Myanmar is an amazing travel destination, there is such an abundance of colour, exotic places and interesting attractions. Few people know 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 cold shower since you take the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously prepared myself before going out this summer, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will find 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.
Since 2005, the administrative center has been relocated from Yangon, which remains one of the largest and busiest cities, also having the main airport in the country, in Nypiydaw. Myanmar is a huge country, almost three times larger than Romania and the second largest country in Southeast Asia. As such, the distances between the most important sights are very large, so it’s great to use the plane or at least the local buses. Although we found the tourist areas very safe, with friendly people and very eager to receive strangers, there are still regions where tourist access is forbidden – an example would be the Kachin region, in the north of the country – and even hundreds of areas tribes live the way they did 200 years ago.
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. Discover extra details 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 chew betel leaves mixed with various powders and tobacco as a drug that gives them a euphoric state, broken teeth and stained lips and addiction. You will see them spitting the reddish-brown mixture all over the street. Do not be surprised if in a restaurant, shop or hotel you have five employees around you. One asks you, one takes your money, one writes, one gives you the product, one checks. Most of the time they get in the way of each other and they don’t really get what they want to do. Have patience and do not raise the tone, you will not solve anything with this. See additional details at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/tour-program/trekking-tour/.