A question of rhkkmk (and others) re: yangon
 

Hi Bob-- I know you spent almost a week in Yangon. I was there about five years ago for 3 days as part of a 3-week trip to Burma. We are planning on going back for 5 days in January largely to see our guide again and spend more time with the wonderful Burmese people. We obviously did all the "standard" things when we were there before -- temples, war cemetary, fish market, market etc -- so would love to know if you found any interesting off the beaten path spots in town or as day trips.

Thanks

Ijust got back from a 7 night/8 day trip to Burma and was planning to post a more detailed trip report as soon as I can get the time. But meanwhile here is my quick response to your question.

I found Yangon to be the least attractive and least interesting (aside from Schwedegon which we loved) part of Burma.
Inle Lake was by far our favorite place.....absolutely beautiful, serene and the 100 villages and various tribes living on and around the lake are fascinating. Bagan was another highlight. I know many people compare it to Angkor Wat, but I found it to be totally different from Siem Riep and equally intriguing.
We also found some great hotels.....the Savoy in Yangon, the Sakura in Bagan and the Inle Princess on the lake. We stayed at Traders's in Yangon the last night, only because it was convenient to Scott's market for last minute shopping. It was totally average, bordering on yucky.
Let me know if you want more detail on any of the above.

i think if i were returning i would stay at the pansea or at the "K" palace hotel on the in town lake...we loved visiting the glass factory on the edge of yangon...have you done that?? very interesting to see the old ways and very cheap products....

we went for the day to bago and visited an ancient palace which is being reconstructed in the center of a new park---it must be complete by now...also visited the monestary where you see 1000 monks eating their lunch...you watch them file in and sit quietly and eat...not voyeurism but interesting....
we visited an ancient portugese church in ruins....we visited the elephant house shop factory outside of the town...we bought lacquerware on the shop on 13th street in yangon....
we had a couple of wonderful meals in L'Opera Restaurant on the outskirts of town near our hotel...very good...
we visited the white elephants....

gloria these are the things i remember...we never went far from yangon, which is how we wanted to do it...the town is in a time warp, which we enjoyed....i would spend more time looking at art in the galleries next time...

Lindsey-- thanks. We've been to Bagan, Mandalay, Mayamo, Moguk, Heho, Inle Lake. We loved them all -- especially Moguk and Inle Lake. This is a return trip really to spend more time with our guide and to talk to more people.

Bob-- thanks for your comments. So you think we could easily find 5 days worth of things to amuse ourselves? I was also thinking about taking a half day trip to Syriam -- did you go there?

We stayed at the K hotel when we were there before and I felt it was too out of the way for us. Neither of us care about things like swimming pools or gardens -- a location that is central enough for us to be able to walk to places is much more important. The Pansea looks fabulous but aside from being more expensive but also seems a bit out of the way. Am I right? We were thinking of the Savoy.

Thanks again.

We were delighted with the Savoy. It's walking distance to Schwedegon (but probably not much else) and felt like a little green oasis in the middle of a big dusty city. It's only 36 rooms and has a nice colonial feeling without the big $ prices of the Strand. We had to depart the hotel at 4:45am to catch the flight to Bagan and they had hot breakfast ready for us at 4:15. We did not have time to swim, but the pool looked like a nice spot to enjoy a cool beverage. The hotel also has a cozy pub.

We enjoyed about 6 excellent dishes and some delicious Myanmar beer for dinner at the Thai restaurant directly across the street and the bill was $US14.

i cannot picture the savoy in my mind...maybe we did not see it...traders turned us off, but it is in the middle of the city....we stayed at the inya lake hotel---formerly a rennaissance....very old but we enjoyed it...but way out of town...the strand did not interest us really and we had a tour of it...we would do the pansea if we went back...more money yes, but not that far out really....we had a driver and that made all the difference...i think you would find enough to do...i do not know the place you mentioned...

I also recently returned from a trip to Myanmar and have been meaning to write up a trip report. As for Yangon, like Lindsey, I absolutely loved the Savoy hotel. It was my very favorite hotel during the trip to Myanmar. What I liked about it: good central location, charming colonial design, small and cozy with around 30 rooms, beautiful antiques in the lobby and hallways, sophisticated - yet very friendly and down-to-earth, a nice breakfast on the terrace overlooking Schwedegon. Highly recommended.

I also looked at the Pansea and it was beautiful too. It's in a quiet and green residential area with many embassies around. It seemed a little too quiet and formal to me, but still very beautiful. The Savoy is great because you can just walk to many places just outside the hotel and you get the fantastic view of Schwedegon.

I stayed several days in Yangon and found plenty to do just wandering the streets, visiting out of the way temples and parks, meeting people, and shopping.

I used the book "The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand and Myanmar" to embark on a major shopping expedition and going to the small antique shops in the residential areas was a definte highlight of Yangon. If you're into antique shopping, galleries, and looking for usual things, this is a fun way to spend time in the city. And you'll get to see residential areas all over the city. Many of these little shops are in the owner's house and that's an interesting experience too. It's like having a small home visit with many interesting local people - including tea and a nice chat. I enjoyed this a lot.

If you do stay at the Savoy, there's a little beauty salon down the road which the girl at the front desk recommended to me. You can get great massages for about $2-3 an hour. It was a fantastic massage. They do other beauty treatments too.

I also thought there were really good restaurants and tea shops in Yangon and exploring all of those was lot of fun too.

Mealea-- thanks for your input. When you did your wandering were you on your own or with a guide? Did the people in the stores speak English? We will have a guide because one of the main reasons we are going back is to see him again, but I'm wondering if we should give him some time off (we'll pay, of course). Are these antique stores in one specific area?

I'm so mad at myself. I left my Pleasures and Treasures in bangkok -- thought I didn' need it anymore. Guess I need to rebuy for Yangon.

The Savoy sounds perfect.

Bob-- are the art galleries in any special area?

When we did our wandering near the hotel and Schwedegon we were just walking around on our own. Other than that, most of the time we had a guide with us and this was much more fun because we learned so much from him. You really need a car and driver to get to all the antique shops and galleries. They are spread out all over the place, mostly in the northern residential areas One area with galleries is not far from the Savoy though. The people in the shops and galleries listed in "Treasures and Pleasures" all spoke English. One bit of advice - it's good to call some of the little places in advance or even make an appointment before you go. Since many are actually in homes, there are sometimes no set opening hours, so they appreciate if you call in advance to let them know when you may be coming.

If you do stay at the Savoy, you may be able to get the best rate from a local agency or with the help of your guide. I looked around everywhere for the best rate and in the end got the best deal from a local travel agent in Yangon.

as i remember several were on one street not far from the famed disadent's family home??? also we got one picture in scott's market, quite close to the street....near the sandle people...

Thanks. How much did the two of you pay for the Savoy? And, Lindsey, what didn't you like about Traders?

The only thing Traders' had going for it was location and that's only if you are planning to spend a lot of time in Scott's market.
It's just a big, ordinary chain hotel, with zero charm, mediocre food and the rooms smelled like mildew that they tried to cover up with disinfectant. If we had been booked there for more than one night, I would have moved.

BTW, the street where Ang Sung Su Kyi (the dissident about whom bob spoke) lives, is now blocked off to traffic. You used to be able to drive down it and take a picture of the house where she is still under arrest.

Not sure what exactly we paid for Savoy because for the first time ever, I used a travel agent to package up the trip. I did this mostly because I was having a hard time organizing all the internal transfers myself and because I did not want to carry a suitcase full of cash to pay all the hotel bills and guides. With much of the trip prepaid we only had to carry enough cash for the really important stuff..... tips for our guides, who were outstanding, shopping, cocktails and massages.
Here is the website for the Savoy's home page....I think there are some rates quoted there. http://www.savoy-myanmar.com/home.html

Thanks, Lindsey. We plan to prepay for the hotel and guide as well through a local agency.

The street where "The Lady" lives was closed off when I was there 5 years ago. I actually had an appointment to meet here and I had to present my credentials to the guards on the head of the street. Our guide and driver dropped us about 3 blocks from the street because they feared they could get in trouble if they actually took us there even though I had permission.

I stayed at the Savoy in the high season around the winter holidays. The rate on the Savoy's website is $135 for a regular room for 2 people, including taxes but not breakfast. When I wrote directly to the hotel, they offered me a rate of $110, including taxes and breakfast. Finally, through a local travel agent, I got a bargain rate of $80, including taxes and breakfast. It pays to shop around for the best rate since it can really vary. I hope you can stay at the Savoy - it's a great place.

the house i was referring to was the home of the disadents' parents...he was a high ranking official...my driver also would not go anywhere close to her present house...can't blame them!!

Mealea and Lindsey, Which travel agent's did you use? Would you recommend them?

I used Country Holidays, based in Singapore. The agent I worked with is Tahir. His email address is [email protected].

I am usually a total do-it-yourselfer when it comes to travel planning. I am too much of a control freak to allow someone else to mess around with my holiday. But in this case, it was just too difficult to arrange the guides and local transport from afar. Tahir was the only agent I found who had actually BEEN to Myanmar and could speak with personal knowledge. I told him the itinerary we wanted and the hotels we had picked. He made a few suggestions of his own and then priced it for us. From what I could figure out about the price of things there, I think his service probably cost about $150-200US. I think it was worth it for the security and convenience it added to the trip.

Having just returned recently i used Myanmartravel. My guides name was Tun. I think he was the best guide i ever had.I HIGHLY recommend him.If you need reasons why please let me know.

I would also recommend Myanmar Travel. I can also recommend Gracious Myanmar Travel. A husband and wife ran Gracious Myanmar, Recently got divorced. He kept the Gracious Myanmar name and she opened up Myanmar Travel. I don't think you'd go wrong with either one of them. Myanmar Travel is owned by a Swiss woman (Myrian Grest) and I think her partner is German. Gracious Myanmar is owned by a Burmese man who has worked and traveled in Germany.

Another fabulous guide (best one I've ever had) in Burma is Nyi Nyi. I think he works for both of the agencies I mentioned above.

Thanks for your comments. We've booked the Savoy. We're getting a suite that connects to a deluxe room for $200 including tax and breakfast. Rooms were $80 so we decided to splurge and for $20 more each we can have a living room.

Glad to hear you found a good rate at the Savoy. I stayed in a suite room one night as an upgrade our first night there. It was really beautiful and I'm sure you'll love it. There's a woman at the front desk who is especially nice and can help you with many things. I can give you her name if you want.

Did you find a good travel agent? If you still need feedback, let me know. I was in contact with several agencies before my trip.

Mealea--
Yes we have a tour agency -- it's the same one we used the first time we went. Or to be more accurate, it's the one our US tour agency used when we went. This time we're dealing with him directly. We had dinner at his home when we were there before so we have a connection to him and, most important, our guide still works for him.