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| To Myanmar |
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The best and the easiest way to come to Myanmar is by air. Many visitors to Myanmar arrive by air at Yangon Mingladon Airport, about 19 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of the capital. The largest number of overseas flights connect Yangon and Bangkok.
The only option to Myanmar is by sea. But it must be chartered. Five-Star Myanmar Shipping Line 132/136 Theinbyu Street, Yangon is the agent for all foreign shipping lines calling in Myanmar. However, freighter travel should be balanced to the limited visa period and to the available information from shipping lines.
Tourists from neighboring countries, can apply for Entry Permit or Border Pass at the local immigration department at Muse, Tachileik, Myawaddy, Kawthaung etc.; Tourists from Yunnan Province of PRC, holding with Border Pass can travel to even up to Yangon via Lashio and Mandalay.
Nine international carriers, Thai Airways International, Biman (Bangladesh), Indian Airlines, Air China, Silk Air (Singapore Airlines), Malaysia Airlines, Mandarin (China Airlines), Myanmar Airways and Air Mandalay are flying directly to Yangon the gateway to Myanmar. The most convenient way to arrive to Myanmar is via Bangkok or Singapore.
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Custom regulations are quite relaxed. Incoming and outgoing baggage are X-rayed or inspected. All foreign currency in excess of US$2000, cameras, etc. must be filled out in the custom declaration form during the flight. Antiques, Buddha images and gems purchased during your visit require dealer's receipt for export. Please ask for receipts.
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| All travelers are required to have valid passport for at least 6 months and visa is needed to enter Myanmar. Entry visa can be applied at Myanmar Embassies in every major cities of the world. A tourist visa permits for thirty days a stay in Myanmar. |
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Subtropical with two basic seasons.
Average temperatures:
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| Dry |
November-May 75/90 F |
| Monsoon |
June-October 76/90 F |
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The best time of travel is between November through February. In the northern part of Myanmar it may be near freezing at night during the month of December and January and occasional light showers.In Myanmar, the rains begin in May and are the most intense between June and August.This is a time of high humidity-especially intense in the coastal and delta regions. In October, the rains let up, and the cool season begins to peer. So, the best time to visit Myanmar is during the cool season which runs from November to February. The morning and evening are cool and fresh.
Visitors are advised to bring light suits and clothes, especially in the summer, March to May. Quick-drying clothes are a good idea for visits during the monsoon season or Thingyan (Water Festival). If you are going up to a hill station like Inle or Taunggyi or Pyin-oo-lwin in the cool season, bring sweaters and some warm clothes.
There is no law against shorts or miniskirts, but this type of clothing is disapproved of by the Myanmar people. Visitors are requested to be properly dressed when they are not in their rooms, because both sexes of Myanmar people are decently dressed from the hip to the ankle. Sunglasses are a practical accessory to pack. Remember to move footwear when entering religious monuments.
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The local currency "Kyat" has an official exchange rate of 6 to the US Dollar, but Unofficialnate is around 1200 to the US dollar. This rate fluctuates according to season and geographical area. |
Most tourists are required to exchange Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) worth US$200 on arrival at the airport. Group tours are not required to convert your foreign currency to FEC. FEC's are the domestic equivalent to the US dollar.
Traveler's cheques can be exchanged at larger hotels and Banks in Yangon and Mandalay, but the process is never as convenient as you might like. International credit cards are not widely used. We strongly suggest that you bring along US$ in cash. Hotels and some restaurants require payments in US$ or FECs. Many items, including souvenirs are sold in dollars. If a tour guide accompanies you it is best to let him bargain in the local currency. |
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The staple food in Myanmar is Rice and curry. The word curry "HIN" can be meat or vegetables cooked in spices. Unlike Indian curry it is not too spicy or pungent. Most of the meal consist of green garden vegetables used as condiments and accompanied with a soup.
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| Soups can be either vegetable or with meat. Typical Myanmar meal consist of roasted dry fish or fish paste with hot peppers and it can be very spicy. In Yangon and in Mandalay, European food is available at major hotels. There are also several Italian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese and Indian restaurants in Yangon. |
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Recently built new and refurbished hotels that meet the international standard are in Yangon and Mandalay.In Bagan, Inlay Lake, Kalaw and Pyinoolwin (Maymyo), there are several accommodations available that will meet the basic international standard.
Most hotels and inns in smaller towns are still in the rudimentary stages. It is best to get some suggestions from our staff that can recommend you to the right place.
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As any traveler with a penchant for souvenir and/or antiques knows, just about every city in the world has a concentration of antique shops, or better yet, flea market. Usually off the beaten tourist track, there are excellent places to spend a free morning in Yangon, Mandalay, Kalaw-Inlay and Bagan , not only for the potential treasures one might find, but also for the pleasure of learning about the country's history through the atmosphere, people and objects found in the environs. |
| All experience fans of the flea markets know, it is better to go with no precise idea about what one is looking for, but rather with a hope of perhaps unearthing an interesting trinket among the usual bric-a-brac of old porcelain, bank notes, vintage army clothing, WW II medals, old British and Myanmar coins, religious scripts written on palm leafs, tribal silverware, WWII Japanese officer's swords and gramophones from the British colonial days. Tourist will find shopping can be fun and challenging. Most gift shops in Myanmar and especially in the larger shopping areas have new merchandise. Serious buyers of Myanmar precious and semiprecious stones are advised to have a local accompany the buyer to a reputable dealer. |
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| Myanmar is famed for the source of the world's finest rubies. The star sapphires are also equally well known for its lustre and color. These precious stones are produced within the area of some sixty miles about the city of Mogok, one hundred miles north from Mandalay.
Myanmar produces more then 90 percent of the worlds Jade business. Many natural stones such as chrysoprase, Jasper, Serpentine and Soapstone are passed off as Jade, but only two minerals correctly bear the label: Jadeite and Nephrite. |
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Myanmar is the most import source of Jadeite, although some is found in China, Japan and North and Central America. Nephrite is most widely dispersed through China, Siberia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada and such states as Alaska, California, and Wyoming, but is less mined. Although collectively dubbed Jade, Jadeite and Nephrite are different minerals; Jadeite is heavier and harder then Nephrite. Colors range from pure white to black and often occur in stunning hues of yellow, red, blue, lavender, and green, depending on the precise chemical composition of each deposit. The brilliant greens in Myanmar Jadeite, for instance caused by chromium. The most priced Jadeite is the translucent rich emerald green known as "Imperial Jade". Traditionally the most valued nephrite, by contrast, was yellowish-white and was called "mutton fat" by the Chinese.
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At present Myanmar Airways, Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways are operating for the domestic flights. Main cities in Myanmar can be available by air.
The Union of Myanmar has about 16000 miles of road and about 3000 of meter gauge railways tracks. Steamers of various sizes ply along all navigable rivers and creeks. The Myanmar Airways has the domestic flights and the external flights to the neighboring countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. |
| The Air Mandalay and the Yangon Airways, both recently founded, have only the domestic flights and air-link with main cities in Myanmar as well as the Myanmar Airways. Visitors can purchase domestic flight tickets by US$ or FEC at travel agencies. The Myanmar railways,run by the State, have express trains, mail trains and local trains by day and night. The Yangon - Mandalay service is the most frequently utilized. It is possible to travel by air-conditioned bus with reclining seats for your journey to Bagan, Mandalay and other places. If you wish to go around in the vicinity of Yangon or Mandalay or other large population centers, you can use taxi or other rental cars and horse-drawn cabs which are particularly well-suited for slow sightseeing trips in Bagan. The private tour agencies also conduct halfway tours of Yangon city and full-day excursions to Bago and Thanhlyin from Yangon. |
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| 1. |
Photographing of soldiers and military facilities is strictly forbidden. Railway stations, bridges, airports and ports are regarded as military facilities. Therefore photographing of those is also banned. |
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Entering into Pagodas and Temples with his or her shoes and even socks, stockings on is banned, in which only bare foot is permitted. It would be desirable to have sandals on instead of shoes. |
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Buddhist monks are respected very much in this country. Foreigners also should pay a respect to them. Asceticism is one of Buddhist precepts. Women are not allowed to touch the monks. |
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Human head is considered a holly part. You must not touch a person on the head however muchyou love children. |
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Showing anger to the face in public is considered ill- mannered in this country. Getting angry in a loud voice also consider as ill-mannered |
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