Myanmar (Burma) travel info

Explore & Inspire, Myanmar (Burma) travel info

Intrepid Travel – Classic Burma (Myanmar) Review

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Intrepid Travel – Classic Burma (Myanmar) Review

In September 2015 I was fortunate enough to have the last-minute opportunity to join an Intrepid Travel tour to Burma (Myanmar) and have to say, its been one of my travel highlights.

Burma is a magical country with mythical landscapes, ancient temples, friendly locals and food that you will never forget. Whether you’re strolling around the golden spired of the Shwedagon Pagoda or watching the sunset from the top of a temple in Bagan – Burma will capture your heart and soul with its tranquility, its beauty and it’s simplicity.

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Explore & Inspire, Myanmar (Burma) travel info

Myanmar (Burma) – power supply and plugs

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Myanmar (Burma) – power supply and plugs

Despite my research, thinking I was well prepared, I took to Myanmar (Burma) one adaptor. Unfortunately, it was only useful in certain hotels. It did work at Changai Airport (Singapore). However, it wouldn’t work in my hotel in Yangon. I needed a two prong as well as my three prong. Fortunately, my roomie was well equipped and I was able to tap into her USB charger as my iPhone 6+ was my sole camera.

The power sockets in Myanmar (Burma) are two or three prong. A British 3 prong adaptor worked fine as did a two pin but they are either one or the other, so bring both.

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Myanmar (Burma) – toilets

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Myanmar (Burma) – toilets

Some people like to know prior to visiting a country whether they’ll have to do some quad training so they can use squat toilets easier when they arrive. Only kidding, but it’s good to know what sort of toilets are available so you can be prepared.Toilet signs

Throughout Myanmar (Burma) I found a mixture of western toilets and squat toilets and in villages sometimes a pit.

I have to say that every toilet I used was clean, with toilet paper and facilities to wash your hands with soap outside (except in the villages).

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Myanmar (Burma) – money

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Myanmar (Burma) – money

As a regular traveller, I’m often asked about managing money while overseas including ATM’s, traveller’s cheques and so on. So here is a brief summary of money in Myanmar (Burma).

Kyat

LOCAL CURRENCY – KYATS

Kyat pronounced by locals at ki-at but tourists call it chat. Coins are still minted but are rarely seen as most people use the paper notes. The  notes that you’ll come into contact with are 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 10,000. The lower denominations are often in poor condition but still accepted by vendors. It’s very hard to purchase kyat outside of Myanmar (Burma).

BRING US $’S (more…)

Explore & Inspire, Myanmar (Burma) travel info

Myanmar (Burma) – food

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Myanmar (Burma) – food
Local beer and curry

I travelled to Myanmar (Burma) with an open mind about the food, blocking out the bad rap that many reviewers had written. How could a country that’s surrounded by such culinary kings  as Thailand, India and China possibly have such a reputation of poor food?

Well I’m here to assure you that the food is good, in fact great. Fresh, simple fare with tasty flavours and generous portion sizes.

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Myanmar (Burma) – what to wear

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Myanmar (Burma) – what to wear

As someone who has spent 25 years living in and out of a backpack, I’m getting the hang of packing efficiently and packing lightly. It doesn’t matter whether you’re travelling for one week or ten weeks, the amount of clothes you need is pretty much the same. My pack to Myanmar (Burma) weighed 10 kgs and on the return trip it weighed 15kgs. If I hadn’t bought gifts for friends, it probably would’ve only been 12 kgs.

On my recent trip to Burma there was only one thing I didn’t wear and that was my raincoat, although it did rain but the long boat I was in provided raincoats.

My tip for travelling to Myanmar (Burma) is three sets.

  • One you’re wearing
  • One you’re washing and it’s hanging up to dry
  • One is in your pack

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Explore & Inspire, Myanmar (Burma) travel info

Myanmar (Burma) – luggage and bags

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Myanmar (Burma) – luggage and bags

I’m something of a luggage junkie. I love it. All shapes, sizes, styles. However, I’m not into handbags and only own two. One is a bucket bag and another a small tote for just phone & wallet.

My first backpack was a blue Berghaus travel pack. I was heading off overseas to backpack through Mongolia and to Russia. Unfortunately, I was hit by a car in Guangzhou (that’s a whole other story) and returned to Australia to recover. I still own that pack, it’s in great nick and my kids still use it going to and from their friends places for sleepovers.

When I became a professional outdoor guide I’d heard of Aiking who designed and made the first order of backpacks for my business Serendipity Outdoors. Several years ago, they rebranded to One Planet but quality is still outstanding. Now I wouldn’t use anything other designer / manufacturer. Why?

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