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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: 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.

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Myanmar: Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda is a must visit in Yangon.

The ancient temple is a source of pride for the Burmese. From the first look, I knew why. At night, the Shwedagon Pagoda is a sight to behold. The 99-meter tall (325 feet) structure stood like a titan against the black backdrop. In flickering candlelight and orange incandescent, the golden pagoda, stupas, and temples gleam like the center of the sun.

The sky was sprinkling rain. We began our journey by leaving our shoes at the entrance. It is a common and expected practice when entering any temples or homes in Southeast Asia. The floors were slippery but the temple lined a path of non-skid plastic tiles for its visitors to walk on. While the hard plastic dug into my feet making it painful to walk on, it was better than falling on my face.

We navigated through the rain and worshippers who came from various corners of the world to see this famous sight. Around us are sounds of chanting, little boy monks playing, and bell tolling. The smell of incense permeated the air.

Our guide, Thar Thar, from LM Travel Myanmar told us that the Shwedagon Pagoda contains the hair relic, staff, water filter, and robe of Buddha. And according to legend, it was built over 2,500 years ago, making it the oldest in the world. Historians and archaeologists disagreed. They maintained that the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. Regardless of its age, the Burmese consider this ancient place the most sacred pagoda in Myanmar.

The pagoda is plated with real gold and its top, the umbrella crown, is encrusted with over 2,000 rubies and 5,000 diamonds, the largest of which is 76 carats. All were donations from Buddhist believers. My friend, Laurie, asked our guide whether the temple worries someone would steal the treasure. Thar Thar replied that once the people gave the gift, they no longer think of them. It is a practice in letting go.

Buddhism teaches that human struggles stem from attachment: to things, to people, to our own ego. Sometimes the weight of it all can prevent us from moving forward. I am not a Buddhist but I do agree that the practice of letting go is a healthy exercise for the mind. While it is not easy nor pleasant to detach, learning to do so would lead to a true acceptance of the impermanence of life.

At the end of our visit, Thar Thar led us to a quiet corner of a veranda. It was a good spot to absorb the peaceful vibration in the air. This place leaves a strong impression. For generations, it serves as a witness to periods of wars and peace in one of the oldest civilization in the world. I wondered whether it would it stand for another millennium. Where would our humanity be then?

Click here on how to travel Myanmar in 7 days.  
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Myanmar: Yangon street food tour

My first impression of Yangon was that the city reminded me a bit of Thailand 30 years ago. When there were fewer skyscrapers and freeways. When old trees and dilapidated colonial buildings peppered the streets that had just begun to experience the glut of cars and before it would become world-renowned as the infamous Bangkok traffic. My two friends and I stayed in the city center near Chinatown where houses of worship for Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims are seen from one street corner.

Like America, Myanmar was a colony of England. From 1824 to 1948 it undergone wars with the British, became known as a province of British India, and finally gained independence after WWII and Japanese rule like many Southeast Asian countries. Reminders of British imperialism are in government offices, abandoned buildings with ferns growing from the windows of what may have once been the drawing-room of a colonial officer’s family, and right-hand drive cars.

The people are friendly. Many men wear longyi, a cloth around their waist worn like a skirt. Some women wear yellow powder called Thanaka on their faces. Dressing is conservative with arms and legs often covered. Smiles are not hard to find.

We ate our way through street vendors in a market. Boiled offal. Tea leaf salad with peanuts. Durian. Deep fried Indian snacks. Coconut pancakes. The offal was not my first choice, but the many stalls filled with patrons proved the dish popular among locals. It was available in both beef and pork, so I was glad to have our guide with us to make sure I did not inadvertently eat the wrong meat.

It was sold by the stick with each being between 100-200 kyat ($0.07-0.15 U.S.) and came with a bowl of soup used to dip the meat in. The tea leaf salad or Lahpet Thoke has a flavor profile unlike anything I had ever tasted before. It was earthy, slightly bitter, with a citrus aftertaste. The crunchiness of the peanuts and fried garlic contrasted with the softness of the corn and tomatoes. The 500 kyat ($0.37 U.S.) dish was flavorful and nutritious, yet affordable.

The durian here was less crispy than the Thai variety both Laurie and I know and love. But at 2,000 kyat each ($1.46), it was the cheapest durian we ever came across. The flavor was delicious and on point. But for those who are not used to it, it may smell like stinky feet or rotten onion.

Here, the personalities of my traveling companions came to best exemplify them. Laurie did not hesitate to sit at a food stall or try chewing betel nut. Bobby, however, was constantly whispering in the background asking whether it was a good idea to be eating or drinking whatever our guide gave us. I think the combination of both caution and thirst for experience will serve our group well as we travel through this beautiful country.