What can you see in Myanmar and the fabulous balloon festival
Myanmar is a dream come true travel point, there is such an abundance of colour, exotic places and interesting attractions. Few people have heard about Myanmar, some only know it as Burma, the old name, and most people have the same reaction when they hear something like this from northern Thailand’s neighbors: “Myanmar, is this a country?”
It is also fascinating, impressive and hits you as a cold shower since you take the first step in the airport. Even though I seriously documented myself before going out this spring, nothing prepared me for the reality that you will discover there. Whether you want to get there in the very near future, or want to enrich your general culture a little, you should know a few things about Myanmar.
Vaccines: And here’s how we get to the favorite topic of all tourists and, precisely why, something more delicate. Is it safe or not to travel to Myanmar (and not only) if you are in good health? Well, what we can tell you is what we chose and what made us make a decision or another. We started at the end of 2017 on a longer trip and didn’t know exactly where we were going. That is why before I left I got typhoid and diphtheria / antitetanus vaccines. It is true, however, that we met during our trip quite a few tourists who did not take any precautionary measures. What we advise you is that, if you are uncertain, talk to a specialist doctor before explaining in detail what to do. Only then will you be able to make the best decision, whether or not to get vaccinated.
Another oddity of the place is the way women are makeup. They use a natural cream, thanakha, extracted from a bark of the tree, with which they face. Originally, this makeup took different forms, from leaves to circles or other symbols, but in everyday life, women apply cream on their cheeks and forehead and stay with it. It is said to be a cream that not only protects the skin, but also beautifies the wearer. One of the most unpleasant things I saw in Myanmar was chewing tobacco. It seems that chewing tobacco, kun-ya, especially by men, is one of the oldest traditions of the place. In fact, it is not even pure tobacco, but a combination of ingredients, all wrapped in one leaf. You can read more about the recipe here. See additional details at https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/.
The food: What is to be said in the food chapter should be considered as more than subjective. We know that many like it, but we don’t. Close to nothing. As I said before, we excluded the street food option from the beginning, because we found it unhealthy. Moreover, the preparations they serve in traditional restaurants did not give us back. Not even their famous noodles. The only preparation we really enjoyed and ordered several times was a green tea salad that turned out to be absolutely delicious. Otherwise, we thought that Burmese cuisine is an unfortunate combination of ingredients and tastes that do not fit well. We repeat, this is how we perceived things, because we met a lot of people who glorified the traditional restaurant preparations, and even the street food.
Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the commercial capital and largest city. The administrative capital is Naypyidaw. Burmese are Buddhists. If you ask them, they are more Buddhist than the Thai. If you don’t ask them, they don’t seem to mind. Women are safe, religion does not allow them to make obscene gestures or be violent. Don’t be afraid to get in a taxi in Yangon at any time of night, no matter how dubious your driver or taxi might look. However, ask the price before you go up. We paid $ 3 for a race of about 3-4 kilometers, without going crazy. Discover additional details on https://globalhawkmyanmar.com/en/tour-program/trekking-tour/.
