Post: #51

Is there anything worth seeing in Myanmar other than Bagan? Inle Lake? Myeik archipelago? I want to cross Bagan off my bucket list but it'd be good if I could see some other cool stuff along the way.

Post: #52

If you are into nature, hiking, old temples etc., definitely go to Hsipaw, Kalaw and Hpa-an. It have beenthe best places I ever visited for traveling and discovering. Not many tourists and the ones I met were down to earth and awesome to hang out with. Very very friendly locals, exciting culture and nature.

Post: #53

I also recommend Hsipaw. Make sure you make your way there by train, and specifically, the early train from Mandalay. If I remember correctly it leaves at 4AM or something. There are first class seats which are very comfortable and very affordable for Western travelers.

The reason you want the early train is because the entire train journey is just magical (in my opinion). Amazing scenery. I got out in Pyin Oo Lwin which is about half way if I remember correctly, and stayed there for 3 nights. Then took another train onwards to Hsipaw. Pyin Oo Lwin is a nice little town with colonial buildings, but other than that there's literally nothing to do and I'd recommend skipping it if you're short on time.

When you arrive in Hsipaw, go to Mr Charles Guesthouse and book one of the mountain trekking packages into the hills. I took the longest one they had at the time (early 2015) which was 4 days and 3 nights. This hike was easily the most awesome thing I did in Myanmar. It's an easy hike, but don't underestimate it. Because of the temperature it'll be fucking brutal. Bring lots of sunscreen. You hike through mostly tea plantations for about 6 hours a day with breaks here and there and amazing scenery pretty much all day. At some point I stopped taking photos because I already had so many awesome ones.

You then overnight in local mountain villages, in the houses of local families (usually the living room). I wasn't a big fan of Burmese food personally, but that changed in those villages. Every single meal the families cooked was amazing, but that could also have had something to do with being exhausted from a full day of hiking and not caring what was served to me. The way they cook is a unique experience too, each family has a cooking place in the middle of the living room, surrounded with rocks to keep the fire from spreading (which is convenient, since the houses are made of wood). They cook the dishes right in front of you and there's also a permanent pot of tea kept warm at all times (fresh from the surrounding mountains). You'll be drinking tea all day and all night.

Regarding girls, I did not even get close to getting a Burmese flag, even though I tried for a week in Yangon (half-assedly, as most of the time I was getting drunk with other tourist buddies I made there). Tinder was literally dead too back then. I loved Yangon though, but it seemed like I was the only one with that opinion as every other tourist I met hated it. Yangon is raw and authentic. Some old Italian expat I met over there said it felt like Bangkok in the 80s and 90s.

Now all of this information is from early 2015 when I was there, and I do not know how much things have changed since then. I do remember seeing them build entrance gates and ticketing booths for the best Pagodas when I was in Bagan, so I imagine lots of parts of the country are now overrun by Chinese tour buses. Which is a shame, but that's how it goes.

Post: #54

Pyin oo lwin has a cool abandoned British cemetery, it’s worth a visit if you’re in town. It is a nice town to relax in too, relatively nice weather and architecture.

I went in 2014, but I’m sure Burma is still more or less the same. People are very friendly but don’t go for the women

Post: #55

@King of the Bongo and @WinstonWolfe

Thanks for the info. I've been to Myanmar before and was thinking of going back when I go to Thailand in January. Your posts convinced me to go back for a few days.

For those thinking about going to Myanmar. I wouldn't hesitate. But like many posters have pointed out it sucks for women, but it's excellent for travel experience.

And if you do go, do yourself a favor and find where the Lethwai fights are. You definitely need to check one out.

Post: #56

Hi all,
I arrived in Yangon yesterday.
I captured the flag and got that out of the way.
First impressions on Yangon: it reminds me of Manila, Cebu city, Jakarta etc do I need to say more? Lol
It surprised me to see so many Indians or Burmese of Indian origin, at least in the area I'm staying in, also, many local men wear this sort of long skirt which looks funny (no offence here).
The city looks pretty rundown but very affordable, I'm staying in a three star hotel which costs around 30 bucks a night, fast internet and a decent breakfast included.
I haven't explored the city much yet but the quality of the girls is nothing to write home about and many are putting on this weird makeup to look whiter and it looks pretty awkward (Have seen this before in other areas of SEA).
A few more thoughts: last night I had a really nice Thai meal for 13 bucks for two people, taxis are everywhere, smokes less than a buck for a pack of Luckies, cheap and nice beer everywhere, hordes of Chinese nationals everywhere, I can't seem to withdraw cash using my Bank of China debit card.
IMPORTANT: I wasn't aware of the fact that I needed a visa for Myanmar and only a few days ago I found out and I applied for the e-visa express which set me back $56, got the letter almost inmediately by email. Print out and bring the letter with you to the airport or you will not be allowed to board the plane.
Going to Bagan on Wednesday for 3 days.
If anyone wants to meet up for a beer just PM me.

Post: #57

(06-01-2011 06:15 PM)travolta Wrote:  I went to Burma. Best experience of my life.

Yangon:
-Spend the day at Schwedegon. I stayed there ALL day and only left to eat lunch. It looks different when the sun changes. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
-Spend another day just walking around.. check out the market. There are some beautiful parks near Schedegon worth seeing. I actually enjoyed the feel of the city. The military guys are scary as FUCK the first time you see them, but as long as you don't fuck with them and DON'T take photos of them or government stuff, they won't bother you.
-When you arrive, tell the taxi driver to take you to Sule Pagoda. This is near China town.. there are a bunch of cheap hostels in the area and some GREAT street food. Contrary to what most people's opinions, I found the food in Burma (especially street food in Yangon) to be VERY delicious.

Bagan:
-Bagan is a MUST see. Better than Angkor Wat, in many aspects. I took a horse carriage around from sunrise till sunset for 14,000 Kyats. Great deal. Perhaps the most mystic place I've ever seen.

Mandalay:
-Amazing city with lots of hidden treasures. Mandalay hill is cool as fuck.. its a huge hill in the center of the city, filled with pagodas. If you go to the top you can see the entire city.
***if you go to Mandalay Hill, there's a temple near the base (it has TONS of identical looking white pagodas.. i'll look up the name of it and let u know). There is a lady who is always there, her name is Cherry. Amazing woman.. she'll give you a tour of the entire city if you want. If you go to Mandalay let me know and I'll give u more details. SPending the day with Cherry was life changing

Inle Lake:
-Inle Lake is beautiful. FOr about $15 you can have a local give you a ride around the entire lake. You'll see floating villages, floating markets, silk weaving factories. Really cool place. The scenery around the are is outrageous.
-Trek from Inle Lake to Kalaw: I took a 3 day trek from Inle Lake to Kalaw. Kalaw is a small town in the mountains. I had the BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE in this place. Nepali food.. the place was called "Nepali Food Center."

That's all I saw in Burma. I wish I had seen more though. Burma is NOT dangerous for tourists. Locals face severe punishment if they harm tourists, as we are the main source of income for the country. As long as you avoid large public gatherings, don't get in the way of the government, and MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS you'll be fine.
There are so many beautiful things and hidden treasures in Burma it's unbelievable.

***WARNING- bring tons of cash if you go. There are no ATM machines in the entire country, and they only accept CRISP, CLEAN, and UNBENT USA dollars. You can change money quite easily in Yangon.

Second this. these are all very highly rated adventure destinations in my book. I arrived in Yagon with $5 cash only... dont make the same mistake lol. Would rate it very low like 2/10 for girls and game though

Post: #58

(09-30-2018 10:27 PM)Polero Wrote:  Hi all,
I arrived in Yangon yesterday.
I captured the flag and got that out of the way.
First impressions on Yangon: it reminds me of Manila, Cebu city, Jakarta etc do I need to say more? Lol
It surprised me to see so many Indians or Burmese of Indian origin, at least in the area I'm staying in, also, many local men wear this sort of long skirt which looks funny (no offence here).
The city looks pretty rundown but very affordable, I'm staying in a three star hotel which costs around 30 bucks a night, fast internet and a decent breakfast included.
I haven't explored the city much yet but the quality of the girls is nothing to write home about and many are putting on this weird makeup to look whiter and it looks pretty awkward (Have seen this before in other areas of SEA).
A few more thoughts: last night I had a really nice Thai meal for 13 bucks for two people, taxis are everywhere, smokes less than a buck for a pack of Luckies, cheap and nice beer everywhere, hordes of Chinese nationals everywhere, I can't seem to withdraw cash using my Bank of China debit card.
IMPORTANT: I wasn't aware of the fact that I needed a visa for Myanmar and only a few days ago I found out and I applied for the e-visa express which set me back $56, got the letter almost inmediately by email. Print out and bring the letter with you to the airport or you will not be allowed to board the plane.
Going to Bagan on Wednesday for 3 days.
If anyone wants to meet up for a beer just PM me.

There's not much to see in Yangon. I went to the zoo and checked out the market area. Then there's the big pagoda in the center which isn't that exciting after the ones in Old Bagan. There's a park where people go in the center beside the pagoda, but at 6pm or something the police kick everyone out and it closes. I found that strange.

ATMs there are like a slot machine: you never know whether it will have a low withdrawal limit or whether it will give you any money at all. I had to try a bunch before I found one that worked with my card. Try to get cash before you hit Bagan because I recall they had fewer ATMs than Mandalay and Rangon, but I did get one to work there.

I thought the weird makeup was home-made sunblock and/or some kind of tribal thing. I saw very few bangable local lizards so good on you for the flag.

Post: #59

I went to Shwedagon pagoda this morning, liked it a lot and then I went to a park with a lake in the middle with some huge boat, it looked very nice.
It's October 1st and it's 36 degrees celsius & super humid, I'm melting here.
Still no luck with the ATMs, I'll go for lower amounts, thanks for the tip. I managed to exchange some Chinese money after being turned down at 5 or 6 money exchange stores.
What is that stuff most guys are chewing all the time? Their mouths are all red, looks like some sort of plant, then they spit it out all the frickin time, I noticed how these same guys are missing most teeth haha

Post: #60

They’re chewing betel nut. It’s a mild stimulant and addictive.

If you just want the flag from an educated and better looking Burmese you can find some working in SG. They’re sometimes willing to cheat on their Chinese sponsor/boyfriend.

I was told there aren’t many budget/unlicensed guest houses around Myanmar. Government effort to modernize or something like that. So you often have to stay in a hostel or big hotel. Did you notice that?

Post: #61

Is it illegal for foreigners to chew it? I see locals everywhere chewing it but I was just wondering. I see lots of cops in the city.
Well, I had to book a "registered accommodation" for the e-visa so Airbnb was out of the question. I booked a hotel on agoda.com. I haven't really noticed guest houses but I've only bern here 24 hours.

Post: #62

I don’t think it’s illegal just really gross. It used to be a welcome ritual to offer betel nut to visitors in ones home or at public events. You still see fancy brass or laquered betel nut sets in museums though the practice has died.

Post: #63

Alright okay, thanks for the quick answer. I think I'm going to try it and I'll report back if that's not against any forum rules?

Post: #64

You’ll only get banned if you let the grizzled old man squirt it into your mouth like a cum sharing porno. If that happens don’t tell us, ok? Just PM details so I can still jack off to it [unzips pants].

Post: #65

Hahah it was really weird, I had to throw the whole thing out.

Post: #66

(09-30-2018 10:27 PM)Polero Wrote:  Hi all,
I arrived in Yangon yesterday.
I captured the flag and got that out of the way.

Based on reports on this forum and also my own experience, this shouldn't be as easy as you make it seem.

Have things changed recently? Can you share more about how you got the flag?

Edit: not doubting you, I'm genuinely curious.

Post: #67

Sure, I should have explained it at the very beginning, my bad. This was a chick I pipelined on Badoo and I told her I might move over here for work (BS), we had been talking for weeks prior to my arrival and it was a big pain coz she would call me out of the blue when I was in China (I live there) just to check I wasn't with other girls.
Yesterday she went to the airport to pick me up and I got the golden touchdown, which I fucking love.
I'm trying to meet a milf on Tinder tomorrow, let's see how that goes.
I have just been out for a short while, what an awful city Yangon is, really, the smells, stray dogs, dirt, people spitting out that plant etc a positive note is everyone is being super friendly and helpful.

Post: #68

You wasted your nut? Don’t just spit it out. Next time cum swap it!

Post: #69

No comments. Hope you get banned. You're dead to me.

Post: #70

Little update on the trip:

I've been in Yangon mostly doing sightseeing and eating Thai and Indian food. I recommend Thai 47, really nice Thai food, they have several restaurants in Yangon. Last night was 2x1 on beer, one beer was 1500 Kyat or roughly 1USD, so for one buck you get two beers, they have different deals every day of the week.

I've seen the few landmarks in town, I was impressed by Shwedagon pagoda and by Chaukhtatgyi pagoda with the huge reclining Buddha, although it was being restored.

No more girls and it's very difficult to meet any, very few bars and online is almost dead.

Yesterday I bought my bus ticket for Bagan, I used JJ buses, everyone said it's the best company, a one way ticket cost me 20,000 Kyat or 13USD, the journey is between 8 and 10 hours I was told.

Everyone is really helpful and trying to help me, I'm still fucked because my debit card doesn't work at the ATMs, I must have tried all banks in town. I can use my card to pay at restaurants, stores and hotels so the situation is not too bad. I suggest bringing plenty of USD or any major currency to avoid such problems. One example of the banking situation in Yangon: yesterday I went into one of the KBZ bank branches and they told me the whole system was down. . .This is a big bank in the country.

Kinda tired of being in Yangon and looking forward to going to Bagan now. I'm typing from my cell phone, can I upload pictures?

Post: #71

(10-02-2018 09:03 PM)Polero Wrote:  Little update on the trip:

I've been in Yangon mostly doing sightseeing and eating Thai and Indian food. I recommend Thai 47, really nice Thai food, they have several restaurants in Yangon. Last night was 2x1 on beer, one beer was 1500 Kyat or roughly 1USD, so for one buck you get two beers, they have different deals every day of the week.

I've seen the few landmarks in town, I was impressed by Shwedagon pagoda and by Chaukhtatgyi pagoda with the huge reclining Buddha, although it was being restored.

No more girls and it's very difficult to meet any, very few bars and online is almost dead.

Yesterday I bought my bus ticket for Bagan, I used JJ buses, everyone said it's the best company, a one way ticket cost me 20,000 Kyat or 13USD, the journey is between 8 and 10 hours I was told.

Everyone is really helpful and trying to help me, I'm still fucked because my debit card doesn't work at the ATMs, I must have tried all banks in town. I can use my card to pay at restaurants, stores and hotels so the situation is not too bad. I suggest bringing plenty of USD or any major currency to avoid such problems. One example of the banking situation in Yangon: yesterday I went into one of the KBZ bank branches and they told me the whole system was down. . .This is a big bank in the country.

Kinda tired of being in Yangon and looking forward to going to Bagan now. I'm typing from my cell phone, can I upload pictures?

That's interesting about the ATM's; I was there 3 years ago and I had no problem anywhere - Bagan, Inle, Mandalay or Yangon.

What country is your bank from?

Post: #72

My bank is from China. I had a Chinese girl call the bank in China and the bank said all UnionPay debit cards issued by BoC cannot be used at ATMs in the whole Myanmar and I believe that, I have literally tried my card in dozens of different ATMs in Yangon, large amounts, small amounts, checking acc, default acc, savings acc, you name it.
It's my fault for not bringing enough cash, lesson leart. First country this happens in and I've been pretty much everywhere in Asia and I've used the card, I've used it too in banks in western Europe.

Post: #73

(10-03-2018 01:49 AM)Polero Wrote:  My bank is from China. I had a Chinese girl call the bank in China and the bank said all UnionPay debit cards issued by BoC cannot be used at ATMs in the whole Myanmar and I believe that, I have literally tried my card in dozens of different ATMs in Yangon, large amounts, small amounts, checking acc, default acc, savings acc, you name it.
It's my fault for not bringing enough cash, lesson leart. First country this happens in and I've been pretty much everywhere in Asia and I've used the card, I've used it too in banks in western Europe.

Cheers, good to know. I have a bank account in Europe which was okay when I was last there, I'm going back there early next year, handy to know what doesn't work ATMwise

Post: #74

Visa and Mastercard seem to be okay, not UnionPay debit cards. Enjoy your trip @Davyjose.

Post: #75

Bagan, Myanmar – mini datasheet:
After being three days in Yangon I went to Bagan where I spent another three days.

Bagan, the city:
Bagan is 600 kilometers north of Yangon. It used to be the capital of the Burmese kingdom and it had thousands of temples, many of them are still there and one can visit them. This city is the place to come if you like history, architecture and Buddhism. Way more spectacular than Siem Reap in Cambodia. I’ve never seen anything like this.

How to get there:
I took the JJ bus from Yangon https://www.jjexpress.net and it took about ten or eleven hours, it was a comfortable enough bus, modern and it cost me 20,000 Kyat. I left Yangon at 10:30pm and arrived in Bagan at 8:30am of the day after, if I remember correctly. I asked someone in Yangon to help me buy the ticket since my bank card wouldn’t let me do so online. You’ll need your passport to book the ticket and check in at the bus station. The bus journey was fine but I had to get off the bus both times during stops, which were in the middle of the night, so I couldn’t do much sleeping.
Once at Bagan bus station I took a horse cart for 5000 Kyat to my hotel, it took about 15 to 20 minutes and it was good fun.
On my way back to Yangon there were no tickets with JJ bus so I booked with Elite, it cost 16,000 Kyat and I think the buses were more comfortable, they also provided some snacks and each seat had small screens on the back where one could watch a movie.

Accommodation:
I stayed three night at this small guest house https://www.booking.com/hotel/mm/wut-hmon-thit-2.html for which I paid 54 USD. The owner and staff were amongst the nicest staff I’ve ever encountered. They would give me a ride to restaurants for free, were super accommodating and on my last day they drove me for free to the bus station.
I saw many other hotels, hostels and guest houses for all different price ranges.

Girls and night life:
I saw very few local girls in general, just some backpackers (disgusting most of them) and in some restaurants I saw some Chinese female tourists but most of them were a 4 or a 5 at most. No online game whatsoever. Do not come to Bagan looking for action. I got no lays and I realistically had no chances.

Food:
It was really hot and humid so I would not eat very much. I would have one meal a day and then buy some amazing tropical fruit. There was an Indian restaurant where I had one of the best meals of my life, I can’t remember the name. I’m trying to upload a picture. I saw Thai and Italian restaurants, as well, all very affordable.




The Temples:
This is what Bagan is all about. Again, if you like history, art, architecture, Buddhist temples etc this is the place is SEA. No other place that I have visited beats Bagan. It’s magical to see the sun go down here.

My guesthouse knew a guy and this guy drove me around all day to watch the temples, you’ll need some sort of transport due to the heat and distances between temples. I think I paid this guy 20,000 Kyat for 9am to 5pm.


Overall Yangon and Bagan impression:
History wise this trip was awesome, it was shocking to see how many people live here. This place is much poorer than other countries in SEA, I’d say Cambodia levels or lower. Really nice food and fruit and I visited some of the most amazing temples ever.
Girls wise this is a no no country to visit, I got my flag on my first day in Yangon because I pipelined, after that I had almost no interactions with local girls.
Will I come back to Myanmar? Probably yes but with a girl.