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Myanmar:Domestic flights and transport :cash :guide/travel agency i

Myanmar:Domestic flights and transport :cash :guide/travel agency i

Old Dec 1st, 2016, 05:08 PM
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Myanmar:Domestic flights and transport :cash :guide/travel agency i

1.Where do people buy domestic flight tickets if online is not reliable specially if I want to board a domestic flight directly after landng in Yangon?Could you PM and help if unethical naming agencies as am in the dark ,would appreciate.
2. As I come from UK what do I do with GBP ? convert to USD before I leave UK and convert all in Yangon airport? What should my budget be if I am flying mostly and mid range htels? Can I change back Kyats to USD?
3. Boat from Mandalay Bagan worth it?Or too boring after a while? Does it matter going upstream or downstream? Are there any day long cruises that might stop at riverside villages and worth it outside of package trips and how much are they?
4. If I am trabvelling solo what best way to see outskirts of Mandalay in a day but not pay an exorbitant rate?
5. In Inle being into photography where do i go ? I underrand Sankar and Indien. That is enough?
6.Do I need a guide anywhere in myanmar? I am starting to read some wonderful blogs you have posted.
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Old Dec 1st, 2016, 06:13 PM
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The way people usually get domestic tickets is though a local agentcy in Yangon. I have done it where the agent met me as I came off my international flight and I paid him for my tickets and went to the domestic terminal and boarded my flight a couple of hours later. I've been to Burma 3 times, and I've used Santa Maria Travels in Yangon, but there are plenty of excellent agent in Yangon. There have been plenty of threads about this with other recommendations as well.

You can exchange GBP at the bank exchanges at the airports, no need to change to US dollars. Then you would use kyat for everything in country. Yes, you can change money back as you leave as long as you have a receipt for your original exchange. Whether you can get GBP as you leave will depend on what money the exchange has on hand.

The boat from Mandalay to Bagan gets mixed reviews. It's long and you don't have stops at villages unless you are taking a much more expensive cruise. Take a look at www.pandaw.com - they have a couple of two or three night cruises.

The best way to visit the ancient cities is to hire a car and driver. You can do so through a local agency or can hire a free-lancer. If you look at my 2015 trip report, you'll see that we hired a guy to take us to more remote sites outside of Mandalay. I have no idea what you consider as exorbitant, but I thought the price was quite reasonable.

Anywhere you go on Inle will have wonderful photo ops. You will want two full days at a minimum, one day for the trip to Sankar, the other day for InDIen and other sites on the main part of the lake. Take a look at our photos from Inle: www.marlandc.com/Myanmar-2009/Inle-lake

IMO, you don't really need a guide anywhere, though in some places you will need a driver.

Do as much reading as you can before you go - it will pay off.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 05:28 AM
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Why not fly into Mandaley? We just got back. We flew from Bangkok on Bangkok
Air.Hired a taxi from Mandaley to Began 70 USD.
Make sure u bring crisp bills with you. They will not take old looking bills anywhere in Asia.
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Old Dec 2nd, 2016, 08:08 AM
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You can fly into either. But if your travel agency is in Yangon and you need to pay them for flights, hotels, car and driver, etc, you will need to fly into Yangon. Personally, I prefer flying into Yangon - more options on flights both into Yangon from Bangkok and flying onward domestically. The flights to Mandalay are a bit more expensive than those to Yangon from Bangkok, but not enough to make a difference, IMO.

Last trip, I paid the agent (for hotels, car and driver) via Western Union - cheaper than a bank transfer from the US and I got same-day confirmation that had received payment. If you are staying at mid-range hotels or better, an agent can often get you better prices.

Zoso, how was the road between Mandalay and Bagan?
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 02:02 AM
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Kathie thank you for being so helpful. WRT Boat I was tinking of the non tourist slow boat which stops for people to get on and off for a local flavour and photo ops .

Considering will be having a limited time in Yangon would you and others suggest a car in Yangon too?

WRT hotels , is it not possible to book and pay in advance by booking.com etc t cut down on carrying cash. Just to reconfrm, you are saying they convert GBP to kyat at airports? And in the cities ATM works too isnt it?

Any ideas how much it is to taxi it from Mandalay to Inle or better to fly? Inle to Bagan?
Thanks Zoso I already bought tkts for flight to Yangon and will be flying to Mandalay. For one half of trip will have a friend and thus can share taxi between places but of course if flights is much better will be doing that.

wrt Inle if we dont need a guide, is just going to Aankar mean a direct uninterrupted trip to and back? Where does one stop? How do i cut down on guides suggesting various shops and factories in the areas and yet which ones are a must visits ?

Has anyone watched the marionettes in Mandalay?

How long does it take to go to Ubein from Mandalay? Is it overkill or ipractical if i want to do both sunrise and sunset there and go to other areas in between?

In Mandalay city itself for a half day what do I do?
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 02:36 AM
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From Mandalay to Inle Lake the drive is 8 hours, to fly is about 40 minutes.
Get in touch with a local agent to book domestic airfares.
ATMs are everywhere and work well.

I've used Booking.com and Agoda for hotels throughout Myanmar, works fine.
It's about 40 minutes by car to Ubein bridge, depending on where you are in Mandalay, there's interesting temples in the area. You could go for sunrise, then visit Sagaing or Amarapura and return later. It might be overkill, I think sunset is better.

In Mandalay city, plop down in a tea shop and watch the world go by. Visit the gold leaf street, the marble statue street, or the central market for local colour.

I'd go for the boat trip if you have the time.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 08:02 AM
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As Sartoric says, it makes much more sense to fly to Inle,

Yes, you can book hotels in Myanmar online. If you are using a local agent for anything else, have them give you quotes for hotels as well. My agent can often (but not always) get me prices better than the internet prices.

The only advantage of the slow boat is that you will see locals get on and off the boat. No stops will be long enough for you to get off. And the boats are VERY crowded. It isn't my idea of getting local flavor, but it might be yours.

At Inle, you can hire a boatman or your hotel can arrange it. You need to give your boatman instructions about what you stops you do/don't want to make. Since the boatman is very unlikely to speak English, you will need to plan ahead and get your hotel to write down where you want to go and any other instructions. My hotel had a little map, and we circled the places I wanted to go. If I changed my mind, I could point to an additional place or shake my head no for a place already marked. Going to Sankar does involve a stop to get your permit to enter Pa-O lands. It's a short stop at Golden Isle cottages. You will also have to slow just before entering the southern part of the lake so your permit can be checked. Often, this is the boatman just waving the permit at the person checking. You will also want to stop at a couple of pagodas on the Southern part of the lake. Most visitors have done little or no research, and just get into a boat and expect the boatman will decide. Of course, the boatman in that case will take you to every workshop on the lake - and that is what lots of tourists want.

The one worksop I stopped at was the weaving workshop. It is the only place I've seen that extracts and uses lotus fibre for weaving. It's an amazing process.

My favorite place in the Mandalay area is Sagaing. U Bien can be a great photo-op if it isn't overrun with tourists. I wouldn't go twice, but it is your trip. I would go to the gold-leaf street and I would go to the Mahamuni temple.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2016, 05:16 PM
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Just came back from SE trip including a 9-day trip (2 nights in Yangon, 3 in Bagan, and 3 in Inle Lake) in Myanmar. And just like everybody here used Santa Maria... very satisfied with their service and I thought the cost was comparable to a DIY. We paid SM using our cc (plus 2% surcharge). If you are not going to Mandalay, you might opt to go to junior U Bein bridge at Mine Thauk in Inle Lake. It's beautiful especially if you are there during sunrise or sunset. ATMS's are all over Yangon, Bagan, and Nyaungshwe Jetty (jump-off-point to Inle Lake). You definitely do not need a guide, just get a travel book,familiarize yourself with the attractions/sites, decide which ones you like to visit and either DIY or request local agencies to quote. We loved Cambodia/Angkor Wat but we loved Myanmar more. I think Myanmar is an amazing country; people are kind, humble and gentle. The temples/pagoda are unbelievable and the Inle Lake is unforgettable,though not too crazy with the cuisine. Thanks everyone for all the help and info I got through this forum, esp. Kathie.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 08:04 AM
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Hold on a minute...
I've been off line for some time ,but what ever you do DO NOT take £ Sterling as they are difficult to change and if you find any Bank to change them they will be at an awful rate-take $ or one of the four currencies mentioned here ( if you have any from previous travels)
https://www.kbzbank.com/en/
or use one of the ATM's
SS
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 08:28 AM
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SS, a year ago, I met people changing Sterling at the airport exchange booths at reasonable rates. Has something changed since then?

I hope you are well. It is good to see you back here.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 12:53 PM
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Nina thanks for the Mine Thauk suggestion. SS and K thanks too. So crazy busy at work worried I might not have time to get the exchange to USD in UK. Am reading one can change to crisp notes in BKK airport..true?

Also could draw money(Kyat) in ATMs as first hitting Yangon is that cheaper than exchange ? And thus not carry USD? Reading mixed responses as govt dissuading USD use and encouraging local currency while ground reality might be opposite.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 01:25 PM
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Yes, you can just use an ATM and use kyat for everything. I used to be that some things had to be paid in US dollars, but that is no longer true.

"Am reading one can change to crisp notes in BKK airport..true? " Are you wanting to change Sterling into US dollars, crisp notes? What crisp notes are you talking about? You can't exchange kyat anywhere but in Myanmar. You can get crisp US dollars out of an ATM at BKK or at money changers in the city. Sometimes money changers at the airport have crisp US dollars, but not always. Note that the ATMs in Myanmar do charge a fee, approx US $5 per use, so take out as much as you can.
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Old Dec 6th, 2016, 01:39 PM
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Kyat is now King in Myanmar and,other than top hotels,cruises and online airline booking sites everything is priced and payable in local currency.
ATM limit is 300,000kyat with a 5000kyat charge (plus your own Bank charges-if any)
Most peeps,if not using a local Agent for hotels/transfers etc, book online by CC and get an eticket confirmation by return email.
The two largest, and reliable, are
http://www.airkbz.com/
http://www.flymna.com/
SS
Kathie- thanks for your kind thoughts,both Mrs SS and me have made a good recovery and are on the Pandaw,up the Chindwin, over NY followed by a week of R&R at Ngapali Beach
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Old Dec 9th, 2016, 04:58 PM
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Hi Kathie,
Re.the road Mandaley to Bagan it was so so. Some parts under construction.
Two lane roads some bumps.
Most the road had black top.Country road...ha, ha.
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Old Dec 9th, 2016, 05:42 PM
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SS, so glad to hear that you are taking the cruise up the Chindwin. As you know, we loved that cruise, which we took last year. We are considering the cruise of the Upper Irrawaddy for next year, but still looking at our options.

Thanks for the roads report, zoso.
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Old Dec 10th, 2016, 07:52 PM
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I just got back, and can answer a couple questions:

- Crisp US dollar bills means CRISP! They better not have a dent or a crease or a smudge mark.

- We never had a problem paying in kyat. I guess this used to be an issue.

- We made all our hotel bookings on booking.com. It was easy. We made our internal flight bookings directly with the airlines (Air KBZ) and had no issues.

- I enjoyed our day on the river going from Mandalay>Bagan. The RV Panorama makes a 45" village stop. It was picturesque, and nice to stretch our legs. We arrived at dusk. The local ferry would have been an adventure, but arrives at night.

- November's exchange rate was 1300 kyat to the US dollar. Hotels and banks used the same rate and didn't charge a commission, which was a nice change - in some countries hotels give you a much worse rate than the banks. We also had no problems paying large fees in dollars, and getting change in kyat. Or in paying mixed US dollar and kyat.
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