Plummie, as i had mentioned for your trip thru Myanmar travel , request Tun as a guide.First his english is excellent.when i toured Myanmar i had requested somebody who was going to be fun to hang out with with a good sense of humor, someone with all the knowledge of his country.Tun is a person with so much character, who interacts with his fellow countryman in a way i have never seen before.He used polite humor and at the same time with only guides that he is sure he knows will occasionly poke fun at the dictatorship. He is someone when i asked said the 2 proffesions he would be interested in would be a politician or a lawyer. We had a lot of laughs over that one as there really is neither where he is.I am 38 y.o. and Tun is probably in his 30 s as well.He isnt too religous and was able to see both sides of the coin when it came to those things. He was also careful to talk when things were clear or when he was sure of the people around him. Dont worry the country is extremely safe for tourist. I was also very sick one day which we went for an 7 hr ride thru the country. When we arrived at the motel i went to my room. I was so sick i was screaming and talking to myself. you can imagine . finally when i couldnt take it anymore i was heading to the phone and before i could get there, there was a knock at the door. It was Tun. I told him i needed to get medical treatment. He immediatly took over and had a car available in minutes and brought me to a clinic. He saved me. i was really sick. i had total confidence as soon as he had opened the door.Also one of my painting that i purchased in Rangoon was lost on the airplane. Myanmar travel was kind in arranging for the artist to paint another. Also Tun personaly went by to make sure it was of good quality.He has done extensive tours with people from national geographic. Although he says its not his favorite because of the early sunrise shots. I was so impressed with him i had the honor having dinner with him and his new bride.there is so much more but i will wrap it up by saying i learned much about the country, the religion, the dictatorship, his personal life, and most of all we had fun along the way.Also it was Tun a driver and myself only during the entire trip.Any other questions please ask.oh what was also good with myanmar travel is that on my first day which was from the airport to the hotel. tun gives me a whole bunch of their currency, maybe 50$ worth. they set you up because the exchange rates are ridiculous at some places which you will find out .It helped me get thru the night and morning.Something they didnt have to do.

There is nothing I love more than talking about burma and thailand. If any of you have any questions that you don't think would be of general interest and want to email me privately my email address is [email protected].

Hi Gloria,
About how much does a guide charge per day?
Marilyn

I think we're paying about $80- $100 a day for a large car, driver and guide. But that's in Rangoon. Cost will be more if you are traveling and have to pay for the hotel and meals of the driver and guide but not a huge amount.

Dear Mrs.Nan

I'm director travel agent in Myanmar. I would like to know when will you come to visit Myanmar. I can arrange everyting for you. Please visit www.myanmarroyal.com
and you can find everything about Myanmar. If you have any enquiry, please do not hestitate to contact me.

Best regards,
Thet Linn

I can't seem to get any travel agents to merely book hotels, car, and driver for me. They all insist on doing package deals, but my wife and I don't want to take internal flights in Myanmar when we visit for 2 weeks in mid-December.

Any suggestions? A few days ago, I sent some e-mails to individual hotels, based on their websites, but haven't heard back.

Also, is it possible to drive in one day from Yangon to Inle Lake? If not, what about to Kalaw? How many hours would that be?

hi there,
when looking on older treats You will find a few adresses of drivers. But cant say if they are still working, things changes fast in Myamnar.
You cant drive in one day to Lake Inle, not even to Kalaw. It is too far. Buses need about 16 to 20 hours.
If You have just 2 weeks You will need to rush a lot.

Thanks for your reply. Is there anywhere you'd recommend (with a decent hotel) to stop on the way to Inle that could break the trip up into a two-day drive?

audeyes I was in Pyin U Lwin in July - may I ask why you are particularly interested in that city/town?
I have posted a report about Burma which does include our visit to the Pyin U Lwin and should still be in the last 50 messages pile. (sorry could not think of any other way to put it)..I'm in my non compos mentis frame again...

An agency with lots of flexibility? Try this: [email protected]. I traveled with them in Nov 2004 and was extremely satisfied. I did not want to fly from Bagan to Mandalay, so they supplied car + driver. Had the trip really tailor made, and I remained fully in command of the trip, both before and during. And reasonably priced, with excellent service. Got no shares in that company, don't worry, but I have absolutely no problem in recommending them. They're based in Yangon. My trip report was filed on this board end Nov 2004. Good travels. Lucky you: Myanmar. It's really great and wonderful people too (as long as not dressed in uniform).