Myanmar🇲🇲

Myanmar- The Unknown Asian Gem

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Introduction Page:

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But you can’t talk about this country without mentioning it’s violent past and present, because it also effects tourism in general.

Since February the military took over and detained the opposition leaders(Aung San Suu Kyi being the most famous). Huge protests followed and hundreds of people have been killed ever since.

Now I won’t go further into politics, all I hope for is that the people of Myanmar will once again live in peace.
That tourism will be available again one day soon and that all of you can explore this breathtaking country.

A country far less traveled then neighbouring countries so if you are looking for that authentic feel, then this is the place for you!

Or scroll down further to see my top 3 places in Myanmar⬇️

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My top 3 place in Myanmar:

1: Bagan

Now this place right here ladies and gentleman is one that I will never ever forget!!
While I loved all the attractions I visited in Thailand and Malaysia etc.. This place right here holds a special place in my heart and might be my favorite place I’ve ever been.

Bagan is basically a huge open air museum…
Huge open fields filled with dozens perhaps even hundreds of temple ruins to visit!
Ranging from really small structures that have only 1 room, small burial shrines to huge ancient structures!
Take the most famous ones for example:

• Shwesandaw Pagoda
• Thatbyinnyu Temple
• Sulamani Temple
• Ananda Temple
• Dhammayangi Temple
• and many many more!!

All of these are within driving distance of each other!
The main form of transport is by renting electric motorbikes and just start driving around!!

Such a fun way of exploring the fields meaning you can come across random temples where no one is around, temples that you can climb onto and hidden dirt tracks that make the driving experiences a true adventure(and a tough one😅)

Don’t worry tho all the bigger temples are easy to reach by paved roads, just the smaller ones can have rundown dirt tracks.

All of this is combined with 3 cities where most of the accomodations reside.
Old Bagan, New Bagan and Nyaung U being the biggest city.
Old and new Bagan host the more luxurious, expensive but better hotels.

While Nyaung U provides the cheaper ones and hostels etc.
Now I stayed in Nyaung U back then and still had a very pleasant hotel and all the temple attractions were a nice driving distance away.

Now perhaps one of the most famous things to do is taking a hot air balloon ride.
Great way to take in how massive the place is!
Witness the huge open fields, be amazed by how many temples there actually are and make memories that will last a lifetime!

Last on your list should be the obvious one.. watch the sunrise or even better the sunset!
This is perhaps one of the most stunning places around the whole world to watch them!!

There is a temple where entire busses arrive around sunset, huge amounts of people then climb the temple and all watch the sunset together.
This is at the Shwesandaw Pagoda.

I recommend you to go there atleast once for the experience but there are much better place to be found.

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2: Yangon

Yangon the former capital of Myanmar that is now Naypyidaw.
Capital Naypidaw is basically a ghost town. A newly built town with huge open roads where almost no one drives on and a huge government building that well almost no one visits.

So NO I’d suggest you to stick to Yangon because oh wow this city is breathtaking!
From the dozens of temples, street markets and ofcourse the main attraction the Shwedagon Pagoda!(More on that later)

Because what I also found is that Yangon still has it’s own feel, it isn’t completely run over by tourists like Bangkok, Singapore etc.
Now while this is a huge benefit it also has some downsides…

Yangon can feel a bit more dangerous especially when the dark sets in!
Nothing ever happened to me but you are truly a stranger walking these streets and seeing other foreigners is a rare sight.
Prepare yourself for that!

What that also means is that the quality of everything is less then what you are used to.
Hotels are more rundown(altho there are some new ones that are amazing!), wifi is more bad and damn even the money feels old and weird😅

All of these things can be considered negative but I found it charming at the same time!
It gives off a unique feeling, something you don’t often experience.

Now to end with the most famous attraction ofcourse: Shwedagon Pagoda!
This 112m(367ft) tall golden structure has been a sight for the Burmese people for hundreds of years!
And probably the first sight you’ll see as well, it’s standing high above all the other buildings.

A rule has been made that buildings can only be built at 75% of the height of the Pagoda to ensure it’s dominance over the skyline!
Whether you see the Pagoda from a distance during the day or all lit up during the night, it is a stunning sight to behold.

First mentioned around 1362 and slowly changed along the years..
At the beginning it was just 18m tall and over the years many rulers have made adjustments to it untill it reached it 112m height today!

Now the Pagoda has become the most sacred Buddhist sight in the whole of Myanmar.
It is said to contain 4 very important items from previous Buddha’s.

The Pagoda itself is stunning on it’s own and has a very rich history(for example the British army occupied it during the 18 and 1900’s)
But there is so much more to this sight then just the Pagoda!
How about the major entrances all having a unique appearance, providing you a stunning welcome.

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3: Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock)

About 4 hours east of Yangon lies this amazing holy site.
A well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site that attracts hundreds of tourists, locals and monks alike.
Located on the mountain of Kyaiktiyo, thus it’s name of Kyaiktiyo Pagoda but more commonly known as Golden Rock.

It is said that the rock is perched on a strand of Buddha’s hair and so it has become a major holy site for all the Buddhists living in the country.
After the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and the Mahamuni Pagoda in central Myanmar the 3rd most important Buddhist site in the country.

The rock itself seems to defy all gravity, standing there makes you believe that the rock can topple over any second and start rolling down the mountain slopes.

Now the rock itself is impressive on it’s own but I have to say I found the area around the rock even more fun to explore.

Just a 1 minute walk away from the Golden rock is a decending staircase that leads you to a very narrow shopping street, a street filled with touristic shops, small restaurants and just good vibes in general.
You can descend quite some way down all while passing the locals, monks and other tourists

But perhaps the most exciting about visiting the Golden rock is the form of transportation..
Trucks loaded with locals, monks and tourists drive down the curved roads.
I don’t exaggerate when I say that about 50 people are loaded into the back of those trucks, everyone side by side and not a inch of free space in between us.

While that is exciting on it’s own then wait untill the truck starts driving downhill through dozens of hairpin bends, each with a lethal abyss down below waiting for the driver to mess up.

During my ride there were lots of people screaming around every turn just because they couldn’t see what was going on and because they had to rely on a driver they don’t know.
One of the scariest rides of my life but damn was it entertaining haha!

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