Travel Guides and trips for Food & Drinks in Yangon Region

Myanmar or Burma, A country so close yet so far due to power game, geopolitics, and sanctions. While other South East Asian nations are grasping with over-tourism, Myanmar has just opened up to the World in 2015. It is still exotic, underpopulated and unexplored to foreigners. Affordable flights and economic boom drawing industry, expats and tourists as well to this land lesser-known.On my recent trip to Myanmar, I got bewildered by its rustic beauty, amazing hospitality, and jaw-dropping architectures. Lets few pictures do the talkingShwedagon Pagoda is the icon of Myanmar. Situated in central Yangon, it is a mammoth edifice of Gold. It is huge and can be spotted from many places around the city. It is a bell-shaped structure with numerous sub-shrines around it dedicated to different forms of Buddha and Burmese demi gods. Be it night or day, it is always dazzling and the spectator gets bewitched by its awe.

Yangon – Hpa-An (270 km)Start from Yangon and drive through the roads of Myanmar to Hpa-An, the capital of Karen district. On the way, you can visit Bago known for its reclining Buddha statue and the museum at Kanbawzathadi Palace. Hpa-An is a picturesque town with a backpacker feel located on the eastern bank of the Thanlwin (Salween) river. Enjoy the mountainous scenery and the unique landscape of the place.

We spent the last day seeing some unique attraction of Yangon suggested by Onestop travel. We took the circle train ride along the outskirts of the city. This train stopped main times along its railways. We took many photos of the local vendors on the way until we descent near Chautakhgyi Pagoda, home to the biggest reclining Buddha statue in the country.We took a taxi to the airport and left with lots of photos.

Start your Myanmar expedition in its largest city, as well as the most important commercial centre – Yangon. What immediately strikes you is the omnipresence of buildings from the colonial-era. The entire city seems to have been planned around the 2,000-year-old Sule Pagoda, which acts as the commercial core. There is a big Indian influence visible throughout because the city was a major business hub during the British rule in India. If somebody there told me that it is still circa 1947, I wouldn't mind believing it because Myanmar doesn't seem to have developed much since. The ironic part is, Yangon is still the most happening place to be in Myanmar.Things to do in YangonSince you will spend a lot of your first day in Yangon trying to understand the mannerisms of a new country, it's important that you spend at least two days here. Here are some of the best things to do in and around Yangon during this time:1. Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda – The most sacred Buddhist Pagoda in Myanmar. Believed to contain relics of four previous Buddhas, including strands of hair from Gautama Buddha's head.2. Visit the Sule Pagoda – More than a religious symbol, it is an iconic structure for Yangon and Burmese political changes over the years.3. Visit the Kandawgyi Lake – Literally meaning the "great royal lake", it's a 150-acre large fresh water lake surrounded by the Kandawgyi National Park. This acts as a nice picnic spot for families in the evenings.4. Visit the pristine white beaches in Ngwesaung. It is a 15-km long beach resort located at a 5-hour drive away from Yangon. You can even spend the night here if you wish.In order to be better prepared to explore Yangon you can read this detailed piece on Yangon. You can even book hotels in advance to prevent the last-minute rush.Day 3 & 4

Day 11: Ngapali Beach – Yangon Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Thandwe airport for domestic flight to Yangon. The whole day is free for leisure. Car and guide at your disposal until your international flight departures.

A young vibrant city. Interesting street food and beautiful Pagodas.

How we got here: Took the overnight VIP bus from Inle Lake (7pm-6am). Cost us around $22 each. Once again, very awesome experience, comfortable, lots of leg room space, snacks and water provided. There’s even a toilet in the bus. Where we stayed: We randomly searched online for a recommended guesthouse and came across “Chan Myae Guesthouse”. Despite the long flight of stairs you’ll have to climb before reaching their reception, we would highly recommend this guesthouse! Very homely, serves one of the best breakfast, and best part of all, their wifi connection is the strongest we’ve had in Myanmar! All the rooms were taken up and we were only left with the dormitory which we didn’t mind. Just that it’s still under construction and there were workers living on the same level too. What we did: 1. Watched a local movie in their local theatre. Very very awesome, highly recommended! The movie we chose happened to have english subtitles. Tickets were very cheap too! Cost us $1.50 per ticket. The theatre was surprisingly really modern and well equipped with dolby surround sound! (allll aroundddd youuuuu) 2. Visited the Shwedagon Pagoda which is one of the largest and most beautiful pagoda in Myanmar. How much we spent in total: Food – $31.10 Activities – $2 (Yangon Circle Line Train) - $3 (Movie tickets) Transport – $1.50 (Taxi to Shwedagon Pagoda) - $0.80 (trishaw ride) - $8 (Taxi from Shwedagon Pagoda back to Guesthouse) - $6 (Taxi to airport) Accommodation – $20 (1 night) Total expenditure for 2 pax -$72.40 Average expenditure/pax - $36.20 Total expenditure/pax for the entire 16 days travel – $1,005.15

We only stayed a night in Yangon and traveled to Mandalay the very next day. How we got here: Took the budget Jetstar airline from Singapore and arrived at Yangon International Airport. Paid around $220 each for our tickets. Where we stayed: We booked a room at Yangon Regency Hotel, 127 Sin Oh Dan Street, Chinatown, Downtown Yangon via agoda.com. Better rates offered on agoda than walk ins. Nice and clean hotel, great central location. Highly recommended by us if you don’t mind the slightly high cost. What we did: We took the highly recommended circle line train that cost us only $1 each! The entire journey will take 3 hours, but we got bored after awhile and decided to alight at a random station. Do note that the train counter staff will scrutinise all of your $1 bills and reject any note with a slight fold or stain. It was quite ridiculous as some of the stains were really not visible and we didn’t even notice them at first. But I guess they’re really adamant about accepting only new and crisp dollar bills. How much we spent in total: Food – $51 Activities – $2 (circle line train) Transport – $440 (airplane tickets for 2 pax) $10 (taxi from Airport to Yangon Regency Hotel) $7 ( taxi to bus station to head to Mandalay) $0.20 (local bus) Accommodation – $45 (1 night) Others – $20 (local sim card) $7.30 (we bought bought a traditional “longyi” each) Total expenditure for 2 pax - $582.50 Average expenditure/pax - $291.25

The prime attraction in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda. Entry Fee 8USD. Best time to visit : After 5pm until sunset. Top attractions list and things to do are easily available on internet. However, my personal experiences are as mentioned. Must Visit Destinations: Shwedagon Pagoda Nya Htat Gyi Pagoda Bohtahtaung Pagoda Reclining Buddha Bogyoke Market Can be missed: Sule Pagoda Avoid: Circular Train Ride (Super Boring) Cabs are very easily available. However, bargain hard.