Myanmar (Burma)
This is Burma, and it is quite unlike any land you know about
Rudyard Kipling
Notes from a trip to Myanmar in 2012. We visited Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay.
Trip date: December 2012. Prices, policies and conditions may have changed.
Visa: Applied by post. Took about 10 days. Use the official site and allow time.
Currency: Bring US dollars. Best exchange (at the time) was at airport banks, found just after customs. AGD has light blue signage.
- Airport banks:
- Asia Green Development Bank (AGD) – Yangon Airport
- KBZ Bank – Bagan Airport
- Exchange rates seen (Dec 2012):
- Bank: USD 1 = 847 kyat
- Street offers: ~900 kyat
- Tourist sites sometimes used 1,000 kyat for fees (paying in USD was better value)
Yangon
Transport into town: Official taxi desk next to AGD. Yangon Airport to Traders Hotel was 8,000 kyat (Dec 2012).
Impressions: Lively markets and friendly people, but heavy traffic, pollution and heat. Street dining is the norm, though hygiene plus heat put us off. Limited nightlife. We had considered Yangon for property investment but dropped the idea after seeing it on the ground.
Hotel – Traders: Central location with views; excellent breakfast; very small basic gym; slow internet. Major renovations at the time (pool closed; likely daytime noise). Limited on-site dining (pricey Korean and Chinese).
Best eating: Zawgyi House Café (next to Bogyoke Aung San Market, opposite Traders). Hygienic, pleasant rear garden, draught beer at fair prices, excellent noodles. A welcome oasis.
Best shopping: Bogyoke Aung San Market – highlights were oil paintings and jade. Bargain hard. Best-value jade (on later valuation) was from May Phyu Sinn Lin (ground floor, inner courtyard). Lighter, clearer jade tends to be better; watch for glass fakes.
Best sight: Shwedagon Paya – genuinely stunning.
Getting around: Public transport isn’t practical. Taxis are cheap, usually unmetered, and may overcharge foreigners. Ask a local for a fair price and agree before you get in.
Time needed: Two full days felt right.
Photos: https://barnabyrobson.org/project/yangon/
Bagan
Airport transfers (fixed rates, no negotiation at kiosk):
- Nyaung U – 5,000 kyat
- Old Bagan – 6,000 kyat
- New Bagan – 7,000 kyat
Hotel – Amazing Bagan: A little remote (2 miles from Nyaung U). Free bikes look good but brakes and thin tyres aren’t ideal for dirt tracks. Pleasant grounds and gardens. Choose a bungalow suite near the pool rather than the main block. Large pool; very cold water, great after a ride.
Breakfast: Average. Squash not juice; coffee a little weak. Positives: proper bacon, egg/omelette/pancake station, fresh fruit.
Map: Buy the 1,000-kyat map at reception – far better than the free airport/guidebook maps and invaluable for navigation.
Local taxis: Hotel to Nyaung U should be ~3,000 kyat (hotel quoted 5,000). Old Bagan ~6,000. Drinks at the hotel were overpriced; most people head into nearby towns for meals.
Best food: Star Bean (next to “Be Kind to Animals The Moon”, Old Bagan) was our best meal in Myanmar – fair pricing, excellent juices (avocado and papaya), standout aubergine starter, complimentary hot bread. Also tried Queen Restaurant (my wife’s pick), Aroma 2 and Black Bamboo – decent but not at the same level.
Best shopping: Lacquerware in Myinkaba village. Maung Aung Myin was by far the best – own workshop; owner formerly at the Bagan Archaeological Museum; have sold to the British Museum. Visit the workshop to understand the process. Little bargaining beyond ~5%. Expensive but top quality.
Getting around: Mountain bike or horse cart. We hired an excellent horseman with strong English and deep local knowledge; well-kept cart. Paid 13,000 kyat for a half-day (2–6), ~25,000 kyat for a full day. Avoid the sun 11:00–14:30. The cart worked well for two and provided shade.
Environment: Taxis and especially tour buses kick up dust and spoil views. Travelling independently preserves the experience and the environment.
Best sunset temple: Pyathada Paya – furthest out, but the westward views across the main pagodas with dust-lit cattle trails were most atmospheric. Remoteness doesn’t keep buses away.
Time needed: Two full days was enough; three if you want a slower pace. More to do than Inle Lake.
Photos: https://barnabyrobson.org/project/bagan/
Inle Lake
Priority: If short on time, choose Bagan over Inle. Two days max on the lake.
On the ground: Beautiful setting, but very loud long-tail boat engines from 5 am. Water quality poor in places with significant weed. Village stops underwhelmed; shopping unremarkable. Nyaungshwe, the traveller hub, is functional rather than charming.
Transport: About USD 30 by car from the airport to Nyaungshwe, then roughly USD 12 by boat to the hotel. Each leg took around an hour.
Hotel – Paramount Inle Resort: Friendly staff; good food. Lakeside cabins have great views but constant boat noise – bring earplugs. Effectively on an island, so every outing is a paid boat trip. Two days felt right. Viewing tower is excellent for dawn photos.
Photos: https://barnabyrobson.org/project/inle-lake/
Mandalay
Airport transfers (2012 experience): Airport vans were poor value – quoted ~USD 30, then packed the van and waited to fill it. Arrange a private pick-up via your hotel.
Hotel – Mandalay Hill Resort: Best décor and food of our trip. Service was mixed at first, improved after pushing back on a lower-spec room. Ask for a room facing Mandalay Hill. Breakfast very good by Myanmar standards.
City feel: Cleaner and more spacious than Yangon. Moped taxis are easy. Pleasant to wander the older downtown around 28th and 86th Streets.
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! KiplingSee:
- Mandalay Hill – easy stepped climb; go at dawn or dusk.
- Mandalay Palace – impressive walls and moat; interior is a recent rebuild.
- U Bein Bridge – superb at sunrise with few tourists; genuinely ethereal.
Food: Tried TripAdvisor favourites Green Elephant, Rainforest, Spice Garden and Ko’s Kitchen – all disappointing.
Time needed: Two days max. Worth it for U Bein at dawn.