Burma, The Rising Star...

[Sing_Sling]

And in some places, had to look hard for a beer! Some of the beaches are better, some are not. Thailand has some amazing beaches.

Try a 7/11 or any coffee shop or eating place owned by Chinese or Indians (not the Muslim variety, of course)

[lovetotravel]

All hotels and guest houses for foreigners appear to be controlled by the government.

A small room costs $50-$100 a night (according to my pals who went over there)

No private citizen may have a foreigner staying in their house.

I can't see the country competing with anyone at those prices.

Have you found somewhere cheaper to stay?

My friend from Germany lives there during the winter on around $500/month. I think Myanmar is kinda like Cuba. Things are tightly controlled, but there are ways around it, if you're careful. I remember having to sneak into some of the places I stayed at in Cuba! But they were cheap.

And in some places, had to look hard for a beer! Some of the beaches are better, some are not. Thailand has some amazing beaches.

Try a 7/11 or any coffee shop or eating place owned by Chinese or Indians (not the Muslim variety, of course)

We did a trip up the East coast. Some of the smaller towns didn't really have a 7/11. At least that's what I remember. Sure, you can be directed towards a restaurant or two that serve alcohol, but most places don't. And we found a lot of the locals were not really that friendly towards us? Of course, wifey would always be much happier here in her home country.

[sabaijai]

All hotels and guest houses for foreigners appear to be controlled by the government.

A small room costs $50-$100 a night (according to my pals who went over there)

No private citizen may have a foreigner staying in their house.

I can't see the country competing with anyone at those prices.

Have you found somewhere cheaper to stay?

False, virtually all hotels and guesthouses in the country are privately owned. Rates start as low as $10 a night, easy to find a place in most towns for $25 or less.

[Soutpeel]

One time these christian missionaries asked me to take them up the Mekong into Burma in my boat and I was all like "No way, Burma is a warzone." then they were all like "Please!" so I said Okay. Well, they later on got kidnapped by the army so me and a group of mercenaries had to go save them. At one point I got on the back of a jeep with a mounted machine gun and I turned a bunch of Burmese guys into hamburger. True Story...

True or the summary from Rambo 5?

I am thinking Rambo 5.....most likely the person making this post is one of the delusional "ex-SAS" or "ex-Navy Seal" mob living in Pattaya

[NormanW]

If they are smart in Burma, they will take the lessons that have been learned in the various countries in SEA in modernising a country and they could become a tourism/financial/natural resource powerhouse in Asia in the next 20 years

Correct, but 'if they are smart'.

I wonder if the normal greed factor will rise in yet another developing country where society suffers from the greedy few?

Sound familiar?

We can live in hope right?

Time is a great teller but I suspect Burma will follow in the footsteps of ALL the other countries that have tried to follow 'a western lifestyle' and cocked it up in a massive way.

All the best Burma.

[lovetotravel]

The show I saw said the government is trying to keep things looking the same. They plan to limit the height of buildings and push for renovation of the various colonial buildings as opposed to knocking them down and building new. We'll see, but it's a good statement from them.

[george]

Topic moved to new Myanmar forum branch.

[lukey1979]

Those sitting there in their Pattaya appartments with their bags packed. Tired with Thailands Buddhist holiday drinking laws and expecting a prosperous Burma to welcome them with open arms within the next 5 minutes. Are probably the same types who thought Iraq would become the next Dubai overnight, 7 Years ago.

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[lukey1979]

One time these christian missionaries asked me to take them up the Mekong into Burma in my boat and I was all like "No way, Burma is a warzone." then they were all like "Please!" so I said Okay. Well, they later on got kidnapped by the army so me and a group of mercenaries had to go save them. At one point I got on the back of a jeep with a mounted machine gun and I turned a bunch of Burmese guys into hamburger. True Story...

True or the summary from Rambo 5?

Really? What do you think?

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[lukey1979]

One time these christian missionaries asked me to take them up the Mekong into Burma in my boat and I was all like "No way, Burma is a warzone." then they were all like "Please!" so I said Okay. Well, they later on got kidnapped by the army so me and a group of mercenaries had to go save them. At one point I got on the back of a jeep with a mounted machine gun and I turned a bunch of Burmese guys into hamburger. True Story...

True or the summary from Rambo 5?

I am thinking Rambo 5.....most likely the person making this post is one of the delusional "ex-SAS" or "ex-Navy Seal" mob living in Pattaya

Are you reknown for you sense of humor?

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[tombkk]

A number of off-topic posts have been removed. This topic is about Myanmar, not Malaysia.

[tombkk]

Somebody told me that Burma (Myanmar) does not have ATM's, true/false?.

Just wondering.

I didn't see any. Anyway, due to the financial sanctions stating that no bank is allowed to do business with any bank in Myanmar (to the extent that mobile phones don't work on roaming, and credit cards cannot be officially accepted), any ATMs that you may find won't accept international ATM cards.

[tombkk]

The country is called the Union of Myanmar, not Burma. The Burmese are the major ethnic group, but the country consists of many ethnic groups that have formed a union. Calling the country by the colonial name does not help the peace process with the other ethnic groups.

[wellred]

Some of those islands look nice indeed. Maybe in the next 2/3 years they can set themselves up for a bigger tourism boom.

[cdmtdm]

just back from the yangoon , nice airport after that was all down hill , long long way to go until anyone but backpackers will venture for holidays ..... the place is crawling with Indians , for me not a nice feeling .....poor infrastructure all round ...20 years and maybe it will change ... 5 mill people in the city with no motorbikes for transport , next to zero public transport and if you ever wondered where all the old toyota crown taxis went ...yep thousands of them falling apart as they drive by...air quality also very bad .....

[simon43]

I'm now making weekly trips to south Myanmar (Kawthaung), where I hope to build a new, small hotel. One problem is the lack of English or Thai language skills as soon as I walk more than 200 metres away from the sea front. Ah well, time to learn a new language

Simon

[tombkk]

I'm now making weekly trips to south Myanmar (Kawthaung), where I hope to build a new, small hotel. One problem is the lack of English or Thai language skills as soon as I walk more than 200 metres away from the sea front. Ah well, time to learn a new language

Simon

What passport do you carry, and do you have a multiple-entry visa or apply for a new one every time? Your passport won't last a year if you get a full-page visa stamp every week. I have not found info about multiple-visas yet.

[simon43]

I'm still doing Visa-on-Arrival, get 14 days stay each time, so the stamps are filling up my passport!

Simon

[tombkk]

I'm still doing Visa-on-Arrival, get 14 days stay each time, so the stamps are filling up my passport!

Simon

I didn't you can do visa on arrival. Which land border is this? Do you carry a Thai or a Western passport?

I wanted to cross at Nampu (on the road from Bangkok to Dawei) but they said this border is only for Thais. With my EU passport I couldn't cross even if I had a visa. This info is from late last year, so it could have changed in the meantime.

[MILT]

For all of the ex-patty boys that are fed up with Thailand, I would say go for it. It will be the perfect country for all your bashing pleasure.

[MILT]

One time these christian missionaries asked me to take them up the Mekong into Burma in my boat and I was all like "No way, Burma is a warzone." then they were all like "Please!" so I said Okay. Well, they later on got kidnapped by the army so me and a group of mercenaries had to go save them. At one point I got on the back of a jeep with a mounted machine gun and I turned a bunch of Burmese guys into hamburger. True Story...

uh?

[shatteredreams]

ok here is the thing: Myanmar is a union of states, as the name implies (Union of Myanmar). Now it is also a fact, that there are at literally dozens of militias trying to fight the government for different reasons. Most of these are in the Shan state to the best of my knowledge, and live off or benefit in one way or the other from drug trade.

Now I did have a pretty bad experience with some government people in Tachileik, but it is still a fact that if they don't want to see their country fall apart they do need a strong army for the good of the country. forget all this sh*t you heard about the ruthless dictatorship of the army and so on... just imagine what the US would do if militias would be rising up against the federal and state governments, kidnapping and murdering civilians and officials alike, producing hardcore drugs, and wanting to be independent....

and all that negative media attention you used to see on TV has been well exploited by the smartass burmese people. not only "the lady", but also small-time shopkeepers and hoteliers who would explain their high prices in the following way: the government charges high taxes and the government is baaaad. lmao!!

just have a look at Shan state, it is ridden with rebellious militias kidnapping and killing civilians and growing poppy:

Yes, it includes the Mekong and Salween rivers. The government has practically no control over there. Just 7 heavily armed militias in this small region.

Edited April 10, 2012 by shatteredreams

[simon43]

Tombkk, you can do VoA at Kawthaung, south Myanmar. It's a popular visa-run destination, but regardless of whether you are returning after getting your passport stamped, you are issued a 14 day VoA for $10, and allowed to travel up to 5km from the town. I think the remoteness of Kawthaung from the rest of Myanmar, coupled with the lack of ethnic problems/fighting, means that different rules apply.

Simon

[tombkk]

Tombkk, you can do VoA at Kawthaung, south Myanmar. It's a popular visa-run destination, but regardless of whether you are returning after getting your passport stamped, you are issued a 14 day VoA for $10, and allowed to travel up to 5km from the town. I think the remoteness of Kawthaung from the rest of Myanmar, coupled with the lack of ethnic problems/fighting, means that different rules apply.

Simon

Thanks for the info.

[Lostom]

I hope there are some 'stars rising' in this poor souls pickings from 'Beach Road' in Mawlamine last week.

Popular tourism in Myanmar is still decades away. Don't be misled by the 'noble savage' purists - grinding poverty and hunger is still the norm for 99% of the local population.

[shatteredreams]

I hope there are some 'stars rising' in this poor souls pickings from 'Beach Road' in Mawlamine last week.

Popular tourism in Myanmar is still decades away. Don't be misled by the 'noble savage' purists - grinding poverty and hunger is still the norm for 99% of the local population.

and this is in great part because of the embargo from the west. it strikes the most down there. same with the dprk.

[simon43]

I hope there are some 'stars rising' in this poor souls pickings from 'Beach Road' in Mawlamine last week.

I thought that was a picture from Pattaya

[hellodolly]

Somebody told me that Burma (Myanmar) does not have ATM's, true/false?.

Just wondering.

The last I heard from a friend who has traveled there for years is you must bring in cash and can't even pay for a good hotel with a credit card. Some ATMs but not for foreign cards. Even travelers checks -- no good. My info may be a few years old. Obviously that stuff has to improve to make a bigger tourist destination. Right now, they don't even have many hotel rooms.

When we were in the Shawn states 4 years ago I had to take Thai, Burmese, Chinese and American,

[hellodolly]

ok here is the thing: Myanmar is a union of states, as the name implies (Union of Myanmar). Now it is also a fact, that there are at literally dozens of militias trying to fight the government for different reasons. Most of these are in the Shan state to the best of my knowledge, and live off or benefit in one way or the other from drug trade.

Now I did have a pretty bad experience with some government people in Tachileik, but it is still a fact that if they don't want to see their country fall apart they do need a strong army for the good of the country. forget all this sh*t you heard about the ruthless dictatorship of the army and so on... just imagine what the US would do if militias would be rising up against the federal and state governments, kidnapping and murdering civilians and officials alike, producing hardcore drugs, and wanting to be independent....

and all that negative media attention you used to see on TV has been well exploited by the smartass burmese people. not only "the lady", but also small-time shopkeepers and hoteliers who would explain their high prices in the following way: the government charges high taxes and the government is baaaad. lmao!!

just have a look at Shan state, it is ridden with rebellious militias kidnapping and killing civilians and growing poppy:

Yes, it includes the Mekong and Salween rivers. The government has practically no control over there. Just 7 heavily armed militias in this small region.

When we crossed over from Mai Sai and drove to the Chinese border twice we say soldiers about 5 feet high walking down the road with a 6 foot rifle.

[hellodolly]

When we were there four years ago the poverty om the Shan States was about the same as we hads experienced in Cambodia.

The big difference was the Burmese were a sad lot. As far as they could see this is the way it is and this is the way it will always be. Absolutely no hope but the country was beautiful.

Does any one know what it takes to get a visa to live there similar to the retirement visa in Thailand?