Anyone been to Myanmar?

[brownkai]

Hi, it'll take an estimated 9 hours to reach Bagan from Yangon with the overnight bus. This includes quick stopovers inbetween

I can only recommend Elite Express as it's the only bus company I've taken before.

1. Good service - leaves the bus terminal on time, hands out light refreshments, a pack of basic toiletries for you to freshen up at the stopovers, and a blanket.

2. The seats are comfortable and reclinable, and equipped with an entertainment system.

3. Aircon is bearable - not too cold, but you may use the provided blanket to cover up when you need to.

Overall, it's like taking SQ, but on land

However, do note that you are required to alight the bus during the stopovers, so it may affect your sleep throughout the ride.

And it is perfectly safe to take overnight buses - be sure to select a bus company that have been positively reviewed by travellers!

Bro thx for the info... Would definitely wanna try SQ feel on a bus

 

[fitzz82]

anyone tried hotair balloon in Myanmar? how much does it cost?

 

[mytaroavocado]

Omg - got air ballon sounds amazing! I heard it’s really dangerous though - like every year ppl die for burn or drop too hard

 

[galacticnick]

anyone tried hotair balloon in Myanmar? how much does it cost?

in Bagan. there are only three operators to choose from, so the prices are expectedly high - i paid almost S$450 (per person), and it's slightly discounted (the usual price is around S$500).

 

[galacticnick]

Omg - got air ballon sounds amazing! I heard it’s really dangerous though - like every year ppl die for burn or drop too hard

it's not dangerous. yes, there have been casualties, but the odds are no different from those of driving or crossing the road.

it's definitely one of the best travel experiences money can buy.

 

[rajeev3001]

Just wanna share my experience in Yangon as I recently went there

1. It is very accessible to travel via Grab, plenty of them and acceptance rate is fast. However most of their cars are pretty old (you can tell by the seats and external appearances but it's very common there) and they usually don't turn on aircon (seems very common for most older cars there — they commute with windows opened, probably to save gas since the jams can be quite bad and slow there). And air can be very dusty. Book grab through the usual app, try to avoid those taxis that come up to you as they will tout at higher prices.

2. Traffic can be really bad there, so it's advisable to give yourself ample time to travel if you need to go to the airport. There's an airport bus at only 500kyats (if I recall correctly) which takes you from airport to city and vice versa.

3. You can easily get sim cards from Yangon airport at reasonable rates.

4.. Swedagon pagoda is nicer to visit during dusk/night as the lights are very beautiful. In the day it is nothing much special and also the weather can be very hot, so visiting in the evening makes a more comfortable experience! Most pagodas are opened till night so there's plenty of time to take your time to visit.

5. Most temples/pagodas require you to remove your footwear to enter. Advisable to bring a simple plastic bag to carry your shoes around (because you might exit from another exit instead), and also some tissues and wet wipes would be good as you'll be walking around barefooted all around in the temples where many places will be open spaced and the floors may be dirty or wet esp on rainy days.

6. The circular train (at only about 20cents sgd lol!) is not too bad an experience if you wanna see how the locals commute. No aircon and very dusty, not much views to see and lots of slums along the tracks but you can see all walks of life, and it is pretty interesting.

really useful advice. thank you.

 

[MrTheROCK]

Already visited bagan n yangon. hope to visit mandalay and inle lake soon

 

[lilrex21]

Went there last December. Simple place, beautiful, and their people are really good natured.

Quite fascinating how many places of worship and how much money they each put towards maintaining them despite them not earning much.

I hired a private van to bring us around since we were quite a big group. Very responsible owner who tried his best to make up for his driver’s mistake.

Their people are really good to deal with. They’re not like other countries where the cabbies black face you when you reject them. They just give you a big smile and walk off. Really a breath of fresh air.

 

[Hellisini]

Going Yangon from 2 May to 6 May 20. Wanted to book a tour to Bago and realized the price for single traveller is terribly expensive. It goes down a lot for two or more people. Is anyone interested to sign up for the Bago tour together?