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B u r m a Great Pagodas shame about the nightlife, even if there is the odd bar! For bars and nightlife Rangoon (Yangoon) is not really worth a detour, but bars exist and there is some amusing nightlife. Of courase Burma (Mynamar) has attracted enough bad publicity for most people to know the bad news. The government is a military dictatorship that is kept in power by strict controls and the financial muscle of some of the World's biggest drug barons. Most people are on the bread line, but Rangoon (Yangoon) has some real signs of wealth and prosperity. Outside the capital the infrastructure is very poor. The major attractions are the wonderful Buddhist temples and their pagodas. They are truly worth seeing. Otherwise it is a backward country that does not suffer from the ills of modern architecture, or for that matter infrastructure. Getting to Burma In practice there is only one way in and that is by air to Rangoon. Most border crossings are closed making departure/arrival through a land border well nigh impossible. A visa is required before traveling, and that can be obtained a Mynamar Embassy (in Bangkok there is one). Upon arrival you will be asked to change US$200 into FEC (Foreign Currency units). These can be used as dollars in most places. However in may be possible to avoid the purchase by tipping (discreetly) the girls in the booth. Arriving at the airport attracts all kinds of bureaucracy. First there is immigration, then the currency exchange booth, and finally customs. If you bring in more than $2,000 in cash you must declare it, if not jail beckons. According to the British Consul, travellers have been jailed for 2 years for carrying, undeclared, as little as $4,000. Local Currency The Kyats (pronounced jet) is the local currency, and is used extensively by locals and local businesses. The Dollar is used by most international hotels and bars, and is readily usable elsewhere, although you will seldom get change. This means that it is well worth converting a small amount of Dollars to Kyats for paying taxis and tips etc. The rate, as of March 2002, was 750 Kyats to US$1. However, that is slipping all the time. Change dollars at hotels, or with a resident you trust. Believe it or not the official rate is 6 Kyats to US$1. Getting around Most hotels have hotel cars, and to tour around it is recommended that you get a car and driver. Taxis can also be hired by the day, but few are air conditioned, and you may find yourself wondering whether your taxi will actually last the day. In the evening taxis become progressively more difficult to find. They will lurk outside busy places, but on the street they are few and far between. Travelling within Burma is equally difficult. The roads are awful, and sometimes not safe. The trains are indescribable, and just as slow as the roads, and the internal airlines planes have a habit of crashing. Then, as a final obstacle to exploration, there is little or no suitable stabling, for your horse, along even the main routes. Nighlife and Bars The action is spaced out all over town with all late night activity confined to the major hotels.

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Watching Gold Dry Golden pagodas dominate but elsewhere the gold is tarnished. The nightlife is either non existent, overwhelming, or just plain monotonous. Read more