What a wonderful tour! I was a bit apprehensive beforehand after the excellent reviews that have already appeared (many thanks Jonah, Hils and Katy), that it would be hard for my sky-high expectations to be met but Burma/Myanmar did not disappoint. I won't go into too much detail and hopefully won't repeat too much of what has already been said but I would like to give you a flavour of what to expect if you decide to do this engaging tour to a country that is changing fast.
First of all the highlights - unsurprisingly the most jaw-dropping moments were the iconic sights of the U Bein Bridge at sunset, the vast panorama of temples at Bagan and the incredible Schwedagon Pagoda complex in Yangon. These are the memories that will stay with me forever - I've just finished printing out my favourite photos and am delighted with the results. But for me, and I suspect for the rest of the group as well, just as important were all the little things that made this tour so special - especially the various opportunities we had to meet local people in villages and schools, to learn about their traditional handicrafts (and gasp in amazement at the skills and ingenuity they possess to make beautiful products using the most simple of implements), to witness the people going about their lives in a variety of settings - in the cities, the countryside, on the river Ayeyarawady and on Inle Lake. Special touches like complementary drinks and snacks as we took to the water at U Bein Bridge, as well as a wonderful meal on a sandbank on the river at Bagan under the stars after watching the sunset and a change in itinerary so that we had an included lunch, rather than a packed one were all very much appreciated.
Speaking of the itinerary, it is clear that some changes have been made since Jonah and Hils went on the first JY departure this time last year. They mentioned that there was next to no down time and that if you did the trishaw ride in Mandalay (which at that stage was a bicycle ride), then you would really have no free time at all - this has changed and we had two free afternoons even after doing the trishaw ride (which we all really enjoyed). Stephen Taylor, our tour manager, knows Burma well having first been there thirty years ago and with the guidance of our terrific local guide Coco, he further tweaked the itinerary so that we did everything we were supposed to, but the timings were adjusted to make things a bit easier for us. In this way, we did the horse and cart ride on the morning after our arrival in Bagan, which meant we weren't so rushed to see the temples at sunset the evening before. This was a great decision and we appreciated it. We still had lots of early starts, with two days beginning around 4.00am, as we had flights to catch! Stephen also took us to the caves at Kalaw where there are 900 Buddha statues, an amazing sight, not officially on the itinerary but again we were all delighted to witness this.
Burma is indeed a nation in transition and this is especially clear in Yangon, which is rapidly becoming just like any other international city. With a population of four million, there are only 600,000 cars but the infrastructure of the city is struggling to cope with this and traffic jams are becoming the norm, as are electronic signs. At least there are no McDonald's - yet!! The people are taking to the introduction of new technology like ducks to water (they've only had the internet for three or four years) and mobile phones and wifi are now commonplace. However, the people are charming and friendly and we all felt perfectly welcome and absolutely safe. Most of them don't mind their photo being taken - and you will want to capture the scenes of everyday life there like nowhere else - but if I wanted a close up shot, I used to point at my camera and say "photo?" Almost without exception I was met with a smile and a nod.
The hotels were those listed in the brochure and they were all very good; I particularly liked the ones in Yangon and Inle Lake, which were superb. We also liked the hotel in Kalaw but the service in the restaurant was awful - top tip: if you don't want to wait a long time for your meal, order a local dish with rice rather than western food such as pizza - although you might be sorely tempted to do so, you may have to wait for a couple of hours!! We had mobile coverage at all the hotels (although for some reason when we returned to Yangon at the end, I couldn't get a signal at the same hotel) and the wifi was fine also. The food was generally very good, with mild curry dishes predominating - although I'm no expert it seemed to me to be a blend of Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately a good number of the group had upset stomachs; initially we thought it was just the usual case of "holiday tummy" but by the end of the tour it was clear that a bug was actually spreading among us. This was a pity, but we were all having such a great time, we were determined not to let it spoil things. Although I do think we were just unlucky, I would still suggest bringing a good supply of Immodium and following a chat with my doctor after a previous holiday, I now bring a broad spectrum antibiotic with me just in case. The weather was hot and dry throughout, but not humid - however the sun is very strong so bring a hat even if you don't usually like wearing one! Mosquitoes were not a problem - I saw a fair few but just got one bite. The places we visit are not in malaria high risk zones, so we didn't have to worry too much although I did put repellent on in the evenings and also in the mornings if we were going to be on the water. Another top tip (courtesy of Sally): many of us don't like putting on DEET as it is very strong; Boots also do a version of their Repel repellent called "light fragrance" with has a strength rating of 3 out of 4 and is now recommended for long haul travel; I used it throughout the tour and it is certainly easier on the skin than 50% DEET - and it smells a lot nicer too!!
I didn't do the beach add-on, so perhaps someone else might like to comment on it. After a hectic tour, I was rather envious of those going to the beach, especially as it has got such good write-ups previously. However I will save my holiday entitlement for other tours (anyone interested in the new Danube Wine Experience leaving on 21 May?!!). In summary, I will just say a big "thank you" to JY for organising another fabulous tour which I enjoyed from start to finish. Burma is really a destination like no other - and we didn't get "templed out" as we thought we would - they were all so different to each other! But I would advise you to go as soon as you can, as I reckon in a few years it could be in danger of losing what makes it so very special as modernity and consumerism take their toll. Finally there were 30 in the group and everyone mixed well - and it was lovely to meet some familiar names from the forum in person at long last!!
Any questions, I'd be delighted to answer them and I'm sure my fellow travellers from the forum will want to add some comments as well!
Cheers,
Bob
