Myanmar 2017

I usually plan my vacation at least 3 months before my birthday month which is April but this year my twin sister and I didn't want work to get in the way so we decided to just to go for it and travel 1 month ahead. Our country of choice this year is Myanmar. In case you're wondering why, I find this country interesting just by looking at pictures of famous local celebrities that I've been following on Instagram. Most people who visit Myanmar recommend to visit Bagan because that's where all the ancient temples are located. My trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia three years ago is one of my most memorable travels because I have never seen such beautiful and intricately made temples so I thought about going to another country that will mesmerize me the way this country did.

My itchy feet couldn't wait any longer so I book our flight a week before our trip and just planned our itinerary afterwards. There are no direct flights from the Philippines going to Myanmar, only connecting flights with stopover to either Singapore or Malaysia depending on the airline company. We agreed to book Tiger Airways with connecting flights to Singapore going to Yangon. 

Finding a place to stay is a challenge for us since we have no idea what to expect from hotels in Myanmar. I relied heavily on reviews from Tripadvisor and travel blogs. I booked via hotels.com for our first hotel in Yangon and we want one that's close to Aung Mingular Bus Station since we're looking at going to Bagan on our second day in Myanmar. My sister decided that we book JJ Express Bus ahead of time for our Bagan trip to avoid any hassle when we get there which is highly recommended by tourists. Just an fyi, JJ Bus or Joyous Journey is a reputable bus company in Myanmar with routes going from Yangon to Bagan and vice versa, Yangon to Mandalay and v.v., Mandalay to Inle Lake and other famous tourist spots. Booking with JJ Express online is such a breeze. What my sister did was to communicate with them via Facebook messenger and we got our assigned seat numbers for both trips in no time while I took care of another hotel reservation for us so we have a place to stay when we arrived in Bagan. I jotted down four famous temples that we'll be visiting in Yangon and Bagan and hopefully it wouldn't be so hard to accomplish. 

We're all set and ready to go.

This is it!

02.27.17

Boarding soon

Upon arrival in NAIA T1 we paid our travel taxes immediately. Travel tax still cost Php1,620 each. We were starving we decided to grab a bite first while waiting for the check in counter to open. For some odd reason there's no other dining option in T1 but Jollibee. Our flight is scheduled at 9:35 PM and the check in counter opened around 7. We boarded almost 10 PM, talk about Filipino time y'know. 

Hello Singapore!

(02.28.17)

Airport and Sky train hopping at Changi

Singapore time is the same as the Philippines. We arrived in Changi Airport Terminal 2 earlier than the e.t.a (estimated time of arrival) which is 01:15 AM. We strolled the airport and hopped the Sky train to get to Terminal 3 where Singapore Foodstreet is located because I've been craving for Hainanese Chicken rice all my life since I went to Singapore 6 years ago. Chicken rice is a popular dish in SG unfortunately the only stall that sells that is not open 24 hours so I ate Duck rice instead. We enjoyed the free wifi, foot massage and exercising through the travelator for 6 hours until it's time for our 07:20 AM flight to Yangon.

Yangon-Bagan, Myanmar

Yangon International Airport is practically NAIA Terminal 1. It is a very basic and small airport you won't get lost. The only familiar fastfood chain is KFC but we preferred to eat at this local resto called Bites because I don't like eating western food when I visit other countries as much as possible just for a change.

Chicken Lemak and Coke for brunch

We hailed a cab for 6,000 kyats from Y.I.A to High Five Hotel. We're able to check in early at 11AM at no extra cost. Check in time is supposedly not until 2PM but most hotels allow early check in as long as it's not too early like maybe earlier than 9AM otherwise if you want to check in immediately, might as well book one more day and note as very late arrival if it's going to be the following day already. 

High Five Hotel

High Five Hotel, Yangon
35, Thiri Kan Thar Street (Near North Oakalar Lane Zone), Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

We had 2 beds put together and an ironing board in the room as requested. There are large windows and the room is spacious for the two of us. The staff were hospitable and helpful but barely understand or speak English. We also noticed the frequent power outages and latency of the Internet at this hotel which is kind of frustrating I don't think they have a generator it's quite a shame to their guests. I'm aware that they do not have a lift because I read online reviews about this hotel but I did not expect the narrow stairs I regret wanting a room on the 5th floor which is the top floor.

Day 1. 

Yangon Day Tour

Shwedagon Pagoda 

After a warm shower and an hour of rest we took a cab for 5,000 kyats from our hotel to the infamous Shwedagon Pagoda. We paid an entrance ticket of 8,000 kyat total for both of us. We were given stickers and brochures of what we expect to see inside the temple. No shoes/socks allowed in Myanmar temples because it is a sacred place so we endured walking barefoot under the scorching heat of the sun our feet was literally on fire. We were in awe upon seeing golden temples we couldn't help but take lots of pictures and videos. It didn't take us an hour to get around this temple. 

Chaukhtatgyi Buddha
a.k.a Reclining Buddha

From Shwedagon Pagoda we rode a cab again to get to Chaukhtatgyi Buddha a.k.a Reclining Buddha and paid only 2,500 kyat. I suppose it's not too far that's why the fare is pretty cheap. Stray dogs roam freely at this temple but they're harmless and we really didn't mind since we're animal lovers. There are several souvenir shops around this temple we wasted no time and bought stuff like pashmina scarves, fridge magnets, and scroll artwork display. I also bought a longyi (lon-jee) for myself that I can wear every time we visit a temple. Longyi is a traditional Burmese wrap around sheet worn around the waist down to the feet, it's kinda like Sarong. Haggling is a bit of a challenge in this country probably due to language barrier but you can try, to get more value for your money. Souvenir prices range from 500 - 8,000 kyats but for high quality fabrics it can go up to 25,000 kyats. 

Souvenirs bought from Yangon

We dine at a local restaurant few blocks away from this temple then took a cab back to our hotel. We're so tired we had a good night sleep. Our first night in Yangon went well, I think. 

Day 2.

Off to Bagan 

(03.01.17)

At JJ Express Bus terminal. Snack on board and TV
made our trip really comfortable.
I fell in love with Faludah.

We checked out at 01:00 PM from High Five Hotel then went to straight to Aung Mingular Bus Station where JJ Express is located so we can pay and claim our tickets for our 08:00 PM trip. It was extremely hot in Yangon we couldn't wait at the terminal for 6-7 hours we decided to look for a place to eat and cool down for a while. There are many local restaurants in the area however, locals don't speak English and their menu is written in Burmese we nearly gave up thank God we found one restaurant with pictures of their menu posted on the wall with corresponding prices it definitely made things a lot easier we just pointed at the picture of the food that we want to eat and there we have it. We ordered fried rice chicken curry and strawberry shake because those are the only food that's familiar to us. I think Myanmar is spicy food haven because anything we ate so far are spicy. While waiting for time to pass without wifi, we edited pictures on our phones just so we will not get too bored. Later on we ordered Faludah because I read somewhere on the Internet that it is a must try dessert in Yangon we told ourselves we must not let this chance pass. Faludah tastes so darn good it's made up of rose syrup, jellies, vanilla ice cream, milk, etc. This yummy chiller made my day. 

They serve free hot coffee at JJ Express which is kinda awesome especially if you're getting kinda sleepy. We boarded the bus 10 minutes before 08:00 PM. Snacks like biscuits, bread, bottled water, soda and blanket came with our first class ticket. There's also a small TV for each passenger I watched Tom and Jerry, lol. We had a really comfortable trip so to speak. It's a 9 hour trip from Yangon to Bagan but there are stopovers for passengers to use public restrooms and find some place to eat. The first stopover is for 30 minutes and the last one is 14 minutes. It was a long ride but time passed by so quickly when you're tired and asleep anyway. We arrived in Bagan around 6 AM.

A chilly morning greeted us.

Day 3.

Good Morning Bagan 

(03.02.17)

Sky View Hotel
No. 69, Shwe Knat Kaw Street, Zay Ya Waddy Quarter
Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

View from our room Sky View Hotel

Bagan full day tour

Spicy and yummy tofu
at Be Kind to Animals the Moon
Restaurant

After the receptionist scanned our passports we settled in our room then had our first breakfast in Bagan at the rooftop. No wonder this hotel is named Sky View because there's literally a view of the sky and some hot air balloon from afar at the rooftop, it's kinda cool. I told my sister that this hotel offers half or full day Bagan tour. I saw a tarpaulin by the reception area so I called the receptionist from our room phone to inquire about the tour rates.

We took advantage of the full day tour for 35,000 kyats. What I like most about this hotel is that they offer private tours, we have group tours we want be able to take charge of our time y'know. The driver of the SUV awaits us outside the hotel and picked us up at 09:00 AM. We went to several temples in Old and New Bagan where we took a lot of photos and videos as usual. We went shopping for more souvenirs and had lunch at this vegan restaurant called Be Kind to Animals the Moon located in Old Bagan. We decided to end our tour at around 3 in the afternoon and head back to the hotel to get some rest. We missed seeing the Bagan sunset supposedly at 5 PM which is still part of our tour but we're already very tired from our trip last night and we've been walking all day.

Bagan have too many beautiful temples

Keep walking

Awesome structures

Very rich culture

At Mahabodhi Temple

I love rooms with large windows. This hotel do not have coffee and tea making facilities, a hairdryer and in-room safe but there's a mini fridge and we're okay with that. Free breakfast and wifi is offered in most hotels in Myanmar but the Internet is not fast just like in Yangon.  

It's a nice room we got. No power outage.

We slept soundly.

Day 4.

Leaving Soon

(03.03.17)

Palm tree farm in central Myanmar

Check out time is at 12 noon but we have nowhere to go after leaving the hotel. The cab driver who drove us to JJ Express terminal told us that we're too early to be at the terminal because our trip back to Yangon is not until 08:00 PM so he offered us a tour to Mt. Popa for 35,000 kyats but we asked him first to take us to downtown to have our money changed since we are running out of kyats then we went back to the bus terminal to pay for our tickets before going to Mt. Popa which is an hour drive located southeast of Bagan in central Myanmar.

View from Mt. Popa summit

Bright as the sun

Spicy stir fried noodles and monkey
guarding the temples at Mt. Popa

On our way to Mt. Popa we had a quick stopover at a Palm tree farm where we saw interesting products made from palm tree juice, leaves, etc. Upon reaching Mt. Popa the driver parked the car across the entrance of the temple that we have to climb. I got a little scared because there are monkeys everywhere and they are not very friendly but I kinda pity them when I saw how poor their health condition was. They have scabies all over their bodies and they feed on anything that tourists will throw at them no wonder why they snatch food because they are not fed properly. It's a long climb to get to the summit I just realized that we climbed 777 steps when my sister Googled how many steps there are to get to the peak of Mt. Popa. Well, that explains why my legs are shaking really bad after.

We arrived at the bus terminal around 5 PM  which is still quite early but I think we're able to manage our time wisely. I booked us another hotel in Yangon via Agoda.com while at Sky View Hotel but I forgot to note that we'll be arriving really late. I called the hotel from JJ Bus ticketing booth I'm glad the lady was kind enough to let me advise the hotel. 

It's another 9 hour bus ride from Bagan to Yangon.

Goodnight and goodbye Bagan. 

Day 5.

Back to you, Yangon 

(03.04.17)

Galaxy Hotel
No.(2A/5A). Okkalar Thiri Garden Street, (D) expand,
North Okkalapa Township, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Our room at Galaxy Hotel.
They have a lift and nice dining room

Galaxy Hotel have a western feel for me. It's modern and newer compared to High Five. We arrived in Yangon as early as 5 in the morning good thing it's not very difficult to get a cab from the bus terminal to our hotel. Upon arriving at Galaxy Hotel I showed the booking number from my phone to the receptionist. She gave us orange juice as refreshments and asked us to wait while she scan our passports. After giving our room key and wifi password we immediately went to our room at the 4th floor unfortunately we had to come down after a few minutes because the wifi isn't working. The receptionist couldn't figure out what was wrong why both our mobile phones wouldn't connect to the Internet she eventually rebooted the router and that solved the problem. We're about to head back to our room when she called my attention that breakfast is ready. I honestly enjoyed breakfast at this hotel because they have more options compared to all the other hotels we've stayed at. I also like their dining room, it's nice and clean.

We thought about visiting one more temple since it's our last day in Yangon but our plans changed we decided to just stay at the hotel and get a good rest. We bought snacks at a nearby convenience store then spend the rest of the day watching movies.

Day 6.

Goodbye Yangon

(03.05.17)

Goodbye Yangon!

Our flight is scheduled at 09:25 AM (Yangon standard time) so we checked out from the hotel at 6 AM. We arrived at the airport before 7 but the taxi driver dropped us off the wrong terminal we had to walked passed 2 terminals good thing terminals at Y.I.A are not too far from each other. The check in counter is not open yet we had our last breakfast in Yangon at KFC. We thought about spending all the local money that we have left so we bought flavored gum and bottled water. I'm kinda sad our vacation is almost over but still excited for our 12 hour layover in SG.

Our plane departed kinda late I guess Burmese people also have their own version of Filipino time.

Goodbye Yangon!

Back to you Singapore

I love Changi and chicken rice!

Our plane landed in Singapore earlier than 01:15 in the afternoon, our e.t.a. We didn't have to go through Immigration check since we purchased Tiger connect which is kinda convenient unfortunately we didn't get our passports stamped nevertheless, we're glad to be spending more time in Changi this time around. We availed of the 24 hour free wifi we just scanned our passports in their self service wifi kiosk then we had our late lunch at Singapore Foodstreet. I'm a happy camper I was able to finally savour Hainanese Chicken rice, yay! We went souvenir shopping afterwards. We changed some of our $US to $SG so we have some money to spend on food and drinks while at the airport. We bought pizza bread before checking in at Aerotel Transit Hotel located at Terminal 1. We had a hard time finding this hotel for some reason maybe we're just really tired or something but thank God the front desk guy whom I suspect is a Filipino too, adjusted our check out time because we booked for 6 hours from 4-10 PM supposedly however, we arrived late around 4:30 PM already looking for this lounge, geez.

Aerotel Transit Hotel
Level 3, Departure Transit Lounge, Terminal 1 (above Gate D41)
Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 819642

Our room at Aerotel Transit Hotel

I'm in love with that life sized
cosmetic mirror

We had a really comfortable stay at Aerotel. We booked a 6 hour day rate package (minimum length of stay) for $76. We got a medium twin room with an ensuite shower room, TV, coffee and tea and free wifi (Changi airport's public wifi). There's no in-room safe or mini fridge but it's no biggie. Their rates may be a little overpriced but we didn't mind because we really need a place where we can rest comfortably and shower before our flight back to Manila.

We stayed at The Wings Transit Lounge in NAIA T3 last year when we went to Hanoi, Vietnam because we intentionally arrived really early for our flight to avoid getting stuck in traffic. We booked a twin room with bunk beds but the actual room size is rather small. There's no air conditioning and no private bathroom. There's free meal to boot but we didn't have a comfortable experience for a hefty price of Php1,800 only for 4 hours compared to Aerotel.

We checked out before 10:30 PM although our flight is not until 01:55 AM so we still have time to eat and stroll Changi.

Time is up. Goodbye Singapore!

Touchdown Manila

(03.06.17)

Our plane landed past 5 in the morning at NAIA T1. I'm not a fan of  this terminal simply because there's no place to eat but thank God at least there's Foreign Exchange around the corner. We had our foreign currencies changed back to PhP and finally travelled back home.

Travelling is such a wonderful experience. I cannot wait to travel again.

Right on!