08Jan2015

Where to Stay in Myanmar

Julio Moreno Myanmar hotels, Myanmar, UNESCO 4 Comments

I normally don’t review hotels but reliable info on decent places to stay within Myanmar is surprisingly inconsistent and unreliable (read: Lonely Planet blows). Here are the places I stayed along with all the information I remember. Hopefully it will be useful to you.

Take note of the numbers and address as booking online within Myanmar will be a pain given the very limited internet speeds.

Mandalay

Fortune Hotel

Price: ~$24 USD a night

Location: No. 182, 31st St Between 82nd and 83rd Street

Phone: 02-35821, 66548

My Experience: This was a pretty long walk (with luggage) from where the Air Asia bus drops you off, but still manageable. The staff were super awesome and the young guys even taught me where to buy and how to wear a longyi. The breakfast was pretty good too (breakfast is always included in Myanmar) with a choice of eggs in an omelet, scrambled, or over easy. The showers and room were clean, the water was warm, and they had reasonably reliable internet (by Myanmar standards).

Normally, it isn’t easy to rent a scooter as laws in certain places (like Bagan) forbid foreigners from riding them. However, one of the workers let me rent his as long as I brought it back in time for him to go home, which worked out fine for us. We were able to see parts of Mandalay outside of the typical tours, which was awesome. Revisiting certain places off peak hours (such as the large monastery near Ubein Bridge) was worth it. The only con I can think of is that cheaper accommodation is available, but I’d stay here again.

Bagan

18Oct201429Jun2015

Pyu Ancient Cities

Julio Moreno Myanmar, UNESCO World Heritage Site Myanmar, pyay, Pyu, UNESCO, world heritage site 0 Comment

Location: Pyay (Sri Ksetra), Taungdwingyi (Beikthano), and Shwebo (Hanin), Burma / Myanmar

Visited: August 30, 2014

Site Type: Cultural

Inscribed: 2014

Background and Opinion:

The Pyu city-states was a group of six independent cities, noted for being the first in recorded history to occupy what is now northern Burma from the 2nd century BC – 11th century CE. Pyu had its own language and written script which was derived from Brahmi of ancient India and is also thought to be what led to Mon Script, the modern Burmese writing system. All of that knowledge hurt my head. They are the first civilization in the area…there! Read more →

09Oct2014

Myanmar in 50 Pictures

Julio Moreno Myanmar Bagan, Inle, Kayah, Kayan, Myanmar 0 Comment

From the moment I stepped off the airplane in Mandalay, I knew this country would be special. There were no sidewalks to walk on, the palace looked like it was falling apart, and the bus, didn’t drop us where it was supposed to (of course). Nevertheless, the long walk to our hotel was met with dozens of friendly smiles as I was taught my first Burmese word, “mingalaba” (hello). The warmth of the Burmese people is in every corner of the country from the ultra popular Bagan to the seldom traveled Kayah State.

I could go on and on about how much I love Myanmar, but thought it would be best to let pictures tell the story. This is a compilation of my 50 favorite pics of the trip to make up for the terribly inconsistency of this blog as of late (sorry guys). As a sign of my apologies, there is a small giveaway at the bottom of this post too so keep reading.