Bus trips from hell and other Burma Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: The only cheap way to cover long distances is to take the many overland buses run by private companies. Some of these buses are quite alright, others are full of people and cargo with narrow seats and no leg room. What all bus trips in the country have in common is that they are painfully slow. If you are unlucky 500km might take up to 24 hours.
Breakdowns are common and the roads are in a bad state of disrepair.
On one occasion (13h bus ride from Pyay to Thandwe: the worst and most crowded bus) i could not sit anymore, so i decided to leave my "seat" and sleep in the aisle. I lay there on sticky sacks of rice next to containers of fish sauce. After the trip i smelt like a polecat, but at least i found a bit of sleep.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: We took the train only once, traveling from Pyin Oo Lwyn to Hsipaw. Train rides are fun (take a look at the picture, this is the First Class compartment!!), unfortunately, they are even slower than the buses and more expensive because foreigners have to pay much more than locals.
The trip we took was very scenic and is highly recommended. We crossed the colonial Gokteik viaduct, one of the highest railway bridges in the world. The conductors were friendly and even shared their lunch and local schnapps with me.

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