Daily Archives: June 3, 2014

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!

Shinkansen in Myanmar

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Ok, well, maybe not the Shinkansen, but rail travel in Myanmar is possible, but I would struggle to call it comfortouble.  It is, on the other hand, very affordable.


Most guidebooks will tell you that you must buy tickets in US dollars and foreign prices are 3 to 4 times higher than locals.  As of April 2014 this is no longer true.  Locals and foreigners pay the same price and they both pay in local currency, kyats.

Here is the Bago train station.  It looks a little different than say Kyoto or Hiroshima central stations!  Even Churchill station in Northern Manitoba would be a step up from this!

There is actually a safety line there, it’s very faded.  It was drawn by the British when they built the station and has never been repainted since.  There is a bridge to cross the tracks, but nobody uses it, they just walk across the lines.  These trains move so slowly anyway, there is not really a safety issue.
Vendors sell food and drinks on the platform, as well as on the train.
There are two seating options, ordinary and upper class.  Ordinary class just has wooden benches that only face one way.  Upper class has padded reclining seats that can be turned around.  Some of these cars are 50+ years old.  They are generally pretty grubby and most of the time the seat is stuck in a reclined position.  Even so, you can get up to walk around and stretch your legs and you get to see some scenery from the open windows and doors.
Train or Bus?

So, which is better?  In my opinion, there is no good ground transportation in Myanmar!  Both buses and trains are slow.  Buses are very crowded, but trains are not. Trains are cheaper, but usually slower. In general, travel in Myanmar takes a lot of patience.  Late trains and buses are very common, as are breakdowns.  Track switching is manual here.  The train must stop and the driver manually moves the track switch and then continues on.
I suggest if you travel Myanmar, you should try both options.
Other choices

There are 2 other options if you want to spend a bit more money.  You can hire a taxi for long distance travel.  You must pay the driver for both ways, since he must come back empty.  This may make sense if you travel in a group.
You can also fly, but only between major hubs; Inle lake, Bagan, Mandaley, Yangon.  Generally there are one or two flights per day.  One way flights come in at about $100.