As a traveler that enjoys unique experiences and exotic surroundings, Burma in every way meets this criteria. We just returned (January '04) from a month-long journey of Southeast Asia of which 12 days were spent in this magical place. There is so much to tell about our journey but I will attempt to touch upon only the highlights. I would recommend that you also read a review done in 2000 called "..Road to Mandalay..." which provides still pertinent and insightful accounts of a trip to Burma.

Yangon (Rangoon). We stayed at the lovely Pansea Hotel in a quiet section north of downtown. Our "standard" room was large and very comfortable. The garden area was stunning especially at night. The complex at Shwedagon Pagoda definitely meets the attraction of a world landmark and should not be missed. Arguably, the site is to the Theravada Buddhist as theVatican is to a Catholic. One can easily spend hours here enjoying the site of hundreds of temples, saffron-robed monks, nuns (in white and pink), dragons and the ubiquitous Buddha images. In the middle of the complex is the massive and towering, gilded stupa (330 feet high). At sunset the view of the natural shine and later, the spotlights on this tower, rivals some of the most spectacular sites in the world. Personally, the Shwedagon easily overshadows the much more visited Golden Temples in Bangkok. Other interesting sites in Yangon are the reclining Buddha at the Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda (230 feet long-3rd largest in the world), Bogyoke Aung San Market (Scott Market) and downtown walk starting from city hall. If you enjoy photography, a visit to a local market and town center in any city or village in Southeast Asia is a dreamed opportunity. One will witness the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the colorful outfits of street vendors and their wares, WWII vintage public buses, accompanied with noise and chaos. We visited the historic Strand Hotel (part of the Raffles group). At $350 per night, one was paying a high price for "prestige" and history. I thought the place was overpriced and perhaps overrated for a crowded, noisy downtown location. We recommend a minimum stay of 2 nights in Yangon.

Mandalay and environs. About an hour north of Yangon by a twin prop, and another hour drive to Mandalay, the area provides several worthwhile sites to visit. A walk in the rickety, teakwood U Bein bridge (near Amarapura) is certainly an experience considering it was made over two centuries ago and is about 3/4 mile long. The bridge crosses over a lake and peanut plantations while people fished from their boats or by wading in water with handheld nets. Going to the summit at Mandalay Hill is probably THE site to visit because the scenery from here at sunset is phenomenal. You can see the two kilometer squared moat surrounding the Royal Palace and the Irrawaddy River, Burma’s main river. To reach the summit, you can either walk the 1,700 plus steps under a covered walkway or drive up the 790 foot crest. Mandalay is famous for its embroidery and marionette (wooden puppets) making factories and one should not miss the opportunity to visit and perhaps purchase an exquisitely made artifact for a great value (in other words, cheap). We stayed one night at the modern Sedona Hotel. Our standard room had a spectacular view of the moat and Mandalay Hill. The Green Elephant restaurant was just around the corner and served us a delicious set menu of Burmese cuisine.

Irrawaddy River Cruise. Personally, this cruise from Mandalay to Bagan is not necessary to know about Burma but certainly enhances your experience in the country. No different than saying likewise about cruising the Mississippi river to know the "South" of the U.S. The Orient Express' (based in the UK) "Road to Mandalay" (RTM) is the most opulent means of plying down one of the mightiest rivers in Asia. A British couple we later traveled with said the ship has an onboard swimming pool, live entertainment and plenty of fancy meals. They complained that their standard room was a bit small. The RTM looked very much like a European river cruise ship that you see on the Rhine in Germany. As an alternative, we opted for the RV Pandaw whose company provided a flotilla of paddle steamers that plied the river in the early 1900s. Our RV Pandaw III is the latest version of the steamer providing many original features to recreate the atmosphere and character of a colonial era. Our room was comfortable at 14 X 12 feet in size with ensuite bathrooms and hot running water. Although the Pandaw did not offer any fancy entertainment , we had plenty of distraction during our 2 day trek toward Bagan. The Pandaw stopped at two local villages. One village made clay pottery and the other cigars called cheroots. The meals onboard were good to excellent providing a variety of cuisine with reasonably priced Australian and French wines to accompany them. The Pandaw is slightly over half the price of the RTM program.

Bagan. You will know when you have arrived in Bagan when the countryside starts to dot with pagodas and temples. From the Pandaw, one can easily see the archaeological wonder of this city. The place has over 2,000 existing temples out of 13,000 at one time. There are notably ten prominent temples of which one should try to visit at least the Ananda, Shwesandaw and Shwezigon pagodas. Further, you should make great effort to view the Bagan temples from a vantage point at sunset and sunrise. We were taken to a lesser-known temple, the Ywa Haung-Gyi Pagoda, solely for height and great viewing of the area. After 2 days of stay, you will learn to appreciate why Bagan ranks among the greatest archaeological sites in the world. Other interesting sites include a visit to Mt. Popa, a monastery located atop a mountain about an hour drive southeast of Bagan. The climb is steep and treacherous with 777 steps to negotiate. You will be entertained by monkeys along the climb. Bagan is noted for its lacquerware factories. The products are painstakingly made by highly skilled artisans and amazingly come with very reasonable prices. We stayed at the charming Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel. Our bungalow style room was large and comfortable. The hotel has a huge, sparkling swimming pool and a restaurant offering moonlit dining overlooking the Irrawaddy River.

Inle Lake and Pindaya. This visit was the last leg of our tour and unfortunately quite often skipped by visitors to Burma. One of the main attractions here is visiting the Pindaya Cave located up in a mountain overlooking the town of Pindaya. The cave is full of golden and gilded Buddha images of all sizes - in the thousands! The sheer number of the statues and its color just astounds you. The climb under covered steps is gradual with over 700 steps to the entrance of the cave. The view is spectacular along the climb as you can see the town and the countryside from a great vantage point. We spent one night at the Conqueror Hotel just below the cave. The hotel was comfortable enough even though it was not equipped with a room heater. The nights can get quite cold but adequate blankets are provided. The attractions at Inle Lake, about 60 miles away, are the villages on stilts, watching the colorful local tribes and the chaotic morning market. The view of the lake with the background mountain was breathtaking from the balcony of our Lakeview Resort Hotel. The activities around the area involve boat rides to visit the local villages and market. Some of the unique sites you might observe - a local Intha fisherman who rows the boat with his leg and floating gardens of crops planted and harvested by women from their boats. The morning market is the heart and soul of the Inle Lake community. The place is very crowded, noisy, chaotic and colorful with live pigs, chickens and cattle roaming freely in the midst of it. Visiting several of the floating villages brought a new perspective of how people can literally live off the lake. Our hotel was a beautiful complex with very comfortable rooms and a decent restaurant serving Chinese, Indian, Burmese and Western cuisine. I recommend a minimum stay of 2 nights to appreciate the Inle Lake area. It takes about one hour by plane to fly from Bagan to Heho, the gateway town to Inle Lake and Pindaya. Heho is east of Bagan and, since the area is at a much higher elevation, it can get quite cold in the evenings.

To get to Burma, Bangkok is certainly the most expedient gateway being only one hour away by jet. Thai Airways has 2 flights per day from Bangkok to Yangon. Burma has had a dismal record for air safety and service using the government Myanma Airways (MA). I am told that one should still avoid using this airline. We booked flights with privately owned Yangon Airways and Air Mandalay for all domestic flights. The planes used were ATR-72 (French made) and all appeared to be in good condition. The interiors were clean and comfortable and the flight attendants, professional in demeanor. Our flight back to Bangkok was provided by Myanmar Airways International (MAI), a quasi, government owned airline. Please note the difference in the name and airline code when booking (it can be critical to your safety). The plane used was a modern Boeing 737-700 with international standard in-flight service. Scheduled departures are often subject to change and need to be confirmed at least 48 hours before flight time. Once the departure time had been set, the flights pretty much left on time.

Except for very few establishments, none of the hotels, restaurants and tourist shops accepted credit cards or traveler’s checks. The only accepted currency was the US dollar and the local currency, kyat (chat). After the re-arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi in late summer last year, the US government mandated all US companies to boycott economic ties with Burma. Beware of exchanging your dollars for the local currency at the airport. The black market rate (which is the unofficial accepted rate) at the time was 80 kyat to $1 USD. I was given a rate of 40 kyats to $1 USD. You probably will not need to exchange more than $20 USD while touring the country.

Prior to our arrival in Burma, the main stories we had heard about this country is its rule by a military junta and the continuing forced confinement of its democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The political oppression does not appear to extend to the forces that drive the economy. Based on empirical evidence, the country appears to be practicing a market base economy. We noted very few government establishments and entrepreneurship was rampant. The only military presence noted were the ones guarding the British and Australian embassies in downtown Yangon. The police were only seen at traffic intersections and airports. Freedom of religion does not appear to be an issue here since most Burmese are devout, practicing Buddhist. We cannot help but wonder if an economic boycott is hurting the people more than the current regime in Burma.


Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb