There are a few posts available online about travelling to Myanmar. Finding current information, however, was not always easy. This is why I want to share my experience, my tips and the tale of my fantastic trip in Myanmar with everyone!
I travelled on my own, but I met many friends along the way. And guess what? I really enjoyed my experience.
Day 1: Arrival in Yangon
I arrived at Yangon airport at 1 pm. Mingalabar Myanmar (hello Myanmar)!
The visa to enter Myanmar
Prior to travelling to Myanmar, I got an e-visa from oway for 60 USD. So upon arrival, I immediately joined the queue at the immigration counter. I was intimidated by the official’s severe appearence. But then he wanted to take my picture and asked me to smile with a broad smile himself. That had come as a bit of a surprise!
Is this my first glimpse of the Burmese people’s legendary kindness? Agreeable surprise anyway.
Changing money at a good rate
I changed some money once my immigration formalities complete.
I got the best exchange rate of the whole trip at the airport (1 Euro for 1,140 Kyats). Any traveller wishing to visit Myanmar should be aware that the dollar is widely used in the country.
It is a good idea to have some while going around. I did not and wished I had some notes, especially when prices were set in dollars and exchange rates a bit random.
A friendly and helpful guest house in Yangon
I exchanged my euros, grabbed my bag, and searched for my airport pick up.
My guest house, Motherlandinn 2 (No 433 Lower Pazundaung Road, Yangon) provided free airport pick-ups and drop-offs. Perfect for another hassle-free contact with the country. The double room was 35 USD.
Motherlandinn 2 is a basic guesthouse. I really liked the place because the staff was very very (did I say very?) nice, friendly and really helpful. They are accustomed to cater for foreigners and can advise on many things.
They also have a travel bureau and a restaurant. I had mohinga for the first time there. Mohinga is THE breakfast dish of Myanmar. It is made out of rice noodles and fish soup. It is quite tasty and must be tried at least once!
Trying authentic food at a local restaurant
I had a nap before leaving for dinner. I asked around about a place to eat and got this recommendation. Why not! My taxi driver took me to Aung Thuka (17-A 1st Street, West Shwegondine, Bahan Township) for some traditional Burmese food.
The place is very local. I did not speak Burmese and nobody spoke English, so I pointed out what I wanted from the counter full of meat dishes and veggies. Miming everything was funny. The waitress then brought me rice and several (free) side dishes – among them fermented tea leaves with a very strange taste I cannot describe – and a soup.
Flavours were really surprising, ranging from the plain taste of rice to unidentified bitter leaves.
How much should I pay for my taxi?
I find it hard to determine whether I overpaid my taxi or not.
I probably have since a return trip from and to my guest house cost me double my dinner, beer included: 9,000 kyats. I don’t know.
Afterwards, I asked my lodgings’ reception desk how much I should pay for transportation to avoid this kind of existential issue. They usually obliged, and I got peace of mind for the rest of the trip.
Day 2: Day in Yangon and night bus trip to Bagan
The next step of the journey was visiting the Temples of Bagan, 1-hour flight away from Yangon.
I waited too late to book a flight that day, so I opted for the night bus to not delay my schedule. After all, I planned to see a unique Myanmar in 13 days! While waiting for the night to arrive, I visited Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.
The oldest pagoda in the world
I first visited Schwedagon Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in the world.
The main entrance is a large staircase with a lot of side stores. I went through a metal detector to enter the pagoda. Why? Someone explained it was to prevent terrorist attacks on the Buddhist site. I was aware of past attacks. This made it real.
I also had to take my shoes off at the bottom of the stairs. It is mandatory when entering Buddhist temples to preserve their sanctity. Shoes are deemed to be impure and unclean. I did not know. The merchants gave out to me for not doing so. Ok…
I hired a tour guide
As soon as I hit the top of the stairs, a guide offered me a tour for the modest sum of 5 USD. I decided to hire him and learnt a lot about Buddhism. Foreigners pay 8 USD to get in. My guide, later on, told me that locals don’t have to as they make a lot of offerings.
All this gold and huge statues
If the staircase had been impressive, the pagoda itself is stunning with its golden roofs and huge statues. The place is incredible.
One of my most burning (and I literally mean burning) memories of that day was the scorching stone flooring. You have to walk barefoot inside the pagoda as shoes and socks are prohibited.
However it is boiling hot in April. My technique to survive the hot stones was to “run” from shadow to shadow. Coming early in the morning or later in the afternoon will help you escape this heat.
I wished to do the night visit to observe all the precious stones on top of the stupa (included in the entrance fee). And I heard sunsets are also wonderful from here. Alas, I did not have time for any of that.
Looking for souvenir? Try Bogyoke Market
I visited the Bogyoke Market after the pagoda. My cab ride from the Schwedagon Pagoda to the market cost 2,000 kyats.
Bogyoke Market is a huge bazaar filled with local handicrafts, jewels and gemstones. This is the place to go if you want to bring cool souvenirs and gifts back. I did not stay too long, but the market is enormous, so you could easily get lost there.
I declined a woman’s offer of fresh fruit juice with “no water, no ice” (she knows travellers so well). I was at the beginning of my trip. I did not want to take any health risk. It was probably safe though. I met two ladies who loved it!
A delicious South Indian restaurant in the city centre
Afterwards, I ended up accidentally in front of a street restaurant called Ingyin Nwe (Anawrahta Rd) that served South Indian food. I decided to try it out after observing other foreigners eating there. Was it a good way to go? I don’t know.
What I knew was that I was travelling alone for the first time, in a country where I did not know anyone, and seeing them made me feel better and in more familiar ground. It had been a good call anyway. It ate some of the tastiest Indian food I ever had: dosa (rice pancake) served with different sauces. The tamarind one was to die for. So delicious…
My self-guided tour of Yangon’s downtown area
After lunch, I had a self-guided walking tour of the city. I followed a map given to me at the inn. It is available on my Facebook page under the “Mingalabar Myanmar!” pictures. In my opinion, Yangon is not a pretty city. The tourist attractions were fabulous but buildings were old and run down in the downtown area.
The city was also a bit chaotic. That day, I felt homesick. I did not really like Yangon.
Checking out the reclining Buddha
I finished the day seeing the reclining Buddha at the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda.
The entrance is free, but I donated some money. This reclining Buddha is 66 metres long. There was not much else to see around besides the Buddha so I returned to the guest house to get ready for my night bus.
The taxi ride from Motherlandinn 2 to the bus station was 8,000 Kyats and the trip lasted 45 minutes.
Surviving my night bus trip
My night bus trip was all an experience!
The bus was not comfortable at all and was old. The road was so bumpy I could not sleep. In addition, the driver was driving too fast. The air conditioning mysteriously broke mid-way, and that was the selling point of a “comfortable” bus.
Avoid my experience: don’t outsource buying your bus ticket to your taxi driver. I thought it would be easier in terms of language. The result was disappointing.
In my mind, he booked a VIP bus for me. After all, I paid the required 15,000 Kyats. This is not what I got. Either he got scammed into thinking he got me a VIP bus, or he purchased a normal bus ticket and kept the price difference for himself.
Moral of the story: book your ticket yourself and ask for a picture of your bus or go through a real travel agency. You will be able to claim the money back if you are not happy.
Arriving at 3 am in Bagan
Check the arrival time as well. Guess what the worst thing of the entire story was?
My bus arrived at 3 am instead of the 6 am. This meant I had to look for a place to stay in the middle of the night, in an unknown city. Sweet! Fortunately, three other foreign ladies were on the same bus, so we shared a taxi and the night adventure.
It is 8,000 Kyats from Bagan bus station to Nyaung U (the main town). Double if you arrive during the night. The situation seemed worrying, but I never felt unsafe in Myanmar.
Saved by the taxi driver
Our taxi driver found us a place: Pyinsa Rupa guest house (No 4, Main Road, Lanmadaw, Ywar Thit Block) on the Main Road of Nyaung U.
A night in a double bedroom was 20 USD. I shared it with Helen, an English girl I met on that bus. She became my first friend on this trip.
In Bagan, foreigners pay a 20 USD entrance fee to stay in the archaeological area. For this kind of things, it is useful to have dollars on you because, as mentioned, the conversion rate is sometimes random.
Day 3 and 4: the temples of Bagan
On our electronic bikes
In the morning, H and I decided to visit Bagan together. We rented out electronic bikes to go around the temples and paid 3 USD each.
My new friend originally tried to get an e-bike for two. The owner blankly looked at her, saying “No, you are too fat!” Bewildered, she asked, “what?” He repeated: “You are too fat”. Funny moment, maybe not for her, but the bluntness was amusing…
Anyway, the cost of an e-bike varies depending on where you are based. I know two girls who got a shiny new red scooter for 2 USD between the two of them. You need to shop around.
E-bikes and scooters are the best options to navigate around the temples. I felt like a real adventurer going around on my engine at 30 km an hour. Yay!
Encountering Bagan’s 2,200 temples
Bagan’s temples are magnificent. They are more than 2,200 temples, however my favourite one is Ananda temple with its standing Buddhas and corridors.
Behind Ananda, there is another small temple with the best wall paintings in the whole Bagan. Sshhh! This is an insider information!
I also liked Sulamani and Dhammayan Gyi temples. And I visited the only Hindu temple of Bagan located close to Ananda. It is small but interesting, although the women selling souvenirs over there were very pushy.
We watched the sunset on the walls of another small temple across the Hindu one, away from the crowd. Again, do not forget to take your shoes off as soon as you enter the temples. Women should also wear long skirts and show no skin: no hot pants, no spaghetti tops. Myanmar is still a conservative country.
Do not do this inside a buddhist temple!
And if you happen to have a siesta in a temple because it is too hot outside, don’t ever point your feet at Buddha.
That is a sacrilege. I know because I made the awful mistake of doing so while resting in a temple. I could hear people whispering angrily between each other even though my eyes were closed.
I thought because I was sleeping on the floor. But no. It was because my feet, and not my head, were pointing towards Buddha. I did not know, honest cultural mistake. H explained what I did wrong, and I never did it again!
My guest house in Bagan
I spent the next two nights at the Winner guest house (Main Road Wetkyi). It is situated between Nyang U and Old Bagan. It was again a basic hotel. However the room was clean, comfortable and the staff was very nice.
I paid 20 USD per night for a double room. If you go to any hotels in this area, don’t forget to ask your hotel for shortcuts to the temples. H and I followed the main road, but it was possible to use side roads, especially with bikes.
Another cool thing to do while in Bagan is to wake up really early and watch the sunrise from a temple. Being on my own, I wasn’t really motivated. Yep, travelling alone has its perks and its disadvantages.
Hiring a driver in Bagan
I wanted an easy day on my fourth day so I hired a driver with a car through my guest house.
He charged me 35 USD for the day. I probably should have negotiated more, but I did not want too much hassle. I settled for it. A car is a good option as it allows you to visit longer distances and it is a relief from the heat. I could go up to the Pagoda on the river and even visit New Bagan.
New Bagan had a cooler atmosphere than Nyang U or Old Bagan, but I bought my minibus ticket (15,000 Kyats) from my guesthouse, where they were supposed to pick me up the day after. I did not want to move from there. Staying in New Bagan is much better to party, though. H did move over there and was happy about it. After our Bagan moment, I never saw her again. Pity! I never really travelled solo before this trip, and she was kind of a role model for me.
I had some delicious Thai food next to the Winner guest house, at the Little Thai Kitchen Restaurant (No 7 Main road, Wet Kyi Inn Quarter) for dinner. A temporary welcomed change from Burmese food.
Day 5: Minibus trip to Inle Lake and evening in Nyaungshwe
The day after, the bus left Bagan at 10 am. We were supposed to leave at 8 am. They were late. This is Asia. Everything is to be taken easy. And it is better not to make plans either because not only we left late but then we had to go to someone’s house to pick up, I don’t know what, then to the bus station because they needed to talk to someone in the office, then we went to inflate the tyres. Finally, eventually, we really left Bagan.
The road was quite good, but the minibus was really slow. A trip that was meant to take 6 hours took us 9 hours. However, the view was scenic, and the guys were really nice and funny. So I forgave them. There was another mandatory 10 USD fee to get into Inle Lake. Jeez… What is it with Myanmar and mandatory visit fees?
Treating myself to a nice hotel in Inle Lake
I checked in my hotel. I decided to spend at least a few nights in a very nice hotel. So I booked 3 nights in the Hotel Amazing Nyaung Shwe: very nice and in a handy location, on the main road. The rooms were super comfortable. However, the breakfast was not that amazing, and the service was good depending on who you were dealing with. The wifi was also bad, but I had the same experience everywhere in Myanmar. Anyway, after 4 nights of night buses and basic guest houses, a touch of luxury was really appreciated.
I met a new friend while visiting Bagan. We accidentally talked to each other. I wanted to speak with one girl passing by, and this guy turned around. We became friends. He happened to be in my minibus to Inle Lake that day. I also met an American couple who was travelling around Asia. In Inle Lake, the four of us gathered for dinners. We went to Lin Htett Myanmar (Mingalar Ashae St) for some more traditional Burmese food. I had a potato and beef curry with the usual side dishes and rice. The meal was quite cheap. I paid 3,000 Kyats for my dinner. If I had to go back there again, I would try the avocado shake off the menu. I had them once in Bagan, and they were so yummy. Afterwards, my quest remained fruitless, and I never had an avocado shake ever again in Myanmar :(.
Day 6, 7 and 8: Visiting Inle Lake
Cycling around Inle Lake
On day 6, we rented bikes to go around. One day rental cost 1,500 Kyats. Inle Lake is quite a big lake, so you will require more than one day of cycling to visit it. On the first day, we visited the Red Mountains Vineyard. A surprising site. I did not expect to see a vineyard at all in Myanmar. It had a wonderful view and was quite a climb on the bike too! I did not taste the wine, but it could have been nice to come back in the evening, sip a glass of Chardonnay while admiring the sunset.
We kept on cycling afterwards, looking for an entry to the lake and discovered by chance Main Thauk village, a floating village on Inle Lake with a floating garden of tomatoes. There is a wooden bridge connecting the village with the mainland. We arrived just when heavy rain started to pour down, so we waited with the villagers under a shelter until the rain stopped. The lights and colours after the rain were amazing and so beautiful. But the most interesting part was observing the villagers going about their daily lives: crossing the bridge towards their homes, fishing, taking boat trips to the floating houses, transporting goods.
Tasting Shan, Inle and Chinese food
That night, we decided to change restaurant and checked out Sin Yaw across Lin Htett. The restaurant was specialised in Shan, Inle and Chinese food. Shan food is reputed to be the best in Myanmar. The menu was so vast, it was difficult to choose, but almost everyone went for the sticky rice noodles with chicken for 1 USD – a local speciality. Yummy! We also ordered their ginger tea made with fresh ginger for another 1,500 Kyats. This place will turn into our dinner HQ for the remaining of our stay in Inle Lake. The food quality spoke for itself, and the staff was so attentive.
Boat trip on Inle Lake
On day 7, the 4 of us took a boat trip on Inle Lake. We woke up early to enjoy the sunrise (5:30 am). Our boat trip was 18,000 Kyats and left from the bridge in town. We had to insist that our salesman did not send his 10-year-old cousin to take us around. He was so small, how could he manoeuvre a boat with 4 adults in it??? In the end, his dad did. A really cool old man. He was wearing a hat, the traditional longyi (Burmese long skirt), was chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes in the corner of his mouth at the same time. Our first stop was to visit an open-air fruit and veggie market that reminded me of the fruit and veggie markets in Madagascar, where I grew up. Then we visited a tofu making hut producing tasty fried tofu but which production conditions did not really look hygienic. Then we visited all the different handicraft workshops around the lake. On the way, we observed life on the lake. Notably, we saw the famous Intha fishermen paddling around with one leg wrapped around the paddle while fishing. The only negative note was when we went to see the Long Neck Women. I thought they had their own workshops, but the two ones we saw were weaving in the corner of a souvenir shop, and people were coming in to look at them and take pictures like in a fair attraction. They could as well be a pair of monkeys… I did not like it. Other than that, it had been an amazing day!
Back to cycling around Inle Lake
On day 8, we went around cycling again. We found a new place where the bikes were better and cheaper (1,000 Kyats): Ms Mu Kyi shop, a few minutes on the main road passed the Amazing Hotel, towards the lake. That day, we visited the thermal baths. They arranged the place nicely in the foreigners’ space: nice pools and a wooden terrace with a view (for 10 USD). The one for the locals was very basic and much cheaper. It did not feel like we could use it, though. Anyway, we did not go as we lacked interest. We went to a high viewpoint pagoda across the hot springs instead. It was a pity that the place was surrounded by trash and plastics. After lunch at Sin Yaw, we cycled to the Tea Wood Monastery. It is a beautiful wooden monastery at the entrance of Inle Lake. It was nice to appreciate the silence and the serenity of the place.
My VIP bus back to Yangon
Then the day was gone. I purchased a ticket back to Yangon on a VIP night bus (18,000 Kyats) – a real one this time. I asked for a picture and followed all of my own advice in choosing buses. Alas, I missed the best one, which seemed to be JJ Express. I leave the tip here for future travellers. I parted ways with my new friend. He was going up north. I was going down south.
They told me to be ready at 4:30 pm, which I was. A tuk-tuk driver picked me up along with the other tourists taking the VIP bus. It took us a while to reach the departure point, where we had to wait for the bus on the side of the road for at least 1h30mn. Then finally, our bus showed up, a hostess came out all dressed up in her uniform. She verified our tickets and gave us a tag for our bag. Funny. Then high up on her heels, she started to serve us coffee and cake after the bus started, like on a plane. Surreal! I had my dinner on the bus, I was not supposed to, but I sneaked it in. I ate a shan dish I took away from Sin Yaw: minced meat with rice topped with an egg. No surprise there, it was yummy again!!!
This is the end of my “unique 13 days trip to Myanmar” – Part one! Part two will come very soon…Stay tuned!