Guide to Burma | A Trip to the Golden Land
The undoubted tourist highlight of Burma's largest city is Shwedagon Pagoda (pictured above), a mountain of gold perched on a hill to the north of the city center and one of the most celebrated Buddhist monuments in the world. Entry costs five dollars, most of which goes to the government. The best way to see it and get the best value for money is to go either once at dusk or dawn when the light plays with the stupas glinting gold and then once in the day when it catches the full rays of the sun. The ticket is valid for 24 hours.
If you want to get a feel for the politics of Burma there are a number of things you can do that won't get you into (too much) trouble. Aung San Suu Kyi's house, where the main opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner is currently detained, lies on University Avenue Road. The section of road to the front is cordoned off but you can see the road block and therefore experience the paranoia of the regime first hand by catching a taxi to BME 1 Night Club. Just before the car turns into the small lane where the hotel and night club is situated, you'll see the road block to your right, and further down, an armed detail preventing traffic moving in either direction-don't ask your driver to go down there as you'll get him into trouble.
The headquarters of the National League for Democracy, the political party of which Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader, lies on Shwegondine Road (West). If you catch a taxi to Shwegondine junction, turn left on to the road and keep walking a few hundred yards until you see a small, gated building on your right and a run down teashop full of plain clothes intelligence offices with mobile phones (a rarity in Burma) and telephoto camera lenses to your left. You will probably want to keep walking. If however, you want to find out more, you can enter the office where you'll discover party memorabilia on sale sporting the NLD insignia, the peacock, on a red background. It is also possible to sit and chat with party elders about the struggle in Burma. Be warned though that your presence will almost certainly be noticed by the aforementioned intelligence personnel outside meaning you will likely be photographed and therefore may have problems getting Burmese visas in the future, particularly from the embassy in Bangkok.
For a look at the other side of Burma's political coin, at most hotels you can track down the government daily, The New Light of Myanmar, a veritable feast of propaganda printed on what looks to be toilet paper, which is particularly apt given the content.
When Burma's intransigent political situation begins to wear you down, as it has the remainder of the country's 50 million-plus population, there are plenty of places to eat and drink. Great Burmese food can be found at a number of road side tea shops and cafes but one of the best restaurants has to be Aung Thuka on DhammaZedi Road.
If you want to get a feel for the politics of Burma there are a number of things you can do that won't get you into (too much) trouble. Aung San Suu Kyi's house, where the main opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner is currently detained, lies on University Avenue Road. The section of road to the front is cordoned off but you can see the road block and therefore experience the paranoia of the regime first hand by catching a taxi to BME 1 Night Club. Just before the car turns into the small lane where the hotel and night club is situated, you'll see the road block to your right, and further down, an armed detail preventing traffic moving in either direction-don't ask your driver to go down there as you'll get him into trouble.
The headquarters of the National League for Democracy, the political party of which Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader, lies on Shwegondine Road (West). If you catch a taxi to Shwegondine junction, turn left on to the road and keep walking a few hundred yards until you see a small, gated building on your right and a run down teashop full of plain clothes intelligence offices with mobile phones (a rarity in Burma) and telephoto camera lenses to your left. You will probably want to keep walking. If however, you want to find out more, you can enter the office where you'll discover party memorabilia on sale sporting the NLD insignia, the peacock, on a red background. It is also possible to sit and chat with party elders about the struggle in Burma. Be warned though that your presence will almost certainly be noticed by the aforementioned intelligence personnel outside meaning you will likely be photographed and therefore may have problems getting Burmese visas in the future, particularly from the embassy in Bangkok.
For a look at the other side of Burma's political coin, at most hotels you can track down the government daily, The New Light of Myanmar, a veritable feast of propaganda printed on what looks to be toilet paper, which is particularly apt given the content.
When Burma's intransigent political situation begins to wear you down, as it has the remainder of the country's 50 million-plus population, there are plenty of places to eat and drink. Great Burmese food can be found at a number of road side tea shops and cafes but one of the best restaurants has to be Aung Thuka on DhammaZedi Road.
For novices of Burmese cuisine, expect a confusing but ultimately delicious experience. The basics of Burmese eating are indeed straight forward. Like most parts of Asia, rice is the staple and is complemented with a bewildering array of dishes which usually includes an oily, medium-spiced curry with chicken, pork, mutton, shrimp or fish. Other tantalizing dishes include the legendary leh peh thok or pickled tea leaf salad. Made by storing tea underground for about three months, leh peh thok forms an integral part of Burmese culture, not least as a traditional sweetener in settling disputes. Foreign taste buds are likely to find the dish repulsive at first but immediate distaste is not genetic-the dish requires some getting used to and usually becomes addictive. Ngapi Kyak, a spicy dish of tomatoes and the Burmese staple fish paste is another dish that may seem a little strange at first but which is worth perseverance.
Outside Burma's two main cities, there are a number of tourist sites that would now have become world famous in any other country. Bagan to the northwest of Rangoon is one such place, a plain teeming with pagodas centuries old extending into the horizon.
Between Rangoon and Mandalay although nearer the latter, the huge expanse of water that is Inle Lake is one Burma's prime tourist destinations after Bagan and a great place to unwind. You can stay at one of the many cottage set ups that extend out onto the lake itself and enjoy a boat ride courtesy of Inle's famous leg rowers who paddle using the same technique passed down for centuries.
To the east of Rangoon, Golden Rock Pagoda offers a stiff test for walkers up its steep climbs and is also accessible most of the way by car. Women, who are considered dirty, will be horrified to learn that they are barred from entering the sectioned off area which encloses the rock, perched on the edge of a cliff and painted in gold leaf. The filthy yet fairer sex can though get pretty close, and besides, whoever wanted to touch a big rock anyway?
Isaac Henson - December 2, 2006
Between Rangoon and Mandalay although nearer the latter, the huge expanse of water that is Inle Lake is one Burma's prime tourist destinations after Bagan and a great place to unwind. You can stay at one of the many cottage set ups that extend out onto the lake itself and enjoy a boat ride courtesy of Inle's famous leg rowers who paddle using the same technique passed down for centuries.
To the east of Rangoon, Golden Rock Pagoda offers a stiff test for walkers up its steep climbs and is also accessible most of the way by car. Women, who are considered dirty, will be horrified to learn that they are barred from entering the sectioned off area which encloses the rock, perched on the edge of a cliff and painted in gold leaf. The filthy yet fairer sex can though get pretty close, and besides, whoever wanted to touch a big rock anyway?
Isaac Henson - December 2, 2006
Visiting Burma (Myanmar) is a bit like robbing a bank and giving all the money to charity-you know such behaviour shouldn't usually be encouraged, but it is, after all, great fun and ultimately people that desperately need a break are likely to benefit the most. Just make sure you do your trip the right way (for more information about where your money goes when you visit Burma, read the related article: "Burma - Should I Go?").
If you do make a visit to Burma expect something very different to the rest of Southeast Asia. Where Thailand and Vietnam are moving forward at lightning speed, this former British colony often looks like it is stuck in the Victorian era.
Fans of the former England football captain David Beckham (of which there are thousands in Burma) will be pleased to note that most Burmese men still walk around in the traditional sarong, known locally as the longyi.
If you do make a visit to Burma expect something very different to the rest of Southeast Asia. Where Thailand and Vietnam are moving forward at lightning speed, this former British colony often looks like it is stuck in the Victorian era.
Fans of the former England football captain David Beckham (of which there are thousands in Burma) will be pleased to note that most Burmese men still walk around in the traditional sarong, known locally as the longyi.
The women meanwhile will at first look as if their faces have been caked in mud. This is in fact a paste made from tree bark called Thanaka used to both blot out the scorching sun and beautify the skin. Welcome to Burma.
Rangoon - Pagodas and Colonial Architecture
If you've got between two weeks and a month to spend in the Golden Land, as the government likes to call the country, you should have ample time to get a feel for the place.
The former capital and largest city Rangoon is a feast of colonial era architecture mixed with gleaming pagodas all wrapped in a thick tropical heat that it is worth at least a few days of exploration. Recommended places to stay include the privately-owned guest Mayshan Guest House in the heart of the city right near Sule Pagoda or the much cheaper option at five US dollars a night, Mahabandoola Guest House, just across the street.
Rangoon - Pagodas and Colonial Architecture
If you've got between two weeks and a month to spend in the Golden Land, as the government likes to call the country, you should have ample time to get a feel for the place.
The former capital and largest city Rangoon is a feast of colonial era architecture mixed with gleaming pagodas all wrapped in a thick tropical heat that it is worth at least a few days of exploration. Recommended places to stay include the privately-owned guest Mayshan Guest House in the heart of the city right near Sule Pagoda or the much cheaper option at five US dollars a night, Mahabandoola Guest House, just across the street.
This is a perfect location from which to attack the city and good places to start are two of the biggest markets in Rangoon. The most famous, Aung San Market (or Scott's Market as it was known in colonial days), is not far from here and well worth a look. The prices are set for tourists, but you'll be able to get a number of things done here including changing money. On offer are traditional Burmese clothes including sarongs and slippers, both vital in any Burmese wardrobe, along with wicker ware, paintings, jewelry and even Burmese pop music. One extremely entertaining ever-present in the market is "Mr Cigar," a man that hunts down foreigners hoping to sell some of his Burmese and (mostly fake) Cuban cigars. The Burmese variety, called a cheroot, is usually offered for free as a taster.
If you're looking for Burmese souvenirs at lower prices then head for the much lesser known Thane Gyi Zay Market on Shwedagon Pagoda Road. It's opposite a series of night clubs and is an altogether more intense, and more Burmese, experience.
If you're looking for Burmese souvenirs at lower prices then head for the much lesser known Thane Gyi Zay Market on Shwedagon Pagoda Road. It's opposite a series of night clubs and is an altogether more intense, and more Burmese, experience.
If though you want to just stick to what you know there are some great western options including 50th Street Bar and Grill, on 50th street itself, Le Planteur offering wonderful French food in a private garden near the Nikko Hotel and the much cheaper Café Dibar, serving Italian favourites opposite the Savoy Hotel, which itself includes a moderately priced, and very authentic, German restaurant.
Beer lovers would do well to try Myanmar Beer which is a crisp and refreshing lager brewed just outside the capital. If you want to try it at one of Rangoon's cult drinking holes then head to Ginki Kids Bar on Baho Road near Pearl Condominium off Kaba Aye Pagoda Road. A little known bar mostly frequented by locals, this place has been done up in recent years but still retains much of its original atmosphere and serves some good food, including grilled fish.
If you escape Rangoon, then Burma's second city Mandalay is well worth a visit to the north, either on an overnight train or bus or by airplane. Tourist highlights include the famous palace which acts as the city's focal point surrounded by a moat. Many people though blasted the government after it refurbished the site recently using forced labour and given that it costs five dollars to enter you might want to spend your money elsewhere-you can get a good feel for the place by taking a stroll around the moat and then get a fabulous bird's eye view by walking up Mandalay Hill, a celebrated spot fro locals and visitors alike.
Mandalay's hotel options are varied and inexpensive-six US dollars usually buys a double room with bathroom and air conditioning out of the busy dry season between November and May.
Beer lovers would do well to try Myanmar Beer which is a crisp and refreshing lager brewed just outside the capital. If you want to try it at one of Rangoon's cult drinking holes then head to Ginki Kids Bar on Baho Road near Pearl Condominium off Kaba Aye Pagoda Road. A little known bar mostly frequented by locals, this place has been done up in recent years but still retains much of its original atmosphere and serves some good food, including grilled fish.
If you escape Rangoon, then Burma's second city Mandalay is well worth a visit to the north, either on an overnight train or bus or by airplane. Tourist highlights include the famous palace which acts as the city's focal point surrounded by a moat. Many people though blasted the government after it refurbished the site recently using forced labour and given that it costs five dollars to enter you might want to spend your money elsewhere-you can get a good feel for the place by taking a stroll around the moat and then get a fabulous bird's eye view by walking up Mandalay Hill, a celebrated spot fro locals and visitors alike.
Mandalay's hotel options are varied and inexpensive-six US dollars usually buys a double room with bathroom and air conditioning out of the busy dry season between November and May.
Send This Article To A Friend
No part of this article may be republished without obtaining permission from My World Far East(info@myworldfareast.com)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |