Myanmar had been a country that Nate and I had at the top of our list for a very long time. We had actually decided that it would be one of our next destinations while living in California, and had already read the guidebooks, and watched a few programs about it. Needless to say that when we had our first week long holiday in China, this is where we decided we wanted to go. As many of you know, Nate works a lot and wouldn't typically agree to go to a place that clearly had a warning of "may not have internet available"; however, Myanmar is rapidly developing and the travel agency we used said our hotels would have "some internet connection", it was a go!
Travel agency. We don't usually use them, but planning a trip to Myanmar without one is currently near impossible. The reason is that almost every hotel, car service, and domestic airline carrier requires that you pay everything up front and in full with a local bank card. It was a rather stressful process of using an agency who asked us to wire 50% of the cost of our package to them - but to Singapore?!? We had no choice, so we did it, and guess what? Upon arrival into Yangon, we had a driver waiting for us with a name card. Phew! Vacation begins!
We had approximately 8 days of holiday, so chose to focus on 3 different cities that had been recommended by some of my classmates who had visited Myanmar in the past. With a stash of crisp, USD that we had brought with us from the states, we were in business! First stop? Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.
Yangon reminded us of what it was like to live in Vizag (India). It's a lively city with people living their life right on the streets - selling snacks, washing their cars, or just sitting. It's crowded with cars and motorcycles, uneven sidewalks and pathways, and so much of the culture still untouched. A developing country and one that is rapidly changing (last year there were no ATM's that accepted international bank cards, now it is rumored that you can find them at some of the top-end hotels) it's a very fascinating city to see! We made sure to see the main highlight of Yangon - the Shwedagon Paya - one of the most important religious pilgrimage sites in the country, as well as other shrines, the largest marketplace, and several Burmese restaurants before heading to Bagan.
Bagan is located in central Myanmar. It's at the top of every tourists list when visiting Myanmar, but is so vast in size that with the exception of a popular sunrise/sunset vantage point, it never felt crowded. Bagan Archaeological Zone is where everyone usually heads as it is where the plain of pagodas and stupas can be viewed. We stayed at a hotel in Old Bagan which provided a very central location for us - read: later wake-up time needed to get to the best sunrise vantage spot! October in Bagan is actually considered the shoulder season, and ended up being very hot! Knowing the weather would be hot I packed several dresses and skirts, which I quickly realized was not going to work as I needed to be properly dressed to enter any of the religious sights and grounds. No problem! Bagan is touristy enough that at each temple you can find a hawker to buy various souvenirs from and most important, elephant pants!
After three days in Bagan, we made our way to Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar. A short flight, followed by an hour long car ride and a 45 minute or so boat ride, and we were at Inle Resort on the northern end of Inle Lake. Our favorite part of our vacation, Inle Lake was large enough that even though it also tops every tourists' list to visit, never felt crowded. From our hotel to the southern part of the lake where the nearest floating village is located, took approximately one hour to get to. These floating villages were by far the most unique to see!
Tourists and locals alike, everyone travels by boat. Most by long boat powered by diesel engines and steered from the back. During our 2.5 days in Inle Lake, we traveled solely by boat. The locals are used to seeing tourists, and in fact, welcome us to shop at their speciality shops and eat at their floating restaurants. Each village prides themselves on being able to make a specialty good that they can then sell to the tourists. Some villages are known for silver, others for textiles, or woodwork. We purchased a few items, and Nate even made a friend - actually, I'm pretty sure whatever price we paid must have been good since the following day he spotted us from across the lake and waved to say hello!
We happened to be in Inle Lake for the first day of their annual boat festival. We made sure we were ready bright and early for the hour long ride down the lake and were just in time to see the procession. After the procession, everyone followed the largest float to the main temple area which also hosted that days rotating market. Such great people-watching!
To view our full photo album from our week long trip - click here!
Mayanmar was definitely an adventure vacation we won't soon forget! From trying new and delicious Burmese cuisine, to exploring three very different landscapes in a country that is rapidly changing - we probably won't be back in the near future, but this would definitely be a place to come back to years from now to see just how much will have changed.
~ Trisha and Nate