Myanmar is a fabulous travel point, there is such an abundance of colour, exotic places and interesting attractions. Not many people have heard about Myanmar, some only know it as Burma, the old name, and most people have the same reaction when they hear something like this from northern Thailand’s neighbors: “Myanmar, is this a country?”
It is also fascinating, shocking and strikes you as a very cold shower since you make the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously prepared myself before going out this spring, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will find there. Whether you want to get there in the very near future, or want to enrich your general culture a little, you should know a few things about Myanmar.
Religion: About 89% of the population of this country practices Buddhism. This means that the rules specific to any other Buddhist country also apply here, especially with regard to temples, where you are not allowed to walk around with bare shoulders, dresses or shorts, footwear, and even socks. The best idea would be to get a pair of slippers, possibly from the velvet – yes, yes, the velvet! -, because, honestly, you will have to go down a lot of times. The people of Myanmar are not only religious but superstitious. Often, at dusk, hundreds of people sit quietly on foot, listening to the teachings of the Great Monk, blocking access to a whole street. Therefore, it would not hurt if, before this trip, you read a little about Buddhism and the customs of the place, so that such meetings do not take you by surprise. Men with skirts, women painted on the face, chewing tobacco and velvet slippers.
Another oddity of the place is the way women are makeup. They use a natural cream, thanakha, extracted from a bark of the tree, with which they face. Originally, this makeup took different forms, from leaves to circles or other symbols, but in everyday life, women apply cream on their cheeks and forehead and stay with it. It is said to be a cream that not only protects the skin, but also beautifies the wearer. One of the most unpleasant things I saw in Myanmar was chewing tobacco. It seems that chewing tobacco, kun-ya, especially by men, is one of the oldest traditions of the place. In fact, it is not even pure tobacco, but a combination of ingredients, all wrapped in one leaf. You can read more about the recipe here. See extra details at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/.
These are the elements we take into account in all our vacations and we wanted to clarify them because it happened that some photos from Myanmar were accompanied on Facebook by a message saying that we, as tourists, seemed an expensive destination. I stirred up a wave of conflicting opinions. Indeed, Myanmar may be a cheap destination, but under certain conditions: if you opt for hostel accommodation – that is, a bed in a room with 4 to 12 people, with a shared bathroom -, if you eat street food, if you do transfer between cities by local bus or train – in case you do not mind spending 10-12 hours in such a means of transport instead of 40 minutes by plane.
Burmese food is a combination of Thai, Indian and Chinese. I recommend eating fresh food on the street, a little bit of everything you do with your eye. The pineapple chicken from Innwa is really good. Do not venture to European food, Burmese are not very good at it. Women don’t go to bars in the evening. Those who, however, dare to do so are very poorly seen. The rule does not apply to tourists. See additional info on https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/about-myanmar/best-of-myanmar-travel-places-to-visit/.
