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TRAVEL DIARIES: Myanmar Travel Tips

February 28, 2012

We booked our trip to Myanmar about a year ahead. There was an Air Asia promo and we went for it! Of course we also had to keep our eyes out for promo tickets to and from KL since there is not direct flight from Jakarta. Before our trip I was lucky enough to meet Diana, a fellow DiploWife who was just there last December. So prior to our February 2011 trip to Bagan I wrote her and she was helpful in giving us the “inside info” on Myanmar.
Good to know:
  • Most of the people are Buddhist and it is famous for it’s dizzying number of pagodas
  • It has been secluded from the rest of the world for many years and has only recently opened up.
  • With this opening up, there has been rapid changes in the past few months according to a DiploFriend posted in Myanma. For example:
    • There used to be no traffic, but now they are starting to experience it.
    • Now you can find a few air-conditioned taxis (very rare though) when in the past they were non-existent.
    • There used to be no ATM machines in Yangon, but now they are starting to have some but only for local accounts.
  • It is better to change money in a bank or official money changer. Rates in the airport are low.
  • They accept dollars, but only new, crisp bills. They do not accept markings or folds on the bills (this is exactly the same as Indonesia)
  • Compared to other places, very little info can be find on Myanmar, it’s hotels and restaurants. A lot of the info available online are also outdated.
  • We got a brief from the Philippine Embassy which was helpful, but it also need some updating.
  • There is no way to book hotels or flights from Yangon to Bagan or Mandalay online. Everything has to be done via a trusted travel agent because you will have to deposit payment money in advance.
Thankfully I met the lovely Diana and her husband B at the Japanese Ambassadors farewell reception. And she emailed me about their experiences and recommendations for Myanmar. I feel it is a good way to start writing about the incredible country that is Myanmar.

Good evening DiploWife,
It was nice to meet you at that party it’s nice we can exchange emails;as I am happy to share our great experience in Myanmar, please find bellow a few “inside info.”We traveled following this itinerary:
  • 3 days Yangon
  • 2 days Inle Lake
  • 3 days Mandalay
  • 3 days Bagan
  • and back 2 days Yangon
We traveled within Myanmar with Mandalay Airlines (the best option), Bagan Airlines (not bad) and KBZ (not so good).You can not make the booking by yourself, but you can have an idea of the price requested by the agent comparing with the internet displayed prices.
 
 
YANGON
It’s important to have a car in Yangon from the tourist agent, their taxi are old and almost falling apart.
In Yangon, these are impressive : the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Big Sleeping Buddha. You can also visit the old Harbour and Karaweik Lake (they have here a floating restaurant and every night a performance with traditional dances and costumes (… kids enjoyed  it…)
 
For shopping I would advise Scott Market and for Gems you can try The shops from the same building with Gems Museum.
 
INLE LAKE
For Inle Lake, you should fly to Heho and than travel by car and than by boat. Inle Lake is a place, we found fascinating, where houses, restaurants, school, hotels, gardens and all the “infrastructure” is on the water. Children are playing in front of the houses, either in the water, or in the boat, the animals they raise, are kept in the floating cages, amazingly, they have floating gardens (as I never seen some where else), they plant  and harvest all the plants from the boat. You can visit some workshops were they show to the tourist how they make clothes from lotus and silk, how they make silver jewelry; we visited also Jumping Cat Monastery  and a few Pagodas (one of them in a cave) and traditional markets.
 
We stayed in www.inlefloatingresort.com/ (very nice …)
 
MANDALAY
Very nice place, hills full with golden pagodas. Check out Mandalay Virtual Tour.
 
You can visit the Palace, the longest tek bridge, U Bein Bridge in Amarapura. We spent 1 day in Amarapura area and one in Sagaing (where you can go on famous Mandalay Hills). There is one Monastery, Amarapura Mahagandayon monastery, close with the bridge, where every morning at 10:00 am all the monks are having lunch and they are gathering in front of the Monastery.  I would advise to make time for a cruise across the Ayeyarwaddy River, on the west side, where lies the Great Mingun Pahtodawgyi and Mingun Bell.
 
We can try to visit also Mogok (we didn’t do it), the place where comes the most valuable gems in the world.
 
BAGAN
A wonderful place to be … ancient city, extraordinary well preserved … just go and see, wait to be surprised.
 
We stayed in Amazing Bagan Hotel, it was a great choice; after the daily program, we took the bicycle from the hotel and get lost in the town, where they have nice restaurants and places fr shopping. Actually I remember I told you, Bagan is the best for shopping.
Hopefully you’ll find all these useful and you will enjoy your journey.
 
We used Yellow Earth Travel Agency – Mary is the owner’s name, you can use my name when you approach her.
 
You can email her at info@yellowearthtravel.com
 
Have a good day,
Diana
 

We also asked Diana about recommendations for hotels and restaurants. Here is her helpful reply:

We stayed in Yangon at Panda Hotel (not very good – clean, but old, we chose it because there almost all were fully booked); we paid like $60 /night. In Bagan we stayed in Hotel “Amazing Bagan”, very nice place; we paid like 70/night/room. We found the food quite OK, in both places.
 
In Yangon, there was a nice restaurant, close to Scott Market. It is called Zawgi.
 
I was told there is a very nice French restaurant “La Planteure”, you have to ask, we didn’t go there; we also had a great dinner, on the lake at that floating restaurant where they have a traditional show also. It is called Karaweik Hall. 

In Bagan, we used to eat in the old part of the town, there are small restaurants close to the hotel (I remember one we used to go many times as they said they have the best burger in town – it’s true!) Weather Spoons, they have friendly and nice staff.

Thanks again to Diane for being so very helpful! The information she gave us was valuable guide for our trip. I will also be sharing with you in pictures our own experience of Mayanmar and how we prepared for it. Unfortunately we were only able to visit Yangon and Bagan. Inle Lake and Mandalay will have to wait for a future trip!  Stay tuned for more stories of our Myanmar adventure!

3 Comments · Myanmar, TRAVEL DIARIES

Comments

  1. Ana Gaby says

    April 24, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    I just sent a link to your myanmar travels to a friend who’s traveling to Thailand and wondering what to do next! This is super insightful! see you soon!

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      April 24, 2012 at 11:39 AM

      Hi Anna, wow I am honored that you thought of sharing my blog post to your friend. Thank you. =) I hope to be posting more of my Myanmar pictures soon! I hope your friend enjoys it! P.S. Please tell your friend if she decides to go that when she eats fruits to make sure it’s washed with mineral water. My poor husband ate fruits that were washed with the regular tap and did not get to enjoy the last 2 days of our stay because he had the worst episode of a bum tummy in his life. But aside from that we really enjoyed our trip!

      Reply

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Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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I love Halloween because it’s super fun for @dip I love Halloween because it’s super fun for @diplobaby. I love how his eyes light up. Before I was a parent, there was no reason to decorate.

Glad there is now a @gifi.ch near us with affordable HALLOWEEN DECOR & COSTUMES. 🧛‍♂️ 

I hope you enjoy seeing what they have in this short video! 👻 

It’s not lost on me how much plastic is used during Halloween, from the polyester costumes to the decor elements. 

ECO TIPS:

🎃 I usually slowly built up my Halloween decor. I buy 2-4 pieces each year

🎃 I take good care of them & store properly so I can reuse for years to come. It’s never singe use!

🎃 I also don’t throw away as much as possible. If there is damage, I repair.

🎃 If i dont use something anymore, I pass them on to others by selling it for a fraction of the price on Marketplace.

🎃 If it doesn’t sell, I pass them on the Pay it Forward Nyon group or place them in the donation pile in our dechetterie where others can take them.

🎃 if it’s not repairable, I take it apart so that the materials can be recycled.

🍭 As for TREATS, I hate the PLASTIC wrapped candy 🍬 so we usually give PAPER wrapped mini chocolate bars.

⛑️ HEALTH TIP:

If a piece of decor or costume SMELLS STRONGLY OF PLASTIC, DO NOT BUY IT! That’s toxic VOCs leaching into the air. It’s not good for you!

What about you? How do you try to have a sustainable Healthy-ish Halloween?🤪

I usually go in the same costume every year. Change is overrated lol. What about you? Do you know what your wearing this year?

#UDWinGeneva #udwholidays #udwhalloween
HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

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BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

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