Myanmar was as soon as virtually unattainable to go to—that is after I went the primary time. The yr was 2010, the nation was a global pariah and being there felt like a visit again in time.
Then, it opened up, and everybody was going. Bagan, with its temples and sizzling air balloons, appeared to turn into virtually as attainable as Ayutthaya and Angkor Wat. Then, on account of ethnic cleaning and the imprisonment of the girl as soon as considered the one hope for the nation’s democracy, the nation turn into a pariah once more—and abruptly, going there was controversial (if not as troublesome because it was once).
Mandalay
Your Journey Information to Myanmar
I visited each of Myanmar’s foremost cities on my first journey to the nation—which, as I defined throughout the intro to this piece, occurred in late 2010. Again then, leaded vehicles have been as widespread the roads as ones that took unleaded gas; you needed to go to an web cafe to entry (a really censored model of) the web and there was a profound sense of disconnection between native folks and the surface world. I may write a paper about it (and, as you’ll have seen in the event you clicked the hyperlink above, I form of did!).
Yangon was the place I arrived, and the place my journey started. If I’m sincere, I wasn’t an enormous fan of town as a complete, though it was troublesome to disclaim the great thing about its huge Shwedagon Pagoda. Mandalay, alternatively, was extra overtly charming, even with out excursions to look at sundown from Mandalay Hill or behind U-Bein Bridge. Oh, I additionally almost died from meals poisoning, although I’m unsure whether or not meals in Yangon or Mandalay have been responsible.
Evaluating Mandalay and Yangon
Vibe
Yangon is loud, noisy and soiled—there’s simply no means round it. Whereas there are locations (nicely, one particularly) that you may escape this, in typically I think about it a metropolis to be endured, to not be loved. Mandalay, against this, has a walkable and charming city heart, by no means thoughts all of the tour choices.
Sights
With regards to Mandalay vs Yangon, there may be barely extra nuance with this piece. On one hand, Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda is arguably one of many architectural gems not solely of Myanmar, however of Southeast Asia extra broadly. In Mandalay, it’s extra in regards to the range of points of interest, with my private favourite being Mahamuni Paya temple and the Mandalay Hill sundown spot.
Pure panorama
Yangon is flatter than Mandalay, which is smart as a result of it’s so near the coast. Mandalay, alternatively, options beautiful, rolling hills throughout it—which, even in the event you don’t head as much as Mandalay Hill to look at sundown as I counsel above, makes for gorgeous views in all instructions.
Transportation
Unsurprisingly, neither Yangon nor Mandalay has a well-developed public transportation community. You’re mainly on the mercy of pick-up truck taxis, motorbikes and tuk-tuks in the event you don’t simply stroll in every single place, which is fortunately attainable (although not all the time gratifying, particularly within the case of Yangon) in each metropolis facilities.
Day Journeys & Excursions
Mandalay is surrounded by a trio of lovely villages—Sagaing, Inwa and Amarapura, with the latter being residence to the long-lasting U-Bein Bridge. With Yangon, in the meantime, the one lifelike “day journey” you possibly can take is to Shwedagon Pagoda—which, once more, is within the metropolis—you possibly can’t actually name it a “day journey.”
Yangon
Different Myanmar Locations
Have longer in Myanmar than the 3-5 days it’s going to take to discover Mandalay, Yangon and the varied points of interest inside day-trip distance of them? Contemplate visiting these different prime spots:
- Bagan: Residence to actually 1000’s of temples, it is a picturesque place the place it’s worthwhile to stand up on the break of day for a sizzling air balloon journey.
- Inle Lake: In order for you a pure break, in the meantime, relax right here for a couple of days—clearly, there are many boat rides you possibly can take.
- Mergui Archipelago: These islands are, in my view, the easiest in Southeast Asia, though they’re unsurprisingly very troublesome to succeed in.
- Naypyidaw: Do you know that Yangon is just not the capital of Myanmar? Neither did I, till comparatively just lately. Naypyidaw is…an fascinating metropolis, to say the least.
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Myanmar aka Burma: A Poorly Understood Journey Vacation spot
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications corresponding to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the best way. His weblog, Go away Your Day by day Hell, gives a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays overlaying the extra esoteric points of life as a traveler.