WhitePelican

I am planning to be in Burma at the end of January, until February 10 when I fly to Bangkok to meet friends and continue travel in northern Thailand, Luang Probang, and Cambodia.

My main interests are photography and people; I also want to see the sights--some temples, etc., but not an overdose. I like to pause at each location when possible rather than running around and seeing everything. A slow pace, in other words--which best suits taking photos.

I plan to fly from San Francisco to Bangkok, take a day room, and continue on Yangon that evening. (I will have time in Bangkok after visiting Burma.) I'm thinking two nights in Yangon (that's one full day) would be enough.

I know I want to spend three nights at Inle Lake, probably two in Bagan.

What do you think: given my interests, where else might I want to spend time? Any and all suggestions of any sort are welcome. I just decided to do this on my mine, so I haven't yet thoroughly researched the literature. My budget is moderate plus--I'm not an over the top, have-to-stay-at-the-Strand person, but I do like personalized places that are comfortable (or very comfortable!).

Thanks for your help!

Sandra

wintersp

I was in Burma, Myanmar, last year in November. It is relatively inexpensive to visit and surprisingly, for its isolation, has an okay tourist infrastructure. By the way, there are others on this board who have more experience than I with Burma, and if you search the files you will find a lot of good info.

I'd like to add a couple of comments. I would recommend Rubyland Tourism Services, www.rubyland.net, [email protected] for any help you might need. You can go totally independent to totally planned by the tourism company to anything in between. They provided me with completely individualized services.

I can recommend Novelty tour services in Nyaung Shwe (Inle) Konge, is the young man's name, for a guide and boat driver and tour.

Mandalay is a photgenic city with the most monks and 'enough' temples. The best guide I had for the whole trip was here and his name is Sai Moon Sein, email: tunecAmptmail.net.mm ph:02-80351 (great English). A place to stay here that I enjoyed is Mandalay City Hotel. Many go to Mandalay and then down the river by boat to Bagan - which sounds great (and photogenic) to me - although I didn't do that.

I would give Yangon 2 days - l seems a little abrupt. You also have the option of some good day trips from here.

Inle, of course to me is the jewel. I spent one night in Nyaung Shwe and one at their sister property, the cottages on stilts in the lake. I would not do that again- as a single traveler it was lonely alone on the lake - and it felt 'confined' to me. That's just one opinion, of course.

I fell in love with Myanmar and plan to return next year. Mostly, it is about the people. In a place with such oppression and so much poverty, they are so calm, caring, helpful, hospitable and charming!

Others I met went south to the beaches and were impressed.

Whatever you decide on, I believe you will love Myanmar and most of all the people of Myanmar.

WhitePelican

Thank you, wintersp--that information is a great start.: two days in Yangon instead of one, the guide's name in Mandalay, and the thought of going south to the beaches. I know I have a lot of reading to do: it feels a bit overwhelming!

ccc

With a moderate plus budget you can actually stay in some pretty nice places in Burma. As you know, if you have ten days, you can either rush around - not easy to do in Burma! - or pick a few spots and do day trips from there. In my opinion Bagan and Inle are the two highlights and are easily worth the amount of time you have allotted - especially if you use them as a base for day trips. The one place you didn't mention was Mandalay. There are a lot of mixed opinions on this destination, but at the end of the day it's a very interesting area especially if you take in the surrounding area as well as the city.

rhkkmk

imo, one day in yangon is not enough...you could spend the full day at the main temple complex there taking some of the best pics of your life....its a huge place....the river front is also interesting photo-taking...looks like 1850 with men carrying things onto ships....i should think 3 days at a minimum espcecially at a slow pace

wintersp

White Pelican
You can use search at the top of this page and type in Burma or Myanmar and bring up a lot of previously posted material.

Let us know how your trip shapes up.

wintersp

A correction for the guide's email in Mandalay, Sai Moon Sein in the subject section [email protected]

Femi

I also visited Burma solo and had a car, driver and guide.

It looks like our interests are quite similar (click on my name to see my trip report).

I don't have much interest in temples per se, but found that they made for great photographs because it was a gathering place. Markets also provided great pictures.

It was nice meeting monks and nuns at the various monasteries/nunneries.

I enjoyed Yangon, but found one day (2 nights) was enough.

I loved Inle lake, and after 3 nights, I still was not ready to leave.

People in Burma are some of the friendliest I have ever met. You will have a great time!

Bon Voyage!

albaaust

I was in Burma in July this year. Although I was not alone you might find some of my experiences might help you plan where you want to stay and do. I filed a trip report but for soeme reason can not "bring it up". Search my screen name.

WhitePelican

Thank you all so much for your replies and thanks too to all the posters on the forum. I couldn't have organized this trip without you!

After sending some inquiries to several agencies, I have decided to go with Santa Maria: their organizational skills are outstanding and I prefer not having to pay everything ahead of time (they ask for one third up front and the rest on arrival). They are checking room availability as I write.

I will have one guide throughout. Does anyone have experience with a particular guide they recommend? I have a feeling anyone would work just fine--I have yet to read negative comments about a guide in Burma.

glorialf

First -- if your interest is people (and the people in Burma are among the warmest anywhere) I would spend the maximum amount of time in the Inle lake area and the Shan states. I would also use a guide and driver since they can help with interepreting with and can also get you into homes in a way you may feel harder on your own. I have taken two trips to Burma using Gracious Myanmar and have been very happy with them.I would only spend one day at Bagan since temples are not your top priority. One day was enough for us and we also are much more into people than buildings. I would spend two or three days in Rangoon but don't just go to the temples -- go to some of the art galleries, go to the fish market, go to the the post office and see how people pay their bills, see the attorney street, sit in some of the cafes, go onboard one of the cargo ships. Again a guide can help you do all this. Oh, and definitely go to chinatown at night. I'd spend one day two nights in Bagan and spend the rest of your time in Inle Lake and the shan states (Heho, Pindaya, Taunggi).

cayenne

I don't mean to spoil anyones trip, but understandg the horrible attrocties that are being commited by the Burma Military regime that was actually defeated in 90 and refused to leave, I don't why or how anyone here could stand to visit that country in a tourist capacity and monetarily contribute to the horrible illigitmacy of that regime. I just don't understand it. If any military dictatorship needs to be toppled its that one. I would never spend a dollar in that country in a tourist capcity. Instead why don't you go to the various democracy and human watch sites and donate that money to a freedom movement, and write to your own governments to force action there.


http://www.rfa.org/english/about/ope...a_thetwinaung/

yea Mandalay may be a very photogentic place, but its also a place where many students and pro-decomcracy advocates were jailed and tortured.

Craig

Cayenne - do you really think isolating the Burmese people does any good? There are two sides to every argument. I don't see anyone boycotting China for its regime's actions over the years.

How about posting some of your travel experiences or questions? I see that you have posted only one other time today and that was to criticize one of our regulars.

dogster

Whitepelican, you will, with an open an enquiring mind, have an amazing trip. I've been to Burma twice this year, with full awareness of Cayenne's concerns and can't, for the life of me, see the point of NOT going. Quite the contrary.

Be aware though, that your guides, no matter how charming they are, will avoid any conversation about the government - they'll just not hear your questions, or divert you. This gets a bit tiresome but its really to cover their own back lest you be a journalist in disguise. They lie, relentlessly, gently and persuasively, but that's because they truly want you see Burma in a positive light. You'll get told some outrageous fibs - there are, apparently, no drugs in Burma, no unmarried mothers, no sex before marriage, no political problems - take it with a big grain of salt.

But really, in matters political, without the full information, your role as a tourist is to observe and learn, then make up your own mind. Very hard to do that if you, like Cayenne, don't go. So immerse yourself.

Don't avoid the temples - they are places of the most extraordinary beauty and, as another fodorite has mentioned, you'll take some of the most wonderful photos. Most importantly, as they are meeting places, get your guide to translate and talk to people. Don't be scared to sit right down and chat. Ask lots of questions - just steer clear of politics - you'll embarrass them. A quick zoom in and out won't achieve anything but great pictures. Take your time.

Inevitably, your guide will have a schedule and will zoom you through the sights. If it's just you, be slow - they'll be too polite to really hurry you up. Better to see less and appreciate more.

A couple of tips - in Yangon, not every monk you meet is the real deal - there are a few 'tourist monks' that will put the bite on you big time. Check out their robes and personal hygiene - if grubby, ragged, generally unclean - they aren't the real deal.

In Inle, which is one of the most extraordinary places, earplugs are useful on the boats. Make absolutely sure you use umbrellas and drink copious water - when I was there one tourist died after a day's exposure to the sun. Yes, really, he had a heart attack while taking a shower at the end of the day.

Crisp, new dollar bills, small denominations are crucial. Use them, rather than the local currency.

In Bagan, to really get a feel for the place, grab a horse drawn carriage with a driver for a few hours. You don't need a guide for this. Just get him to wander through the vast, wondrous plain of temples late afternoon and soak it all up. He'll know where to stop to get the best pics. It's a wonderful experience.

And, if you're interested, Bagan is THE place to buy lacqerware.

cayenne

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5093832.stm

its ridiclous that I get treated like somekind of an idiot for pointing out why visiting Burma is not a good idea. It supports the cruel military dictatorship there. Even the imprissoned leader, she has been imprisooned and under house arest for many years, urges tourist not to come, becuase many of the toursit sites are being developed through slave labor and forced relocation. Its just wrong to go there and support that governemnt. Specially seeing how a democraticly elected governemnt did win in 1990 and this military regime refused to step down.

Craig

Cayenne, you get treated like some kind of an idiot because you choose to post on this and nothing else. If you had really followed this debate by the way, you would know that Aung San Suu Kyi's call for a boycott is ancient history. She no longer takes that stance because the boycott hasn't done any good.

Femi

Cayenne: I wonder why you (and others) do not advocate boycotts of China, Vietnam, or other non-democratic societies with military regimes in place.

Dogster: I was actually quite surprised at how freely my guides discussed politics. I was prepared to avoid the subject at all costs, and their comments were completely unsolicited.

Femi

Dogster, I forgot to add, you were right about the 'fake' monks.

After weeks of having everyone I met be so kind and open, I didn't hesitate when a novice monk I met offered to pose for pictures.

I took two photos and then the monk demanded payment. I felt silly for falling into his trap, and offered token payment. It wasn't enough according to him, but at that point I walked away.

It was with a bit of a shock that I realised we were back in the big city (Mandalay) and no longer in the country side.

A little later another little boy (call him novice #2)approached me and returned my money, stating that the first monk was 'bad'.

I called the guide over to offer my thanks to novice #2. Turns out that out of sight and ear shot, my guide had read them both the riot act for ripping off tourists, generally being pests, and told them they would suffer the Buddhist equivalent of going to hell. This was what prompted the return of my money.

As I was putting on my shoes outside the temple, novice #2 approaches me yet again and asks for the money back.

He tells me that the guide had said they would go to hell for commiting an immoral act inside the temple, but the guide had said nothing about collecting money outside the holy building!

WhitePelican

Your response was not exactly what I had in mind, Cayenne, but I honor your strong viewpoint. For ten years I have debated about visiting Burma; only now I have finally decided that isolation is not helping the people. As other forum members have mentioned, a number of other countries commit atrocities; I would add, including my own. However, I still feel slightly uneasy about my decision; on the other hand, I feel compelled to go. I am aware of the arguments on both sides as I have been following them for years, and I am a member of several human rights organizations. You and I simply see things differently.

Thank you, dogster, for your thoughtful comments. I usually talk to everyone about everything, and I will be sensitive to the guides' situation. Yes, I plan to take my time. I would rather spend an afternoon in one place, at one temple, than rushing around to five different sites. I do very much enjoy temples though people are my first priority. For a photographer, going slowly almost always works best.

Thanks, too, for reminding me about the earplugs. I gather that it's possible to go off the beaten track at Inle, down some canals I believe to have a rest from the noise.

Hi again, Femi. I'll keep an eye out for the fake monks! The comments from you and dogster were the first I've heard about that phenomenon.

I am using Santa Maria Travel and have been very impressed with their correspondance--delightful, helpful folks. I will be in Yangon for a night, then on to Bagan, to Mandalay, to Pindaya, Inle Lake, back to Yangon--then to Bangkok to meet up with fellow photographers and continue on to Laos and Cambodia.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed suggestions and written reports. The forum is amazingly helpful!

dogster

Hi again Ms Pelican, you'll find that the noise you need ear plugs for will be coming from your OWN boat.

As a photographer you'll be in heaven in Burma - just make sure when you get to the houses on stilts you ask them to cut the motor and paddle thru. Ahhh - delicious.

And, of course, make sure you get to the unrestored pagodas right down at the bottom of the lake late afternoon when you'll get the light.

I can almost guarantee you'll go back for a repeat visit - when you do, check out www.pandaw.com with particular reference to their long trips up the Chindwin and Ayerwaddy. These river cruises only go twice a year - then you'll get the REAL deal. A knockout.