Shopping in Burma
Jul 17th, 2012, 05:32 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shopping in Burma
Which cities have the best shopping for star rubies? Approx. price ranges? Also are non-tourist market marionettes available at reasonable prices? Any recommended shops? I am going to Myanmar & Bhutan mid November & am so excited! Thanks for any guidance you can provide.
Suzie
Suzie
Jul 17th, 2012, 06:38 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You''l find rubies in both Mandalay and Yangon. You must buy rubies from government-approved shops and have a receipt to take the rubies out of the country.
There are lots of puppets available. I don't know what you are thinking of when you write "non-tourist market marionettes." Remember that Burma has basically been a closed country for decades. While the number of tourists visiting has gone up dramatically, the number of visitors is still tiny in comparison to other SE Asian countries. The best collections I saw were at Inle Lake at InDien.
Burma is not a shoppers paradise like Thailand.
There are lots of puppets available. I don't know what you are thinking of when you write "non-tourist market marionettes." Remember that Burma has basically been a closed country for decades. While the number of tourists visiting has gone up dramatically, the number of visitors is still tiny in comparison to other SE Asian countries. The best collections I saw were at Inle Lake at InDien.
Burma is not a shoppers paradise like Thailand.
Jul 18th, 2012, 05:26 AM
#3
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just got back from Myanmar late last night. Don't get your hopes up for great shopping. I'd say that 95% of all tourist items are identical, it's just the price that varies slightly from shop to market and your bargaining skills. Even in Mandalay where the puppets are supposedly made, they are the same everywhere. However, if this is important to you, get a guide in advance who might be able to take you to a workshop or store where they sell some different items, but be sure they understand what you want. But be sure to check out the standard ones first so you can tell the difference.
Jul 18th, 2012, 05:36 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From DC, welcome home!
We looked long and hard for a set of monks. In Scotts Market, they were all the same. There were some unusual ones at the shops at the Strand, and we found "ours" at the shop at Governors House. But for puppets, we saw the most unusual ones at InDien.
We looked long and hard for a set of monks. In Scotts Market, they were all the same. There were some unusual ones at the shops at the Strand, and we found "ours" at the shop at Governors House. But for puppets, we saw the most unusual ones at InDien.
Jul 20th, 2012, 01:38 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You will see sets of monks, carved out of wood in graduated sizes. Some of the sets are less than a foot tall, some are three feet tall, and there are sizes in between. I don't know if the shop at the Governor's House will have another set. They had only one set when we were there.
