Myanmar was a certainly a unique country, but all the little things that were making it so special were really only revealed after spending some on the ground while travelling around. Up to the actual arrival, the only sort of information that one could actually get were best described as rumors. Despite all that, the travel experience was actually a really great one, mainly because of the many friendly locals who tried to ensure that every visitor had a good time in their country. In line with that, there probably wasn’t a single town I came across without a huge sign stating: Warmly Welcome and Take Care of Tourists!
While the sign did certainly keep its promise to make me feel welcome in the country, a few curiosities still came up while travelling around. Unfortunately it was mostly not really possible to get any good answers or explanations as to why things were the way they were and nobody besides me seemed to actually care. But even without the logical answers, it seemed interesting enough to put some of these curiosities together and to attempt explaining them in one way or another…
1. No Motorcycles in Yangon
Typical Intersection without Motorcyles in Yangon
Everyone who has ever been to Asia knows how important motorcycles and scooters are for local people. They are affordable, they don’t need much space to zip through the traffic and a surprising amount of people or goods can be transported by them. But things were quite different in Yangon. Rumor had it that a motorcycle once hit the car of the big General and he simply decided to make all motorcycles illegal from one day to the other. The result was that everyone with a little bit of money drove a car and everyone else simply walked or took a bus. This was not only a very curious circumstance, but it left Yangon awkwardly deprived of the usual busy street life one would find in other Asian cities…
2. Right Hand Cars on Right Hand Streets
A Right Hand Bus opening the Doors to the Traffic Side
Growing up in Europe, driving on the right side of the road was always normal to me and even if I used to think the Brits were crazy for driving on the wrong side, at least they were building matching cars for their conditions. In Myanmar on the other hand, people were driving all British style cars, but on the right side of the road. This not only made no sense at all, but it was actually really dangerous when overtaking or leaving the bus on the traffic side of the road. Since it was not possible to find a logical reason for this, my personal imagination painted a picture were the big General got up one morning and simply proclaimed that the country would break with all the British colonial traditions and from now on everyone had to drive on the other side of the road…
3. Moving an entire Capital City
Deserted looking Government Building in Yangon
You thought Yangon was the capital of Myanmar? Sorry, but as of 2005 the capital city of the country is actually Nay Pyi Taw. Even if Yangon still is the biggest city of Myanmar, the capital was in fact moved some 300 kilometers further north and an entirely new city was built from scratch. While nobody has ever heard of Nay Pyi Taw outside of Myanmar, moving an entire capital seemed quite a curious circumstance, especially when considering that the money spent could have been used to help the poorer population. Furthermore all the government buildings in Yangon seemed to be deserted, left alone with broken windows and confined to a crumbling existence. Needless to say whose great idea this capital move might have been. The only curious question that remained was: If the big General had left the city, why was the motorcycle ban still in effect?
4. Constantly Overheating Cars
Steaming, overheated Car by the Road in Myanmar
Having been to many countries and having used all sorts of transportation, I have never experienced anywhere else that the vehicles would constantly overheat. Literally every single hour it was necessary to stop and pour cold water over the motor and the breaks of buses, pick-ups and trishaws. In fact, there were actually little water stations in Myanmar, dotted along the roads. As soon as a bus was stopping there for example, people would run up with a hose or a bucket and start pouring water over the tires and the motor. After ten minutes of watching water evaporate and steam away, we could finally continue with our drive. But it seemed very strange to think why this was actually necessary…
5. Most Trucks were Hood-Less
Different Types of curious Hood-less Trucks in Mandalay
It was absolutely impossible to visit Myanmar without coming across the fascinating hood-less trucks. These interesting vehicles were literally rattling all over Myanmar and it was quite difficult not to fall in love with them for their rugged beauty and bare simplicity. But why these trucks were operated without any kind of hood was beyond my understanding. Maybe it was simply cheaper to put these trucks together out of the least amount of pieces. But on the other hand, maybe this was actually a really progressive approach to prevent these trucks from constantly overheating. Who knows, but they were certainly a very curious appearance…
6. Myanmar Railways
Myanmar Railways Train driving through a Market in Amarapura
Even if I wrote already at length about the Adventure Travel on Myanmar Railways, this still belonged into the list of curiosities. On the one hand I was completely fascinated by the extremely slow train system in Myanmar but on the other hand I was completely in disbelief about the rail conditions and how much the cabins were swaying left to right during the scenic journey. Being not the best means of transport for longer distances and for some strange reason more expensive then the faster bus service, Myanmar Railways was certainly providing a unique travel experience. But why the rails were in such a poor condition remains a curious mystery. Maybe the money for the rail system was spent on moving the capital…
7. Crisp Dollar Bills and ATMs
ATM right in the Center of Shwedagon Money Paya in Yangon
Before travelling to Myanmar, all I ever heard and read was that there were no ATMs inside the country and it was necessary to bring all the money needed for the trip in US Dollars. These Dollars needed to be crisp and clean, printed in the latest version with the hint of color on them. While this whole preparation for the Myanmar trip was curious already, especially because Getting US Dollars in Bangkok was not that easy, the reality inside the country looked quite different. Even if some local people still cared about the crisp bills, the banks were accepting bills in any condition, plus ATMs were widely available. In fact, they had built so many ATMs that they even put one right inside the holiest Buddhist temple of the country, thus turning it into the curious Shwedagon Money Paya…
8. Conversion Rates
Curious Entrance Ticket with Dollar to Euro Conversion in Myanmar
There was obviously an official conversion in Myanmar and it was set be 968 Kyat for 1 US dollar, but in reality everyone calculated the money 1 to 1000. This probably happened out of pure convenience and only really the banks bothered with an actual conversion rate. Curiously enough, but the banks actually cared so much about the conversion rate that they had a different one for each dollar bill and the best rate was offered for 100 Dollars. But overall it was actually cheaper to keep paying in USD than in Kyat, especially when it came to bigger amounts, as for hotel rooms or entrance tickets. Actually entrance tickets were the most curious thing in terms of conversion because even Dollar and Euro were treated equally. This really made no sense at all, but given the option of paying 10.000 Kyat, 10 USD or 10 Euros, the Dollars made by far the best choice…
9. Nobody Understood You
Squiggly Letter Ticket that Nobody really Understood in Myanmar
Considering that Myanmar used to be a British colony for quite some time, I admittedly expected the condition to be somewhat similar to the one in India with all the people being able to speak English to some extent or another. For some strange reason this was not the case at all and really only people working with tourists were trained to converse in English. Trying to travel as local as possible and being faced with a lot squiggly letters and sometimes numbers as well, became quite a challenge, especially when nobody could really talk to you. But the most curious thing was that even if I tried to learn the local words and pronounced them as best as I could, people still just had blank stares on their faces. Usually people always picked up on my best try of their language, but not in Myanmar. Maybe they were simply not used to visitors mispronouncing their language…
10. Translations didn’t Match
Curious Translations of a Restaurant Menu in Yangon
This was something that was really killing me. Of course there were the usual mistranslations on the menus and one was left to wonder what would actually come out when ordering a “Vegtarian with Noddles Fried” or “Fruits and Cereals with Rice Sheet Fried” but the problem went much, much deeper. Since the local language was written in little squiggly letters, someone must have done a written translation for English speakers to be able to read the words. My logical thought was that this must have happened during British colonial times, but for some curious reason these translations didn’t match. For example the currency written as “Kyat” was spoken “Chat” and the place written as “Myitkyina” was spoken as “Mitchina” and thus one more layer was introduced into not being understood by any local person in Myanmar…
11. The Breakfast Issue
Uninspiring Western Breakfast instead of Local Myanmar Cuisine
For me a big part of travelling was always to try the local cuisine and Myanmar had a lot of great food to offer. All it took was overcoming the little translation problems on the menu or adventurously trying something new in a little street stall that everyone else seemed to enjoy eating. But while Myanmar had a lot of great food to offer, every single hotel served an uninspiring western breakfast in the morning. This was mainly annoying because an actual dollar value for the breakfast was included in the room price and when inquiring for the reason, people really seemed to believe that this was what Westerners wanted. What appeared as a nuisance to me, was still a curiosity in that sense as to why someone would actually want to eat dry toast with jam and drink instant coffee in the morning when there was really great local breakfast like Mohinga available everywhere on the streets…
Conclusion
Even if not getting the money back for skipping the hotel breakfast was a bit annoying, overall these curiosities were a big part of what made travelling in Myanmar so interesting. After all, Myanmar was a really great country to visit and maybe not everything needed to be fully understood. It was definitely much more important that every tourist was warmly welcomed and taken care of…
Have you been to Myanmar? Do you have other curious travel experiences?
An Asian city with no moto bikes around?! Wow! That one thing already makes Myanmar so unique
As for conversion rates – yeah I’ve experienced the same thing in India and Indonesia that when you change bigger notes – the better the rate is. And in general, in the bank you can bargain a higher rate if you exchange a sum over 500$ or so.
Great facts indeed. I hope I can finally make it to Myanmar this year!
Elena recently posted…Liebster Award Nomination
You are right Elena, that completely through me off as well when I arrived in Yangon. Something was simply missing, until I realized it was actually the motorcycles. What the conversion rate is concerned, I never noticed that because I rather use ATMs than money changers, but it still struck me as quite strange to have different rates for each individual bill. Definitely try to go to Myanmar soon as it is changing quite rapidly lately and you wouldn’t want to miss all the curiosities, would you? 😉
What a great rundown of Myanmar curiosities. I am really surprised by the abundance of ATM, when we visited in 2010 we had to cut our trip short because we ran out of money and had no way of getting any!
Margherita @The Crowded Planet recently posted…Calcutta: city of perplexity
That is quite a shame Margherita, but as it seems, Myanmar is changing quite rapidly these days. When I was visiting I met some people who came via land border from Thailand and I had no idea that was even possible by now. Hopefully it won’t change too quickly and will maintain some it’s quirky charms, they really made the whole trip special…
Dennis, I love your number two…after traveling in Asia, that must have been a shocker. And as for breakfasts, I love a local breakfast…but, I’m also guilty of loving a nice fried egg!
Corinne recently posted…Weekend Travel Inspiration – The List
Corinne, I can totally see that a nice egg can be a good choice for breakfast, but getting the exact same breakfast every single day and even paying for it when eating out, was a bit much for my personal taste. The driving of the right hand cars on the right side was really a curiosity I had never seen anywhere else in the world, it certainly made no logical sense at all…
This is so interesting and what a great collection of curiosities! Very intriguing facts about the country. I can understand how communication must have been so difficult. What stands out to me is ordering food there…I would want to get only vegetarian stuff, but it might be difficult to communicate that or to make sure that the item was actually vegetarian!
Lauren recently posted…Tips for Saving Money for Travel (Part 1)
Thank you Lauren! Yes the communication was really an issue sometimes, but surprisingly enough I never had any trouble ordering vegetarian food in Myanmar. It definitely wasn’t a concept that was foreign to them and since they had these great dishes like liquid tofu noodles, it was always easy to find tasty dishes that were free of meat…
It seems like there are still a lot of transitions before tourism starts to get standardized and more accomodating to mass tourism, similar to when I visited Cambodia over 15 years ago and it was really backwards but now thriving.
noel recently posted…Cruising Monterey Bay, Travel Photo Mondays #46
You are probably right Noel. I even spoke to some people who mentioned that conditions were quite similar in Thailand may years ago and nowadays you can see what mass tourism can do to a country. Hopefully Myanmar will be able to maintain some of its curiosities and unique charms, it would be quite a shame if it became like any other place…
Great post! I traveled in Myanmar before they had ATM’s, and the only way to get money changed seemed to be through your hotel or guesthouse. The rate never seemed to favor the tourist. One hotel I stayed in though had a much better rate in the restaurant than at the front desk. That was strange. I remember seeing the new highway to the the new capital. There wasn’t a car in sight.
Nancie recently posted…#Frifotos – Landscape – Ping’an China
Thank you very much Nancie! I haven’t been to the new capital myself and haven’t heard of good reason to go and anyone who actually did visit. It almost seems a bit strange to have this hidden away capital, but then again quite a few things were strange and curious in Myanmar. Your money changing experience fits right in and it once more proves that Myanmar certainly is a very unique country…
Hi Dennis, truly interesting curiosities. I had no idea that they moved the capital – at all! I had a hard time imagining the right on right driving. Looking forward to experience all these curiosities soon. Interesting post.
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted…Langa Township: The Different Side of Cape Town
Thanks a lot Marisol! They certainly moved the capital without notifying me as well and I only found out from the guide book once I was already inside the country. What can I say, Myanmar definitely is a different place and all those curiosities, including the right hand driving, added a few more layers to the already interesting travel experience…
Interesting info about Myanmar! We found the same issue in Cambodia about the U.S. dollars, you are warned that some people won’t take them unless new and crisp but in reality people didn’t seem to care much as long as they are U.S. dollars, but we did hear from a few people who did have problems. That is frustrating about the breakfasts!
Jessica @ Independent Travel Cats recently posted…Finding Paradise in Vietnam: Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
You are right Jessica, the breakfast was quite uninspiring and frustrating! The money issue was just strange in Myanmar: Some people insisted on US dollars, others didn’t want them, some wanted them crisp while others didn’t care. It certainly didn’t hurt to have them just in case, but overall it was never quite easy to figure out what to expect. But on the other hand, that was actually making Myanmar quite an interesting place to visit…
I love this post! This makes me a little more excited to visit Myanmar. The British cars driving on the other side of the street is killing me! That one makes no sense at all, haha!
Anna | slightly stray recently posted…Montevideo, Uruguay: First Impressions
You should definitely be excited to visit Myanmar Anna, it really is a great place! The wrong cars on the right side of the streets really made no good sense, but it certainly helped to Myanmar a very special country to visit…
The trucks and menus are hilarious. As for the breakfast I try getting local recommendations for restaurants all of the time and they often send me to some crap overpriced restaurant where the other white people eat at! They think that’s what I am looking for!
Anna recently posted…Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay – Suðurland, Iceland
You are certainly right Anna, the menus and trucks really were hilarious in Myanmar! As for the breakfast, I have actually had the same experience as you before and that’s why often times when talking to locals I ask them where they would go for breakfast. Usually those are the best recommendations then…
I’ve seen video footage or trains passing through markets before and it’s just mind boggling. There’s literally no space between market stalls for people to pass, but still a train manages to scrape through. Just bizarre!
Dale recently posted…The Baroque Buildings And Sights of Lecce, Italy
You are right Dale, sometimes you see these things and you can’t believe that they are actually happening. I had a few such instances in Myanmar, but on the other hand, that is all part of what makes travelling to interesting, right?
Wow lots of interesting curiosities in the country. I remember when I went to Cambodia in 2005, they told us to bring crisp new US bills as well and paying in USD was the better option. The thinking was that the new bills were more trustworthy and less likely to be fake. I cannot imagine an Asian city without motorcycles. That must have been really strange (and maybe quieter?).
Adelina | PackMeTo recently posted…The Beautiful and Fantastic Bridges of Ljubljana
Adelina, it definitely was really strange to see a motorcycle-less city in Asia and it really was not as busy as you would normally expect. What the money is concerned, I really didn’t know what the problem was with the crisp bills, but maybe Myanmar had trouble before with the older bills, or they simply decided they didn’t want to make it too easy for the visitors…
Nice post. Older Burmese generation speaks and write good English but since the military coup in early 1960, Burma’s education system suffered. Now an average Burmese can neither write nor speak English now except from the rich who can afford better education overseas. I am sharing this for my website.
Thank you very much! It’s interesting that you are saying the older generation would speak good English, that wasn’t really my experience. But it definitely would make sense that there was more of an English knowledge pool in Myanmar at some point, it just must have gotten lost at some point. Can you explain why the written translations didn’t match the English pronunciation? One would think they should have been made specifically for the English speakers…
Great post, Dennis! Quite few curiosities, some of them I would never imagine. And while reading about no 2, I was thinking that the only explanation can be that somebody decided not to have anything to do with British. Just to find out that you were thinking the same. But really each of them left me surprised. How about moving the entire capital city – now, this is a clear example how irrational people can be.
frankaboutcroatia recently posted…Sandy Beaches in Croatia: where to find them
Thanks a lot Frank! You are right, some of these curiosities Myanmar really made you think that irrational people were making all the decisions. On the pother hand, I am sure there was an explanation somehow for everything, even for the capital move, just not a very obvious one. But it’s great to hear that you had the same thought about the driving on the other side of the road. I guess our suspicion must be true then…
Great post, very curious about the hoodless trucks and different currency rates for different bills. Strange, but interesting. It’s a place we definitely want to see!
Frank (bbqboy)
You should definitely try to visit Myanmar when you get the chance Frank! I am sure you would have a great time with all the different curiosities as well and riding the hood-less trucks alone was almost worth the entire visit…
Great article Dennis!
About breakfast, everytime I am in Myanmar I go out to a street stall or teahouse!
It’s very cheap, really good and you get to interact with locals! Mohinga, coconut noodles, e kya kway, Myanmar tea… uufff sooo good!
I love Myanmar food and have spent the last 4 months travelling all over the country learning about it. 😉
I have just finished an eBook about 11 Dishes from Myanmar You Have to Try.
Visit my blog and download it free.
Cheers!
Juan
Juan – Myanmar Travel Essentials recently posted…NEED Eco Village Foundation in Myanmar
Thanks a lot Juan! Mohinga definitely was the best dish for breakfast, but for some strange reason every single hotel seemed to be very concerned that you rather have toast in the morning. I am sure during your four months in Myanmar, you had a lot of both, toast and Mohinga. Maybe they will start serving them together in the future, that definitely would be another curious thing to add to the list…
I visited Myanmar last February and had a fantastic experience. It is tough travelling the place on 11hr buses and the fact that hotels are forced to double the price for foreigners.
I did managed to catch a football game in Yangon and played a round of golf in Bagan! The vineyard in Lake Inle is a great place to relax on a sunny afternoon.
Love this entry. Been to Myanmar before. How silly I am didnt realize about the motorcycle. Maybe I am over excited. Just look but never see.
Danial recently posted…How Much to Spend for 4 days 3 Nights holiday in Ho Chi Minh City?
That is great to hear Danial! Myanmar definitely is a curious place as a whole and in Yangon something just didn’t feel right. It then turned to be the lack of motorcycles, which definitely makes Yangon a very special or rather unusual place in Asia…