Experience Guide Series
Experience Myanmar (Burma) 2021
By Len Rutledge
Experience Myanmar (Burma)
Len Rutledge
Copyright Len Rutledge 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
All rights reserved
Eighth edition - December 2020
Published by Northpress
17 Saltwater Drive, Toomulla Beach, Australia 4816
One-leg rowers on Inle Lake
Table of Contents
About the Author
Introduction
All 34 color pictures by Phensri Rutledge
15 color Maps
About the Author
Len Rutledge has been travel writing for 40 years. During that time, he has written thousands of newspaper articles, numerous magazine pieces, more than a thousand web reviews and around 50 travel guide books. He has worked with Pelican Publishing, Viking Penguin, Berlitz, the Rough Guide, and the Nile Guide amongst others.
Along the way he has started a newspaper, a travel magazine, a Visitor and TV guide, and completed a PhD in tourism. His travels have taken him to more than 120 countries and his writings have collected a PATA award, an ASEAN award, an IgoUgo Hall of Fame award, and other recognition.
You can follow him on Facebook as Len.Rutledge and as experience_guides , and as len.rutledge and experience_guides on Instagram. You can read more about the author on his web site www.LenRutledge.com
About the Photographer
Phensri Rutledge was born in Thailand but has lived in Australia for many years. For 30 years her photographs have appeared in a range of guidebooks and in newspapers and magazines in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Her travels have taken her to all continents except Antarctica through over 80 countries.
She contributes to several travel websites and has a number of popular social media sites. You can follow her Facebook page as World Travel Photography and as phensri_focus on Instagram.
Also check out our Youtube channel where we cover some other destinations. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX5HUmGP1lR2aoscn3O8P2Q
Introduction
2020 was a horror year for many people and Experience Guides was affected significantly. One obvious disappointment was the lack of travel opportunities which meant that we were unable to visit most of the countries we write about and hence were unable to personally update our 2020 books. We have overcome this by using the resources of national and local tourist offices, other tourism operators, personal contacts and general web sources to bring this book up to date.
Unfortunately, with on-going problems in the tourism and travel industries, further closures and changes will occur in the coming months so please confirm with individual entries before deciding to visit. We look forward to a better 2021 and wish readers happy travels.
Experience Travel Guides, the Guides the Travel Industry trust, are unique in that they are designed to be read in the same way as a novel. They are a valuable resource for those planning to visit a destination, a source of information for those just interested in finding out more about a country, and a pleasure for those armchair travelers who just enjoy a good read.
Experience Myanmar highlights the more rewarding parts of the country so that those planning a visit can quickly and efficiently plan an itinerary. We locate and detail the best places to see and the top experiences to enjoy, and recommend accommodation options in all areas. All are based on the personal experience of the author.
We capture the personality and the underlying cultural and historical significance of the cities, regions, and holiday destinations. Come with us as we explore bustling Yangon, the wonderful temples and pagodas of Bagan, the unspoiled beaches of the west coast, the historic old northern capital cities, and the pure exhilaration of wonderful Inle Lake. Meet hill-tribe village people, buy fascinating handicrafts, eat tantalizing cuisine, and enjoy charming hospitality.
As more people travel to new destinations, guidebooks grow in importance. Hard-copy books, however, are often out of date before they are printed and users are frustrated by experiences contrary to what is described. This book has no such problem as it was updated in November 2020 and can be updated as often as necessary to keep it right up to date.
Be aware that many internet sites provide out of date or inaccurate information. We have done everything possible to ensure our information is up to date and we will continue to update the book as necessary.
Please realize, however, that no guidebook can substitute for common sense. Much of Myanmar is tropical but the northern highlands can get quite cold at night during the main tourist season, so you need to pack clothing, footwear, and other items appropriate for those conditions. It is primarily a Buddhist country so you should be aware of the customs and traditions associated with that religion.
The country was isolated from most of the world for several decades so infrastructure and ideas are behind much of the rest of Asia. It is fast catching up, however, and visitor numbers are growing rapidly. Now is a great time to travel there.
We believe that every place in the world provides unique experiences which make a visit worthwhile. We encourage you to explore, meet the locals, and grab each new opportunity as it arises. Traveling is fun but always do it with care and compassion. In that way your Myanmar experience can provide lifetime memories.
Costs in this book
Most costs are given in Myanmar kyats. Here is a link to a popular conversion site. https://www.xe.com/currency/mmk-burmese-kyat
Maps
Maps are provided throughout the book detailing places of interest. In addition, Google maps are always useful so here is the appropriate link. https://www.google.com./maps/
Enjoying a Cheroot or Burmese cigar.
the new Burma
Myanmar, which was known for many years in the rest of the world as Burma , is one of the least known countries in south-east Asia. Back in the early 1980s, visitors were restricted to a stay of seven days, then it was virtually closed to the world for about twenty years. Now it has reopened its borders to tourists and people have been rushing to visit.
The increase in visitor numbers is impressive but also in some ways frightening. 762,547 travelers visited the country in 2009. In 2012, there were more than one million visitor arrivals. In 2014 this rose to more than three million, and in 2015 to 4.6 million. These figures, however, are likely to be inflated and the government recently announced that the 2019 figure was 4.6 million.
In September 2018, Myanmar launched a new tourism campaign, Myanmar, Be Enchanted, in a bid to attract more visitors to the country amid a boycott by westerners over the crisis in northern Rakhine State. The countries sending the most visitors to Myanmar in 2019 were China, Thailand and Japan.
Authorities are moving to improve airport facilities to accommodate rising demand, with ongoing work to expand the capacity of Yangon International Airport from 2.7m to 8m passengers. A new Hanthawaddy International Airport, which will be located 80 km to the north-east of Yangon, will have a passenger-handling capacity of 12m per year when it opens. This airport was first proposed more than 20 years ago and until quite recently a 2022 opening date was being touted even though construction has not started. A 2027 opening date is now forecast.