Myanmar was as soon as nearly unattainable to go to—that is after I went the primary time. The 12 months was 2010, the nation was a world 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 change into nearly as potential as Ayutthaya and Angkor Wat. Then, on account of ethnic cleaning and the imprisonment of the girl as soon as thought to be the one hope for the nation’s democracy, the nation change into a pariah once more—and all of a sudden, going there was controversial (if not as troublesome because it was once).
Mandalay
Your Journey Information to Myanmar
I visited each of Myanmar’s predominant cities on my first journey to the nation—which, as I defined in the course of the intro to this piece, passed off in late 2010. Again then, leaded automobiles have been as widespread the roads as ones that took unleaded gasoline; 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 individuals and the surface world. I may write a paper about it (and, as you’ll have seen if you happen to clicked the hyperlink above, I kind of did!).
Yangon was the place I arrived, and the place my journey started. If I’m trustworthy, I wasn’t an enormous fan of town as a complete, though it was troublesome to disclaim the fantastic thing about its large 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 method round it. Whereas there are locations (nicely, one specifically) you could escape this, in typically I take into account it a metropolis to be endured, to not be loved. Mandalay, in contrast, has a walkable and charming city middle, by no means thoughts all of the tour choices.
Points of interest
In terms of 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 concerning 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 sensible as a result of it’s so near the coast. Mandalay, alternatively, options beautiful, rolling hills throughout it—which, even if you happen to don’t head as much as Mandalay Hill to look at sundown as I counsel above, makes for beautiful views in all instructions.
Transportation
Unsurprisingly, neither Yangon nor Mandalay has a well-developed public transportation community. You’re principally on the mercy of pick-up truck taxis, motorbikes and tuk-tuks if you happen to don’t simply stroll in every single place, which is fortunately potential (although not all the time pleasurable, particularly within the case of Yangon) in each metropolis facilities.
Day Journeys & Excursions
Mandalay is surrounded by a trio of gorgeous villages—Sagaing, Inwa and Amarapura, with the latter being house to the long-lasting U-Bein Bridge. With Yangon, in the meantime, the one sensible “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 can take to discover Mandalay, Yangon and the assorted points of interest inside day-trip distance of them? Take into account visiting these different prime spots:
- Bagan: Residence to actually hundreds of temples, it is a picturesque place the place it’s worthwhile to rise up on the break of day for a sizzling air balloon experience.
- 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, for my part, the perfect in Southeast Asia, though they’re unsurprisingly very troublesome to succeed in.
- Naypyidaw: Do you know that Yangon just isn’t 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 akin to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the way in which. His weblog, Go away Your Day by day Hell, gives a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays masking the extra esoteric points of life as a traveler.
