Business is good this year, apparently it has been very bad the last 2 years, with very few tourists.

At present there is a discussion with the generals regarding the fuel, presumably it will be settled with some more money in their coffers.

loved this update....

Sorry the balloon ride was a disappointment - at least Kathie will feel better ;-) Personally I don't think it would matter when in our trip we had taken it - different strokes...

Loved this report NYwoman. We are planning a trip in Dec/Jan and you travel as we do so loved the info on the hotels etc.
I have bookmarked all the hotels you mentioned.

How many days in total did you spend in Myanmar and did you feel it was enough?

Loved your report, NYwoman! We are quickly planning a trip for Jan 2011 and your details are helpful.

Hello - Great reading btw - this question is over a year later: Jan 2011, so perhaps nobody is reading this anymore. Anyway...

My daughter's who are currently volunteering in Chiang Mai at: www.culturalcanvas.com are planning a visit to Myanmar in the next couple of weeks and I gave them some money in American Express traveler's checks thinking that would be safer than carrying a lot of cash - do people use travelers checks anymore? And if so, do Myanmar people recognize and accept them?

Why don't you open a new post with this question, Claire? It'll get lost here.

Dog is right Claire but a quick answer to your question is no they will not be able to use traveler's checks in Myanmar.

Nor can they use their ATM cards, or mostly, their credit cards. They need cash - US dollars. Nice new notes. $100s work well.