Backpacking Myanmar (Yangon-Bagan-Mandalay)

U Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Mandalay at sunset

My Myanmar (Burma) trip is a spiritual and nostalgic experience. Myanmar has an old world charm with the country being relatively more open to the influx of tourists in the recent decade. My friend and I were blessed to visit Myanmar in April 2014 during the Thingyan Water Festival. In 4 out of 5 days we were touring their streets with our clothes fully wet as locals throw water at every passerby, a tradition observed to wash away one’s sins in the past as one welcomes the new Burmese year.

Yangon and its magnificent architecture (Day 1 & 2)



British colonial architecture, public transportation, Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon, the capital city, showcases British colonial buildings especially in the downtown area. Getting around is cheap with plenty old sedans turned taxis that can bring you to most places at around 2,000-3,000 Kyats. You can opt to ride the bus but it can be harder with the signs written in Burmese. Allot a day to explore the city with beautiful buildings and pagodas. The more popular pagodas include Shwedagon and Sule.

The scenic city of Bagan (Day 3 & 4)

With the Thingyan festival in full blast, we had to travel by air (via Air KBZ) to Bagan, as there were no buses and trains operating during the holidays.


Scenic view of the ancient temples located in Old Bagan

Touring Bagan is like travelling back in time to the ancient kingdom of the Pagan Empire. Home to over 2,000 temples, Bagan stretches out scenically in dominantly red and pink panorama. Spend half a day touring Old Bagan where most of the major temples are located. The next full day was spent biking around the temples and enjoying the water celebrations that the locals stage in every street and corner of the city.

Charming and Cultural Mandalay (Day 5 & 6)


Beautiful Teak Temple, Monks at Mahagandayon Monastery, Ancient City of Ava

Mandalay is the perfect last stop for our Burmese trip. A full day tour started with observing the monks lining up for their regular lunch in the Mahagandayon Monastery. We then proceeded to crossing the river to reach the ancient city of Ava (also known as Innwa) that houses some of the most majestic wooden and stone temples that I have ever seen. The highlight of the tour for me would be catching the sunset that casts pretty orange and pink tones against the U-Bein bridge and the lake water in Amarapura.

THE FUN PART
Touring Myanmar in 6 days is definitely not enough but it will give you a relatively decent sneak peek into Burmese history and its beautiful and welcoming people. I particularly love the staff of Motherland Inn 2 in Yangon who has been very generous and helpful especially when I got both my right and left soles blistered on the first day while walking wet along the streets of Yangon. I will not forget being able to celebrate with the locals throwing water at buses and passersby using water provided by Motherland Inn 2, dancing to Burmese music in front of Yangon City Hall while being hosed down by government staff themselves, and biking at dusk in Bagan with a piece of ice attached to my back when one local attacked me with his pail of ice cold water. I’m giving a shout out to Ye Lwin, our taxi driver and personal tour guide, who has been very nice and patient with our questions as he takes us around the ancient treasures of Mandalay. He taught himself to speak English in order to converse better with tourists. You can get in touch with him through email at yelwin478@gmail.com or via mobile at 09-402794470.

I never expected to forge new friendships with fellow Filipino backpackers who Ciel and I met first in Bagan and then shared our journey (and expenses, hehe) in Mandalay. To Kriz and Apol, you are equally beautiful treasures worth keeping and finding in Myanmar.