Country Info – Myanmar
Current Information
The following information was updated in May 2007
The Burmese are generally very hospitable and Burma is considered a relatively safe travel destination. Those traveling by public transport should be prepared for overcrowded buses and delays. Cheap flights to Bangkok are available from 600 euros. A return ticket Europe/Yangon usually costs around 1000 euros.
Arrival
Return ticket prices from Bangkok to Yangon in Jan 2006 were:
Myanmar Airline, 2 times daily: THB 8000 ($200) – Old Airplanes McDonnell Douglas
Bangkok Airways, 2 times daily: THB 9000 ($225) – Newer Boeing Planes
Thai Airways, 2 times daily: THB 11,000+
Air Mandalay flies once a week from Chiang Mai for $160 to Yangon. The mandatory currency exchange was fortunately abolished in August 2003. Credit cards and traveler’s checks are more or less useless, as they are only accepted in very few hotels, which also charge high fees. The most practical means of payment is the US dollar. Euros can be easily exchanged in the major cities. It is best not to exchange at the airport.
Medical Care
Medical care does not meet Western standards. The hygienic conditions and the oily cuisine of the country cause problems for some travelers to Burma. Therefore, the usual precautions for long-distance travel must be observed and the offered drinking water should be consumed with caution. Exceptions prove the rule, of course, so the cuisine of the Hse Main Gon Forest Meditation Center is certainly one of the best monastery kitchens in Asia.
Meditation Technique
There are some excellent meditation teachers and monasteries with very good conditions for practice. Practitioners of the method of Mahasi Sayadaw in particular find ideal long-term retreat opportunities. But Burma is also excellently suited for those interested in intensive Samatha practice in the tradition of Pa-Auk Sayadaw or those interested in Vipassana methods relatively unknown in the West, such as that of Mogok Sayadaw. The English language is more widespread than in Thailand and therefore translators can be arranged in most retreat centers.
Entry Requirements
A visa is absolutely necessary!
A four-week tourist visa is easily obtainable within a week at the embassy (Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, Thielallee 19, 14195 Berlin-Dahlem, Tel. 030-2061570, Fax 20615720, Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) and can usually not be extended in Myanmar.
Those who wish to stay longer than one month must first apply for a so-called “sponsorship letter” from the monastery of their choice. With this “sponsorship letter”, a meditation visa can then be applied for at a Burmese embassy. Processing is often lengthy. In the unlikely event that the meditation visa does not arrive in time, it is best to fly via Bangkok in order to be able to apply for a tourist visa there if necessary. Otherwise, the flight to Asia is forfeited. In an emergency, emergency passports are issued at district offices or district administration departments.
Tourist and meditation visas can be issued relatively quickly in Bangkok:
Union of Myanmar Embassy, 132 North Sathorn Rd., Bangkok, 10500, Thailand
Literature
The travel guide Birma (Myanmar) from the Stefan Loose Travel Handbooks series and the English-language travel guide Myanmar – A Travel Survival Kit by Lonely Planet provide good service.
Link Tip
A good overview of retreat places is offered by the website of Myanmar Travel Culture Business Information