Myanmar Time Warp

Going to Yangon is rather like stepping back in time, a time before the hustle and bustle of Asian Metropolises, when there was space for cars on the roads, people had time to go about their business and the buildings were less than 20 storeys high.

The most interesting aspect of Yangon is the style of architecture, which represents the way that buildings were made in Colonial times. There are some wonderful Art Deco buildings still around and plenty of Colonial style houses to be seen. The other thing you notice coming from other parts of Southeast Asia is that the Government have left the trees in-tact.

The number one attraction is definitely the Shwedagon Pagoda is a Pagoda gilded with 1/2 a tonne of gold. You should also check out the market in the centre of town and the local restaurants, which serve excellent Burmese cuisine. (With notably fresher vegetables than what I get in KL.)

It's also worth shopping at the local markets and my colleagues were keen to buy shoes and leather goods, apparently the quality and price is excellent in Myanmar.

Quick Tips:

Make sure you get your visas done in advance, this is not a country where visas are easily available at the border. (And although bribes may be possible, there is a good chance that another official will also decide to check your documents and then you're into a pretty vicious cycle)

Also please remember you ARE NOT there to interfere with the politics of the country and you sign a declaration to that effect. If anybody asks you ANYTHING about Burmese politics/government etc, a simple... "Don't know" and change the subject is the best approach.

I'd suggest taking US Dollars in Myanmar, most traders are quick enough to take them and will give you a better rate than the local currency. When you bring your dollars try to bring them in small denominations, so you don't have to change too much at once. Also make sure you bring enough for your entire trip, because changing travellers cheques is a hassle here.

Also be aware that Visa and Mastercard are only accepted here by International Hotels and they generally route the transaction through Singapore at quite an inflated rate.

Also be aware that your phones won't work in Myanmar and it is difficult to send emails especially via web accounts. You can make international calls at certain pay phones and some hotels have email facilities.

That said you'll expect to get every satellite channel going in South East Asia, including all the English, Chinese, French, German, Italian and even Malay channels that the Burmese can point a dish at! My TV in my hotel came with well over 30 channels and I was told that even more were available to Burmese home viewers.

Also please note that Myanmar is +6:30 hours ahead of GMT... That's right it's 6 and a half hours ahead. Something that I believe is unique to the country.

Yangon is a very safe city and I didn't feel threatened in any way, shape or form. The Government is happy to receive any tourists that it can possibly get its hands on.

It is also a city that is early to rise and early to bed, so don't expect much in the way of nightlife.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting to Myanmar is probably best done by Plane and even between cities, a plane will be the quickest and most comfortable option, because the roads are very bumpy even in the capital. I flew Malaysian Airlines and a number of Thai airlines also fly there, but don't expect many long-haul flights to be coming into the country.

In Yangon, I was driven around by my agent and their driver and if time is at a premium, then you might want to consider hiring a driver for the day. Some tour operators also have this option available. (I have to say that it was a fantastic way to see the city, local knowledge, go where you like and see a slice of Myanmar life into the bargain.)

Taxis in Yangon are easily available in the city, but be aware that they DO NOT have meters. If in doubt negotiate with two or three drivers.

The main city centre is easy enough to walk about and they provided maps in the hotel itself. There was also a concierge service.

I would NOT recommend hiring a car, because petrol is rationed and stations are almost impossible to find. Also the bus system isn't really designed with tourists in mind, so I wouldn't bother with them.

Another good option is to go on an organised tour, it maybe a little more expensive but it will take the hassle out of the deal.

Okay, with a name like Traders Hotel I really thought I'd be in for some terrible 1 star hotel. I couldn't have been more wrong...

This is a 5 star hotel by Shangri-La and right in the middle of the city. There are some nice touches, for example the complimentary jogging route map which hangs around your neck and the foldable city map.

They also have the usual facilities, although this being a business trip I didn't get chance to use anything but the breakfast bar and the real bar! The room was very comfortable with everything you'd expect, including 30 channels of satellite TV, most of which were in English, but there were also French, German, Malay, and Chinese channels. I firmly believe that they put the entire regions Satellite TV into your room and, as far as I could tell, completely uncensored.

The only minor gripes were the poor pronunciation of the reception staff and the yogurt was terrible, I'm pretty sure it was off... But I could hardly complain when I discovered this 5 star hotel was only setting us back $50 a night including breakfast.

My local guide, Anna, took the simple approach to choosing a restaurant for lunch... she chose her favourite place to eat and what a fine place it was too. By Myanmar standards this is an upmarket restaurant with air-conditioning and very comfortable tables and chairs. It has the feel of a British-Colonial restaurant and a number of very pretty local pictures on the wall.

The food itself is spicy, my taste buds have adapted in my time in Malaysia, so I can't give you an accurate guide, but let's just say traditional Burmese cuisine is going to be difficult to enjoy if you can't take some chili.

We had a big variety of dishes with every type of meat except beef (beef is not eaten by a lot of Buddhists and Hindus). We also had some lovely fish, which is the best I've had in weeks. What really stood out for me were the vegetables, they were so fresh! You forget what second rate vegetables you get in a city such as KL. These were very fresh and full of taste. It's also worth mentioning that all vegetables in Myanmar are organic (they can't import pesticide...). The fruits were also wonderful and fresh, but that was less exciting living in Malaysia.

My favourite part of the meal was the caramel sweets they give at the end! I thoroughly enjoyed them and shall be sure to grab a bag for my next visit.

Imagine you've been told what a poor country Myanmar is, I ask how far the city centre is from my hotel and I'm told... THAT IS THE CITY CENTRE! Oops... The buildings and roads all seem to be remnants of a bygone age, when the British ruled the world... I'm told there's a Pagoda that's worth visiting. Err, yeah ok...

So imagine my surprise when in the middle of this city is a 5 tonne Pagoda, with 1/2 a tonne of Gold in it! There's so much Gold that the whole place shines! On what would otherwise be a very dull day, every speck of light is captured in this Pagoda area.

It completely blew away my perspective of Yangon. However I was right about one thing, it isn't new... In fact it's 2500 years old! The present version largely dates back to 1774 although many parts of it are older. There are a plethora of statues of the Buddha and each is worth seeing in its own right. My favourite is one that wasn't even mentioned in the guide. (Pictured below) There is a Jade Buddha, sun-moon Buddha, Kassapa Buddha and many other golden statues. Also look out for the King Okkalapa statue, because he is credited with building it in BC600 and it is fairly well hidden in the Saturday corner. Also if you have time, have a look at the showroom and museum.

You are of course expected to remove your shoes and socks (Stockings etc) before entering the Pagoda and I'd suggest leaving them in your bus or car if you can or putting them in a bag, because it would be very easy to lose your shoes in this complex.

This is an active temple, so please act respectfully, I'd suggest wearing trousers for men and a knee length (or longer) skirt and sleeves for women. Cameras are allowed and you can take as many pictures as you like, but be careful with the use of Flash, so that you don't disturb worshippers.

If you are Buddhist and wish to worship, please remember the day of the week of your birth, because in Myanmar the temples are divided into 7 areas according to the day of the week you are born on.

There's a lot to see in the Pagoda and I'd suggest spending at least 2 hours here. It's the best attraction in Yangon, I'd have liked to have more time here and would have happily have dropped the other items in my itinerary to make that time. If I go to Yangon again, I shall be sure to drop by! They also have a Website at: http://www.shwedagon.org/

I think the best part of this attraction is that the tower gives you a great view of the river and the city beyond.

The attraction itself is somewhat rundown and isn't particularly well presented. There's meant to be a crocodile farm, bird sanctuary, Golden Deer and Handicrafts... I didn't see any evidence of any of those things, except the odd bird in a cage.

The houses themselves look like they've been neglected somewhat and even the children's playground was deserted. Admittedly we didn't go in good weather and might have had a better impression in sunny weather, but this White Elephant certainly doesn't seem worth a trip out of Yangon.

What was quite interesting was the bridge across the river, it was built by the Chinese and seems to be the last major piece of engineering in Myanmar and Anna tells me that there are some nice coffee shops in the area.

It was also nice to see that outside the main city people seemed to have a relaxed life and as a big fan of the bicycle it's good to see people using them for their everyday transport. They certainly couldn't rely on the buses which seemed to be parked en-masse by the side of the road with no sign of movement the whole time we were in the area.

I don't think the park itself is worth the foreigner entrance fee and none of it is worth a special trip out, but if you're in the area the bridge is an interesting piece of engineering and worth a brief stop.