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This post, describing what to see in Myanmar, is the child of another post. I have, in fact, wanted to rewrite my trip to Myanmar, giving various information about places to visit. It was a peculiar trip: in the beginning there were four of us, then we became two, and finally I was left alone. All four of us later found ourselves in Ko Phangan: the Full Moon Party was the right event to celebrate my 30th birthday!
Various adventures happened on this trip. A friend of mine lost his passport (also due to me, since it was in my backpack: I had forgotten about it, also due to a very pressing physiological problem…) and I was in danger of falling from a temple in Bagan (I was literally saved by the shoulder of a hapless Italian, who prevented me from a thirty-meter fall). All in all, however, Myanmar remains a place I remember very fondly!
In the post you will find a map showing what to see in Myanmar and, finally, various useful information!
What to see in Myanmar: Mandalay
Mandalay is well worth a visit. The best way to appreciate Mandalay is to climb Mandalay Hill: here you can see several stupas, a large Buddha, and a beautiful sunset over the city.
The second day was devoted to Amarapura, which was visited by an organized tour. Amarapura is the penultimate royal capital and means ‘City of Immortality’ and is perfectly located on a small lake.
The first stop of the tour was Mahagandaryon Monastery: this part of the tour I honestly did not enjoy at all as it consists of watching the monks having lunch. Thinking back on it today, I cannot conceive how so many tourists can be allowed to observe and photograph the monks taking their meal: it felt like a human zoo and was my least favorite part of the entire Myanmar trip.
The second stop was definitely more worthy: in fact, the Bagaya Monastery, built in 1593, is very unique since it was built entirely of wood. Next we went to see the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, built in 1847 and with shapes reminiscent of Nepalese pagodas, and especially U Bein Bridge. This bridge, built in 1850 and about 1,200 meters long, is at its best at sunset when the colors of the sky become wonderful. It is recommended to cross it on foot and return by boat so that you can also appreciate the bridge from the lake-the water is higher in July-August.
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What to see in Myanmar: Inle Lake
The trip to Myanmar continued with a cab ride of about 6 hours, by which we arrived in Inle Lake, Nyaungshwe locality. As soon as we arrived, we went to relax at the Kaung Daing hot springs-I recommend them!
The next morning, well before sunrise, we started the boat ride on Inle Lake: the sunrise over the lake was truly spectacular! With this boat ride we were able to appreciate the typical stilt houses, gardens suspended over the water, and pagodas: Phaun Daw Oo especially stands out.
What to say about this tour on Inle Lake? It is very beautiful before sunrise and just after, but already around 8 a.m. the lake is totally invaded by other tourists and totally loses its magic. There is also no shortage of tourist procurers trying to sell anything, as well as the typical photos of ‘tightrope walker’ fishermen. Nyaunsghwe is a perfect town for backpackers: excellent street food can be found here and, in addition, many stop here to relax after three days of walking (in fact, the Kalaw trek is famous). I recommend the excellent Acquarius Inn for sleeping.
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What to see in Myanmar: Bagan
Bagan is a town famous for its approximately 4,000 temples, built since 1000 AD.
Arriving in the late afternoon, we had the temple to climb Shwesandaw Temple to appreciate a wonderful sunset.
I honestly remember this temple mostly for the fact that I risked losing my life. In fact, as I was climbing to the top of the temple, I lost my balance, leading me to risk falling to the bottom: I had to lean on the shoulder of an unfortunate tourist to avoid plummeting meters and meters. These moments were endless, and other tourists also noticed the danger (I distinctly remember a general ‘ooooh’). After I managed to pull myself up, I said ‘Excuse me’ to the unfortunate tourist, who responded with a very Italian ‘Excuse the bleep!’ explaining the criticality of the moment.
The next day we rented electric bikes to visit the temples.Bagan is truly splendid, and it is wonderful to wander aimlessly around these wonders. In addition to Shwesandaw Temple I also point out Dhammayangyi and especially Ananda.
The third day started well before dawn with an activity I wholeheartedly advise against. In fact, the hot air balloon ride I do not recommend at all (I elaborate on why in the chapter on useful information).
We left Bagan by plane to go to the capital city of Yangon: it is a town that stays in my heart, even for saving my skin!
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What to see in Myanmar: Yangon
Yangon was my first Asian city. Before Myanmar, in fact, I had visited only a few Thai islands in Asia. I was, therefore, fascinated by the chaos of Myanmar’s capital. From a tourist point of view, Yangon offers above all the wonderful Shwedagon pagoda, built in 1769. In addition to being actually beautiful, this is a very interesting living experience: here it is easy to talk to the monks and the conversations are pleasant and ‘fun’ (I still remember to this day that one monk asked me ‘Do you want to be a monk too?’ and another advised me to shave off my beard because it was ‘not suitable for religion’). The pagoda is visited barefoot: one should never turn one’s back to the deities and place the soles of one’s feet in the direction of the deities themselves.
Another thing I liked about Yangon was the walk to Kandawgyi Lake, which was relaxing despite its proximity to a high traffic road. Yangon, therefore, deserves to be on the list of what to see in Myanmar!
What to see in Myanmar: map
Here you can find a map with places to visit in Myanmar. After the map I list various useful information about Myanmar.
IN ADDITION TO WHAT TO SEE IN MYANMAR, YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN….
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What to see in the Philippines!
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INFORMATION ON WHAT TO SEE IN MYANMAR
- Is it safe to travel to Myanmar? At the time of my trip, Myanmar was safe. Unfortunately, I use the verb declined in the past tense. Currently, conditions have deteriorated. I recommend keeping up to date on the Travel Safe.
- Myanmar, at the time of my trip, was definitely more expensive than neighboring countries. However, the prices were not insurmountable: the price of a double was around $20 to $25.
- On a ten-day trip, I recommend using a couple of domestic planes. This way, in fact, travel time is shortened.
- Ten days is a sufficient amount of time to visit Myanmar. If I had a couple more days, I would have gladly visited Kalaw and Mount Kyaiktiyo.
- The best time to visit Myanmar is from November to April, when the season is dry. Bagan, for example, has very bad weather in summer: it is muggy and rainy at the same time.
- Places not to be missed in Myanmar include Bagan, U Bein Bridge and the Shwedagon pagoda.
- Even in Myanmar we could see traces of the overtourism that often marks neighboring countries. Inle Lake, in particular, is a beautiful place in itself, but the high influx of boats undermines the lake’s authenticity.
- Accommodations are of good quality. I had enjoyed Yoe Yoe Lay Guesthouse in Mandalay and Acquarius inn in Inle Lake, while I found Bagan Empress Hotel acceptable. The food is also of good quality; I still remember the street food in Inle Lake with pleasure.
THE HOT AIR BALLOON IN BAGAN
We had high expectations for the hot air balloon ride over Bagan, due to the amazing tour we had taken in Cappadocia a few months earlier. After several hesitations we paid the $300 required for the tour, which turned out to be ill-spent. The view from the hot air balloon is beautiful, but not as fantastic as we imagined before the ‘expedition’. The cost of the tour is definitely disproportionate to the value, and the scene at the landing with the sparkling wine toast with children begging next to it was uniquely sad.
