Things you must know before visiting Myanmar

There really are some things that are REALLY handy to know about a country and culture before you get there. Myanmar is a crazy eclectic clash of so many things you may not see coming. SO, this will give a starting point on getting to grips with, surviving and thriving on and Adventure through Myanmar. Instant Insights are mostly about the culture and people and fast facts are essential practical information to help you with your planning.

If you are planning a trip to Myanmar make sure you check out our Full Travel Guide To Myanmar >>>

BIG MYTH! Accommodation IS NOT as expensive as everyone says!! It takes some getting into to believe it and make it happen, we worked our socks (or flip flops) off running around finding all the best options for you!

Get to grips with budget accommodation by reading:

IS there ACTUALLY any cheap accommodation in Myanmar?

Then get planing! We know from what we went through to research that we have places and details you wont find anywhere else on the web!

The Best Myanmar Budget Accommodation Blog out there >>>

Instant Insight

16 Insights and hints to help you get to grips with the awesome uniqueness of Myanmar

Manners Maketh the man or woman

Hello: Ming – ga – la – pa

Thank you: Jay – sue – tim – marie

Bye Bye: Da Da

The Men wear skirts

And they’re awesome!!! SO awesome I can’t recommend getting one enough. So, the correct name is ‘Longyi’ and both men and women wear them for casual, for work and celebrations. They are like a sarong except they are stitched to make it a fixed loop, so they just sit well. You can buy a basic one for around 5000 Kyat (4.5 USD / 3 GBP)

Betel nut is a thing

Betel nut bright blood red mouth teeth asia myanmar burma tobacco — YUM! … One of my more attractive photos

It is a thing and it is strong! This crazy bright red fusion of areca seeds, tobacco and herbs wrapped in a Paan Leaf is a much loved addiction for the people of Myanmar. Sadly, it does make people look like violent maniacs when you first see them smiling back at you, but once you know what it is, you may even want to give it a one off whirl. Just be careful, it is strong and long term use has be linked to severe health issues!!!

Rise and set with the sun

The best way to get into the rhythm of Myanmar is to join the locals who rise and set with the sun. You will see the best of local life in the mornings and it’s worth noting that nightlife is not much of a concept in Myanmar. Both eating and drinking places can close up anywhere between 18:00 and 21:00.

Face paining doesn’t have to stop at childhood

Thanaka is the name of the white paste you will see smoothed into creative shapes and patterns across people’s face in Myanmar. They use it for beauty and tradition, but it also has practical attributes such as being great sunblock, after sun and apparently it helps with achene. One of the ways they make it to grind the wood to powdered and adding a little water; sometimes they use sandalwood.

Tip Toe

They really are quite strict on removing footwear for temples and other various religious places, to the point that you may find yourself walking quite some distance barefoot on unclean floors. Perhaps take some wet wipes to clean your feet back up.

Monks are really friendly

To be fair, everyone is! Buddhist Monks are a wonderfully colourful and prominent part of the country and culture. There are monasteries everywhere and every male from Myanmar has to serve time as a Monk at some point in their youth. They are very open to spending time with foreigners and indeed love to meet you. They’re being so warm and welcoming can however be misleading with regards to etiquette. Try not to get too familiar in the way of physical contact, unless of course an Adult monk directly encourage you too, but this would be uncommon.

Proud to be Myanmar

Locals generally prefer the name Myanmar (Pounced: Me – en – Mar) as they associate it with the a huge step towards uniting the nation. The national language is still however commonly referred to as Burmese.

Wash and Go

Pwe Kauk waterfall Mandalay Pyin U Lwin inspiration Myanmar Burma Globemad — Remember to bring your laundry

Not many places offer laundry and when they do it tends to be inflexibly expensive, so you may want to keep a bit on you if you’re exploring waterfalls!

Barter for everything!

EVERYTHING! Accommodation, food transport as well as the more obvious things such as trips and souvenirs. It’s not so much hard-core bartering as working a deal out. For example, some places will let two of you share a single room or give you a cheaper rate for a few nights or not taking breakfast. Don’t be put off if some don’t seem to like bartering, we found it varied massively from person to person.

Odd half hour

They have their own time zone in many ways! Don’t get caught out by their wonky hours. They offset themselves by half an hour from their surrounding counties. Myanmar is 6.30 hours ahead of London (GMT+ 6.30).

Still restricted zones

Though much of Myanmar is now open and safer for travellers, there are still some areas that you can’t go to at present. Check out ‘Is traveling Myanmar and trekking in Hsipaw safe?’ for a recent insight from our travels and a link to the constantly updated government site.

Some say this, some say that

Politics is naturally a hot topic and you may have already heard various takes on whether it’s taboo. Some say you should take interest and ask, others say you should under no circumstances politics it up. We found that like most human interactions, it’s just a judgement call. Politics aren’t a conversation start in most cultures, but if you find you’re spending quite a bit of time with a local and it feels ok, naturally you can ask them their views.

Cheeky Charges

The two main charges you are likely to come across are the entrance fees for the Bagan Temple at 25,000 kyat (23 USD / 15 GBP) and the Inle Lake area at 12,500 Kyat (10 USD / 6 GBP). These charges go directly to the government and it looks as though they are planning to start charging for a few more places of interest as they gain popularity …Grrrr!

ID – check – tastic

Don’t forget to keep your passport on you at all times and take a copy for just in case you really need to leave it somewhere. The border towns are especially sharp on passport checks, but don’t worry, it’s not you they’re after. … At one point our white faces were in a car with two monks as the armed guards flagged us down. Once they spotted who was actually in the car the just smiled and sent us on our way. Comical country!

The snacks aren’t free but the hospitality is

They often put sweet snacks down at your table. As they also often include free soup and herbal tea with meals, you could be forgiven for thinking the snacks are also complimentary, but they’re not. Costing around 0.10 cents / 6p, they might as well be free, but just know it is a relaxed form of hospitality, there no pressure to buy. oh, and the food is VERY tasty, to find out which are the best and most common dishes, check out A Mouthful of Myanmar! >>>

Fast Facts

Staying Safe: Knowledge is power, make sure you’ve read our blog on keeping safe on the road. Myanmar is am increasingly safe place for travellers. We have recently written an insight into safe areas and trekking from our travels with a link to the constantly updated government site. (www.globemad.com/is-traveling-myanmar-trekking-in-hsipaw-safe/)

Don’t forget to check out the The World health site.

Staying Connected: Call, 3G and 4G SIM cards are widely available, but unreliable. Wifi is scarce and very slow. Internet cafes only seem to exist in the large cities.

Staying Charged: 230 vault, 50 Hz type C /D /F /G sockets. Use the dual round pin plugs. Power cuts are common and electricity is limited outside of the big cities, charge when you can.

Staying Clean: You need to carry toilet paper with you. Laundry is shockingly scarce and typically expensive. Basic accommodation can be a scoop and pour system (Brrrr) but most guest houses have warm showers.

Staying Healthy: Local tap water is not potable, but bottled is widespread and cheap. If your stomach is reasonably Asia proof you can eat pretty much anything, just apply common sense. Food is generally healthy and fruit is widely available.

Staying Classy: They are a modest culture, so you do need to wear long pants and cover your shoulders in the villages and temples. It’s ok to wear shorts and vest tops in the bigger cities and hiking in the countryside

For More ‘Fast Facts’ on money, visas, seasons check out our Full Travel Guide to Myanmar >>>