Back From Burma
Jan 9th, 2010, 01:46 PM
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Back From Burma
I had a wonderful - but way too short - time in Burma. I'd love to return and spend more time there. A week was hardly enough, but I'm glad I decided to visit only two places in that week, which seemed just about right.
I'm not sure how detailed of a trip report this will be, but I'll share some of my more vivid memories along with some of the basic logistical info, which other posts here helped me with quite a lot (thanks to Kathie, nywoman, Craig and others for the very detailed info you've posted here on Burma).
We arrived from Bangkok in the evening and stayed two nights at Traders Hotel in Yangon. I chose Traders because it seemed like a good location to explore central Yangon, and it was. Although it's part of the Shangri-La chain, it's not quite up to the level of the Shangri-La in Bangkok...although the breakfast buffet was excellent and overall the hotel was comfortable and convenient. Rate was $90 per night including breakfast.
I was traveling with a Thai friend, who was spoken to in Burmese by almost every local person we encountered, which he found very amusing. We saw several Thai tour groups there; most of the other tourists we saw were French, Chinese or German. Very few Americans.
Getting a taxi at the airport was simple - there's a taxi desk as you enter the arrivals area. We decided to exchange money at our hotel, and got a good rate (980 kyat for $1). I was concerned and confused about how much money to bring, and in what demoninations. Having smaller bills was convenient, and in fact it wasn't even necessary to exchange all of it because almost everyone, from merchants to cab drivers, would accept either dollars or kyats, or a combination of both. I am glad that I erred on the side of bringing more, rather than less money however, because had we run out or lost some, it would have been an extremely difficult situation.
That first evening, we went for a walk around the hotel. It was only around 8:00 but virtually everything was closed. Even so, the streets - which were very dark, I don't think there was any street lighting at all - were full of people, especially younger kids. A group of them latched on to us and asked if we wanted them to show us a place to eat good local food. We were hungry, and they were friendly and interesting, so we followed them for a few blocks to a large restaurant with 4 or 5 giant covered pots in front. All of them contained the same rice with chicken pieces that looked totally unappetizing. We sat a table and as the waiter came over, he shooed a large rat away from under it. That's when we decided to have dinner back at the hotel!
We spent most of the next day loosely following the Lonely Planet walking tour, from Sule Paya through downtown to the river. I wanted to take a short boat trip but it was too confusing to figure out which boat to get on once we were at the dock. Hailing taxis on the street was very easy (unlike in Bagan, where they're pretty much non-existent). We took one to Botataung Paya and then to Monsoon Restaurant for lunch (very good).
I tried to eat mostly Burmese food, particularly the "curries," which all had almost no taste of curry, and were not at all spicy. As others have said, Burmese food was good but lacked the complexity of Thai or Indian foods. I was very careful about where and what I ate, and in retrospect I'm glad we didn't eat that chicken and rice the first night, it probably had been sitting in those pots all day.
In many ways, being in Yangon felt like walking through a bombed out city that had been repopulated, but not rebuilt. Many buildings had no doors or windows. The sidewalks were in pieces, with huge gaping holes in them. There seems to be a thick layer of black grime all over just about everything (excpet the temples). It all gave me the feeling that people were left to pretty much fend for themselves, without much help from the government. And all things considered, it's amazing to see how well they manage. I especially loved the "telephone booths" - a woman at a table on the sidewalk with 4 or 5 circa 1985 desktop phones patched into the telephone lines. People stop and pick up a phone to make a call. You notice right away that almost no one has a cell phone, which apparently are extremely expensive. Women walk while balancing huge bundles on their heads. Men sit along the roadsides with 40 or 50-year old sewing machines: tailor shops, I guess. When the internet worked at our hotel (almost never), most of the sites I was interested in - Gmail, Facebook, and Blogger were all inaccessible.
We spent several hours in the evening at Shwedagon Paya. The temples and pagodas are extraordinary, but watching the hundreds of people come and go was way more interesting. Dusk was beautiful as everyone started lighting candles around the circumference of the giant stupa. But it wasn't the "mind blowing" experience Lonely Planet describes. Maybe because it felt very familiar to me - a bit like Boudnath in Kathmandu....or sort of like Doi Suthep on steroids. (and here's a tip: if you're going to spend two hours at dusk walking around in bare feet, make sure you put insect repellent on your feet. Trust me...)
Well that's it for now. Thanks for reading this much. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can, and will try to write more later.
I'm not sure how detailed of a trip report this will be, but I'll share some of my more vivid memories along with some of the basic logistical info, which other posts here helped me with quite a lot (thanks to Kathie, nywoman, Craig and others for the very detailed info you've posted here on Burma).
We arrived from Bangkok in the evening and stayed two nights at Traders Hotel in Yangon. I chose Traders because it seemed like a good location to explore central Yangon, and it was. Although it's part of the Shangri-La chain, it's not quite up to the level of the Shangri-La in Bangkok...although the breakfast buffet was excellent and overall the hotel was comfortable and convenient. Rate was $90 per night including breakfast.
I was traveling with a Thai friend, who was spoken to in Burmese by almost every local person we encountered, which he found very amusing. We saw several Thai tour groups there; most of the other tourists we saw were French, Chinese or German. Very few Americans.
Getting a taxi at the airport was simple - there's a taxi desk as you enter the arrivals area. We decided to exchange money at our hotel, and got a good rate (980 kyat for $1). I was concerned and confused about how much money to bring, and in what demoninations. Having smaller bills was convenient, and in fact it wasn't even necessary to exchange all of it because almost everyone, from merchants to cab drivers, would accept either dollars or kyats, or a combination of both. I am glad that I erred on the side of bringing more, rather than less money however, because had we run out or lost some, it would have been an extremely difficult situation.
That first evening, we went for a walk around the hotel. It was only around 8:00 but virtually everything was closed. Even so, the streets - which were very dark, I don't think there was any street lighting at all - were full of people, especially younger kids. A group of them latched on to us and asked if we wanted them to show us a place to eat good local food. We were hungry, and they were friendly and interesting, so we followed them for a few blocks to a large restaurant with 4 or 5 giant covered pots in front. All of them contained the same rice with chicken pieces that looked totally unappetizing. We sat a table and as the waiter came over, he shooed a large rat away from under it. That's when we decided to have dinner back at the hotel!
We spent most of the next day loosely following the Lonely Planet walking tour, from Sule Paya through downtown to the river. I wanted to take a short boat trip but it was too confusing to figure out which boat to get on once we were at the dock. Hailing taxis on the street was very easy (unlike in Bagan, where they're pretty much non-existent). We took one to Botataung Paya and then to Monsoon Restaurant for lunch (very good).
I tried to eat mostly Burmese food, particularly the "curries," which all had almost no taste of curry, and were not at all spicy. As others have said, Burmese food was good but lacked the complexity of Thai or Indian foods. I was very careful about where and what I ate, and in retrospect I'm glad we didn't eat that chicken and rice the first night, it probably had been sitting in those pots all day.
In many ways, being in Yangon felt like walking through a bombed out city that had been repopulated, but not rebuilt. Many buildings had no doors or windows. The sidewalks were in pieces, with huge gaping holes in them. There seems to be a thick layer of black grime all over just about everything (excpet the temples). It all gave me the feeling that people were left to pretty much fend for themselves, without much help from the government. And all things considered, it's amazing to see how well they manage. I especially loved the "telephone booths" - a woman at a table on the sidewalk with 4 or 5 circa 1985 desktop phones patched into the telephone lines. People stop and pick up a phone to make a call. You notice right away that almost no one has a cell phone, which apparently are extremely expensive. Women walk while balancing huge bundles on their heads. Men sit along the roadsides with 40 or 50-year old sewing machines: tailor shops, I guess. When the internet worked at our hotel (almost never), most of the sites I was interested in - Gmail, Facebook, and Blogger were all inaccessible.
We spent several hours in the evening at Shwedagon Paya. The temples and pagodas are extraordinary, but watching the hundreds of people come and go was way more interesting. Dusk was beautiful as everyone started lighting candles around the circumference of the giant stupa. But it wasn't the "mind blowing" experience Lonely Planet describes. Maybe because it felt very familiar to me - a bit like Boudnath in Kathmandu....or sort of like Doi Suthep on steroids. (and here's a tip: if you're going to spend two hours at dusk walking around in bare feet, make sure you put insect repellent on your feet. Trust me...)
Well that's it for now. Thanks for reading this much. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can, and will try to write more later.
Jan 9th, 2010, 03:38 PM
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I've been awaiting your report, John. I'll look forward to your comments about Bagan. It must have been less hot when you were there than when we were there - good thing!
The infrastructure was built by the Brits and has not been repaired or replaced since. In the central area there are buildings that are in ruins, so I know what you mean. It's been long enough since Bob was there that either the city has deteriorated in the 50 years or he's forgotten ;-)
The infrastructure was built by the Brits and has not been repaired or replaced since. In the central area there are buildings that are in ruins, so I know what you mean. It's been long enough since Bob was there that either the city has deteriorated in the 50 years or he's forgotten ;-)
Jan 9th, 2010, 04:53 PM
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Thanks John for your report. Not having been to either Boudnath in Kathmandu or Doi Suthep it was still a letdown.
Somehow I had envisioned the sun set hitting the temple and not it being lit up.
Am so glad that you are posting, and yes, you are so right, Yangon is like a bombed out city but I never saw that. Internet only works at the cafes.
Please post some more
Somehow I had envisioned the sun set hitting the temple and not it being lit up.
Am so glad that you are posting, and yes, you are so right, Yangon is like a bombed out city but I never saw that. Internet only works at the cafes.
Please post some more
Jan 10th, 2010, 08:38 PM
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Kathie, the weather was hot but tolerable in Yangon - close to 90 during the day. In Bagan it was at least 5 degrees cooler and pleasantly cool and comfortable at night.
By the way, we used Santa Maria Tours in Yangon to reserve our hotels and domestic air tickets, and were very happy with them. They responded to all e-mails promptly and answered all my questions. Din from their office came to meet us in the hotel lobby the morning after we arrived and delivered our tickets, hotel vouchers and collected the balance due (in cash).
We flew to Bagan quite early the next morning, around 6:00 a.m. I was sure we wouldn't be able to check into our hotel so early (the Aureum Palace, more about this later), but when we arrived our room was ready.
I had thought about trying to pre-book the same horsecart driver that Kathie raved about, but decided we'd just take our chances and let fate decide. Fate was not as kind to us...
The hotel arranged for the driver to pick us up around 9:30, so we had breakfast and settled into our room first. Because the Aureum Palace is located south of Nyaung-Oo, we thought it might be best for our first day to tour through the Central Plain and into Old Bagan and then back to the hotel around 4:00. I had the same moving experience others have written about as we rode out into the vast open plain and hundreds of earth-colored stupas began to appear...I can't believe I'm really in Bagan! Some looked smaller than I imagined while other temples were much bigger; the overall vastness of the area becomes so much more apparent when you're actually there.
Our driver was a nice enough guy (I feel terrible that I can't remember his name) but his English was quite difficult for me - and nearly impossible for my Thai friend - to understand. He gave us a somewhat dry version of the history of Bagan (lots of dates and kings names) but didn't have much specific information about each temple. In fact, some of the children we met at the temples were more helpful in explaining their history and the story of the paintings. I tried to ask more about him - his family, where he was from, but his answers were brief.
More than this, although we're both relatively young and in shape, we found riding around in the horsecart to be extraordinarily uncomfortable. An enterprising chiropracter could make a fortune opening a business in Bagan! We met a young woman from Hong Kong (who we saw several times over the next few days) who had also found the horsecarts to be unbearable, and she suggested we try renting bicycles.
We stopped for lunch at the Tharabar Gate Hotel in Old Bagan, and then walked around the "town" before returning to the dreaded horsecart. A girl was making a toffee-colored candy that she was kneading in rice flour like bread. I decided to buy some, which she weighed using an old-fashioned scale & counterweight system. The girl spoke no English but she giggled constantly through the whole transaction - I don't think many foreigners made purchases from her! We saw these same counterweight scales used everywhere; only at one Yangon market we noticed a woman who had a digital scale, which suddenly looked so...strangely modern!
We also noticed trucks and busses coming into the town that were jam-packed, with people literally hanging out the windows. Our driver explained that they were coming to the full moon festival at Ananda Temple. All around the temple a mini-encampment had been set up: families were pitching makeshift tents, cooking, eating and sleeping for 3 or 4 days in anticipation of the upcoming festival.
When our driver dropped us off back at the hotel, he asked about our plans for the 2nd and 3rd days. All we knew for sure at this point was no more horsecarting around...although we did agree to meet him the next evening to go watch the sunset.
Yikes this is getting longer than I thought! I'll try to finish up tomorrow.
By the way, we used Santa Maria Tours in Yangon to reserve our hotels and domestic air tickets, and were very happy with them. They responded to all e-mails promptly and answered all my questions. Din from their office came to meet us in the hotel lobby the morning after we arrived and delivered our tickets, hotel vouchers and collected the balance due (in cash).
We flew to Bagan quite early the next morning, around 6:00 a.m. I was sure we wouldn't be able to check into our hotel so early (the Aureum Palace, more about this later), but when we arrived our room was ready.
I had thought about trying to pre-book the same horsecart driver that Kathie raved about, but decided we'd just take our chances and let fate decide. Fate was not as kind to us...
The hotel arranged for the driver to pick us up around 9:30, so we had breakfast and settled into our room first. Because the Aureum Palace is located south of Nyaung-Oo, we thought it might be best for our first day to tour through the Central Plain and into Old Bagan and then back to the hotel around 4:00. I had the same moving experience others have written about as we rode out into the vast open plain and hundreds of earth-colored stupas began to appear...I can't believe I'm really in Bagan! Some looked smaller than I imagined while other temples were much bigger; the overall vastness of the area becomes so much more apparent when you're actually there.
Our driver was a nice enough guy (I feel terrible that I can't remember his name) but his English was quite difficult for me - and nearly impossible for my Thai friend - to understand. He gave us a somewhat dry version of the history of Bagan (lots of dates and kings names) but didn't have much specific information about each temple. In fact, some of the children we met at the temples were more helpful in explaining their history and the story of the paintings. I tried to ask more about him - his family, where he was from, but his answers were brief.
More than this, although we're both relatively young and in shape, we found riding around in the horsecart to be extraordinarily uncomfortable. An enterprising chiropracter could make a fortune opening a business in Bagan! We met a young woman from Hong Kong (who we saw several times over the next few days) who had also found the horsecarts to be unbearable, and she suggested we try renting bicycles.
We stopped for lunch at the Tharabar Gate Hotel in Old Bagan, and then walked around the "town" before returning to the dreaded horsecart. A girl was making a toffee-colored candy that she was kneading in rice flour like bread. I decided to buy some, which she weighed using an old-fashioned scale & counterweight system. The girl spoke no English but she giggled constantly through the whole transaction - I don't think many foreigners made purchases from her! We saw these same counterweight scales used everywhere; only at one Yangon market we noticed a woman who had a digital scale, which suddenly looked so...strangely modern!
We also noticed trucks and busses coming into the town that were jam-packed, with people literally hanging out the windows. Our driver explained that they were coming to the full moon festival at Ananda Temple. All around the temple a mini-encampment had been set up: families were pitching makeshift tents, cooking, eating and sleeping for 3 or 4 days in anticipation of the upcoming festival.
When our driver dropped us off back at the hotel, he asked about our plans for the 2nd and 3rd days. All we knew for sure at this point was no more horsecarting around...although we did agree to meet him the next evening to go watch the sunset.
Yikes this is getting longer than I thought! I'll try to finish up tomorrow.
Jan 11th, 2010, 09:12 AM
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A little more about the Aureum Palace Hotel...
We both decided that it was worth paying a little extra to stay here as the hotel looked amazing and had consistently good reviews on many internet sites. It really was a magical place - the view of the temples beyond the infinity pool, the landscaping, the architectural details... Our room was a twin bedded Jasmine Villa which was very spacious and comfortable, peaceful and quiet.
However, I had two major issues with this hotel. The first was the location, which is quite isolated. Some may prefer that, but I like to be able to wander around and explore, or get out and go places quickly. Staying here, that wasn't really possible. It took at least an hour to get transportation on two occasions, and on the morning of our second day we waited over two hours ("high season") for a pickup truck to take us where we wanted to go. And I was very surprised to learn that the hotel does not have bicycles available for guests.
But what really put a bad taste in my stomach was learning, from our driver on the second day, that the hotel and hideous viewing tower next door were built and managed by the notorious Tay Za, who has close ties to the ruling junta and apparently paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for General Than Shwe's daughter's wedding ceremony. Since returning home I learned that the US government has actually imposed sanctions against Tay Za and Air Bagan (which we flew on, thinking it was one of the private airlines). The driver also told us he was responsible for constructing the new "palace" outside of Old Bagan, which is very impressive from the outside but charges $5 admission. We did not go in.
I wanted to try so hard to keep my money out of the government's hands but it was clear from just paying for the tourist visa that it wouldn't be entirely possible. It was so disheartening to learn though, that the most expensive hotel of our trip, and one that we initially really loved, was also connected - albeit somewhat indirectly - to the Myanmar government.
We both decided that it was worth paying a little extra to stay here as the hotel looked amazing and had consistently good reviews on many internet sites. It really was a magical place - the view of the temples beyond the infinity pool, the landscaping, the architectural details... Our room was a twin bedded Jasmine Villa which was very spacious and comfortable, peaceful and quiet.
However, I had two major issues with this hotel. The first was the location, which is quite isolated. Some may prefer that, but I like to be able to wander around and explore, or get out and go places quickly. Staying here, that wasn't really possible. It took at least an hour to get transportation on two occasions, and on the morning of our second day we waited over two hours ("high season") for a pickup truck to take us where we wanted to go. And I was very surprised to learn that the hotel does not have bicycles available for guests.
But what really put a bad taste in my stomach was learning, from our driver on the second day, that the hotel and hideous viewing tower next door were built and managed by the notorious Tay Za, who has close ties to the ruling junta and apparently paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for General Than Shwe's daughter's wedding ceremony. Since returning home I learned that the US government has actually imposed sanctions against Tay Za and Air Bagan (which we flew on, thinking it was one of the private airlines). The driver also told us he was responsible for constructing the new "palace" outside of Old Bagan, which is very impressive from the outside but charges $5 admission. We did not go in.
I wanted to try so hard to keep my money out of the government's hands but it was clear from just paying for the tourist visa that it wouldn't be entirely possible. It was so disheartening to learn though, that the most expensive hotel of our trip, and one that we initially really loved, was also connected - albeit somewhat indirectly - to the Myanmar government.
Jan 11th, 2010, 10:47 AM
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Bagan is just magical! I'm sorry the horsecart was uncomfortable for you. I have a bad back and still found it quite comfortable, so I must have been lucky.
Your comments about the location of the Aureum Palace will be helpful to others. I had originally planned to stay there until I read that Tay Za owned it. I'm now so glad we didn't stay there. Being right at the Tharbar Gate was just perfect. I'm pretty stunned that they couldn't provide transport for you - that's ridiculous!
I'm looking forward to more...
Your comments about the location of the Aureum Palace will be helpful to others. I had originally planned to stay there until I read that Tay Za owned it. I'm now so glad we didn't stay there. Being right at the Tharbar Gate was just perfect. I'm pretty stunned that they couldn't provide transport for you - that's ridiculous!
I'm looking forward to more...
Jan 11th, 2010, 04:54 PM
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Glad to read your report John and to know you want to return. I've found Burma one of the most compelling places I've visited in SE Asia. When I visited in '05, our group of four wimped out and had a good guide and van (with decent shocks) for our days in Bagan. Still I felt I didn't see enough. And how disappointing that despite your efforts, some of your dollars found there way to Tay Za. It illustrates the very long arm of the (so called) government.
Jan 11th, 2010, 06:18 PM
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I found the horse cart OK but I was not expecting it to be ultra smooth or luxurious. It was a fun way of exploring Bagan and I prefer it to a van or bicycles. If someone is interested in a bicycling tour of Bagan they should consider the heat, humidity, the expanse of the place and when necessary sharing the road(rough roads) with trucks and other vehicles.
Politics aside, the Aureum is the most comfortable and luxurious hotel in Bagan if not all of Myanmar.
Politics aside, the Aureum is the most comfortable and luxurious hotel in Bagan if not all of Myanmar.
Jan 12th, 2010, 07:04 PM
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Hanuman, We were very happy with the Tharabar Gate, though I understand it isn't as luxe as the Aureum Palace, it was very nice. I'd be happy to stay there again, and you know how picky I am about hotels. Did you think the Aureum was More comfortable and luxurious than the Strand?
Jan 12th, 2010, 07:29 PM
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Kathie,
Yes I really think that the Aureum is more comfortable than the Strand. Awesome large master bathroom with rain shower, and jacuzzi bath, separated toilet etc. The bed rooms were nice with a good bed but not as good as the Strand's bed which I think is comparable to the Four Seasons beds. The layout at the Aureum is much nicer and a lot of room especially with 2 floors, balconies(2 of them) and the additional downstairs toilet is nice to have. My wife enjoy watching TV downstairs, they get Thai True Vision cable there while I sleep or have a massage upstairs.
For service and food the Strand is top. Location - the Strand is a city hotel by the wharfs while the Aureum is a stand alone property far from town but since the best food in Myanmar are from the hotels, we didn't mind this. We were only staying 2 nights at each property and they were both uniquely good but I would give the Aureum a higher rating for their design and comfort.
Yes I really think that the Aureum is more comfortable than the Strand. Awesome large master bathroom with rain shower, and jacuzzi bath, separated toilet etc. The bed rooms were nice with a good bed but not as good as the Strand's bed which I think is comparable to the Four Seasons beds. The layout at the Aureum is much nicer and a lot of room especially with 2 floors, balconies(2 of them) and the additional downstairs toilet is nice to have. My wife enjoy watching TV downstairs, they get Thai True Vision cable there while I sleep or have a massage upstairs.
For service and food the Strand is top. Location - the Strand is a city hotel by the wharfs while the Aureum is a stand alone property far from town but since the best food in Myanmar are from the hotels, we didn't mind this. We were only staying 2 nights at each property and they were both uniquely good but I would give the Aureum a higher rating for their design and comfort.
