Yangon & Bagan, Myanmar

It's been a long pause since my last post. The manic office stuffs and house hunting inferno seem never ending. Before I knew it, Christmas is at the door step. So before the festive begins, I'd like to share about the cities below which I visited sometime ago.

Yes, it's a throwback post. And in fact, you will find many more throwback posts in this blog. No, it's not because I am lazy in writing. But, to tell you the truth many of my travels  started long before I started writing them down in a blog.

Exactly three years ago (2012) I visited two cities in Myanmar: Yangon and Bagan. Two years later (2014) my work brought me again to Yangon for a business trip. So, here are the highlights.

1. Why Myanmar?

Myanmar's uniqueness draws back to the fact that it has just opened its door to the wide wild world only after 50 years of army-imposed hibernation. Prior to that, all I knew about Myanmar is their famous leader Aung San Suu Kyii shown on telly struggling for democracy. But, hey apparently it is not the only thing what Myanmar is all about. 

Myanmar has the beach, mountain, tons of pagoda, lake and of course culture. Considering the number of tourists visiting this country, Myanmar is still off the beaten path destination in Asia. It surely piqued my curiosity. 

My background of having lived and worked in Europe for a few years caused my travels to center in Europe. So, my knowledge about Asia is lacking and since I have moved back to live in Asia I was encouraged to know more about Asia. I felt that I hadn't seen as much Asian culture as I should be. So this is why this footloose fancy free happy go lucky girl  jetted off to Myanmar.

2.  Visa

Back in the days Myanmar still requires a visa for Indonesian nationals to enter their territory. So, I had to apply for a visa. Was it difficult? I cannot say it is difficult to get a visa. But, from my experience, Myanmar embassy only opened at certain days during weekdays. So, you can imagine how slow the process can be. 

Their website did not contain explanation on which documents you should provide in order to fulfil all visa requirements. Therefore, you must drop them a call to check the requirements and certainly to book for a visa appointment. 

I am not sure how many people working with the embassy, but to get hold of the staff was one heck of a wait! At times nobody just seemed to care and they did not give a damn even to pick up the bloody phone calls. Don't ask me the reasons why. 

Luckily, after experiencing a series of waiting process (oh my patience), my visa was issued and it's on time. It was a huge relief. I revisited the country again in 2014 for work related affairs. But, this time Myanmar has purely opened its door to Indonesian. So no visa needed. Thank God!

 

(Embassy of Myanmar in Jakarta - taken from Google image)

3.  Getting There
 

There is no direct flight from Jakarta to Yangon. You must transit in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok to get into Yangon. The first time I went there I chose Bangkok as my place of transit. But, the second time I stayed in Singapore. The total hours you will spend can take between 5h 30m to 7h. It all depends on your transit time.

4.  People, "Mingalaba", & Long Yi

The people of Myanmar looks similar with the people in Thailand, but they have more pointy nose and darker skin. They like to chew beetle-nuts, hence their teeth is coloured in red.  They are generally friendly even-though they don't speak much English.  They will give you that welcoming look and gesture and the usual greetings that you will hear a lot wherever you go: "Mingalaba" (which means "hello"). Just put that beaming smiley face of yours and reply back with: "Mingalaba".

In Myanmar the men wear a type of clothing that looks like a sarong and is called "Long Yi". It's a common thing in Myanmar to see people wearing Long Yi as their casual and formal outfit. You will see men riding on a bus wearing Long Yi or a businessman coming out of his fancy car wearing Long Yi getting ready for his business meeting at a 5 star hotel. It's a bit strange for us, Indonesian, to see people wearing a sarong for a business meeting, but in Myanmar it is considered as a common thing. One more thing, it comes with great varieties of patterns and style too. You can thumb through a fashion magazine pages just to gaze, look, stare, and admire them.

(Long Yi - image is taken from google)

5. The Neighborhood
 

When I first came to Myanmar in 2012 I felt like I had been transmitted by a time machine back to a place of the past. Myanmar was like Indonesia in the '70s. The public transport consisted of very old buses and taxis and a few motorcycles. Often, the busses were packed by hoards of people. Some needed to stand on their feet holding the bars above their heads to survive.

The taxis were those of Japanese Toyota cars from the '70s that had leaks on the roof, the side of doors and even in the trunk. Oh, they did not have AC either. Their window pane broke down you could not even bother to close it. Thanks to the embargo, the country has learned well enough to live by with what they have. 

There are many rough and scruffy buildings. Many of them are attached one to another. Their paint colours had been washed-out by the heavy downpour and hot sizzling rays. Skyscrapers are non-existent. Only a few number of five starts hotel sitting nicely right there in downtown Yangoon. 

 

6.   Where to Stay

The first time I went to Yangon I opted in for a historical colonial building, a 5 stars hotel called "The Strand". The room was spacious enough for two people, luxurious, clean and antique. But, in some areas, there were certain things left alone that give the obsolete and outdated image to the hotel. There is no sort of snob appeal in this hotel either. In fact, this hotel's overall ambience is unassuming, non-glamourous and non-boisterous rub-off. I reckon revamping their lobby and some areas of the hotel are a necessity. And they have to do it stat!

Like in many other countries, hotels in Yangon varies in terms of the price. The Strand obvs is not cheap. However, you can always opt in for a less pricey hotels nearby and perhaps if you are lucky, you get an excellent service too (quiet rare in Myanmar). 

Lesser price here may not fit your "cheap" category just yet. To be completely honest, hotels in Myanmar are not cheap (especially for a poor country like that). Prices starts at US$ 40 at the minimum for a mid-range hotel. By mid-range I mean is a hotel room with holes in the wall. Oh really? Yes, really! Boy, you can find a very decent hotel in Bali for less than that price. But in Yangon, you should put up with higher prices with not so well-maintained hotel condition and  poor services (not all the time, though. *wink).

7.  What To Do

Yangon is the capital and cultural city of Myanmar whereas Bagan is more ancient and historical.  Unlike KL, Bangkok, or Jakarta, Yangon is generally a dirty and dusty place. It can get smelly too at times and hot plus sticky around the year. Like I said previously, Yangon, in many respects, is what South-East Asia used to be.

 

 

(This is waking up in Yangon through my hotel's window) 

 

In Yangon, there are so many things you can see and do. I was there for two days and spent two days in Bagan. A pretty much tight itinerary. So, below is what I did.

 

Day 1: I started by visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda. This is a must-see thing when you are in Yangon. I am glad that I didn't just tick off my list of places to visit but I really appreciated them. So, when I visited Shwedagon Pagoda I took time to stroll around, observed its trail of history, and embraced the atmosphere around it. Who can resist a pagoda cover with gold anyway? Not me, surely. *Wink.

 

 

(Inside the Shwedagon Pagoda on a drizzly day)

 

Still in  Day 1, I then continued to visit the Sule Pagoda, Chinatown, and the old Strand road.

Day 2: Time for some souvenirs shopping! I visited the famous Scott Market, also well-known as Bogyoke Aung San Market. Here, you can find many jewelry shops, souvenirs, clothing, and many others (including food stalls). We ate our lunch there as the rain started to pour down. After the rain we went to see Kangdawi Lake and had dinner at Karaweik Hall.

 

(Food stalls at Scott's Market)

Day 

3: We took a flight to Bagan. The plane was rather small in size but it was an enjoyable flight after all. Bagan's airport is very small and uninviting. We waited quite a while before we got our luggage.  We went to the hotel and decided to spend the rest of the day in the hotel.

Day 4: Exploring Bagan. After breakfast at the hotel, we took a ride in a horse cart to go around the area in Bagan. Bagan has so many ancient pagodas that are kept in good condition. The city was so dusty. Their soil is coloured in red. If you fancy to see the city from above you can hire and ride in a balloon. I preferred to explore as many pagoda as I could.

 

8. Food and Drinks

I encountered local food is a bit similar with Thailand - although some is less spicy. There are many vegetarian foods around and some of them have some Indian influence in the taste. In general Myanmar cuisine balances the sour, spicy, bitter and salty flavor. I, personally, like their vegetarian dish. I dunno if it's because I rarely eat vegetarian hence it does seem very exotic to me or it is because their food taste so good. Anyway, I certainly put on a big smiling face when the food was done. Tea is a popular drink. But, don't you dare to drink their tap water. It's certainly not safe.

Overall,  Myanmar is a great country to visit. I hope to return someday and explore more of the country. Wish me luck. *wink!