Category Archives: Myanmar

Inle Lake

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June is the start of the rainy season in Myanmar.  Throughout the last 2 weeks I have seen very little rain, but the last couple days have seen a few downpours.  Most of these have been overnight, but some have been in the daytime.

This is the view from my hotel room.  Usually these showers last for 15 minutes or so and then pass.  It’s not a problem if you are inside, but it’s a nuisance if you are hiking!
Hiking the hillside is one of the best things I have done in Inle lake.  It’s a difficult climb, and a guide is required, but it’s cheap and you get to meet a lot of locals living in very basic conditions in the mountains.  They don’t speak very much English, but they are very friendly and outgoing as they don’t see foreigners very often.  I was in a group of 3 and we ate lunch with them in a bamboo hut while we talked about village life.  Everyone is waiting for water after the dry summer months, so I am told that this rain us good for everyone.
Hiking trips differ from the boat trips on Inle lake that most tourists do, which seems to be more like a tourist trap.  Everywhere you go, you have people trying to sell you little trinkets which apparently cannot be found anywhere else in the world (the “Made in China” sticker did not help them to convince people of this). I found the whole experience to be overpriced and mildly irritating.  I really don’t think selling things in a temple is inline with any Bhuddist teaching.  Here was another place (read my post on Yangon) where there was a cash machine inside a pagoda.
Another alternative to the boat is to hire a bike and cycle around the lake.  Yes, it’s very hot and sweaty, but you meet a lot of locals, see interesting sights, and it’s good exercise!  They have a hot spa about 15km from town which was nice to relax and recover from the bike ride before continuing on.  $5 gets you in and the hot water is coming from the mountain.  It’s pretty rustic, but relaxing.
Overall, I like Inle lake, but for the people and the atmosphere, not really the boat trips that it is famous for. Unfortunately, as tourism takes off here, I think the touts and the overpriced trinkets are just going to increase.  For the sake of preserving a culture, I hope I am wrong.
Internet is terrible here, almost non-existent, but I will try to post some more pictures in the next couple of days.

Nay Pyi Daw

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Nay Pyi Daw is the new capital city of Myanmar, it was moved several years ago from Yangon.  It’s on the Yangon-Mandaley highway and is not a bad place to overnight if you want a break instead of taking an overnight bus, train, or flight.  It’s also pretty close to Thazi, the jump off point for Inle lake.

This is parliament, and it’s as close as you can get unless you have business here.  It’s really in the middle of nowhere.  This city seems to be built to be spread out on purpose so you can’t walk anywhere and people can keep track of you.  To get to parliament, you drive on a 20 lane highway with no other cars.
Other than parliament, there is a reconstruction (copy) of Shewagon pagoda in Yangon.  There is also a zoo, with many animals moved from Yangon.  The place is interesting as I was one of the few people there, and the only foreigner.
They have a medium sized facility with two penguins.  Overall they seem to be healthy and well fed.  They also have an elephant camp.  Burma is one of the few countries left in the world that uses elephants domestically to work the land.  I’m not sure I agree with the practice, but for now it is what it is.
Again, they seem healthy with lots of space to run around in.  There are paddle boats and a children’s play park, but with nobody there, it just sits empty.
It’s an interesting experience, almost like it’s set up just for foreigners.  It’s certainly different from Yangon, where you can see the poverty, here it is mostly hidden from you, and your actions are are much more restricted.

Myanmar currency

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Things are changing very quickly in Myanmar, but one of the most important things for a tourist is how to get money.

It used to be that you would have to bring US dollars in and that would be your only source of funds.  This is no longer the case.  There are many ATMs that will dispense kyat for you.

Here is 300,000 kyat, the maximum withdrawal amount from an ATM.  Unfortunately 5,000 kyat is the biggest note a cash machine will give out.
A few things to note:
– 300,000 is the maximum withdrawal and the machine will charge you a 5,000 kyat fee.
– Some hotels still prefer US dollars, so it’s handy to keep some on you.
– Many US banks stick with the US trade embargo which means those credit cards will be declined and you can not use them to take out cash here.
– So far no businesses have accepted credit cards, but MasterCard is here, there are advertisements all over, so it’s just a matter of time.
As far as US dollars go, make sure they are new and crisp, without any markings or creases on them.  They are very picky and some of my $20 bills have been refused.  Of course they can be exchanged in Bangkok or brought home, but they are useless here.  I have no idea why they are so picky on US dollar bills as kyat often comes back to you folder, ripped, washed, or otherwise destroyed, and they have no issue with that!