DIY MYANMAR (Burma): A First-Timer’s Guide To The Golden Land

From all the countries in our itinerary on  our South East Asia backpacking trip, Myanmar is the country that we were looking forward to visit the most. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, opened its doors to tourism a few years ago. Since then, it’s been on top of the list for travelers visiting South East Asia. Myanmar, with its years of isolation and mystery, people are brimming with curiosity as to how the country is doing in the present. We did some research online and via other travelers before coming to Myanmar.  We got bits of information; however, we still did not know exactly what to expect from this country. Myanmar was our last stop in our South East Asia itinerary and we indeed saved the best for last. So here is our guide to visiting “The Golden Land” or  “The Land of Pagodas” – Myanmar. This is the first part of our travel guide series for Myanmar.

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Old City of Bagan | Photo by: Mica Veloso

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Mandalay: Our Introduction to Myanmar

Mandalay is the old capital of Myanmar and is located in the central part of the country. It is the second largest city in Myanmar. Also, this was our first stop in our Myanmar trip.

Where To Stay
Places To Eat
Places to See

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in Royal Guest House on 25th street for 30USD a night for three people.  No need to rent a tuktuk if you are taking the AirAsia airport shuttle. The drop-off point is just a few minutes from the hostel. This was the best hostel we had throughout our stay in Myanmar. Our room was equipped with an A/C, fridge and private bath with hot and cold shower. Breakfast is included but don’t expect to be wowed as the standard free breakfast in Myanmar consists of an egg, sweet toast, juice/coffee and fruit. Believe me, you would rather have that than the one we had in Kalaw (blog post soon). Wifi is free in the lobby but as usual don’t expect anything high speed because the internet connection everywhere in Myanmar is super slow.

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Royal Guest House

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