"Burma - Myanmar Land of amazing sights!" Top 5 Page for this destination Burma by herzog63

Burma Travel Guide: 4,550 reviews and 9,665 photos

Yangon - Shwedagon Paya

Well.... I guess this is the start of my pages for Myanmar. VT still calls it Burma. But the name was changed a few years back to reflect Myanmar culture and to remove the British Era. As what was told by the few local people that I asked about it. I had always wanted to go to Burma back in the 80's when I was travelling alot in Asia but never made it. One of the reasons was that you where only allowed a 7 day visa and had to change quite a bit of money and it seemed quite expensive (to me) at the time as I didn't have lot's of money to throw around. But things have changed some...You are still required to change $200 per person into FEC's (Foreign Exchange Certificates) at the airport. Although I've heard you can get around this with small bribes if you want to. (UPDATE!!!!! I've just found out that in September of 2003 the mandatory $200 exchange was discontinued but of course this could change at any time) But unless you are only going stay for a very short time the bribe would not be worth it. More on this later...
My first impressions of Myanmar was in Yangon and I felt like I was in Northern India without the beggars that are so common there. Yangon is a city full of non-stop action. The first thing that I noticed was that all of the men wear a Longyi pronounced Long G. They seem quite practical as the country is quite hot!
The people that we met were some of the friendliest that I have ever met in my travels!
On our first night we went to the Shewedagon Paya for sunset. It was really beautiful. The top section of the Pagoda is Solid gold and the very top decorated part is full of diamonds,rubies and saphires.

Friendly People

Monk at Shwedagon Paya

The people of Myanmar seemed for the most part pretty unspoiled and we had some great conversations with all walks of life. Except I didn't meet any Government officials.
Most people spoke very good English so it was very easy to get around. Alot of people seemed to enjoy taking their time to talk with us for a few minutes. Of course most conversations started out with "Where do you come from"? I always answered "Alaska" and most ..at least 70% new that it was the land of snow.

Colorful Markets

Market In Inle Lake

Myanmar had some wonderful market areas. Similar to the ones that you can see all over Asia. I love just wandering through these markets and watching people barter and buy their daily cooking supplies and I also like sampling different local snacks. I don't always like them but I do enjoy giving them a try though. My son got mad me for eating locusts!! They were pretty tasty!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Very Friendly People
Cons:Slow Transportation
In a nutshell:An Awesome Place!!

Last visit to Burma: Mar 2003
Intro Updated Sep 23, 2010
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Reviews (59)

Getting your visa....... Tourist Traps (2)

Not really a tourist trap as most people will need a visa in order to enter the country. You will need to get this in... more travel advice

Old Town Hall from Mahabandoola Garden Favorites (13)

Spending some relaxing time in the Mahabandoola Garden is quite interesting. In the early morning you can watch groups... more travel advice

Entrance fees to the Parks Favorites (13)

At some of the city parks there were small entrance fees. I don't remember exactly how much the fee was but it was very... more travel advice

Chess Local Customs (12)

I saw a few games of chess in Yangon but I never saw it in any of the other places that I visited. I played one game in... more travel advice

Transportation (12)
See All Taxi identification
Restaurants (4)
See All Curries
Shopping (2)
See All Longyi - Traditional clothing of Myanmar

Things to Do (9)
See All Ancient City of Inwa
Off The Beaten Path (2)
See All Fascinating Indein on Inle Lake
Warnings Or Dangers (3)
See All Get your tires or undercarriage fixed

Travelogues (1)

Written Apr 2, 2003

2 photos

Images of Myanmar

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Comments (117)

BruceDunning Oct 27, 2010 at 2:37 PM Report Abuse

The scenery you show looks fantastic and the sites are real interesting. You have done a very good job to show the reader about the city
zin Sep 27, 2008 at 4:18 AM Report Abuse

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, I AM GUILTY OF DELAYED MY GREETINGS TO VTER FRIENDS. VERY NICE AND GREAT PAGE OF BURMA. RGDS, ZIN
crewrower Apr 27, 2008 at 7:40 PM Report Abuse

Great page and information about Myanmar.
volopolo Apr 1, 2008 at 6:54 AM Report Abuse

One of my favorite countries with a lot of archaeological places to visit!
nkhin May 16, 2007 at 10:09 AM Report Abuse

Hi, thanks so much for the virtual tour...this is my "homeland", acutally, my dad's and unfortunately, due to the government, my family is unable to go back. What a beautiful country, so glad that you enjoyed yourself amongst the "beautiful people"!
zlatiq Feb 9, 2007 at 8:23 AM Report Abuse

thanks for the virtual tour! i'll try not to forget your tips if i make it to Burma! thnks
matcrazy1 Dec 31, 2006 at 11:37 AM Report Abuse

I have enjoyed looking at your Burma photos and very helpful, informative and ejoyable travel tips. Thanks for sharing :)
sirenna Dec 31, 2006 at 3:16 AM Report Abuse

Try picking the legs off the locusts first! Nice page & photos. Hi from the Philippines. :)
elpariente Apr 2, 2006 at 1:34 PM Report Abuse

You have a great Burma page with very good photos
planxty Oct 3, 2005 at 4:34 PM Report Abuse

Scott, these are great pages. I've only skim read them at the minute (lack of time) but I will have a good read later. I'm planning a trip to Burma soon. fergy.