Myanmar Trip Report: Is It "Too Late" To Go?
 

Hi –

Just finished my travelogue on my December trip to Myanmar. I sought answers to two questions:

1) Is it too late to travel to Myanmar (or is it *still* in the Travel Sweet Spot)?
2) Is booking my own travel to Myanmar easy?

TRIP REPORT: http://bit.ly/1aTq3vK

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Travel Planning
• Book early: demand exceeds supply
• Use Oway for booking flights
• Use Agoda for booking hotels
• Bring crisp $100 bills for exchanging

Bagan
• Eat at Queen and Mingalabar Food Bar
• Explore the Bagan Archeological Zone by e-bike
• Stay in Old Bagan
• Buy a map at a major temple
• Pack warm clothes in the winter

Inle Lake
• Stay (and eat dinner) at Viewpoint Lodge
• Eat lunch at Butterfly Restaurant, Bar and Spa
• Rent a bike, ride the perimeter of the Northern part of the lake, and hire a boat to cross to the other side (then ride back to where you started)
• Hire a boat to Inthein

Yangon
• Take the $1 circular train ride
• See Shwedegon Pagoda (but don’t miss the nearby Sein Yaung Chi Pagoda either)
• Eat at Monsoon
• Shop at Pomelo (next door to Monsoon)
• Walk the streets between the major roads in Central Yangon

Very timely Esme - I'm currently reading an Amy Tan book about Burma/Myanmar. One of the characters is even named Esme and I'm up to the part where they're at Inle Lake.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Lovesd your blog! We were in Myanmar shortly after you and I had some of the same reactions. We did use a TA and paid the same as you for flights and less for our room at Traders...a soulless place, wasn't it? But great wifi!

Enjoyed reading your report. Glad to hear you had a good experience with Oway - early on there were reports on Thorntree of tickets charged to credit cards but no tickets delivered. Maybe they have gotten their act together. And it sounds like you did ok booking hotels yourself. Be aware that things have changed dramatically in the last few years. As recently as 2011 it was not possible to book flights yourself, and local agents could save you a bundle on your hotels.

Sorry you lost most of your Burma photos. I wasn't clear about your stop at InDien/InThien - did you walk up the hill and see the temples and the "stupa forests"? or did you just visit those at the bottom of the hill?

And I'm sorry you didn't make it to Sankar since you were in search of authenticity. It was the most untouched area we saw. Next trip - you have to go.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Hi Esme

Love your blog, currently ensconced in Viewpoint Lodge at Inle Lake where my diarrhoea roulette number has finally come up after 5 weeks in SE Asia.

Good to be in relative luxury, the food here is terrific (when I can contemplate eating) and I particularly like the Public Relations Manager. For those who haven't stayed here, he's a golden retriever, and the one of the few friendly dogs I've met so far in Myanmar.

I don't condemn the other dogs for being wary, their life is perhaps even harder than the human populace, but some have been downright hostile. Perhaps it's the western face.

Thanks for your excellent tips, and making me laugh so much. You do have a talent for taking the reader along.

Caroline

Loved your blog!

I'm very happy I visted Myanmar all the way back in 2004 (can't believe it's been 10 years!) but I think that would have been too far down (or is it up?) the "authentic" axis for you. On the "comfort" end I had a car and driver - the driver had been "adopted" by a woman I had met in Vietnam the year before - mostly so I could avoid the planes, trains and boats run by the government, but I stayed in guesthouses.

I'm never sure I understand this "authentic" label. I get the comfort and I think from reading this and other reports my comfort level is about what yours is. But how does one really rate authentic?
BTW we had a very good lunch at Viewpoint on the day we explored the town.

Also I think its important that people compare what they can get on their own versus what a TA may be able to get for them.

In any case, your reporting is very enjoyable.

Oops! I just realized I confused you with another traveler when I commented on your loss of photos. Pardon my brain lapse.

" I sought answers to two questions:

1) Is it too late to travel to Myanmar (or is it *still* in the Travel Sweet Spot)?"


Seriously? Does anyone worth talking to actually give a damn?

Thanks, all, for your comments.

Kathie: I did break my phone halfway through the trip. I should have seen Sankar the day of my boat ride since I was already half-way there (Inthein). Just didn't have the patience for another ride there and back (a couple hours on the water).

sartoric: Hope you're feeling better. I forgot to mention the wonderful golden retriever with a sense of humor. The first night he came to my table, grabbed a paper napkin off of it, and started eating it, my chasing him through the lobby in attempt to free it from his mouth. His tail was wagging the entire time. The next day he rolled in mud then came slinking into the lobby looking extremely guilty.

Napkins must be his favourite food ! I sat for a while in the veranda area, small snack and drink. He came barrelling over, got between me and the table, I grabbed said snack and drink, whilst balancing iPad on lap.

I don't know the Burmese word for "sit"so tried English. It worked, sort of, he sat on my foot, all 20 hairy kilos. I juggled things, and offered him the paper napkin, which he greedily devoured.

I took him for a walk last night, after asking first if that was okay. To his credit, he wouldn't go with me until a staff member told him "go with her".

Nice to have a dog to play with.

Yes, feeling better thanks.

New Conde Nast Traveler article on Myanmar:

http://cntrvlr.com/1mU9A0K

Thanks so much for posting the link to this article. I just enjoyed reading it; we are going there in February.

Your welcome. You may also want to read Eric Rosen's blog posts from his Myanmar trip on The Points Guy website:

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/07/usef...ng-to-myanmar/

You're!