Beachmeter

Tag - Myanmar

Spotlight on Majestic Myanmar

Fishing canoe Myanmar scenary

Guest post by Ella Kim, trekbible.

Myanmar, formerly called Burma, is often referred to as “The Golden Land” due to the thousands of gilded pagodas peppered throughout its landscape. The environment of Myanmar today is very similar to that of Thailand several decades ago, and this beautiful and quaint atmosphere draws an increasing number of tourists to the area each year.

Myanmar residents are not only welcoming to tourists, they are also extremely helpful. They often take time out of their day to show visitors around their country and point out the best landmarks and attractions.

Practicing English is essential to many Myanmar residents, and therefore tourists are often approached with a friendly smile and a “Hello, what is your name?”

The City of Bagan

Overview of the historic city of Bagan in Myanmar.

Bagan is Myanmar’s most ancient city, boasting more than 3,100 temples dating back to the 1100s. With lovely gilded spires that span the horizon, the dreamy cityscape has the appearance of something one would see in a book of fairytales.

However, despite its magnificent appearance, the center of Bagan feels more like a tranquil village than a city, and this is primarily because its temples usually outnumber its visitors. This gives it a refreshing, quaint feeling that is not found in most other areas of Asia.

Myanmar Cuisine

Food in Myanmar is inexpensive, delicious and plentiful. Many people have never had Burmese fare prior to visiting Myanmar, and subsequently find it unique and tasty. Dishes in Myanmar are derived from Chinese, Indian and Thai ingredients.

The most frequently served dishes are Mohinga–orange fish sauce and rice noodles–Shan Noodles stir fried in bean and chicken sauce with peanuts and vegetables, and Onnokauswe–noodles cooked in coconut milk. Most menus also feature spicy soups and almost all dishes include curry in their ingredients.

Thanks to its tropical climate, the country also boasts a vast array of fresh fruit for sale, and smoothies are offered in most restaurants.

Lodging

Accommodation in Myanmar can be found to suit virtually all budgets and lifestyles. Although the Myanmar Kyat is the preferred currency, most hotels and resorts also take the American dollar and the euro.

Budget accommodation can be found for approximately $5-$40 per night, while mid-range hotels and resorts can be secured for anywhere from $40 to $120 per night. Luxury lodging is available for approximately $120-$400 per night. At the top end, visitors will discover true style and opulence, with beautifully appointed establishments that match any luxury hotel or resort around the world.

Myanmar Weather and Travel Seasons

The best months to travel to Myanmar are November, December, January and February. Like most areas of Southeast Asia, the dry season in Myanmar runs from late October to mid-May. The wet season is from the end of May until the beginning of October, when monsoons begin to blow from the southwest. May and June are extremely hot, and during these months temperatures often reach 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit).

Things to See and Do

Shwedagon Paya

The magnificent temple of Shwedagon Paya in Myanmar

One of the most sacred sites among Myanmar Buddhists is the Shwedagon Paya. This 325 foot structure is adorned with thousands of precious gemstones, including diamonds, and features 27 metric tons of gold leaf. The Paya features four stairways leading to the temple’s main entrance and primary terrace. Those searching for tranquility should visit the temple at dawn, but its most spectacular backdrop appears in the evening, when the sun casts burnt orange, crimson and gold hues over the Paya in a spectacular display of color.

Mandalay Hill

View from Mandalay hill in Myanmar

Mandalay Hill is a great attraction for anyone who enjoys walking or climbing. The hill itself is 760 feet tall and the path is covered with rustic stairways and offers visitors their choice of several routes to the top. However, the paths taken by tourists usually pass numerous pagodas and temples, where it may be necessary to go barefoot for several yards. These customs are sometimes not enforced, but visitors should keep them in mind when traveling to Mandalay Hill. The climb takes approximately half an hour, but many people choose to stop en route to view various sites along the summit.

Bagaya Kyaung

Myanmar's Bagaya Kyaung MonasteryAnother highly memorable attraction in Myanmar is the Bagaya Kyaung Monastery. This impressive structure is supported on 270 teak posts, with the largest of them boasting measurements of nine feet in circumference and 60 feet in height. This creates a dark, cool prayer hall through which there is a constant flow of visitors. Stained timbers within the structure are inscribed with lotus flower and peacock motifs.

Despite its many visitors, it remains a functioning monastery and tourists will see monks on the premises at all times. Tourists are welcome, but are asked to be respectful to local patrons who are conducting prayers and the Bagaya Kyaung monks who live on site.

Myanmar Marionettes

Marionette puppet from MyanmarThe Myanmar Marionettes Theater is a wonderful place for both adults and children, where internationally known puppeteers re-create tales of history and fantasy on a tiny stage with colorful marionettes. Visitors can also purchase puppets from the theater and the proceeds go to keeping the establishment open.

Myanmar is a perfect vacation destination for anyone searching for a unique and interesting area of the world in which to spend time. Regardless of where one stays or which attractions he or she chooses to see, a visit to Myanmar will never be forgotten.

Head to the Beach!

tropical beach with palm trees from MyanmarPhoto credits: FreeImages.com/Tamlyn Rhodes

With 2,000 km (1,200+ miles) of near pristine beaches along the west coast, Myanmar’s beaches are home to white sands and spectacular sunsets. While some beachfronts like Chuang Tha or Ngapali have become more and more developed over the years, there are still spots like Ngwe Saung or Kanthaya Beach that offer more laid-back and “unspoiled” scenes. Be mindful that most areas near beaches do tend to “shut down” for the monsoon season which lasts from May to October. Myanmar beaches “reopen” around December and last through April, so if you’d like to catch some waves, plan accordingly!”

Myanmar beach with fisherman's boats

Beachmeter.com section seperator

Ella, Content Manager for trekbible, is a writer and content specialist with a predilection for learning and exploring new places and cultures around the world.

With family scattered throughout the U.S. and South Korea, she loves to see cross-cultural influences around the world. Her favourite thing to do on her travels is to taste the local cuisine of each destination.

Beachmeter.com section seperator

Your Thai Smiles and Wai’s might very well be Burmese

The Thai Smile and the Thai wai is iconic for Thailand. This girl is giving a Thai wai, a welcome greeting by putting her palms together in front of her chest.
How often do you hear friends and acquaintances come back from a Thai holiday praising the iconic Thai Smile?

It is quite common for tourists to praise Thai hospitality, the Thai smile, and the polite greeting gesture called the wai. Well, actually the welcoming wai and the Thai smile could very likely be a Burmese version!  Over some years of visiting beaches in Thailand and talking to tourism staff and local residents, I started to realize that increasingly, a lot of these people at the southern Thai beach destinations don’t speak Thai. They are in fact from Myanmar. Once I realized this, I started to dig into the subject a little more.

There are 2-3 million Burmese living in Thailand, maybe more since far from all are officially registered. Many of them are employed by the hotel industry. I asked a few tourism industry representatives, hotel managers, expats in Thailand, and local residents about the reason for this apparent rise in hotel workers from Myanmar. Here are some of the reasons I was given.

Reasons given for using Burmese hotel staff in Thailand

Burmese people speak better English

Thai staff is simply too lazy

The demand for hotel staff has risen so fast that foreign staff has to be used

Young Thais from rural areas have for years migrated to the bigger cities, leaving a gap in available local staff

Burmese staff accept lower wages (far below the already low minimum wage of 300 Thai Baht per day or roughly 10 US Dollars) and do not have the same worker’s rights as Thai citizens

Burmese staff often come from hopeless situations of poverty, unemployment, and political turmoil in Myanmar. To escape these conditions they are willing to work harder, longer, and at lower wages without complaints

Of course there will be other reasons not stated here. Each Burmese immigrant worker will have his or her own reasons, and hotel employers will likewise have their own reasons for hiring Burmese staff. One thing is certain though, the issue of immigrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia is attached with controversies and pointed opinions as you might expect from the above reasons given.

Most tourists enjoying Thailand would never know that behind that lovely Thai smile could be a Burmese person.

Photo credit: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)