Weekly EcoBurma Roundup #8

Dear Readers,

What are travelers’ thoughts about traveling to Burma?

This is the issue we’ll explore this week. You will see that these thoughts can be very varied, sometimes highly enthusiastic, sometimes much more mixed, for good or wrong reasons.

For some, like Thomas Kotka of “A life of travel.com”, Myanmar became their favorite destination. In his article, “Why Myanmar?”, he describes why he loves traveling to Myanmar so much. The change of scenery is absolute, the landscapes are stunning and you will meet the “warmest and most welcoming people”. And what is more, he explains, is that you will come across exceptional opportunities for travel in all areas of tourism cultural tours, trekking, ethnic visits, diving trips, and so on.

For others, it takes more times to discover and appreciate the richness and beauty of Burma. “Travel in Burma gets better” tells us why it is necessary to organize a journey to Burma carefully. The authors also explain why they were disappointed by Yangon, the old capital: expensive and disreputable hotels, some difficulties in accessing the city, etc. According to them, the only noteworthy exception: the Shwedagon Pagoda.

In contrast, other destinations were a pure delight for them: Mandalay, Bagan, “the ultimate must-see”, Inle Lake….

We let you discover this genuine chronicle of a journey in Burma which was achieved “with a feeling of joy in our hearts”.

The last story is about “Why not to go to Burma“. These parents explain that, despite what was planned, they will not to go to Burma because of the risk of malaria there. “They are not willing to expose [their daughter] Charlotte to this risk, nor to the horrible side effects of anti-malarial drugs”. This is definitely an unusual reason to not go to Burma but we let you read their reasoning.

Travel tips

One big issue for travelers is how to exchange money. Read about a bad experience in Getting Robbed in Yangon, Myanmar: The Complete Story.

Last but not least, some very interesting travel tips from Ivan Henares, Vice President & Trustee of the Heritage Conservation Society. What is important and relevant to do when you want to travel to Burma? What are the pitfalls to avoid? He gives precise tips to help you avoid ruining your trip unnecessarily: use cash only, change money at the airport, buy a local SIM card at the airport, purchase your bus tickets from your hotel, and so on.

Have a good week and enjoy your holidays.