Public transport in Myanmar is, like most of the country’s infrastructure, poorly resourced and in need of upgrading. Buses are overcrowded, airless, hot, and falling apart, and the only suburban train line – in Yangon – supports a slow skeleton service. As a consequence, both locals and visitors tend to be reliant on taxis, which […]

Getting from Mingaladon Airport to Yangon Visitors on prearranged tours are usually whisked away in  air­conditioned buses or mini- buses, while independent trav- elers rely on local Toyota taxis –  drivers wait outside the arrivals con course. Although they are generally honest, it makes sense to check the correct fare in  advance with your hotel […]

Overland travel from neighboring states to Myanmar is gradually opening up, but the vast majority of international arrivals in the country are by air, at Yangon’s Mingaladon Airport. From there, foreign tourists tend to take a domestic flight to one of several  regional hubs. Hampered by poor infrastruc- ture, travel by road and rail tends […]

Myanmar’s communication network is as archaic as its transport system, although both look set to change rapidly over the coming years as the country opens its doors to foreign investors. For the time being, however, cellphone use remains minimal, and the Internet slow, expensive, and partially censored. Press censorship has eased considerably since 2011, but […]

Although Myanmar’s banking system is fast catching up with the rest of the world, for the time being its undeveloped state means that many transactions by foreign visitors have to be made in US dollars. The kyat is accepted for small pay ments,  but for larger ones (such as hotel bills), only mint, or near- […]

The combination of a highly authoritarian government and an exceptionally law-abiding population ensures that Myanmar is one of the world’s safest destinations. Violent crime is rare  and visitors can travel without undue fear of assault or rob- bery, even at night. That said, petty crime is on the rise in the  big cities, especially around […]

Since the tourism boycott was relaxed in 2010 and ended two years later, record numbers of  travelers have visited Myanmar, whose infra- structure, how ever, has struggled to keep  pace. Accommodations have been in short supply at all levels, although dozens of new hotels are under construction to help meet the spiraling demand. There has […]

The national pastime of chinlone (see p40) aside, participation in sport has been at low levels during the decades of military rule in  Myanmar. With access to satellite TV, how- ever, the country has seen a dramatic surge in  the number of people watching and playing soccer. Among the elite, golf has also grown  in […]

Decades of military rule have had a stifling effect on Myanmar’s entertainment industry. Visitors tend to spend evenings in hotels and restaurants, although the big cities also have a handful of venues that showcase traditional music, dance, and puppetry. The performers are mostly graduates of Mandalay’s National School of Performing Arts, a crucible of talent […]

The gilded Shwezigon Pagoda, on the outskirts of Nyaung U in the northeastern corner of the archeological zone, was  Bagan’s most important reli- gious site during the reign of  King Anawrahta, founder of the Bagan Empire  , and his son, King Kyanzittha, who completed work on this com plex. Over the span of their two […]