palapa

I have planned a trip to Burma (Myanmar) for Nov 12 and I just found out I am pregnant.

Our plan is to visit Yangon 2 days, Bagan 3 days and Inle Lake 3 days.
We have everything ready (visa, hotels and flights) and we are very excited about everything but I am worried about malaria in the country and exposure to food poisoning.
I am planning to take a mosquito head net, bed net (just in case) and deet repelent.
I am talking to my doctor about it but I would like to know from you:

Did you get sick from the food ? (I am from a developing country myself, but I dont know how bad the food can be) I am even thinking on taking some cans (sounds a bit ridiculous I know but better than getting sick in my condition)

Was there anything in the trip you remember could be avoided ? someone mentioned the hourse trip in Bagan could be a bit jumpy.

Did you get mosquito bites ?
I travelled to Tanzania (big malaria area) and found that a good repelent and face net could do it.


Thanks for your kind advise.

RPDSPD

We visited Burma in August and had a wonderful time. My husband and I have often suffered food poisoning issues in various countries, for example he ended up in hospital Laos with really bad food poisoning we tracked down to a 5* hotel in Thailand(!), so now we always try to be careful. Eating was not a problem for us, though we tended to go on recommendations from Lonely Planet etc and didn't eat from the street stalls very much. Favourite restuarants we enjoyed were:- Yangon - 'Monsoon' - quite close the the Strand hotel, Bagan - 'Be Kind to Animals' and the restuarant at Inle Princess Resort on the lake. We were staying there and had some wonderful meals in the restaurant, which was very cheap if you ate Asian food rather than Western style dishes (soup /salads $3 and main courses $5 - 10)

We didn't get many mosiquito bites, which I personally was glad about because I didn't get on very well with my maleria tablets and had to stop taking because they were making me feel ill. We expected there to be more around the lake, but they were not too troublesome and we took the normal precautions.

The horse & cart rides in Bagan could turn out to be a bit bumpy - but they are a good way of getting around in the heat of the day. Sit in the front with the driver which is less bumpy. Try to negotiate and take one for just an hour or so to see how you get on, then go out for longer if you were okay with the ride.

Enjoy yourselves!

Kathie

Obviously, talk with your doctor about this. You will be traveling at your most vulnerable time.

We have been to Burma twice and did not have problems with getting sick from the food. We did as we always do and were careful to use bottled water only (even for brushing teeth) and eating only fresh hot foods. Read the cdc's food and water precautions.

On both trips, we had some mosquito bites from every location we visited, despite conscientious applications of deet. (I seem to be especially delectable to mosquitos, and get bitten even when no one else does) We didn't see swarms of mosquitos anywhere. But as you know it takes only one bite from an infected mosquito... We actually got the most bites in Yangon on an early morning walking tour of old colonial buildings. Malaria in a pregnant woman is considered a medical emergency.

What kinds of accommodations have you booked? If you have booked basic guesthouses, a bed net is a good idea. If you have booked better hotels, it will not be necessary.

The horsecarts in Bagan are not all alike, nor are the drivers all alike. A careful driver with a good horsecart wis quite comfortable, in my experience. Also, you don't want to be out at mid-day, go out early in the morning, then back to your hotel at lunch and go back out later in the afternoon.

Do make sure you have medical evacuation insurance. If you were to get sick, you would want to get to bangkok as soon as possible. Medical care is very poor in Burma. In an emergency, there is an SOS International Clinic in Yangon.

filmwill

Kathie, what about salads in Burma? I know they are staple of the cuisine (in fact one of my favorite dishes I've ever had was a Burmese tea leaf salad in San Francisco) and I plan to eat these when there. Didn't really think about the whole 'don't eat raw veggies' rule. Would be a bummer to miss out on them!

Kathie

Filmwill, know the cdc food and water precautions and stray from them at your own risk. That's what we do, we are aware when we are straying from the recommendations and try to choose carefully. You just reminded me that on our first trip, Cheryl ate some tea leaf salad at a place in Yangon and was briefly ill. There are places I wouldn't hesitate to eat it, and other places I wouldn't touch it.

Kathie

PS - have your visas arrived?

filmwill

Well a package is on its way back from DC to LA via FedEx and is to arrive on Monday afternoon. I know there are passports in there...hopefully with visas attached.

I'll post on my other thread once I get them.

filmwill

It's going to be hard not to be tempted by that tea leaf salad! My God, is that yummy!

Kathie

Just choose where you eat it carefully. I wouldn't hesitate to eat it at the Princess, for instance. And in Bagan, you might ask Min Thu what place has the best tea leaf salad.

palapa

Thank you for your responses. I makes me a bit nervous to know that despite repellent you got mosquito bites. I'm definitely getting a face and maybe body net if we end up going. I can't take malaria pills.
Medical evaluation insurance is a good idea, thanks.

We have everything ready and will be a shame to cancel. The hotel we have are Inya lake in Yangon, Amazing Bagan and Inle lake View resort.

I know Yangon is not a malaria area, but Inle lake is, does anyone know if Bagan is ?
Thanks !

Kathie

Everywhere at at altitude below 1000m except for the cities of Yangon and Mandalay is considered malarial risk. Remember that mosquitos that can carry malaria bite primarily at dawn and dusk. Dengue is also a danger. Those mosquitos are most active during the day.

Are you someone who always gets bitten by mosquitos? There is a lot of individual variation - if there are mosquitos, they will bite me! My partner rarely gets bitten by mosquitos, so had a different experience than I did.

palapa

I do, I actualy got a few mosquito bites in nearLake Manyara and thank God I was fine, I took malaria pills. As much as I would love to go I think I will just postpone the trip. It's a big risk. We will change our plans to a place that doesn't require same level of medications/vaccinations.

I hope Myanmar doesn't change much by the time we are able to travel and I will just enjoy your pics for now.

Thank you Kathie for all your help.

Kathie

Have a wonderful time, wherever your travels take you. Maybe plan for Burma as your first post-baby getaway.

crosscheck

I'm relieved that you're postponing, palapa. As a mom, I was somewhat concerned. Fear now - You WILL get to travel to exotic places, but for now you are in for a wonderful ride that's even better.

crosscheck

oops - meant "Fear NOT"

palapa

Thank you, you are right crosscheck. I am glad you mention that.

We decided to travel to Israel (second place in our list). No vaccinations or malaria pills needed. Another place that could change soon.

Thankfully I hadn't paid for the hotels and was able to cancel my flight with a very small fee.

Thanks everyone for all the great info.

BangaloreExpat

Congratulations! I don't think there is a right or wrong answer on this, you just need to be very self-aware and know your own comfort level. It sounds like you have made the right decision for you.

Enjoy Israel!