Lake (3 days / 2 nights). We arrived at Inle Lake in the afternoon.
29/11 - 01/12: Visit Inle Lake. We left on 01/12 with the nigh bus to Yangon.
02/12: Visit Yangon
03/12: Flight from Yangon to Bangkok. We arrived in the afternoon.
04/12 - 6/12: Visit Bangkok
07/12: Flight from Bangkok to London Heathrow. We left at 12.15am and arrived around 6.30am (13 hours flight)
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