Have a number of different questions

First is on booking a horse cart to see the temples in Bagan. Is this something to arrange through a hotel when you arrive? Any tips on getting a good one, or it's all pretty random?

Has anyone done riding on the Circle Line in Yangon? I have two full days there and wonder if this is something worth doing? I understand it is quite long, several hours, but my rides on subway trains in Mexico City and Kuala Lumpur have been very worth it...

Shopping strategy... I will be in Yangon,Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake. I would like to buy some traditional Burmese things - textlies, unframed paintings, laquer items or interesting jewelry (nothing too precious). Should I look for these at markets? Which ones? Unfortunately will be in Yangon only at the beginning of the trip when I am probably not going to be ready to buy anything yet. Or is there "must buy" things in Yangon?
Thanks.

You arrange a horsecart right outside your hotel. The drivers have a rotating arrangement, so if yu just walk out, there will be one waiting for the next customer. I always recommend my friend MinThu who is a superb guide to the temples and whose horsecart is very comfortable. If you want MinThu, you have to arrange him ahead of time. [email protected]

nywoman did the circle line in Yangon, do a search to find her report.

Burma is not a shopping destination. You will find relatively few things to buy in comparison to other SE Asia countries. If you want laquerware, Bagan is the place to get it. For textiles, there is a weaving workshop on Inle Lake that extracts and weaves lotus fiber - unique and expensive (they also have silk). For very interesting ethnic textiles, there is an excellent shop in Scott's Market. Also at Inle, the walkway up to InDien has stalls with some of the best quality crafts we saw. In Mandalay, Soe Moe's store has interesting things (it's in the LP).

If you see anything you like, buy it. You probably won't see it again at another stop. At Bagan i bought a few sand paintings for next to nothing. These make nice gifts if nothing else. However, that's the only place i saw them for sale. Similarly with the lotus weaving. Remember Myanmar is still very much a cash economy. Take more money than you think you'll need. I suspect that the prices will be going up as more tourists arrive also.

I'd forgotten the sand paintings - yes, you will only see them in Bagan. Silverwool's point is well-taken. For most craft items, you'll only see them in one place. In Yangon, Scott's market has things from all over the country, but not the best examples (other than the textiles store on the second level).

Silverwools advice is good, if you see it buy it cause you may not see it again. I just bought a couple of small things from vendors at the different temples but it is not a shopping destination for sure. I found the price of silk items very expensive, as I was in Laos last year and they were double or more from there.

You can find a horse cart driver in front of your hotel. We had three different ones. One was just a driver, spoke no english and just dropped us off at temples. Then we had Min Thu whom we booked in adavanc and learned so much from him it was like a history lesson and tour all in one. Our third was very sweet and spoke some English. Having a driver who speaks English and knows the history is invaluable to enhancing your experience in my opinion

We did the circle tour. It was nice, bench seats, long journey (a couple of hours) but the best part was that we arrived at a small town 1/2 way through and hundreds of locals got on with their produce to take into Yangon and it was a zoo! That was fantastic. If you click on my name you will see my trip report.

By the way, MinThu now has a website: www.minthubaganhorsecart.com

I too did the circle train, and I thought it was a great way to spend three hours. To me it was very interesting culturally. This is the way Burmese people get around Yangon, and we came in contact and spoke to several very nice Burmese who were sitting next to us. Good views out the windows, especially at the stations.

Wanted to thank you all for sharing the information. Very valuable. I am leaving for Burma this Friday. Consumed with uncontrollable excitement and a bit of anxiety! Back on Christmas Day and will try to post any info that may be new and valuable to other future travelers.

Victoria

Have a wonderful trip, and do let us know how it goes.

Kathie, read all about your trip last December and took notes! Re shopping: I would like to buy sapphire stud earrings in Yangon. Do you know any reliable shop for this or how to find out about one? Will be there late January 2013.
Also, re clothes, I know about need to be modest; are pants such as hiking pants or jeans OK for women in temples etc? thanks Jane

I, personally, wouldn't buy jewelry in Burma. I looked briefly at jewelry in Yangon, but found the selection to be paltry, the designs not very interesting, and the prices were high. Buy in Bangkok. I have a jeweler in Bangkok I've used for over 25 years- SJ International. The jewelry is beautiful, the prices are unbeatable. Read some of the posts here about them (do a search)

Any long pants are fine. Jeans are very hot, heavy and take a long time to dry, so not very practical for Burma. A light cotton or a cotton or linen blend will work best. Some people like the synthetic wicking fabrics. If they work for you, fine.