Myanmar is a dream come true travel destination, there is such an abundance of colour, exotic places and interesting attractions. Not many persons have heard about Myanmar, some only know it as Burma, the old name, and most people have the same reaction when they hear something like this from northern Thailand’s neighbors: “Myanmar, is this a country?”
It is also amazing, impressive and hits you as a very cold shower since you make the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously prepared myself before heading out this spring, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will find there. Whether you want to get there in the very near future, or want to enrich your general culture a little, you should know a few things about Myanmar.
We chose to make the two vaccines, we also had travel insurance and, in addition, we avoided street food. On the one hand, the local cuisine didn’t give us much back, and on the other hand, we admit that we found it unhealthy. Thus, the only problem I had during my 17 days in Myanmar was a small indigestion which, to be honest, was due to some unfortunate combinations of spicy foods at a restaurant, but that did not affect us at all. the long-awaited adventure. Visa: A very pleasant surprise was the process of obtaining the visa, for which you do not have to do much. I applied online here, we registered, I paid (all online) the $ 50 fee, and the confirmation came by email. Be sure to print the Tourist Visa Approval Letter to Myanmar, because with it you will be presented at the airport visa counter. We also had the letter and the itinerary through the country, previously prepared (confirmations for air tickets and accommodations), but we were only asked for the letter, and based on it we received a visa valid for 28 days.
Another oddity of the place is the way women are makeup. They use a natural cream, thanakha, extracted from a bark of the tree, with which they face. Originally, this makeup took different forms, from leaves to circles or other symbols, but in everyday life, women apply cream on their cheeks and forehead and stay with it. It is said to be a cream that not only protects the skin, but also beautifies the wearer. One of the most unpleasant things I saw in Myanmar was chewing tobacco. It seems that chewing tobacco, kun-ya, especially by men, is one of the oldest traditions of the place. In fact, it is not even pure tobacco, but a combination of ingredients, all wrapped in one leaf. You can read more about the recipe here. Find additional info at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/.
These are the elements we take into account in all our vacations and we wanted to clarify them because it happened that some photos from Myanmar were accompanied on Facebook by a message saying that we, as tourists, seemed an expensive destination. I stirred up a wave of conflicting opinions. Indeed, Myanmar may be a cheap destination, but under certain conditions: if you opt for hostel accommodation – that is, a bed in a room with 4 to 12 people, with a shared bathroom -, if you eat street food, if you do transfer between cities by local bus or train – in case you do not mind spending 10-12 hours in such a means of transport instead of 40 minutes by plane.
Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the commercial capital and largest city. The administrative capital is Naypyidaw. Burmese are Buddhists. If you ask them, they are more Buddhist than the Thai. If you don’t ask them, they don’t seem to mind. Women are safe, religion does not allow them to make obscene gestures or be violent. Don’t be afraid to get in a taxi in Yangon at any time of night, no matter how dubious your driver or taxi might look. However, ask the price before you go up. We paid $ 3 for a race of about 3-4 kilometers, without going crazy. Read more details on https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/tour-program/trekking-tour/.