Myammar travel guide 2015 (haven finish)

Telephone

There are there main GSM mobile service providers: MPT, Ooredoo and Telenor. The SIM card can be bought at the airport or at any mobile phone shop. A passport or an identity card will be asked to show when you buy a SIM card. The price for the a SIM card is MMK1500 (USD1.5). Internet service is included once you buy a SIM card, except MPT which you will need to pay additional MMK10,000 (USD10) for mobile internet service. Calling rates will be as cheap as MMK20 per minute for local calling which will vary with the operator you choose. International calling and roaming services are now available and the price vary with the operator. Internet speed is relatively slow compare to another countries, but service providing companies are working for faster internet service.
MPT has a good coverage throughout the country. It is formerly government own company and providing a wide range of GSM, CDMA, land phone and many services. Mobile internet speed may lower than another companies, but a lot of people are still using MPT services because its coverage.


Kyaikhto is a small town about 160km from Yangon in Southeastern Myanmar, famous for its golden boulder and pagoda balancing precariously over a cliff.

Golden Rock

Get in

"Win Express" run buses from the Highway Bus Station (also know as the Aung Mindalar Bus Station) in Yangon to the town of Kyaiktiyo and Kinpun which is a town 10km (6 mi) from Kyaiktiyo right at the base of Mt Kyaiktiyo. If you want to see the Golden Rock then do not get off at Kyaiktiyo (except in wet season, when you will be transferred to a pickup for the leg to Kinpun) - instead continue all the way to Kinpun. The first bus leaves at 06:30 and then go at hourly intervals until 14:30 (maybe later in high season). The fare is MYK8,000 and the trip takes approximately 5 hours.

Get around

To get from Kinpun to the Golden Rock you have to take a truck and/or walk. The truck stop is just up from the town centre, to the left of the Sea Sar Hotel/Restaurant. The trucks are dump trucks rebuilt with seats to fit passengers. They are usually packed to the brim with 35-40 people, often sitting on each other, and won't leave until the have enough passengers. Try to choose a truck with seat backs rather than just benches as this will be much more comfortable for the steep ride up. The trucks have a metal cage at the back for storing larger objects such as backpacks or extra passengers. There's one truck going to a basecamp 4km from the rock (MYK1,500) and another going all the way to the top (MYK2,500). The last trucks depart the mountaintop just before sunset (the drivers claim it is against the law for them to drive at night -- and on the dark, meandering road it is not hard to understand why) so make sure to be on one of those or risk having to walk down (about 3 hours) or stay in one of the hotels.
Sometimes the truck drivers won't let tourists on the ones going all the way to the top as to benefit the sherpas working at the mountain, but if you want to avoid climbing a steep hill for an hour in up to 40°C heat carrying all your stuff or paying someone to carry it (MYK6,000) or you (MYK15,000) insist on taking the truck all the way to the top or wait for a truck with a more accepting driver.
It's also possible to walk the entire way up which is a 5 hour very steep climb. It is possible to get carried up the mountain on a Palanquin, an oriental transport cart powered by the legwork of two persons bearing the cart's and the occupant's weight on their shoulders, for around USD8. How happy the Burmese are with this mode of transport remains questionable. Not advised for overweight tourists.

See

The Golden Rock is one of the most important religious sites in Myanmar and a dream destination for devout Buddhists. The site comprises a pagoda built atop a massive granite boulder, which has been balancing on the edge of a cliff face since antiquity - indeed, the boulder's worryingly tenuous grip on the cliff has held for so long that it features in Buddhist mythology: The boulder is said to be anchored to the mountain by a lock of the Buddha's own, ascendant hair. The boulder itself is decorated with leaves of gold, historically and contemporaneously affixed by monks as part of a pilgrimage to the location.

Sleep

In Kinpun, 10km from the town of Kyaiktiyo, you can find affordable guesthouses. The disadvantage of staying there is that you have no possibility of seeing the sunset and/or sunrise at the mountain top as the first truck from the base leaves at 06:00 and the last one from the top departs at 18:00.
Pann Myo Thu - Kinpun - Friendly and helpful English-speaking staff, a tiny double with shared bathroom and fan is USD7 (or 7500K) per person, while a bigger aircon room is USD20 (or 21000K). Their also have a bungalow for USD30 (Prices from May 2015). Basic breakfast is provided.
Sea Sar Guest House - Kinpun - Has a very helpful employee often greeting passengers coming off the bus from Yangon. They have rooms from USD8. Single room 8 usd or 10 usd; very old and dirty rooms. Double room 20usd(fan) or 25 usd (AC). (Prices March 2015).

Get out

Buses from Kinpun to Yangon leave from the bus station close to the truck stop and run until at least 14:00. The fare is MYK7,000.

Bagan

Get in

By bus

Buses now arrive at the new bus station located 7km from Nyaung-U center. Transfer cost should be 1,500 - 2,000 kyats by local shared taxi, though once you get off the bus, drivers will mob you and quote ridiculous prices. (May 2015: I heard anything between 10,000 to 4,000 kyat before exiting the bus terminal and walking a few minutes along the highway, where a taxi stopped and offered 1,000)
Comfortable bus links from Mandalay are available from 8,500 kyat (coach) and minibus. Coach takes as little as 5 hours as a new highway is available for part of the route. There are many bus options to choose from. As of Mar 2015, there are 4 daily minibuses (8am, 10am, two in the afternoon), and 2 daily coaches.
The highway from Yangon is modern, but the bus ride is made significantly less enjoyable by the very loud Burmese music and TV shows that play until midnight. The buses departing from Yangon at 6pm or 7pm also arrive in Bagan at a rather bizarre time in the morning (between 3am and 5am). The trip is 15,000 kyat with regular bus. VIP buses (JJ Express or Bagan Minn Thar Express) leaves Yangon at 8pm (9 hours, 18,500 kyat including snack and drinks). Be sure to book more than 24 hours in advance because tickets typically sell out quickly.

The Bagan cultural authority has introduced a tax against all foreigners for $20USD, 20EUR or 22,000 kyat upon arrival. Since the USD is the best value of those options, it is best to bring the required amount in USD (in new bills) before arriving. If you are lucky to enter Bagan without buying it, it will not be asked again except at the entrance of a couple of temples, notably the most popular sunset temple. The fee collected goes straight to the government and is not invested in the maintenance or cleaning of the site.
Here are the TIPS for avoiding the payment: From the airport, upon landing, note the taxing desk straight ahead as you exit. Use your head to avoid if able, but it is not easy. If flights are coming and going, you might be able to sit as if waiting for a plane and wait for the employees at the fee table to clear. Other options are also available, use your head.
For other methods of arrival, ask around beforehand where the check points are and try to walk around them. It's a bit of a hassle, you might need to walk for an hour or so both to Nyang U and New Bagan from the bus station, less from the boat to Nyuang U, tho. Travelers who were trapped in buying the ticket, please consider passing it to someone else you meet on the road. If you get lucky and a kind soul shares the ticket with you remember: you might be asked several questions: where you were coming from, how (bus/plane/train...) in which hotel you previously stayed in (they can call and check your passport number) and also some pictures on your camera to prove you have already been to Bagan. Do your homework accordingly.
Notice: As of at least May 2015, they seem to be stopping all taxis and motorbikes entering the city from the highway that connects the bus, rail, and airport terminals to charge foreigners the US$20/Euro20/Kyat22,000 entrance ticket there. It doesn't seem to be avoidable.


These are the important temples recommended by all tourist maps and agencies:

• Ananda Temple - Bagan's holiest temple, built by the third king, Kyan-zit-tha in 1091. Ananda comes from the Pali word "anantapannya", which means "boundless wisdom". The temple houses four Buddhas facing the cardinal directions, which represent the four Buddhas who have attained Nirvana. The fifth, Maitreya, is yet to appear. This is the most important temple in all of Bagan. Location: Left side on the southern stretch of the Bagan-Nyaung Oo Rd. just before the road heads to Tharaba Gate of Old Bagan.
• Shwesandaw Temple, [4]. This is the "sunset temple", where foreign and Burmese tourists alike gather every evening to view the spectacular Bagan sunset. Get here early, as the top levels are small and space is scarce. There are many peddlers around the temple selling T-shirts, drinks and souvenirs. The climb up is a reasonably easy 5 minute walk up a flight of stairs, but the steps get narrower and steeper near the top. Not recommended for those with vertigo, but if you can make the climb, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking sunset as the the temples and landscape are set ablaze in golden sunrays. A good compromise is to climb to the 3rd or 2nd highest level, where the steps are much more manageable than the topmost level, is less crowded, and the view is just as good. It starts getting crowded here as early as 4:30pm, so consider taking a view from the Shwe-Gu-Gyi temple nearby instead (easily passable if on bike).  edit
• Shwe Zigon Temple - This gourd-stupaed golden pagoda is the first and prototype monument (including for the iconic Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon) built in Myanmar style in 1087. Careful on the stall vendors, they are the pros employing hard sell psycho tactics. Location: Heading south, right side on the northern stretch of the Bagan-Nyaung Rd. after passing the bus station. A long covered walkway with souvenir stalls starts from the road to the compound.
• Thatbyinnyu Temple - The tallest pagoda measuring 66 meters built in the 12th century. Location: Left side after entering the Tharaba Gate of Old Bagan, the second road. 

 

 Mount POPA