nan_49

After 12 days in Myanmar, I'll have about 3-4 days to go somewhere else. Which of these two destinations do you think would be best for a mid-December visit? If there is somewhere else you'd recommend, please let me know. I've been to Bangkok and Siem Reap already and would rather go to another destination.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

glorialf

Guilin is very beautiful but December is not the best time to go and you should do it when you're doing a total China trip. LP would be perfect for a 3-4 day trip. It will, however, have a similar feel to Burma.

Where are you going in Myanmar? if you're spending most of your time in the cities you could consider going to northern thailand (Chiang Rai or Mae Hon Song area) for a more rural experience.

Another possibility is to extend your trip in Burma. I was there for almost 4 weeks a few years ago and felt rushed. The most wonderful parts of Burma are outside of the cities and Bagan.

nan_49

Gloria - Thanks for your suggestions. I've been to quite a few cities in China, but never to Guilin. I thought it might offer something a bit different from Myanmar. But, I have to admit, I was concerned about the time of year. I've also been to Northern Thailand and found it interesting, but don't really have an interest in returning.

I took your suggestion and am working with Sonny and GMT. I tentatively have Nyi Nyi booked for my trip the first two weeks of Dec. I plan on visiting Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake and surrounding areas. I'm going to be going to some of the areas outside of the cities but will generally be staying in the main cities.

I enjoy photographing people and different cultures, but also enjoy staying in comfortable hotels. I'll be traveling alone, so don't want worry about vermin in a 1 or 2 star hotel.

Have you any other thoughts about what I should do in my remaining 3-4 days?

Mealea

I like glorialf's suggestion of spending more time in Myanmar. It's such an amazing place that you might find you'll need even more time than you had planned. How long are you staying in each place? 12 days actually seems a little short to me. I was there for two weeks and I wanted to stay longer. I'm planning another trip back.

glorialf

Nyi Nyi is the best. You'll have a fabulous time with him. I'm also someone who definitely likes her creature comforts and I was surprised at how good the hotels in Burma were -- even in the off the beaten track places. And Sonny has lived in Europe so he knows what westerners like. What's your itinerary at the moment?

Ask Sonny if there is any way he can get you into Moguk. It's the ruby mining area and was incredibly interesting (and not because we bought anything). If you can go there I would say that would be better than anywhere else outside of Burma. It was one of the highpoints of any trip I've ever taken. And the hotel was acceptable if not luxurious. No vermin and wonderful people. The assistant manager (David-- his grandmother had been a missionary) cried when we left and so did we..

glorialf

Feel free to use my name (Gloria Friedman)with Sonny. We actually had dinner at his home the last night of our trip -- and he's a FABULOUS cook. r

hobbes

Perfect weather for India and it is not far from Myanmar...would you like to do one place in India maybe Delhi?

cram

As you are in Myanmar, why do you not complete the Myanmar experience by going also to Mrauk U, which is wonderful and definitely not a blueprint from Bagan. The boat ride from Sittwe to Mrauk U is worthwile too. Sittwe is a place to forget about. If you want to chill out a few days, towards the end of the trip, have a look into Ngapali. This could be a nice and cosy way to wind up a wonderful Myanmar trip.

glorialf

I love India but would not just go to Delhi -- not my favorite part of India at all.

I'm not sure the hotels will meet nan's criter in Mrauk U. But places like Pindaya , or Mogok will. Unless the hotel situation in Mrauk has changed since I was there.

nan_49

Thanks for the suggestions. Based on your input, I'll probably stay longer in Myanmar. I've got an email to the agency asking for possibilities, especially in Moguk or Mrauk U. Gloria, how long did you stay in Moguk and what did you do? Cram, how long were you in Mrauk U? What was the hotel situation like?

Again, thank you.

glorialf

We were in Moguk for 3 or 4 days and basically we visited villages, went to the various types of mines, went to schools, went to gem markets (not to buy but it was still fascinating).

If you can't get in there and the hotels in Mrauk aren't up to snuff ask Sonny about spending some time in the Shan state (maybe Pindaya or Heho).

Another option for a day or so is Myamo which is near mandalay but make sure the hotels are ok -- they weren't when I was there but I think that has changed/

Finally I know there are 3 day boat trips that are quite comfortable out of Yangon which you might find interesting -- I don't like to insulate myself from the locals and I think those boat trips do that-- but I've heard good reports.

Whatever you pick I am sure that you won't regret spending some additional days in Burma.

Feel free to ask any questions about hotels, other places to see etc.

glorialf

nan-- Kalaw is another possible destination along with Pindaya. Don;t worry if the tour programs all talk about treking. If you don't want to do it there is plenty you can do without it. We spent the day at a village that had seen about 3 westerners in 10 years. Nyi Nyi found it for us -- the receptionist at the hotel had a sister who taught there. It was a highpoint of the trip. They were one of the ethnic minorities and only one or two of them spoke Burmese. The receptionist's teacher came with us so she and Nyi Nyi both served as interpreters.

Nyi Nyi will figure out pretty quickly what interests you and adjust your days accordingly. He figured out within two hours of our arrival in Yangon that temples weren't our things (we'd seen more than our share) so all but a few temples got scraped and instead we spent time in tea shops, at the fish market, at the enormously moving war cemetary, visiting with families and crafts people, at markets, at schools, orphanages, old people's homes, at the synagogue and visiting with the teeny Jewish community. None of that was a part of our original "must to" in Yangon but all of it was fabulous. On the other hand, if your main interest is temples or other things he'll adjust as well. it's what made him such a special guide. He'll become your friend I'm sure -- just as he became ours. Ask him to show you the book he wrote about tourists -- we're in it along with our pictures -- mrs, Gloria and Mrs. Ann. We took it to a burmese restaurant in NY to get an idea of what he said about us and the owners of the restaurant were so impressed they wouldn't let us pay for dinner.

cram

we left Sittwe by boat in the early morning to Mrauk U. It takes 5-6 hours. In the afternoon we did some visiting. The second day visiting. The third day in the early morning return by boat to Sittwe.
Hotel in Mrauk U is OK and very good kitchen. Have a look at my Trip Report of Nov 2004. Names of hotels are there. Also impressions on Mrauk U and Sittwe.

GlenStephens

Just back a few days ago from a week in Burma.

also recommend booking U Nyi Nyi as a guide to go with you.

A summary of his expertise and our itinerary is here:

http://www.myanmartravelagent.com/visitorcomment.htm

A comment on the original thread question - Luang Prabang in Laos is one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. DO visit it! And DO visit the Plain Of Jars if visiting Laos ... so many tourists bypass that.

http://www.glenstephens.com/indochina.htm

" From Phonsavan a hair raising flight passing metres from rock ledges, down mist filled mountain valleys to LUANG PRABANG the old capital of Laos. A beautiful, elegant city, filled with centuries old palaces, French era mansions, temples and historic buildings. It is cool and verdant, at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Kham Rivers. Sited around a large central mountain called Phu Si, from where the view of the sun setting on the Mekong (after walking up 400 stairs!) is truly awesome. A lovely city, with no high rise development at all, and why you would move a capital from here to dusty, dry, Vientiane is one of life's mysteries. Visiting Luang Prabang is like going back in a time machine to half a century ago, and there are now very few elegant cities in the world these days where that is still possible. "

glorialf

Glen -- I'm so glad you liked Nyi Nyi as much as we did. We spent three weeks with him and he became our friend. We're really looking forward to seeing him when we return in January.

nan_49

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone who helped me pull my Burma itinerary together. You really got me on the right track. Just as I got everything set through Gracious Myanmar Travel for December, I was notified by my doctor that I'd need about 6 months of additional medication following my last chemo treatment in mid-august. Even though the chemo has zapped my tumors, this post treatment apparently has some unpleasant side-effects. So I won't be able to travel until April or so next year. I'll have to put Burma off until Dec 2006.

So, now i need to find a destination that works for the April/May timeframe. I think that excludes most of Asia due to the heat. I'm thinking of Bhutan. I was there 10 years ago and would like to see it again. Any thoughts on other destinations?

glorialf

How about Japan? I avoided it for a long time because I thought it would be too western but, in fact, in many ways it is less western than places Hong Kong, Singapore etc. I would focus on Kyoto and that area which is gorgeous at that time of year (or any time for that matter). I spent two weeks in Kyoto a few years ago and could have spent another two weeks easily.

Another possibility would be China-- obviously not the whole country but maybe pick a specific area to explore like Yunnan.