Having just sent my beloved on his way home, I'm finally able to set my mind n heart to recap the whole trip. If u haven't guessed it yet, "Yan-anda-gan" actually stands for the three cities that we had visited during our trip to Myanmar: Yangon, Mandalay n Bagan. Honestly though, prior to this trip, I had no idea where these places were n what they offered to be considered a choice of destination for travellers. In any case, since we were looking for an adventure, it didn't really matter where we went, as long as we went together.
To keep this strictly about our exploration of Myanmar, I'll TRY to exclude all the lovey-dovies that happened during the 12 days (possibly write another note on that later :P ). But in short, yes he was the most attentive n patient person, which I can't stress enough how much of a challenge I am already to people when we're NOT travelling. So, I can imagine that I was probably 10x worse during the trip, but he'll never tell me that. Back to what I was saying, upon his arrival Friday night, we began to prepare our bags for our departure the next afternoon. I did feel bad that he had to carry so much already, n offered to take my toiletries for me because it didn't fit into my bag. As always, without complaint.
(Whaaat? It was too early of a wake...)
This time, I feel it might be easier to recap per city instead of days as most of the details would be too "personal" for blogs. So we'll see how this works...
Yangon
Bookings: Seven Diamond Travel - I did feel terribly bad to leave all the planning up to TN, but as we couldn't book any flights unless we were physically in Myanmar, he didn't book the hotels either. So technically, he only booked our return flights between KL n Yangon. Lol, so much work! Just kidding- he did most of the research of places we should go, so at least some planning was done. But yes, if u do plan to self-travel in Myanmar, u'll have to drop by a travel agency n book everything from there. They'll be able to get u a group rate for certain things, like for example, our "Balloon over Bagan" which cost USD300ish each booking it online, but was USD260 each when they booked it for us. So yes, the whole morning spent organizing dates n picking out activities may be a tedious task, but once completed, the rest is to enjoy.
Mind u, Myanmar's tourism industry's literally a baby at best, so don't expect them to be as efficient, connected n cooperative within the various sectors. Like all things, it has room for improvement. Side note: always call a day before to reconfirm ur flights as they may change unexpectedly. Though, that's not fool-proof either. Having confirmed our flight from Mandalay to Bagan the day before, the flight was delayed in the morning n we got stuck at the airport for more than 6 hours. Just fantabulous. Except, u'd think they'd have more flights between domestic cities for a local airline. Nope, just to Bagan, we had to wait for more than a quarter of the day. But as it was a very local airline, if I were using international standards, I'd be asking too much. Summary? Don't expect to do more than research before reaching Myanmar. U can try, but don't be too upset if u can't get anything done.
Hotel: Clover Hotel & Sunflower Hotel - Clover Hotel was clean n cosy but the room's a bit too big for us as we had to go for a deluxe due to lack of available rooms. Staff were very helpful, but in general, still a bit of language challenges. Wireless was somewhat available, though I wasn't too surprised that it didn't work too well because of their electricity instabilities. Quite a walk to difference places as it wasn't in downtown, n not much to eat around there, but good view of Shwedagon Pagoda from breakfast. This is an afterthought, but not staying in downtown somewhat allowed a more comfortable place of stay.
On our last night in Myanmar, we decided to book a hotel in downtown Yangon to be able to do some last walkabouts. But, since hotels were quite full, we didn't have much of a choice. Sunflower Hotel, a suggestion in Lonely Planets, was one of the last places available for the night's stay, so we booked it there. Except, it was a total nightmare. The aircon started a little waterfall down the side of the wall, our bedsheets didn't feel clean, n worst of all, no one mentioned that the standard room wasn't really "standard": toilets n showers were shared with everyone on the same floor. Don't expect the staff to be friendly either. The guy who seemed to be the manager demanded that we pay for the night beforehand n was not very "customer-service" oriented. I mean, we should already know that as it was written in the Lonely Planet, but having to pay for our night before our stay? Hm, a little fishy to me. Regardless, it was our last night in Myanmar, so we stuck it through n left it at that.
If we ever do visit Yangon again, we'd probably stay outside of downtown to get some real rest (yes, I refused to shower at night because it was just too creepy in the shared showers with orangey lighting. Perfect for horror movies! n without a good shower, I just can't fall asleep comfortably, though I did pass out because we were just too tired). In any case, it's a "no thanks" for next time at Sunflower Hotel.
(another set of confusing keyboards)
Mode of Transportation: Car & Walk - The only time that we really needed a car was from the airport to our stay in Yangon. I can't say everything was at a close enough proximity to walk, but they were walkable distances. Plus, the places were quite easy to find as the city was organized using the grid-system for their streets. With a good map, u can't really get lost. If anything, just smile n ask a local. Most of the time, if u didn't already scare them off by saying hi, they'll be more than happy to point u in the right direction if they can understand where u want to go.
That reminds me, we were getting so lost on the first night there when we tried to find our way to Shwedagon Pagoda. Finally, we decided to flag someone down n ask for directions. The guy was very helpful, pointing us to this small road across the street that should lead us straight to the pagoda. Just as we were crossing, the old man pulled over a junior- not sure whether or not they know each other- n told him to take us to there. We simply assume he was heading in the same direction, so we followed. Once we got to the place, he turned n said "pagoda" as he pointed to the shiny building n left us to spend our night. Surprisingly helpful, n I'd like to think that it's because I was always willing to go out of my way for lost people in Kuala Lumpur that when I needed help, it comes to me with ease. Yes, that's right. Collecting good karma. In general, cars are more straight-forward n gets u where u want to go, but it's a little bit more fun being able to walk around small streets n go with the flow of things.
(Common for women to carry things on their heads)
Exchange Rate: 760~920Kyat/USD - Honestly, I'm not quite sure how we managed to use the cash my co-worker handed to me prior to the trip when it wasn't even Kyats. But, none of the taxi drivers said anything, so I didn't really realize that until TN pointed out. Oh wells, it got us to the hotel. Having read a bunch of warnings about USD, we came prepared. Many places use USD instead of Kyat (credit cards are useless in this country- even at hotels), which might not be a good thing because then Kyat'll sooner or later become useless. In any case, bring enough cash to exchange, n in most cases, the best rates would be in banks, but not in Yangon.
If u want a good rate, go to the area near Sule Pagoda in the middle of the CBD. That's where many of the "freelance" money changers hang out. Instead of the rate of 760 that we got at the hotel, the rate went all the way up to 920 at some point (yah, I totally regret brushing off the guy who offered us that price soon after we landed in Mandalay because the rate there was even worse). So heads up, if u get the average of 800Kyat/USD, u might as well do it legally at a bank. If u get anything higher, it'll be a good exchange. Mind u though, even at banks, different USD notes have different rates (yes, Myanmar's the only country where $100USD x 1 ≠ $1USD x 100. This equation would make quite the tourist T-shirt n TN agrees with me on this one).
So yes, bring enough big notes for ur exchanges, n some small notes to pay for small purchases. Oddly enough, they prefer USD over Kyat, so the prices' better in USD sometimes, even though locals are not allowed to exchange it back to Kyat at banks. Sigh, weird country, indeed. Reminder: notes must be new, unfolded, n as big of a note as possible because the smaller the note, the lower the rate.
Places of Interest: Shwedagon Pagoda & Downtown area (food) - Figured I'd just highlight some of the places that stood out for me the most in Yangon. On the first night, TN planned for us to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda because it was said that the place's more amazing at night. So when the junior left us at the door to the pagoda, we slowly made our way in. Now, there're strict rules about visiting places likes these: no shoes/socks n proper clothing- which means, not showing too much skin. No sleeveless or mini shorts/skirts. Knowing that'd be an issue, despite my love for my shorts n skirts, I came prepared with knee-length pants. Good thing the weather cools down during the night, so the pants weren't too much. Shoes were very very very important. Don't ask me how I knew- some random guy spazzed at me for putting my shoes on the cement. Point being, it was a driveway that cut through the path to the pagoda. So how can u expect people to walk bear feet where cars would drive?! I'm just speechless. I mean, I understand that it's out of respect to be barefoot, but at least keep it SAFE. Then again, we're in Myanmar, so even with shoes, it'd be just as dangerous. Anyway, the place was packed with people just chillaxing. Obviously, with a six-foot european, we stood out alot from the crowd. Nonetheless, they dared not to approach us n left us be. Oh, n they tend to charge for cameras at such places, ranging from 100Kyat to 500Kyat per camera. It feels more like a tourist fee but with a more political name. Oh wells, what can u do in another's country? Nothing. One other thing that bothered me a little was the use of xmas lights on these beautiful ancients. It may light them up a bit more during the night, but it devalues their beauty. Looks way too cheesy n cheap, sorry to say. Hopefully, they'll learn that n leave the buildings alone for their natural look to shine (yes, they were mostly golden, so I don't see a problem with not being able to see them at night with a good set of house lights). As it reached closing time, we bid the 2,600 year-old monument a good night.
(can't get it all to fit into the picture!)
(one of my favourite temples(?) at Shwedagon)
Downtown was a totally different story. It really didn't feel like downtown at all, but that's just me comparing that to other more modernized n developed countries. After our visits to Mandalay n Bagan, it was quite obvious that this was "their" downtown. The area wasn't too large, so u'd be able to cover the whole place in a day for sure. We were able to find a restaurant called " Monsoon" that was recommended by the Lonely Planet, n it was quite romantically enjoyed. Even though u'd be able to find various kinds of cuisines, do go for Myanmarnese food whenever possible because that's the whole point of going to a country: going there to enjoy it first-hand. Although we've spent 9 days in Myanmar, it's still a difficult to describe what Myanmarnese food is. They do stick with a lot of rice n noodles, not much meat. If any, it's the usual chicken, pork n beef. Mutton was my favourite if they were available. Curry seemed to come up quite often too. Don't worry about it being spicy as they can always tweak the flavouring for u. Of course, the selection was more creative in a city like Yangon, so expect the prices to be a little higher than Mandalay and Bagan. I won't get into their menus right now, but u can imagine, the more country-side, the more simple things become. Other than that, downtown wakes up quite early n also sleeps early. Roughly around 9ish, the streets would start to clear off n become eerily empty. But if u think that's early, wait till u hear about Bagan. *cough* ghost town by 7pm *cough*. Anyway, I'm sure there were other places to visit, but after touring the local markets to get a sense of what Yangon's all about, we were more excited to take off for Mandalay n Bagan.
(can't remember what this rice was but it was YUMS!)