Myanmar is a fabulous travel point, there is such an abundance of color, exotic places and interesting attractions. Few persons have heard about Myanmar, some only know it as Burma, the old name, and most people have the same reaction when they hear something like this from northern Thailand’s neighbors: “Myanmar, is this even a country?”
It is also fascinating, impressive and hits you as a very cold shower since you take the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously documented myself before going out this summer, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will discover there. Whether you want to get there in the very near future, or want to enrich your general culture a little, you should know a few things about Myanmar.
We chose to make the two vaccines, we also had travel insurance and, in addition, we avoided street food. On the one hand, the local cuisine didn’t give us much back, and on the other hand, we admit that we found it unhealthy. Thus, the only problem I had during my 17 days in Myanmar was a small indigestion which, to be honest, was due to some unfortunate combinations of spicy foods at a restaurant, but that did not affect us at all. the long-awaited adventure. Visa: A very pleasant surprise was the process of obtaining the visa, for which you do not have to do much. I applied online here, we registered, I paid (all online) the $ 50 fee, and the confirmation came by email. Be sure to print the Tourist Visa Approval Letter to Myanmar, because with it you will be presented at the airport visa counter. We also had the letter and the itinerary through the country, previously prepared (confirmations for air tickets and accommodations), but we were only asked for the letter, and based on it we received a visa valid for 28 days.
Dust country: Before we got here, we didn’t imagine there could be such a dusty country as Myanmar. It’s true that I had read about it, but we thought it must be an exaggeration. It wasn’t. It didn’t take long and I understood that a cloud of dust was practically floating above this country. The worst feeling I experienced was in Nyaungswe (a small town near Inle Lake), in Bagan, in Mandalay and its surroundings. The surgical masks were very useful, which we recommend wholeheartedly if you plan to spend a few days in the area. People: The 17 days I spent in Myanmar started a new challenge for us, to discover another people who are at least as friendly and welcoming as the Burmese. Everyone greets you, everyone smiles, the children gather flowers or fruits with their hands to give them to you, just so, when you visit there, whole families sit and smile broadly if they see that you want to make them picture, it even compliments you at every turn. See additional info at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/.
These are the elements we take into account in all our vacations and we wanted to clarify them because it happened that some photos from Myanmar were accompanied on Facebook by a message saying that we, as tourists, seemed an expensive destination. I stirred up a wave of conflicting opinions. Indeed, Myanmar may be a cheap destination, but under certain conditions: if you opt for hostel accommodation – that is, a bed in a room with 4 to 12 people, with a shared bathroom -, if you eat street food, if you do transfer between cities by local bus or train – in case you do not mind spending 10-12 hours in such a means of transport instead of 40 minutes by plane.
Burmese food is a combination of Thai, Indian and Chinese. I recommend eating fresh food on the street, a little bit of everything you do with your eye. The pineapple chicken from Innwa is really good. Do not venture to European food, Burmese are not very good at it. Women don’t go to bars in the evening. Those who, however, dare to do so are very poorly seen. The rule does not apply to tourists. Read additional info at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/tour-program/trekking-tour/.