Korean Job Discussion Forums

[demel]

Also known as Myanmar... I am seeing flights to Yangoon with ChinaAir for around 900,000, not that much more than Saigon. Has anyone been?

[losing_touch]

I refuse to spend my money in that country. I have been traveling around Southeast Asia for quite some time. I will not go there. While I understand the locals could use the cash, it is absurd to support such a regime with your hard earned money. Stick to Thailand.

[soviet_man]

Generally most people enter via the overland route through Thailand.

Infact it is worthwhile going the land route - as you get to see something of the countryside, rather than just flying to Yangon.

I'd say go --- don't be put off by the usual anti-military / anti-communist, crowd.

[losing_touch]

[sojourner1]

Haven't gone, but I'm interested in doing just that in 2 weeks from now. You do have to fly if going to Yangon, Bagan, ngapali and other places as the borders are only visa runs where you can't go any further and they hold your passport at the border immigration office. I asked the question if anyone had gone a couple months ago on Daves and just got smart ass schmuck comments instead of level headed intelligent mature adults who independently travel and do adventurous things in life. I believe at least 1 Daves member went as he mentioned it in a post, I PM'd him a couple weeks ago about it, and he fails to respond. I don't believe he spend a lot of time on here. The people we want to hear from are not loafing around on Daves for many hours, becuase they're busy living life to it's fullest. I know I spend too much time on here when sitting in Korea on my off time.

Too bad Thailand doesn't extend the whole West coast instead of having that long sliver of Myanmar blocking tourists from those fine beaches. Of course, tourists can fly to Yangon and go South. Myanmar has natural white sand beaches fringed in coconut groves with even better balmy sunny blue sky weather than Thailands south beaches during January and February. Myanmar has one really nice beach called ngapali where tourists go kinda southeast of Bangladesh and South of Bagan that is supposed to be quite natural with basic bungalow hut facilities to house and feed foreigners. There are many other beaches, but too undeveloped or may be off limits. And then the temples of Bagan by horse drawn cart.

There's a Myanmar embassy in Seoul, but I'm unable to go there to arrange a visa ahead of time as I'm out in the country so I'll have to try in Bangkok and wait 2 to 4 days for the visa, if approved. Air Asia flies from Bangkok and it's super cheap. You can get Seoul to Bangkok return for about 400,000 to 480,000 right now and then Bangkok to Yangon return for about 100,000. 900,000 is a lot.

Yes, I understand it's unethical to stay in the fancy government hotels and play golf on their courses. I understand the locals are very nice people who look after foreigners quite well in that they're not just trying to get money out of you. Despite this country being what it is, it's said to be very safe for foreigners as long as they don't get political or try to be a hero to save the people by converting them to democracy. Most want democracy and freedom and would agree with most of what we think, but it's highly illegal to talk like that. The risk to foreigners going is imprisonment for demonstrating, holding meetings on a new democracy, and leading a people's movement by speaking how they deserve democracy and should rise up against the government. Don't do it; not worth talking as we don't have the power to beat their military junta government.

Funny thing, the military junta government looks after foreign tourists and actually takes care of them quite well in protecting them as long as they don't talk negative about the government and country system. This is a country where it seems time forgot.

How about primitive setting in hundreds of ancient sites with no modern facilities where you go in horse drawn carts and looks like how travel used to be a hundred years ago or more?

I think it's a wonderful opportunity for adventure if you're informed on the situation and can maturely maintain your bearing. If you go, this has to be like no other trip possible and more like something Ripley would had experienced or even slightly Marco Polo like.

[itaewonguy]

use the search button there is a thread on this already...

I and another guy have been and we wrote about it...

great country.. you need to visit!! the locals need your money..
plenty of places to stay where you are not giving the money to the government!

[Sean02]

I went a few years back. For one thing, the locals are consistently horrifed at the notion that foreigners shouldn't visit their country as part of some confused idea about supporting that country- they desperately need our business, regardless of what the opposition lady or any of the well meaning journalists might have to say.

Indeed the Franco regime in Spain was undermined by Western visitation, not from forces without. I'm thinking about going again in a couple of months- being under China's moronic sphere it lacks the richness you might expect of south-southeast asia but it's an interesting combination of Indian-Bangladeshi-Thai.

[PaulPizzazz]

It's true that not many people have been to this country. For all the people that I've met who backpack the world, I've never known anyone to have entered into Burma.

The opinions expressed are interesting. Do a search for "Burma" to read itaewonguy's write up of his experience there.

I have been considering going to Burma once i begin my year-long backpacking trip through Asia and Southern Africa.

For the Asian part I will start in Indonesia and work my way North. I plan on spending 4 months in South East Asia before going to India and Nepal for a further 3 months.

I'm somewhat torn between my 2 options for getting into India.

A) Exit Vietnam NorthEast and head into China until I get to Hong Kong. Then take a flight fromn H.K. into India.

or

B) Leave Thailand or Laos heading NorthWest into Burma, where I would hopefully be able to cross the country by land (perhaps aided by a small flight or two) straight into India (or perhaps Bangladesh).

So from the experience of those who have been. Would it be easy enough to try to cut my way through all of Burma until I make it out to the other side? And are the rewards worth it considering I will already have seen a lot of SouthEast Asia but have never been to Hong Kong? (note there is also a really cool area a bit north of H.K. I would like to see but can't remember the name.... very quintessential China)..

Thanks,
Paul

[Sean02]

If you find out if it's remotely possible to get from Myanmar to India overland please let me know on the thread here, as I'd love to do this in the coming months. But Myanmar is a Chinese vassal state and thus has had its borders with India closed for decades, due to territorial disputes and differing international alignments. Eastern Myanmar is also extremely remote, and the Bangladeshi border has landmines: do you know of any border post or do you just plan on jailing yourself?

[Sean02]

If you find out if it's remotely possible to get from Myanmar to India overland please let me know on the thread here, as I'd love to do this in the coming months. But Myanmar is a Chinese vassal state and thus has had its borders with India closed for decades, due to territorial disputes and differing international alignments. Eastern Myanmar is also extremely remote, and the Bangladeshi border has landmines: do you know of any border post or do you just plan on jailing yourself?

The other option, I'd like to find more about, is whether you can make a short flight from Myanmar to the international airport in Assam...

[PaulPizzazz]

By the looks of it I should do some basic research about this endeavour cause I obviously don't know too much. The Burmese border with India has been shut down for a long time... (not related, but are direct borders between India and China closed as well?) I didn't know that.

Landmines to Bangladesh, I didn't know that either. I knew that things in Burma were quite backwards, just not to that extent.

I guess I will have to start reading my South East Asia Lonely Planet book that I just picked up this week. Surely I'll find out what my options are.

What do you mean by jailing yourself?

I'm not too keen on going into countries that do not allow me to continue on through in the direction of my choice. That is to say that I don't really want to be forced to exit Burma the way I went in. But areas like Bagan and lake Inle sure do make things look enticing...

[sojourner1]

Do you have to purchase a RT flight to Yangon before being issued the visa?

Ah yes, there were 2 really good posts about it on my thread 2 months ago.

I understand you can't enter Bangladesh and India from Myanmar, but you can enter China. While you can enter Burma via land, you can't go many places in the country like you can with flying into Yangon as you'd be restricted from going past a certain point in the towns bordering Thailand. I understand you have to show your passport many times in Burma to move around, even just riding buses and trains. It's not like most countries, where you could have your passport tied up in an embassy for visa processing while you travel within the country you're in to kill time waiting for a visa if you weren't able to set it up before leaving for your trip.

Yes, I understand they eat Chinese/Korean style rice instead of Thai rice and there's no coconut milk used in Burmese cooking so it's very Chinese or somewhat similar to Korean, but it still must be a fascinating place to spend a week in. This is the country no one goes to, but yet offers a travel experience like travelers might had in Thailand years ago.

[Sean02]

If you can find out about any flights from say Mandalay to the international airport in Guwahati in Assam (northeast of Bangladesh), let me know. It does make sense if they could get this short service running: similar situation for Colombia-Panamar with the border itself closed but regular flights just to get you across. The eastern india states are very beautiful (from what I could see of the changes as I approached them south of Bhutan) and I want to go.

(By the way in my last post of course I mean western Myanmar is very remote.)

And yes all the China-India borders are closed as far as I know, bar one for trade in Sikkim. All the borders are onto sensitive Tibet as well, though it used to be possible to go from Nepal (if you can brave the moutains); don't know about Bhutan.[/i]

[sojourner1]

Looks like you'd have to fly back to Bangkok and then continue on Westward in your RTW rather than traveling over land. Might be the same if crossing the -akistan countries such as Kazakhstan. I'm just going to bypass them by flying from India to Dubai when I do my RTW trip. Will have to bypass Burma and Bangladesh on that future trip too. Trying to visit Burma next week.


I guess only 2 people on this forum have been to Burma. It's lightly traveled. I read that 324 Americans went last year. Probably more Europeans go as I found in Thailand.

[hogwonguy1979]