Notes from Burma
Nov 21st, 2011, 10:43 AM
#21
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie glad you are both having a great time. You say there have been so many changes in the 2 yrs since your last visit. I cannot believe the changes I am hearing about since our visit only one year ago! Ubien is great. I think you can understand how we ended up going there 4 times while we were in Mandalay!! Great atmosphere. We loved it. Say Hi to Min Thu when you get to him! Have fun & take zillions of photos Cheryl!! ( Cannot remember the number we took at Ubien but zillions does come to mind!!)
Nov 22nd, 2011, 08:02 PM
#22
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie. Thanks for the info on Sagaing. Extremely helpful. I will now plan accordingly.
I am thinking you must be in Bagan now. Trust you are enjoying your return visit there and catching up with Min Thu. I have booked his services for 4 days Jan 10 thru 13th. Please pass on my best wishes to him. I am looking forward to meeting up with him.
I am thinking you must be in Bagan now. Trust you are enjoying your return visit there and catching up with Min Thu. I have booked his services for 4 days Jan 10 thru 13th. Please pass on my best wishes to him. I am looking forward to meeting up with him.
Nov 23rd, 2011, 05:59 PM
#24
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie-I have been trying to email Zaw for the last week. I have sent about 15 emails on different days and still have not gotten a response. I am trying to finalize my Jan. trip, make sure my hotels and flights and are in order, and get a final invoice.. If you are in contact with Zaw would you please let him know that Rochelle is trying to contact him regarding my Jan. trip. Thanks.
Nov 29th, 2011, 03:53 PM
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello again everyone. I'm glad to finally have internet access again! We are having a wonderful time, just back from Mrauk U (wow). I hope all of you trying to contact Santa Maria are back in touch. They had email problems for a while and Zaw was upcountry for a while. I needed some immediate assistance re: our Sittwe times, and I spoke with Din who fixed it all quickly and efficiently.
Speaking of flights... every one of our flight times changed by the time we got here. SOmetimes only by 30 mins or so, other times by half a day. The airlines are well-known for changing flight times, so it's a good idea not to schedule things too closely. We met a couple in Mrauk U who were leaving at 2 am on the boat because the flight they had scheduled had changed times by an hour and they would not be able to catch their flight back to Singapore.
We are in Yangon for afew days, so I expect to have internet access on and off. I'm glad to answer questions as I can.
Speaking of flights... every one of our flight times changed by the time we got here. SOmetimes only by 30 mins or so, other times by half a day. The airlines are well-known for changing flight times, so it's a good idea not to schedule things too closely. We met a couple in Mrauk U who were leaving at 2 am on the boat because the flight they had scheduled had changed times by an hour and they would not be able to catch their flight back to Singapore.
We are in Yangon for afew days, so I expect to have internet access on and off. I'm glad to answer questions as I can.
Nov 29th, 2011, 04:50 PM
#29
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie-Glad to hear the trip turned out as good as you had hoped. I am looking forward to reading your trip report once you return home. I know I will have many questions as I read it.
However, just briefly, can you say what was the highlight of your trip? And was there any lowlight? Or do I have to wait for the unabridged TR to find out?
However, just briefly, can you say what was the highlight of your trip? And was there any lowlight? Or do I have to wait for the unabridged TR to find out?
Nov 29th, 2011, 05:55 PM
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shelly, Mrauk U was the highlight for us.
Here is a brief summary of where we’ve been: We had four nights in Mandalay, two nights in Bagan, one night in Yangon at the Savoy, 4 nights in Mrauk U, and are now in Yangon for 4 nights at the Strand.
We had a nice visit with Min Thu in Bagan. He was wowed by his new computer, as was the whole family. We met his brother, Jyew (pronounced Jaw) Swe, who did our airport transfers. Min Thu took us to places we hadn’t seen on our previous trip. He keeps a log of where he has taken his customers, so if you return, he can take you to different places.
We had to have a night in Yangon in order to get to Mrauk U. The Starnd wasn’t available, so we stayed in a huge suite at the Savoy. I now understand what dogster meant when he said the Savoy was in an “out of the way” location. We had an excellent lunch at Kiplings, and had dinner at an Indian restaurant.
I was concerned that our flight to Sittwe had been moved 45 minutes later, so I feared much of our river trip would be in the dark. I contacted Din at Santa Maria about this, but the early flight doesn’t run that day. Din booked us a transfer from the Sittwe airport to the boat, so we wouldn’t waste any time. After doing it, I’d recommend that you book a transfer. I don’t book many transfers, but this one was worth it.
I’ll give you all the boat details in my report. Let me say that no matter which boat you book, expect rustic.
The Princess in Mrauk U is simply wonderful. The room rate includes both breakfast and dinner.
We booked a tu tuk the first day for our temple trip, but I recommend you skip the tuk tuk. This was the roughest-riding tuk tuk I’ve ever been in! The roads in and around Mrauk U are terrible. We booked a “car” for the next two days which was somewhat better. The cars you can book are ancient jeeps, no windows, so you will be inundated with the dust, but it’s the best available. We saw no enclosed cars in Mrauk U and only perhaps half a dozen such jeeps. While you can walk or bicycle from temple to temple in one area, there are many temples farther from town that are un-missable and for which you need some sort of motorized transport. The tuk tuk was 30,000 kyat for the day, the jeep was US$45 for the day – not much difference in price.
We are now in Yangon, and are preparing to change some more money to go shopping.
Here is a brief summary of where we’ve been: We had four nights in Mandalay, two nights in Bagan, one night in Yangon at the Savoy, 4 nights in Mrauk U, and are now in Yangon for 4 nights at the Strand.
We had a nice visit with Min Thu in Bagan. He was wowed by his new computer, as was the whole family. We met his brother, Jyew (pronounced Jaw) Swe, who did our airport transfers. Min Thu took us to places we hadn’t seen on our previous trip. He keeps a log of where he has taken his customers, so if you return, he can take you to different places.
We had to have a night in Yangon in order to get to Mrauk U. The Starnd wasn’t available, so we stayed in a huge suite at the Savoy. I now understand what dogster meant when he said the Savoy was in an “out of the way” location. We had an excellent lunch at Kiplings, and had dinner at an Indian restaurant.
I was concerned that our flight to Sittwe had been moved 45 minutes later, so I feared much of our river trip would be in the dark. I contacted Din at Santa Maria about this, but the early flight doesn’t run that day. Din booked us a transfer from the Sittwe airport to the boat, so we wouldn’t waste any time. After doing it, I’d recommend that you book a transfer. I don’t book many transfers, but this one was worth it.
I’ll give you all the boat details in my report. Let me say that no matter which boat you book, expect rustic.
The Princess in Mrauk U is simply wonderful. The room rate includes both breakfast and dinner.
We booked a tu tuk the first day for our temple trip, but I recommend you skip the tuk tuk. This was the roughest-riding tuk tuk I’ve ever been in! The roads in and around Mrauk U are terrible. We booked a “car” for the next two days which was somewhat better. The cars you can book are ancient jeeps, no windows, so you will be inundated with the dust, but it’s the best available. We saw no enclosed cars in Mrauk U and only perhaps half a dozen such jeeps. While you can walk or bicycle from temple to temple in one area, there are many temples farther from town that are un-missable and for which you need some sort of motorized transport. The tuk tuk was 30,000 kyat for the day, the jeep was US$45 for the day – not much difference in price.
We are now in Yangon, and are preparing to change some more money to go shopping.
Nov 29th, 2011, 06:01 PM
#31
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie....nice to see you surface again.....loved that Mrauk U "wow". I'm so glad I am including it in my Jan itinerary. Interesting comment about flights in/out Sittwe.
I in fact received notification from Santa Maria only last Friday that they had had to revise my itinerary for Mrauk U (which had been in place since August) because of flight issues. Fortunately I was able to 'find' a spare day and I am able to keep my visit to Mrauk U as planned....now however with an unwanted but necessary night in Sittwe on the return.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Stephen
I in fact received notification from Santa Maria only last Friday that they had had to revise my itinerary for Mrauk U (which had been in place since August) because of flight issues. Fortunately I was able to 'find' a spare day and I am able to keep my visit to Mrauk U as planned....now however with an unwanted but necessary night in Sittwe on the return.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Stephen
Nov 29th, 2011, 10:15 PM
#32
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,466
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Kathie, really looking forward to your trip report. I stayed at the Savoy and the Strand when we went to Yangon, so will be interested in your thoughts on both places. We must have been lucky as our flights hardly changed at all but I remember you saying that they can do , so I purposefully put in an additional day in Yangon on the way back so we wouldn't miss our flight to Singapore.
Nov 30th, 2011, 12:22 AM
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Stephen, I think you'll find both Bagan and Inle to be "wow" experiences - they certainly were for us.
Getting to/from Mrauk U is a bit of an ordeal in that it messes with your whole itinerary. We managed not to have a night in Sittwe, but we did have a "wasted" day in Yangon. We spent the day trying to find a particular book on Mrauk U, and did finally succeed, so I guess we can't call it a wasted day.
The airlines are amazing in their capricious schedule changes.
Getting to/from Mrauk U is a bit of an ordeal in that it messes with your whole itinerary. We managed not to have a night in Sittwe, but we did have a "wasted" day in Yangon. We spent the day trying to find a particular book on Mrauk U, and did finally succeed, so I guess we can't call it a wasted day.
The airlines are amazing in their capricious schedule changes.
Nov 30th, 2011, 04:49 AM
#34
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kathie-Did you book transfers to/from the pier and hotel in Mrauk U ? Did you book a transfer from the pier to to the airport in Sittwe? I do not know which transfers to book with SM as they seem very high to me, but if it is too hard and stressful to do it on the move, then I will book with them. Which transfers do you recommend I book in advance?Also, we have 2 nights in MU and I was planning to walk/bicycle to the temples. How far out of town are the temples you needed the jeep to see?
Nov 30th, 2011, 05:41 PM
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shelly, are you staying at the Princess? If so, the Priness has its own jetty, so no need for transfers in Mrauk U. From the airport to the jetty in Sittwe was what was really valuable. If you are staying at the Princess, you need a jeep to see all of them, The Princess is really too far away to walk/cycle to any of the temples. If you are staying in town, close to the cluster of Shitthaung, AnDaw, etc, you can walk/cycle to those. The out of town temples took us 20-30 minutes by jeep. It takes so long because the roads are so bad.
There are lots of complicated issues about the boats. Most boats won't run at night, but the Prinecss boats do. Friends of ours had to cut their stay in Mrauk U short because of a flight time change and their private boat wouldn't run in the dark. They lost most of their time in Mrauk U because they got food poisoning on their private boat and spent their first day in MU being sick. While they had planned for three full days in MU, they had just one to visit temples. BTW, they got sick from the bananas on the boat, They hadn't been washed, and in peeling them, the bacteria from the peels got on their hands.
There are lots of complicated issues about the boats. Most boats won't run at night, but the Prinecss boats do. Friends of ours had to cut their stay in Mrauk U short because of a flight time change and their private boat wouldn't run in the dark. They lost most of their time in Mrauk U because they got food poisoning on their private boat and spent their first day in MU being sick. While they had planned for three full days in MU, they had just one to visit temples. BTW, they got sick from the bananas on the boat, They hadn't been washed, and in peeling them, the bacteria from the peels got on their hands.
Dec 1st, 2011, 03:11 AM
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We started our day with a walking tour of British Colonial buildings in downtown Yangon. The Strand offers a map and written commentary on the walk. We wanted to do this last time we were in Yangon, but the heat wave then (10 degrees F hotter than usual) prevented us from doing it. We left the hotel at 6 am, and returned about 7:30. They say the walk is an hour, and if you were only walking and not stopping constantly to take photos that’s how long it would take. By 7:30 it felt pretty hot out, so we were glad we started at 6:00. It’s sad to see so many buildings that appear to be structurally sound but are derelict from lack of use.
The walk is rather hazardous – with the broken pavement and sections of open gutters – you have to watch every step. I was surprised by how many people saw us looking at the map and offered to help. A couple of the old buildings identified on the map had fallen to demolition. And the US Embassy has moved from the location on the map to a location in the area of the University, according to an Indian caretaker of the building. We saw a half-block section of newly poured sidewalk on our stroll – the only such area I’ve seen in Burma. We gleefully walked the length of the new sidewalk.
We enjoyed walking through the Maha Bandoola Garden where locals were engaged in morning exercises. We saw some familiar Qi Gong and Tai Chi sequences and there were several clusters of people doing dance routines to hip-hop or rock.
For you foodies out there, we had a memorable lunch in Yangon today. Brief review and Cheryl’s luscious photos at http://www.travelindependently.com/a...unch-in-yangon Getting this posted was an ordeal with the modem-speed internet here.
We are hoping to meet up with some friends tonight for a drink in the Strand Bar. An old co-worker friend of mine was in Mrauk U at the same time we were. With a mere 3500 visitors there a year, what are the chances?
The walk is rather hazardous – with the broken pavement and sections of open gutters – you have to watch every step. I was surprised by how many people saw us looking at the map and offered to help. A couple of the old buildings identified on the map had fallen to demolition. And the US Embassy has moved from the location on the map to a location in the area of the University, according to an Indian caretaker of the building. We saw a half-block section of newly poured sidewalk on our stroll – the only such area I’ve seen in Burma. We gleefully walked the length of the new sidewalk.
We enjoyed walking through the Maha Bandoola Garden where locals were engaged in morning exercises. We saw some familiar Qi Gong and Tai Chi sequences and there were several clusters of people doing dance routines to hip-hop or rock.
For you foodies out there, we had a memorable lunch in Yangon today. Brief review and Cheryl’s luscious photos at http://www.travelindependently.com/a...unch-in-yangon Getting this posted was an ordeal with the modem-speed internet here.
We are hoping to meet up with some friends tonight for a drink in the Strand Bar. An old co-worker friend of mine was in Mrauk U at the same time we were. With a mere 3500 visitors there a year, what are the chances?
Dec 1st, 2011, 05:23 AM
#38
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kathie-We are staying in town at the Narawat Hotel because we wanted to be close to the sites. That hotel is supposed to be within walking and biking distance to most sites. We have 2 full days in MU to see the temples.
Our private boat comes in at the public jetty which is about a mile from the hotel. SM is charging $18 or $28 (can't remember which) for that transfer each way which seems like a lot for a short ride. Did you see any car taxis in Mrauk U?
I did not book a transfer to/ from the airport in Sittwe. Were there any taxis waiting for the planes, or do you recommend I book a transfer with SM. It's so hard to know what to book in advance as far as transfers go.
What a shame your friends got sick eating bananas, a fruit I trusted because you peel it yourself. Guess I won't be eating much on the boat ride. Thanks for the heads up.
Glad you are enjoying your trip. I am looking forward to your full TR. We leave in 7 weeks. As always, thanks for the great information which makes trip planning so much easier.
Our private boat comes in at the public jetty which is about a mile from the hotel. SM is charging $18 or $28 (can't remember which) for that transfer each way which seems like a lot for a short ride. Did you see any car taxis in Mrauk U?
I did not book a transfer to/ from the airport in Sittwe. Were there any taxis waiting for the planes, or do you recommend I book a transfer with SM. It's so hard to know what to book in advance as far as transfers go.
What a shame your friends got sick eating bananas, a fruit I trusted because you peel it yourself. Guess I won't be eating much on the boat ride. Thanks for the heads up.
Glad you are enjoying your trip. I am looking forward to your full TR. We leave in 7 weeks. As always, thanks for the great information which makes trip planning so much easier.
Dec 1st, 2011, 08:59 AM
#39
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shelly we never saw any taxis in MU. When we arrived at the public jetty there were not any offers of someone wanting to give us a ride. But that was a year ago! To be honest I let Santa Maria arrange the transfers as it was convienient for me. I cannot remember how much they charged us.
Kathie so glad you thought MU was "wow" we certainly did & were glad we had the time to fit it in on our trip last year. MU does have the roughest roads though! I loved the jeeps!
Kathie so glad you thought MU was "wow" we certainly did & were glad we had the time to fit it in on our trip last year. MU does have the roughest roads though! I loved the jeeps!
