Map of Myanmar

My tour group on our Gate 1 tour called Discover Burma (Myanmar) flew from Bangkok to Yangon on Bangkok Airways, a flight of 1 hour 20 minutes. The plane carried about 100 passengers as did the other planes we flew on in Myanmar. Thailand is 30 minutes ahead of Myanmar, so we gained 1/2 hour. We had lunch on the plane.

This is a Gate 1 map but the order of where would go to has been changed a bit from our tour. We started out in Bangkok, flew first to Yangon, then to Bagan, next to Mandalay, then to Inle Lake, and lastly back to Mandalay and to Bangkok.

Burma’s name was changed to Myanmar by the military government in 1989 to better reflect the population of the country which is not all Burmese. However, the official U.S. name is still Burma. The military government also changed the name of the city of Rangoon to Yangon.

At the Yangon Airport

You need a visa to travel to Myanmar, which is given by a Tourist Visa Approval Letter that you can get over the internet for about US$50 (unless you visit a border town as I did on another Gate 1 tour; then we paid “tea money” for tourist stamps). You also need to check with your health advisor as to what vaccinations,, etc., you need. I needed a polio booster. I already had  typhoid and hepatitis A vaccinations for previous trips. I was also given malaria pills to take––the first one a day before entering Myanmar and then for about 10 days after leaving Myanmar. I had no adverse reaction to them. Remember to take along plenty of bug repellent––DEET.

You also need to take American money with you that you exchange for kyat at the airport. The higher denomination of your bill, the better exchange rate you will be given but all your bills need to be in pristine condition for exchanging them and for using them in Myanmar. Except for mainly restaurants, everything is priced in U.S. dollars, so bring along low denominations of them, though you can use kyats to pay for things. If you think you need to exchange US$100 to pay for food, you will get back 118 1000–kyat bills––a real wad to carry around––we were only given smaller kyat bills as change and weren’t offered larger ones.

Our Tour Director

Our tour director, Mojo, met us at the airport. He is wearing a longyi, the skirt that is worn by both men and women in Myanmar. He is from Malaysia and his wife is from a tribe in Myanmar and who also works in the tourist industry.

We got on our tour bus that had enough room for almost everyone to have two seats to themselves. The bus was not made for Myanmar’s driving on the left, so the exit door was on the right, necessitating us leaving the bus on the traffic side. Since our driver sat on the left, we also had a bus helper who sat on the right watching the traffic on that side for the driver.

Our Tour Members

This photo was taken at a later time and is of our tour group. There was the maximum number of people–22–on the tour as it was a small group tour. Two couples were from Canada and the rest of us––all couples except for me and a man, both of us traveling alone––from the United States.

Myanmar opened up the country for tourism about 2011. We met only one other American tour group in Myanmar but several European groups. A good number of people, mostly young, were traveling here on their own.

Our Yangon Hotel

We stayed at the very nice Kandawgyi Palace Hotel.

In the Garden

With a scary creature in the hotel’s garden.

In the Garden

Another view of the scary creature.

In the Garden

Close–up.

More of the Garden

It was a very lush garden.

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

A booklet called “DOs and DON’Ts FOR TOURISTS” were left in our rooms for us to read. Some of the advice:

“The Myanmar people are friendly, helpful and polite.” They were.

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Don’t point with your foot. In Myanmar, the feet convey messages. Pointing with your feet means disrespect.”

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Do tuck away your feet. When you sit, your legs should not be stretched out and your feet should never face the Buddha.”

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Don’t kiss in public. Displaying physical closeness in public places is frowned upon in Myanmar.”

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Calling with your finger up means calling for a challenge. Calling someone with your fingers down is considered polite.”

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Do try Myanmar traditional transport facilities. It’s sustainable and benefits the locals. If they wish, visitors are encouraged to be a bit adventurous and to support local transport facilities.” (I only saw one bicycle taxi in Myanmar.)

Do’s and Don’ts for Tourists

“Don’t touch the robe of a monk. Monks are very revered: they observe many rules, study the Dhamma, practice meditation, and are highly respected in Myanmar society. Visitors should never touch the robe of a monk, not even if they see a worm crawling up his robe.”

There were 30 cartoons in the booklet. I thought these were the best ones.

Yangon

We didn’t go right to our hotel from the airport but drove around Yangon, a city of over 5 million people, Myanmar’s biggest city. It is no longer the capital, it being moved to Naypyitau in 2005. We also did much driving around the city on our second day there. It is a city with great contrasts. In this photo, the street is wide and the old buildings are in very good shape.

Yangon

In contrast, a busy market area.

Yangon

Much street dining.

Yangon

Monks (Myanmar monks wear dark red robes) are often seen on the streets.

Yangon

Nuns in pink robes are also often seen.

Yangon

The Buddhist population of Myanmar is about 89%. There are numerous temples and shrines throughout Yangon––a very common sight.

Yangon

The women in Myanmar are dressed in bright colors.

I have put my photos of our two days of driving around Myanmar on a slideshow:

http://www.peggysphotos.com/yangon–driving–around/

(Slide Shows, Asia–2, Myanmar, “Yangon: Driving Around”).

Shwegagon Pagoda

On our second day in Yangon, we stopped at several places, among them at the Shwegagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar. I have put my photos of the pagoda complex on a slide show:

http://www.peggysphotos.com/yangon–shwedagon–pagoda/

(Slide Shows, Asia–2, Myanmar, “Yangon: Shwegagon Pagoda”).

Bogyoke Aung San Museum

Another stop that we made was at the Bogyoke Aung San Museum, the former home of General Aung Sang, who is known as the Father of Modern Myanmar and considered to be responsible for obtaining the independence of Burma from the British in 1948.  He is the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Noble Prize laureate and opposition leader.

Chaukhatgyi Pagoda

Our next stop was at the Chaukhatgyi Pagoda with a giant reclining Buddha.

Bogyoke Aung San Market

We were then given time to shop at this market.

Colonial Section

Our last stop was at the Colonial section where there many buildings built by the British. This photo is of the City Hall, built in 1936 using a Burmese architect.

Independence Monument

Across from the City Hall was the Independence Monument in Mahabandoela Gardens. The monument is an obelisk honoring Burma’s independence from Britain in 1948.

Karaweik Palace Restaurant

On our first night in Yangon, we had a welcome dinner at our hotel. Mojo, our tour director didn’t show up to it, so we welcomed ourselves. On our second night, we were given a dinner and show at the Karaweik Palace Restaurant. I have put my photos of the places we visited on our second day in Yangon on a slideshow:

http://www.peggysphotos.com/yangon–places–visited/

(Slide Shows, Asia–2, Myanmar, “Yangon: Places Visited”).

Following are three movies of the entertainment at the Karaweik Palace Restaurant.

Karaweik Palace Dancers

One of the traditional Myanmar dancers at the Karaweik Palace Restaurant.

Karaweik Palace Dancers

A second dance, this one with an elephant.

Karaweik Palace Dancers

A third dance.