Myanmar (Burma)
Links to Myanmar Embassies and Consulates
Fast Facts
Coutntry Full name: |
Weights & Measures: Imperial |
| Population: 47,373,958 |
Country Dialing Code: +95 |
| Languages Spoken: Official - Burmese |
Time Zones: GMT/UTC +6.5 |
Electric Plugs:  230V 50Hz |
Currency: Name: Kyat Code: MMK Symbol: K |
Exchange rate:
Weather
Climate wise, the best season for visiting Myanmar is from November to February, when it rains least and isn't too hot. If you're hitting the hill stations or the Rakhine coast, try March to May, but bear in mind that Bagan and Mandalay are intolerable during these months (TS Eliot described April as 'the cruellest month'). The southwest monsoon starts between mid-May and mid-June, and brings frequent rains till October, peaking from July to September. The dry zone (roughly the area between Mandalay and Pyay) gets less rain than the rest of the country, though roads everywhere (particularly in the delta region south and east of Yangon) can become impassable. Rakhaing State bears the full force of the rains - often exceeding 500cm (197in) annually. Myanmar gets the least amount of visitors in May, June and September.
There are three distinct seasons: the cool, dry winter from November to February; the unpleasantly hot summer from March to May; and the wet, humid monsoon from May to October - also not terribly pleasant. Generally, year-round daytime temperatures average 30°C (86°F), dropping slightly at night. During the cool season, however, you can expect temperatures between 25°C (77°F) and 15°C (59°F). Coastal areas are usually cooler, but more humid.
Money & Cost
Myanmar's compulsory exchange requirement, which compelled foreigners to change US$200.00 to FECs (Foreign Exchange Certificates) upon arrival in the country, was scrapped in September 2003. There are no ATMs, and as travellers cheques can only rarely be changed into the local currency, cash is the only way to go. US dollars give the best exchange rate. Apart from Euros, other currencies will rarely be exchanged.
Costs will vary depending on whether you use officially approved hotels and transport, or take the increasingly available opportunity to arrange your own. As little as US$5.00 a day will get you a room in a budget hotel. If you're travelling very cheaply, you can get by on about US$20.00 - US$25.00 a day. If you want your own bathroom and a choice of restaurants, budget US$35.00 - US$50.00 a day. Flying or taking express trains would add about US$10.00 - US$50.00 a day to that budget. If you want to stay somewhere fancy, you can pay anywhere between US$35.00 and US$300.00 a night.
Tipping is not really part of the Burmese culture (though it is appreciated at most restaurants), but 'presents' are. A minor bribe will get you a long way with Burmese bureaucrats. Money isn't necessary - cigarettes and pens will speed things up a bit; foreign t-shirts will work miracles.
Currency
Name: Kyat
Symbo: lK
Average Room Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
US$5-20 |
US$20-35 |
US$35-50 |
US$50+ |
Average Meal Prices |
|||
Low |
Mid |
High |
Deluxe |
US$1-2 |
US$2-5 |
US$5-10 |
US$10+ |
Getting there and around
Getting There
Although Myanmar essentially remains a 'fly in, fly out' destination, the military government has gradually extended visa stays, resulting in more and more airlines putting Yangon on their itinerary. There is a departure tax of around US$10.00 .
There are some road border crossings at the Thai/Myanmar border (noticeably the Mae Sai-Thachilek and Ranong-Kawthoung crossings), but they sometimes close because of guerrilla and bandit activity in the area. In times of certainty, foreign travellers can travel the famous Burma Road and enter Myanmar via the Yunnan province in China, although border traffic is all one way. It's not possible to cross back into China from the same checkpoint.
One persistent rumour is that Chin State may open its borders to limited tour groups, which could lead to permission for individual travellers to traverse the state via the Chin River, all the way to the Indian border at Tamu.
Getting Around
Travel in Myanmar tends to be uncertain and uncomfortable. Many visitors are tempted to take internal flights because of the restricted 28-day stay regulation, but the poor safety record and 'flexible' notion of schedules of Myanmar Airways and, to a lesser extent, Air Mandalay, can be a deterrent.
Others opt to stick with transport not controlled by the government. The Yangon-Mandalay bus service is the most comfortable long-distance bus trip. Otherwise, visitors can pay a little extra to get a more spacious 'pick-up truck' that crams locals in the back and makes many stops between towns all over Myanmar. Many visitors reckon train travel here is like riding a horse - with saddle-soreness from hard-seat bouncing lasting for a day or two. There are daily express trains between Yangon and Mandalay; one service is run by a private company. Forget the ordinary-class trains, which are dirty, slow and unreliable.
Another alternative is arranging a car with a driver; this is easiest to do with a travel agent in Yangon.
Getting around towns can be much of the fun. In most towns, including Mandalay, you'll see horse carts clip-clopping by, and trishaws are everywhere. Once settled, it's usually easy to rent a bicycle for a couple of dollars to join the fraccas. Always negotiate fares in advance.
History
Pre-20th-Century History
Myanmar's prehistory begins with the migration of four groups into the country: the Pyu from either present-day Tibet or India, the Mons from what is now Cambodia, the Mongol Burmans from the eastern Himalayas, and the Thai tribes from northern Thailand. The 11th-century Burman kingdom of Bagan was the first to gain control of the territory that is present-day Myanmar, but it failed to unify the disparate racial groups and collapsed before Kublai Khan's Tartar invasion in 1287. For the next 250 years, Burma remained in chaos, and the territory was not reunified until the mid-16th century when a series of Taungoo kings extended their domain and convincingly defeated the Siamese. In the 18th century, the country fractured again as Mons and hill tribes established their own kingdoms. In 1767, the Burmans invaded Siam and sacked Ayuthaya, forcing the Siamese to move their capital to Bangkok.
The British saw their chance to invade in 1824, and then again in 1852 and 1883. Burma became a part of British India and a major rice exporter. Indians and Chinese arrived with the British to complicate the racial mix.
Modern History
In 1937, Burma was administratively separated from British India and there was nascent murmuring for self-rule. The Japanese drove the British from Burma in WWII and attempted to enlist Burman support politically. The Burmans were briefly tempted by an opportunity for independence, but a resistance movement soon sprang up. In 1948, Burma became independent and almost immediately began to disintegrate as hill tribes, communists, Muslims and Mons all revolted.
In 1962, a left-wing army revolt led by General Ne Win deposed the troubled democratic government and set the country on the path of socialism. The Burman economy crumbled over the next 25 years until, in 1987 and 1988, the Burman people decided they'd had enough. Huge demonstrations called for Ne Win's resignation, and massive confrontations between pro-democracy demonstrators and the military resulted in 3000 deaths in a six-week period. Several puppets were appointed by Ne Win and then a military coup (believed to be instigated by Ne Win) handed control to General Saw Maung and his State Law & Order Council (Slorc). The new leader promised elections in 1989.
The opposition quickly formed a coalition party called the National League for Democracy (NLD), under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of assasinated independence hero Bogyoke Aung San (still openly revered). In 1989, the government placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Despite her imprisonment, the NLD scored an overwhelming victory at the polls.
The junta prevented the elected party leaders from taking office, then went about the brutal business of quashing Karen rebels and engaging the private army of drug baron Khun Sa. Reports of Khun Sa's 'house arrest' at a cushy villa in Yangon, with personal aides, luxury cars, a military escort and a hotel and real estate empire, has given rise to suspicion of a smacked-out peace deal between the government junta and Khun Sa's Heroin Inc.
Recent History
Secret talks with the government through a United Nations negotiator led to Suu Kyi's release in May 2002. However, in May 2003 she was arrested again.
Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt drafted a seven-point 'roadmap' to 'disciplined democracy' in September 2003. It was dismissed as a diversion by the US, which, along with the EU and Japan, tightened sanctions against Myanmar following Suu Kyi's re-arrest. Efforts to bring both parties back to the table continued with a constitutional convention in May 2004, although its legitimacy was undermined due to an NLD boycott. The replacement, a few months later, of Khin Nyunt as prime minister was taken as a sign of ongoing unease at the top levels of the junta.
However, in late 2004, Khin Nyunt was removed from office in a surprising take-over from hard-liner Soe Win, who promised he'd continue Khin Nyunt's program.
The capital was moved to Naypyidaw, 460km (300mi) north of Myanmar's largest city and former capital, Yangon, in 2006.
Source: www.lonelyplanet.com
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