Lets get Lost - Myanmar Edition!

Myanmar, originally referred to Burma, is a third world country. I didn’t even know what it meant before it actually happened to me. I don’t know if I am a good persuader or if it’s just his love that got us all set to explore. Explore without any reservations and itinerary as we weren’t looking for chilled beer by the sea instead looking forward to explore the real raw side in it’s true spirit. Its definitely far away from an ideal holiday destination one desires for and no matter how much you would love to think you are prepared for it… You never are.

Puts me to surprise on how could a country ruled by an Army general be so f**ked up. Lot of them have come to believe that their country can actually be run better by a foreigner (I was surprised to hear this from a number of locals from various parts of the country). Locals hate the government and trust me they do it for the right reason. Most of the available options to do with a field in comfort is owned by government and has no scope of opportunity to the public. A country which stopped progressing from the point human started inventions for comfort.

For instance, there are banks but neither does it have ATMs or related services nor does it allow any kind of exchange outside the country. “Cash in hand” is what you have as “cash for survival” (but the place is pretty safe.. I remember this evening when I was walking pass and a guy and his son is sitting and counting 5kyat bundles without the fear of being robbed). A US dollar crisp ironed note is the only form of foreign money that Burmese register. And for the little uninformed lot like me…. Well there is literally just very few places in the whole country(Yangon) where they exchange foreign currency or do a credit card ‘hawala’ (you pay to some account in Thailand and they pay you Kyat equivalent) with a cost that comes with a 30% flat commission.

An air conditioned room but no electricity.. SIM cards that doesn’t fit into your phone (usually across the world, you buy a phone and for the phone you buy a SIM. In Myanmar, you buya SIM and for the SIM you buy a phone)… Computers but no Internet (Till last year the locals cant have an email ID/facebook as most of the sites were blocked)… Roads but no public transport (Hands off to the buses we have travelled there for long hours with no suspension, no windows, 40degrees+temperature, and world class pollution)… Education but no schools.

The only hope seems like Aung San Suu kyi. A Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy(NLD) in Burma detained under house arrest for 20 years. With the old army general gone, thecountry is slowly opening to the concept of democracy. One can see a lot ofpublic rallies supporting the cause in even the smallest of cities in Burma and we were fortunate enough to participate in one of them to support the cause.

Myanmar is really hot(40 degrees+ C) in most parts throughout the year so the faster you stop bothering on the heat and ignoring the sweat the more you start enjoying the place.

Monasteries form the main source of education here… It is also a place you want to stay for few days as the calmness is unbeatable. Its compulsory for everyone to serve in a monastery for atleast a week. Many leave after they finish their education and other schools to spend their life there.  There are so many monks you would find all around. I spoke to many and they talk about a different flavour of life. Worth an experience.

A typical morning in Myanmar would start with hundreds of scooters oozing out tons of smoke, men and women rushing on and around the street, Baghes(cart run by horses) and bicycle convertibletaxis (yes you got me right… like the convertible BMWs and not to miss it cantake 2 people and 2 big backpacks on it), people gathered around taparees(small shops), monks asking for bheeksha (servings of any type). One thing common among all – Tanakha (yellow powder) on their face and shirt &sarong.

Local food comprises of a larger portion of rice and little meat. Lot of variety of street food isavailable most of which is fried but tasty. Local beer is Mandalay and Myanmar and the best is Star Cola (like Coca Cola).. Did enjoy a lot of it.

Commute forms the toughest part of one’s stay here(unless you choose to fly but then you miss out on all the local fun like women throwing bananas on to you when you are standing on one side of the river and you throwing money back on them to the other side.. ahh what fun) Speed ferries can take you to different places through a river though again it’s as slow as it could get (like a 100 miles in5 hrs). Petrol pumps are hard to find but you would spot a lot of locals selling loose bottled petrol all around the country.

Not to miss with all these odds the Burma trail is still worth every pain I went through. Yangon,Bagan, Kalaw, Inle Lake, Mandalay, Putao, and NGAPALI Beach. Every place is a true treat in some or the other way.

The pagodas are outstanding .. You can actually get on top of one of the tallest pagoda in Bagan and see thousands of pagodas all over… Balloon trip in bagan is expensive but bliss to eyes. Ngapali beach is close to Yangon and is the best beach to visit though its really hot most of the time. Kalaw is a hippie paradise. Hill station with very notorious feel to it. In season you can see the opium white flowers covering the mountains but no one ofcourse talks about it. The 3 day 2night trek from kalaw to Inle lake is not to be missed. It gets you as close to the nature as one can get with an experience staying with local family and a monastery the night after. Inle lake is all about getting over the heat, enjoying a true vacation with a boat ride on the floating market and a hot spring. Staying inthe houseboats are also an option available. You will freeze in Putao with most beautiful and rock icy treks and sights to visit.

I am really happy I did it just before the country opened to trade. I would say it is one of the hardest places to travel cheap but behind the challenge lies the real pleasure. Pleasure of taking the risk to experience.