a year in burma
 

i lived in worked in Burma/Myanmar for a year and thought the travels and background on what's going on in the country would be of interest to anyone traveling there.... it's a really exciting place to be at the moment. The posts start in October of 2014 http://www.vagabondcowgirl.blogspot....f-myanmar.html . I am happy to answer any questions that I can about the country.

Thanks-some very interesting observations in there...
As I am a stickler for history (especially Colonial) I hope you don't mind if I correct your dates. Burma got Independence in 1947 not 1948. It retained the country name "Burma" until the military junta changed it to Myanmar in 1989,not as you stated 1948.
SS

In your 1 yr Burmese stint, did you make it to Sittwe, center of Rakhine culture of Moslem people, many of whom are leaving by any means in the face of serious oppression by the central government. Nearby MraukU village with, for the most part deserted, massive temple complex was highlight of my 2014 visit to Burma/Myanmar.

I went to Tachileik, across from Mae Sai Thailand. I found it dirty, woefully impoverished and expensive.

If the entire country is this way, give it a miss.

@jobin - why would you think a tourist trap border post is representative of a whole country?

Thanks all for your comments. I did change the blog to reflect the name change dates!

I did not visit Sittwe and as I hope is reflected in my posts - the whole situation is unacceptable on a global level. It's not a secret .... http://www.vagabondcowgirl.blogspot....ot-secret.html

MraukU/Bagan is a highlight for anyone traveling through Myanmar. I just didn't even have words to describe how awestruck I was by it. So I just posted photos ... http://www.vagabondcowgirl.blogspot..../10/bagan.html

I agree, border towns are usually not representative of the country. For anyone thinking of traveling to Myanmar - it is not like the rest of SE Asia. It is expensive, they don't have the infrastructure to support the amount of tourists that are visiting. The housing is 10X the cost of Thailand. The country is impoverished and I hope with the elections and responsible support from the global community that will change.

Very cool pictures and comments regarding Myanmar. If I had 5 days, what would you suggest I do in Myanmar?

Mike
To the Nations Worldwide - Share Your Travels

I don't think 5 days is enough in Burma- it's slow to get around, you could spend time in Yangon or Inle or Bagan, but wouldn't have enough time for 2 I don't think.