"The Road to Mandalay" a Burma Travel Page by AndreSTGT

Grueling bus rides (up to 18 hours);chilled boat trips; shaky train journeys and breakneck pick-up rides; Wild West-style horse carriages; inhuman rikshaw rides; mountain treks,sudorific to exhaustion; cycling on sand tracks; sitting on a pile of hay in an ancient, creaky bullock cart at 40 degrees in the shade -
this is how we explored the cultural, scenic and ordinary aspects of Burma.
It is hard not to be impressed by the magical land of golden pagodas, men in longyis and political injustice.
Burma, however, is not a typically South East Asian destination, many parts do not have this tropical feel and in some respect the country has been influenced by India rather than its eastern neighbors, the fervent Buddhism of the Burmese people being an exception.
For budget travelers the country is a cheap destination with plenty of inexpensive guesthouses, tea shops and markets. Getting around by bus is cheap, as well, but very slow and exhausting. Entrance fees for a lot of monuments tend to be quite high (2-10$), but due to the compulsory exchange of 200$ into FECs, which you will have to spend anyway, it does not really hurt.

Highlights:
Beauty and seafood in Ngapali,
The tranquility of Inle Lake
The great city of Rangoon
Ancient Temples of Bagan
U-Bein bridge near Mandalay at sunset
Indy-style wooden suspension bridge at Anisakan Falls
The view from Shwesandaw pagoda in Pyay
Kyaiktios Golden Rock pagoda

Lowlights
Entrance fees in Bago and Mandalay
Bus trips from hell
Burman curries

Tourists:
Generally, there are less tourists in Burma than in other South East Asian countries, but the number largely depends on the season. When we were there in April (hot season, no rain) there were surprisingly few other tourists, even places like Bagan and Ngapali beach were blessed with the absence of Westerners. This might be different during high season (nov-feb).

Please take a look at the travelogues for more detailed information and additional pics.