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How to travel Myanmar in 7 days

Myanmar is an old country with a recorded history that goes back hundreds of years. Its culture is complex and its government policies intricate. I’ve read the news. I know about the military’s treatment of its people, reporters, and occasional tourists. I was worried. But there’s a way to do it safely and responsibly. Here’s what I did in  7 days.

About Myanmar

When I was growing up in Thailand, I learned about the long history of warfare between the Thais and Burmese. When I think of the Thai-Burmese relationship I see images of ransacked cities, gold melting off pagodas, and dead elephants and soldiers. But the reality is often more complicated.

Like America, Myanmar was a colony of England. From 1824 to 1948 it underwent wars with the British and became known as a province of British India. It finally gained independence after WWII and Japanese rule like several southeast Asian countries. Colonialism marred it, just like it did its many neighbors. Until recently, the country had been under one military regime after another, with much of its spending siphoned to the military at the cost of infrastructure. Based on UNICEF report in 2012-13 fiscal year, it has spent 29% of its entire budget for the defense forces, while the education sector received just 11%, the health sector 5.7%, and social welfare at 0.29%.

The 2015 election granted the overwhelming majority seats to the National League of Democracy. Since then, efforts have been made to reallocate its spending. Although evidence of its past decisions is apparent in potholed roads and homelessness.

Civil unrest and disputes between its people dominate Myanmar’s past and present. There are more than 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar, with 7 being the largest minority nationalities: The Chin, the Kachin, the Karenni (sometimes called Kayah), the Karen (sometimes called Kayin), the Mon, the Rakhine, and the Shan. Each group has their own language, culture, and history, making up Myanmar’s rich tapestry. Yet, not all tribes are recognized and not all the people who were born there its citizens.

So how does one navigate through this rich and beautiful land rife with conflict? Answer: With a combination of caution and thirst for experience, together with help from local guides. Hiring guides was not something we normally do. But we were glad we did. In doing so, we were able to cover a large section of the country and sample the many flavors this wonderful place has to offer. Click on the links to see the detailed travel log of each day.

Day 1: Yangon – Street food tour and Shwedagon Pagoda

A street food tour is a must for anyone visiting any country. Yangon is special for its architecture of dilapidated colonial buildings mixed in with modern skyscrapers. We walked around neighborhoods, ate authentic street food frequented by locals, and hung out in a park in the middle of the city. Afterward, we visited the Shwedagon Pagoda at night to experience the peaceful vibration at one of the most famous Buddhist sites in the world.

Day 2: Yangon – Botataung temple, fisherman’s village

A bombing during WWII in 1943 destroyed Botataung temple. It was only rebuilt after Myanmar gained independence in 1948. A special place among Burmese, you can find worshippers pray wedged in various corners of the gilded temple. After, we took the ferry across the Yangon River to a fisherman’s village and a non-profit boarding school that educates children from ages 5-13 from all over Myanmar.

Day 3: Bagan – the ancient city

Bagan is an ancient archeological city that was the seat of the Pagan kingdom from the 9th to the 13th centuries. At its height, there were over 10,000 Buddhist temples, of which 3,122 remained. It is a must visit for admirers of history and Buddhism. Yangon to Bagan was also my first of many overnight bus rides in Myanmar.

Day 4: Bagan sunrise and Mount Popa

Witnessing the beauty of the morning rays peeling open the cloak of darkness and bathing the valley with warm orange light, revealing red brick temple tops and its green surrounding, was the apex of my trip. Afterward, we drove a few hours to Mount Popa where we climbed up 777 steps to the top and watched a rainbow arch over the majestic landscape after heavy rainfall.

Day 5: Shan State and Pindaya Cave

After another sleepless night in an overnight bus from Bagan in Mandalay State to Shan State, we drove to Pindaya Cave. The stalactite cave has 10,000 Buddha images climbing up its sides, with the oldest estimated to be from the 17th century.

Day 6: Inle Lake

Inle Lake was the most touristy spot we visited in Myanmar. But it is still worth a trip. We spent our day riding in a jewel-colored long-tail boat through the beautiful lake. We visited temples, monastery, and villages on stilts.

Day 7: Phaungdawoo temple, Shwe Indein Village

A graveyard of a thousand stupas surrounding a village called Shwe Indein. Check. A market where one can buy green tea leaves and wild turmeric from hill tribe’s women for a song. Check. Another beautiful ride along Inle Lake. Check.

Our trip to Myanmar has been unforgettable. The people are kind, the food delicious, and the bus rides hellish. There is still an innocence to the country which I suspect may change as it becomes more touristy. The people smile openly and are generous with stories. Regardless of the politics of this country, I was reminded that people and government do not always share an ideology. Each person just wants to live their life peacefully and hold their loved ones close to their heart.

Myanmar, may you never lose the best parts of yourself.

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Myanmar: Phaungdawoo temple, Shwe Indein Village

In Myanmar, the levels of safety are categorized by color. Black (unsafe), brown (requires permission), and white (safe). A market along Inle Lake where we visited was ‘black’ up until 2005 while the ethnic tribes fought against the government for territory. Now hill tribes women with colorful scarves on their heads came down from their villages to sell green tea and wild turmeric among other locals selling scarves, fish, and jewelry.

We sampled food as we explored. A woman was making what looked like Thai coconut pancakes in a pan with concave holes. I bought a bag for 200 kyat (15 cents). The taste was surprisingly savory. Laurie, on her quest for a perfect coconut, bought one from a stand. “Not sweet”, she said, before buying a bag of dessert made of rice flour.

Laurie and I each got a bag of green tea leaves from a hill tribe’s woman for 500 kyat (40 cents) and wished we could buy more. But our backpacks were as tight as our stomachs.

 

Near there, a graveyard of a thousand stupas surrounds a village called Shwe Indein (shallow water). The ravaged stupas have been sitting neglected during the fighting and now some are undergoing renovations paid for by donations from around the world. I regret to say that the renovations left little to be desired – the ‘fixed’ stupas look new rather than renovated with respect to historical accuracy.

Our trip to Myanmar has been unforgettable. The people are kind, the food delicious, and the bus rides hellish. Regardless of the politics of this country, we were reminded that people and government do not always share an ideology. Each person just wants to live their life peacefully and hold their loved ones close to their heart.

Good night Myanmar. May you never lose the best parts of yourselves.

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Myanmar: Inle Lake, a poem

Long-tail boats with jewel colors
Glide through the channel like lovers
Stirring silts up the shallow water with reflection of sky

Houses on stilts lean into the river
Like women into a mirror
Readying for the temple festival at tide high

Fishermen dance on their basket lures
Fish hide under floating islands of tomatoes
The channel opens up into the wide embrace of lake Inle

Above, the clouds gather
Lightning stirs a flock of white waterfowls
A storm is coming, transforming the blue sky gray
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Myanmar: Shan State, Pindaya Cave

Another sleepless night on the bus and Laurie and I rethought our decision on night buses. It was driven by a man and his sidekick who yelled out directions as he drove up the winding and bumpy road between Bagan and Shan State. It was like being put inside a shaker with someone yelling what sounds very similar to ‘s$&!’ over and over again. An effective interrogation method had we had something to confess.

I had mentioned in a previous post that one of the concepts British colonialism had left behind was the right-steering car. Up until 1970, the entire country drove on the left side of the road. Then one day, for an unreported reason, the government decided everyone should drive on the right side. The problem was and still is that most cars and buses are right-hand-drive. Thus, our driver was driving on the right side of the road with a right-steering bus and was practically blind to everything happening on the left side. Ergo, the sidekick yelling direction through the night. But we survived.

After arriving at the hotel in Inle Lake, the breakfast of Shan noodles and eggs put us back in a good mood. After a couple of hours of rest, our guide from LM Travel Myanmar, Joshua, picked us up in a van and we drove another 2 hours to Pindaya Cave past plantations of wheat, corn, and cigar leaves. This area in Shan State has red soil fertile with minerals and is great for growing crops. 

Farming is the way of life here as is evident by the lines of white cows marching alongside the road. We passed a market that traded and sold these cows. Joshua told us the market opens once every five days to allow farmers who live far away to travel there. There were cows of all sizes, but even the biggest here is a lot skinnier than their American counterpart. And cheaper. A prized cow is about $1,000 U.S.

 

Along the way, we stopped at an old monastery with an infestation of sweet cats. The monastery is over 170 years old. It was teak and looks very much like a traditional Thai home. It has peak roofs and inward leaning walls. Shan State borders Thailand to the east separated by a mountain range, and there are many similarities between Myanmar and its neighbor who shared a long history of warfare.

As we climbed higher and higher, the flat green fields transformed to hills and mountains. The people here also look different from those we met in the south with lighter skin and smaller eyes. There are more than 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar, with 7 being the largest minority nationalities: the Chin, the Kachin, the Karenni (sometimes called Kayah), the Karen (sometimes called Kayin), the Mon, the Rakhine, and the Shan. Each group has their own language, culture, and history, making up Myanmar’s rich tapestry.

After another quick stop at a train track overlooking beautiful vista, we finally arrived at our destination. Pindaya Cave is a stalactite cave estimated to be 2 million years old. It sits on a limestone hill overlooking Botoloke Lake.

In the 18th century, while a war was raging between tribes, the different groups hid images of Buddha here to protect them from possible damage. There are now over 10k images climbing up the sides of the cave. The oldest is from the 17th century. Like other sacred sites, Burmese visitors filled this place. At the entrance of the cave sat a man praying in front of a golden Buddha image. He was chanting in Pali from scripture. His voice echoed throughout the cave.

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Myanmar: Mount Popa

The drive to Mount Popa from Bagan took over 2 hours due to the bumpy, potholed roads. It threatened the loss of an amazing lunch we had eaten at Secret House beforehand. Fried duck, fish in curry sauce, green beans with peppers, stir-fried vegetables, and coconut rice. It was the best meal we had in Myanmar. The duck was melt-in-your-mouth good and the coconut rice was creamy tasting and delicious.

The first glimpse of Mount Popa, an extinct volcano, was pretty spectacular. The entire area is carpeted by a lush green forest that extends for as far as the eye can see. The volcanic ash, together with the springs and streams in the area, provide the perfect fertile ground for growing fruits, trees, and plants. We spotted many nurseries along the side of the road selling dragonfruit and flowering plants. To the southwest, the volcanic plug of Taung Kalat (pedestal hill) juts up from its surroundings. The people believe that the shrine at its top is home to powerful Nats or animist spirits, making it a popular pilgrimage site for Burmese.

The climb up the 777 steps to the top of Mount Popa was treacherous in an unexpected way. The first half of the climb was under a roof flanked by stores selling flowers and touristy trinkets. The second half was out in the elements where the tile steps were slippery from the rain. Because it is a part of the temple, we also had to walk it barefoot.

 

Along the way gangs of macaque monkeys jumped from tree to tree and fought each other like the Jets and the Sharks, complete with bellowing and screeching sound effects. They are not shy with people and will approach in search for food. Women carrying flowers are their favorite targets. Our guide, Tut, told us that late afternoon is the most dangerous time for humans to navigate up and down the stairs. It is when the monkeys rule the mountain. Keep everything you don’t want taken away by the monkeys out of sight!

We trekked up with Burmese of all ages who have traveled from near and far to worship the Nats. There are a few versions of the lore of how this place came to be the famous home of the spirits. Like most things in Myanmar. Even though the animist tradition is unrelated to Buddhism and preceded it, many Burmese subscribe to both sets of beliefs. It seems in parts of the world where history stretches for thousands of years, superstition is as natural as shadows in a forest.

There is a saying in Thai, “If you don’t believe, don’t disrespect.” Even if we do not share the same belief as another, it should not stop dialogue between all sides. Myanmar has a complicated past and present. There are things the government is doing that I fundamentally disagree with. But being here opened my eyes and mind to its people. As we watched a rainbow arch over the majestic landscape after heavy rainfall, it was easy to see why many Burmese revere this lyrical place.

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Myanmar: Bagan sunrise

That first night in Bagan, I woke up to a weight at the end of my bed. My first thought was of Laurie waking me up for our rendezvous with the sunrise. When I felt the weight slipping under the cover I realized I was either dreaming or experiencing something closer to a ghost encounter.

In a city as ancient as Bagan, it is easy to imagine coexisting with spirits and superstitions. But exhaustion won out fear, and the only thing I could muster was a request to the spirit/bad dream to go away. When the real Laurie woke me up at 4:45 AM, I was still exhausted from a night too short. But even with disrupted sleep, sunrise over Bagan is not something you miss.

We rented electric motorbikes from our hotel for 1,500 kyat each ($1.10 U.S.). We rode in the dark to Thitsarwadi temple, one of the many ancient temples near our hotel. It was pretty easy to find with instruction from our guide. Go past the Dhammayazika temple (the big golden pagoda was hard to miss), turn on a small road, then when you see a small sign, turn off to a dirt road around the bend on the right. It took us about 15 minutes to get there.

The temple was small unlike the Shwesandaw, the Sunset pagoda we were at the day before. We climbed up the steep steps and found we were not alone. Several early birds with heavy-duty professional cameras around their necks were already sitting on the edges of the brick overhang. They were waiting the perfect moment to capture the sunrise.

Armed with our mighty iPhones we stood in a scene reminiscing of the movie ‘City of Angels’.  We were like the angels at the beach listening to the tinking of the bells as the sun rose. It was – and I don’t use this word often – magical.

Soon the morning ray peeled open the cloak of darkness and bathed the valley around us with warm orange light, revealing red brick temple tops and its green surrounding. Watching it unfold to the soundtrack of Gymnopedies was peace epitomized. It is human nature to want to find our place in the chaos of life and meaning in random encounters. And I wish that I could say something more meaningful for having witnessed the beautiful scenery, but there really are no words to replace the experience of having been there.

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Myanmar: Bagan – The ancient city

We took the overnight bus from Yangon to Bagan. Although technically we could have afforded plane tickets, we decided to try the local way. I’ve traveled by bus before in Thailand when I was younger, but this was a whole new ballgame. First, it was freezing cold. It seemed the driver was compensating for the hot weather and turned up the AC. Then there’s the roads. They were so bumpy we thought we were on a Mars rover.

To maintain a semblance of comfort, I found having these items helped: 1) Ear plugs (there were snorers); 2) Socks, jacket, scarf, sarong or whatever to keep warm; 3) Sleep mask because they left the lights on; 4) Water and snacks. Not all buses will give you food so don’t count on it; 5) Wet wipes. There were no bathrooms on the bus and the quality of bathrooms at the different stops was not standardized. One of the rest stops only had squat toilets with water in a bucket for washing.

When taking an overnight bus in a country where you lack the language skill, it is important to pay attention to what the driver said or ask your neighbors when in doubt. I know this should be a no-brainer. But at 11 PM, the mind does not think straight.

At the 76 km mark, the bus almost left our little group behind at a food stop because. Our fault. We didn’t know we only had 30 minutes. The driver had some attendants hunt us down while we were eating the last of our hot noodles soup. The walk of shame back to our seats was pretty embarrassing.

We arrived at Bagan just as the sun was rising. Bagan is an ancient archeological city that was the seat of the Pagan kingdom from the 9th to the 13th centuries. At its height, there were over 10k Buddhist temples, of which 3,122 remained. We spent our first day here in 4 of them: Shwesri Gon Pagoda, Htilominlo, Ananda Temple, and Shwesandaw, the Sunset Pagoda. The Shwesri Gon Pagoda from 11th century contains the bone relic of the Buddha. The Ananda Temple, another from the 11th century, has 10k Buddha images. Some depict the story of how the Buddha transformed from a prince to the enlightened one. There were more things we would have learned had we not had to siphon all of our effort toward not passing out from heat stroke. 

The temples would be best visited early in the day. The walls of the temple absorb the heat and by end of the day it felt like 120 degree with 100% humidity inside. It was not easy to stay focused on our knowledgeable guide as he lectured about the differences in Buddha images from century to century. After a while, all we wanted was just a cold drink.

A few things I did learn:

1) Never, ever go to the Shwesandaw for sunset. It was a zoo! The precarious steep steps are dangerous to navigate when congested and the clouds made it impossible to see the sunset.

2) Some tourists can be rude if stuck on the said stone steps. They seemed to bring out the worst in some people. Just move slow and hug the wall.

3) Bobby will buy anything if under enough pressure. There were hundreds of vendors hawking all kinds of tourist trinkets. Some were extremely persistent. Bobby is now a proud owner of a painting he will never hang.

4) Always order the Burmese set meal. Always. You choose the meat (I chose fish and shrimp but there were also beef and chicken), which were then cooked in spices, onions, and peppers. It also came with a soup, a vegetable side, and rice. Heaven.

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Myanmar: Yangon – Botataung temple, fisherman’s village

My second impression of Yangon was of their breakfast. I can write an ode to the chicken noodles in coconut milk soup alone. It was a sweet wake up kiss in my tummy that cured jet lag. I found a recipe online that I’m going to attempt to make one day.

We began our day innocently enough at Botataung temple, where worshippers pray wedged in various corners of the gilded temple. Thar Thar, our guide, told us they did that so they wouldn’t be in the way of foot traffic. Even during mid-morning on a weekday, the temple was full. We had to squeeze our way through the corridors next to walls of shelves filled with antique relics donated to the temples. There were old Buddha statues, rings and necklaces, pink rubies and green emeralds on a silver tea set.

According to local lore, the temple was built 2,500 years ago. Then during WWII, on November 8, 1943, the Royal Air Force (RAF) completely destroyed it. It was only rebuilt after Myanmar gained independence in 1948. In the back of the temple is a pond where hundreds of turtles reside. It is their refuge. Thar Thar bought a plate of vegetables and popcorn from a vendor and gave it to us to feed the animals. 

After, we took the ferry across the Yangon River to a fisherman’s village. Traveling by ferry is popular among the locals. We tottled slowly onto the boat through the crowd before we made our way upstairs toward the back where the welcomed breeze dried our sweat-drenched faces.  

At the fisherman’s village, we saw the daily life of Burmese families. Their days are ruled by the ebb and flow of the river. The men had just come back from a fishing excursion. The delicious scent of fish frying on charcoal stoves rose from inside their long-tail boats, reminding us that lunchtime was approaching. Thar Thar yelled out to the fishermen for a taste of the fish. But her request was either ignored or not heard. 

We rode on trishaws under the blazing southeast Asian sun through a neighborhood of corrugated-roof homes. We past expansive green rice fields where young men fought kites with each other. Happy children waved while geese and goats made way for our 4 trishaws to go through. 

Our final destination was a non-profit boarding school that educates children from ages 5-13 from all over Myanmar. But before that, we made a couple of stops at the stores and shopped for bags of rice, snacks, and supplies. They were about to run out of rice and had completely ran out of school supplies so we were happy our timing was right. It cost each of us less than we would spend on a dinner in the U.S. for what would feed them for at least a month. Mind. Blown.

The students sang 2 English songs for us and I sang one in return. I don’t think we understood each other but lots of smiling always come in handy in a place where language is a barrier. We played a couple of games which I never got a hang of. Before we said our goodbyes, Laurie practically assaulted each kid with a hug. Then we went back toward where we came.

We spent our last hour in Yangon in the humid innards of a local train. Commuters stood packed like sardines no different from those in New York City would on a subway. Except this train car was neither air-conditioned nor fast. It was on Bobby’s bucket list and we all went along. This is the cheapest way to travel for work, our guide said. As my back drip sweat in the suffocating heat, I was grateful that I don’t have an hour daily commute to work on a hot train.

We couldn’t have had this experience in Yangon without our guide, Thar Thar from LM Travel Myanmar. She wanted us to see the not-so-touristy side of this city. One day expectations from the outside will overtake it. As the world contracts, we realized that responsible tourism has never been so crucial. So many ‘3rd world countries’ have suffered at the hands of tourism. Their culture and environment pockmarked by the demands for convenience and technology from their visitors. It is our hope to leave each place we visit a little better than before, or at least not destroy it in our quest for life experiences.