Our visas were just approved and so we are off. Only be there 7-10 days or so, want to go to Bagan. But any pointers on modern day Burma? is ti a little calmer now than before? safe? i photograph a lot, do you think that is safe to do there without thinking i am smuggling some secret out of their borders?
It seems to be called Myanmar in these modern days, though I dunno if they care.
Went there in 2010 with my family. It was on the surface calm, but the big central park in Yanggon, (where I took my family for lunch), had a bomb go off about a week after our stay. 
However, the food was excellent. When compared to our trip to Cambodia, we much preferred Myanmar.
Don’t spend too much time in Yanggon - the more interesting parts are up north. Never made it to yingle lake or other parts, as we only had a week. It was hard to get out in and out of yanggon in the same day, so that burned two days. Make sure you go to the golden stupa and maybe down to the irrawadi.
Bagan is really neat, if you throw a rock in any direction you’ll hit at least 2 stupas. There are some good day trips you can make from Bagan by jeep. It’s touristy, but going up the river for a sunset trip is well worth it - just don’t get out of the boat - if you know what I mean. Many stupas were damaged during WWII
There is a guy in Bagan there that makes very nice lacquer ware - he’s got a set of 4 screens he made for the British Museum - don’t waste your money on the cheaper stuff. There are not that many makers, so you’ll be able to find him.
[quote=“Elegua”]Went there in 2010 with my family. It was on the surface calm, but the big central park in Yanggon, (where I took my family for lunch), had a bomb go off about a week after our stay. However, the food was excellent. When compared to our trip to Cambodia, we much preferred Myanmar.
Don’t spend too much time in Yanggon - the more interesting parts are up north. Never made it to yingle lake or other parts, as we only had a week. It was hard to get out in and out of yanggon in the same day, so that burned two days. Make sure you go to the golden stupa and maybe down to the irrawadi.
Bagan is really neat, if you throw a rock in any direction you’ll hit at least 2 stupas. There are some good day trips you can make from Bagan by jeep. It’s touristy, but going up the river for a sunset trip is well worth it - just don’t get out of the boat - if you know what I mean. Many stupas were damaged during WWII
There is a guy in Bagan there that makes very nice lacquer ware - he’s got a set of 4 screens he made for the British Museum - don’t waste your money on the cheaper stuff. There are not that many makers, so you’ll be able to find him.[/quote]
+1 on Bagan. Best way is to go from Mandalay by boat. Sunrise on the river as you approach the first ruins is spectacular. Pyin Oo Lwin is nice too and cooler. But Bagan and Inle Lake are the top spots for sure. If you have the money fly when possible, the roads are dire.
Great thanks guys. we get there from bangkok via air asia. I was planning to take the train up. Our main goal is Bagan, for sure. that place just looks beyond comprehensible. We will look into the boat you mentioned, we were going to bus it…but that way you guys suggest sounds far more beautiful, cheers! we will have 8-9 days there.
trust me the boat is better than the bus…oh those burmese roads 
When do (did) you go? Please let us know how your trip went. I was there for 10 days in 2007: Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan. I wish I would have known that Ngapali Beach existed before I went, as it would have been a wonderful end to my visit.
I was just there for CNY this year. Went to Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle. It think it was 11 days or so. Bagan is awesome. rent some bikes and just wander among the stupas on the network of dirt/sand roads (If you do rent bikes, I’d suggest mountain bikes, even though they’re more expensive - once you leave the paved roads there are TONS of tire-puncturing thorns, and the thin tires of the cheaper bikes just get destroyed).
We did the boat trip from Mandalay. Be sure to check on the boat schedule - when I was there it was only running twice per week, so if you really want to do that, you may have to plan your schedule around it.
I also really liked Inle Lake. Very scenic, fairly calm and relaxing, I wish we’d had more time there.
I did not really like the cities much. Much more crowded, chaotic, and noisy than I’d expected. If you only have 7 or 8 days and plan to travel overland, I would not spend much time in Yangon or Mandalay, although from Mandalay there are day trips you can do that are pretty interesting.
We flew between places (except for the boat). Obviously more expensive than the bus or train, but the tickets really weren’t that much, and since our time was so limited it seemed well worth it.
Seemed safe, at least I was never worried about safety at all. If you are sticking to the popular places, there will be a lot of other foreign tourists (more than I’d expected), all snapping photos like crazy. I wouldn’t take pictures of soldiers or military bases, or that sort of thing, but that’s probably not a good idea in a lot of places.
Have fun! and enjoy the food :lick: