Separately, is it just me or is everyone going to Burma now? I think three different people I follow on Instagram (friends and acquaintances, not magazines, photogs, etc) have posted pictures from there in the past 12 months.
Separately, is it just me or is everyone going to Burma now? I think three different people I follow on Instagram (friends and acquaintances, not magazines, photogs, etc) have posted pictures from there in the past 12 months.
Yes, I made a trip to Bagan by air. Will post those photos in a separate thread later.
I saw a lot of foreign tourists in Yangon - seems the new hotspot of late.
My favourite country! Such nice people and fascinating history. Thanks for the photos!
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Originally Posted by 10023
Separately, is it just me or is everyone going to Burma now? I think three different people I follow on Instagram (friends and acquaintances, not magazines, photogs, etc) have posted pictures from there in the past 12 months.
Burma has opened up quite a bit in recent years, and many areas once restricted for foreigners are now permitted. One can even cross overland from India to Thailand, since last year! Tourism is on the rise but the infrastructure doesn't develop that fast, and I heard stories of foreign tourists being stranded without a place to stay in hotspots like Bagan or Mandalay. I saw a lot of change between 2012 and 2014 and it seems that more change is on the way. Let's hope for an 'intelligent' development, one that will not see the destruction of so much nature like in neighbouring Thailand.
Kyaiktiyo is a major pilgrimmage location for Buddhists. It is possible to visit as a day trip from Yangon, but you need to set out before sunrise to start the 3-hour journey. We weren't alone on the road.
We got dropped off at the truck station, where we need to book a seat to ascend to the site. There are 3 options : (i) a seat on the back of the big pick-up truck; (ii) a more expensive seat at the front cab; (iii) pay for all 5 front cab seats.
It was a 20-minute journey up winding mountain roads, with stops along the way where groups of "poor" people came with buckets to collect well-wishers' donations.
To get in, you need to take off your shoes, just like any other Buddhist temple. With so many people going through this location, the ground is not clean at all, but you just need to bear with it.
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