Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

Myanmar looks like a place might had 1000 years ago. It looks like a real adventure to go. To anyone who has gone, do they constantly bombard you and make you feel uneasy or are they fairly respectful down to Earth friendly folks? How do the police approach foreigners? I'm taking off 3 weeks in February and want a pleasant fairly low stress international trip to the tropics, but not the one to stay in the main tourists centers like Khao San Road most of the time. I know not to go to Cambodia as they drove me nutz with their constant high pressure bombardment. Here's some interesting vids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0tpXQpAdvc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Pc8nvQbTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw4JWvIy-ns

Some travelers put up interesting videos on YouTube and showed us things like you can rent a horse and traditional wooden ox cart to explore around Bagan with. That's really neato. It looks so natural, primitive, and undeveloped like as if you stepped back in time, but I'd be concerned about meeting rogue criminals.

You can take a cheap flight from Bangkok to Rangoon on Air Asia to get in and out, because the borders are closed. That's too bad as it would open up the temples of Bagan and put tropical beaches much closer to all of Western Thailand. Myanmar would bet a brunt of Thailand's tourists if the borders opened. I just want to know how dangerous and risky it is to go and don't want to wait many years for the land borders to open, because I'm traveling Asia now, not 20 years in the future. Of course, you got to watch what you say as to not talk negative about the government and rich people and not go places that are off limits. Of course, going may enlighten you to a new level of understanding on human suffering due to corruption of a government that is severely failing them similar to Cambodia, but worse due to natural disasters causing more set backs.

I hear good reports that Myanmar people want tourism and the military government even have really expensive hotels and golf courses set up, but you can rent cheap bungalows and guesthouses just like in Thailand. No, it's not a fancy golf destination like Boracay though there's nice courses and you can live lavishly to my understanding. I choose to go the backpacker route instead of blowing my savings on expensive hotels and business class seats.

[Perceptioncheck]

I sincerely hope that your thread title "Who's went there?" is some kind of in-joke that I don't understand.

[sojourner1]

[pdxsteve]

[kiknkorea]

Yeah "gone" would have been better, as well as "been." Either way, another Saturday chuckle at the Cafe.

[sojourner1]

Come on, surely someone has gone there. I guess the people I'm trying to reach are not online, they're out living life. I need to be mingling in expat bars chattin it up instead of sitting on a computer trying to get blood out of a turnip.

[Perceptioncheck]

[itaewonguy]

I have been there...

And I must say it was one of the best places I have ever been too!!

And I have traveled ALOT!

Wanting to go somewhere new and still mysterious I chose Burma because I saw this picture of this place with these amazing temples... it was bagan
After seeing that picture I knew I had to go there...
after burma I went to Ankor wat! and I will say Bagan is more impressive than Angor! of course angkor is great too, but bagan is really something to be seen..

so I flew into yangoon to experience the city life... yes you have some kids bothering you to buy poster cards and such, you will have tour guides approach you and offer to be your guide, I took one I gave him 10.00usd for the day and he took me everywhere was very good.. Made it easier... I got out of yangoon and went trekking up in KALAW which was awesome It was a 1 night 2 day hike to inle lake and we slept one night in a old Buddhist temple in the middle of nowhere was cool!

then we hiked down into inle lake yes there are tourist hawkers around but they are not demanding , they have little stores just walk away and keep looking no problems here, you then take a 40 min boat ride across the lake to the main port of inle lake.. there are day boat trips to explore all the water canals and of course the boat drivers take you to houses to make you believe things are made right there ,try try to sell it to you.But you dont have to, anyway its their lively hood what can you do, one day of this is enough,
there always markets across the lake where you can experience a full on Flea market, this was cool.. also they have them in the city too..
you can rent a bike a look around the port city, also I rented a paddle boat and went into the back water canals very peaceful away from the motor boats, I paid some lady to paddle me around, spread the money I say.. Was nice went to an old Buddhist temple met the monk who had been there for 30 years etc... All nice...

Inle Lake look into it...

After that I went to BAGAN! And I really had a great time...
got my house cart driver he spoke some English I used him for 3 days 10 bucks a day and he really through down for me, whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted a great host...!! from 9am to 9pm I climbed temples, saw 1000 year old paintings still in the raw form; no glass behind it nothing, a kid will come out with a flash light in some places and take you into see the paintings. so many temples! and still in great shape..
Give the kids 20cents or 50cents who show you into their temples, BUT!! you will see a lot of hawkers at the big temples!
Usually kids who really don�t leave you alone... they are mostly in the big temples so you only have to deal with them in a few places, most of the time its just you and the horse cart , the myanmar people are very kind , they try to sell you something becuase they need money, I bought some, usually just say NO, and tell them to leave me alone, and when I come down from the temple I might buy something, only if you leave me alone now hahahaha they go.. Then I snake them at my horse cart and leave
Anyway bagan has some nice restaurants too, I love BAGAN!!
inle lake was awesome too...
Myanmar is worth seeing... there are so many other places to see, I didnt have time, but I will visit next time... Look on the web and see what it is you want to see...

GO TO BURMA! you wont regret it..

[hogwonguy1979]

I absolutely agree with itaewonguy, my avatar is of the famed mustache brothers in Mandalay. I went last summer (07) and had an incredible time. I started in Rangoon, spent 3 days just wandering around the city, no tour guide. hit the big sites (Schwedagon at sunset is amazing). Cheap food, very cheap beer (400 kyat or about 30 cents for a mug of draft beer), the teashops are a steal.

then went to Mandalay, i was up and down with it was there for 3 days. its a dirty, dusty city but there are some neat sites on Mandalay Hill and the mustache brothers are interesting. I wish i had more money to hire a car to go to the outlying towns though i went to the town with the teak bridge

From there I flew to Bagan (not a good idea, take the boat its much neater) to say its jaw dropping is an understatement. I got a horse cart for 2 of the 3 days and was out from 9-7 with him, sunset is incredible. Yeah the kids hawking at the big temples can be a bit annoying

Didnt go to Inle as I almost ran out of cash, ccs and t/cs dont work there while there. I really want to go back there at some point and see that, did see it from the air while flying to Mandalay

No problems with the police following me, but i wouldnt mention politics around the locals. The people were so kind, id bop into a teashop and i was treated great. the locals really want outside contact with foreigners.

For the long trips fly, just dont fly air myanma they are unsafe, the rest are fine though you might be giving the junta more cash that way but the buses and trains are very slow.

Costs are unbelievably cheap. Most I spent for a hotel was $25/nite in Rangoon and in reality I could of done a decent guesthouse for $10-15/nite. Most I spent on a meal was like $3. Where you get nailed is on admission fees to temples etc. Schwedagon was $6, Bagan was $10 as was Mandalay.

Regarding the government etc. Yeah they are thugs but if you go the independent route, spend it at family run guesthouses, spread your money around to different taxi drivers you do a lot of good. since the crackdown last year and the cyclone this year not many people are going there and the people are really getting hit hard. Plus by going there you can help spread the word about this incredible place and the lovely people. I hope to get back there again soon