Bagan Warnings and Dangers

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BAGAN. Upon arriving at the many sites there are to visit in Bagan be prepared to be overwhelmed by vendors...These vendors selling various clothing,especially T shirts, leatherware ,other craft items or the many children selling postcards it surely is difficult to say no...but I found out that this is a neccesity just a pleasant " no thank you" and keep walking...mind you you will find that the vendors are really persistent and can sometimes be annoying...nevertheless I found that I did buy some things as I knew the difficulties that these loveable people were having as this is their only form of income.

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When travelling in Myanmar ALWAYSmake sure that you are carrying US currency as this is the only currency that is accepted by the Myanmar Government for Entry and Departure taxes in all regions visited..
IMPORTANTLY make sure that ALL notes are new and crisp bills otherwise they will not be accepted.,.also make sure that you have smaller denominations ie: a couple of $20's, $10's $5's and singles. This will make life easy for you as you can pay the correct amount when needed..as you DONT want change in Burmese Kyiat's. This is so as you wont be stuck with any Burmese "KYIAT" when you leave as it is worthless outside Myanmar..There are no ATM's ..Banks give a really low rate .and travellers cheques are not accepted..Best Xchange rates will be at your Hotel. Talk to the man.This is really so important a french guy that was travelling with us one day had a pocket full of US $'s and none were accepted anywhere he went.

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BAGAN
While in Bagan (and all of Burma) I always carried plenty of fresh bottled water when I was "out and about" for the day..(and a bottle for the horse).The temperatures are usually really high and can be extreme with lots of humidity. I have never been as hot as I was in Burma anywhere that I have ever travelled. There are not many shops usually out in the site areas to buy bottled water . The heat and humidity of the day can be severe here and your fluid losses will be intense. Be aware as dehydration can "creep up" on you quickly. Don't underestimate the power of the sun.... a hat and sunglasses are aslo good to have .I found it good to also carry a small torch for inside dark pagodas.

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BAGAN
I was made very aware how neccesary it is to have adeqate travel Insurance. Beleive me Myanmar (Burma) is one such place. To find yourself with some form of injuries here is to be in major trouble.Hospitals are few and far between with little modern technology..This was bought to my attention and mind when one evening I had climbed one of the many red-brick chedis. The climb to the top was rather difficult as the steps were extremely narrow and I had to place my foot sideways to use the steps. I was sitting on the top with a marvellous view of the sun setting on these red brick structures creating a wonderful glowing colour. When finally the sun had set I was very happy as I had captured some nice photos and it had rapidly got dark.I then realised that I had to climb down and what a mjor problem that then presented...anyway I got down slowly without mishap BUT had I fallen here I would have had a major problem.So glad that I had my small torch with me..I beleive that when obtaining travel insurance ALWAYS include repatriation as part of the contract... I never travel without adequate travel insurance cover.

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I found travelling here that it was necessary to ALWAYS have and use a good strong Mosquito and Insect repellant..Malaria and Dengue fever is prevelant here and to use a repellant is a must...in the evening wear long sleeves and long pants..don't be worried by the "fragrance" as everybody is wearing it..make sure what you have is what you need...

ALWAYS CARRY A TORCH WITH YOU HERE
Due to the fact that the power can be turned off at any time of the day or night by the establishment, make sure that you have your torch with you..The large Hotels and Hostels have large backup power generators out the front of their buisinesses as you will notice..unfortuneately the poorer places don't..so..I carried my torch with me all the time...also very few streets have lighting..

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Mt. Bopa is crowded with monkeys - and they are totally spoiled by pilgrims and tourists so that they lost all shyness and can get really clinging if not aggressive for foodhunting.
Another thing is that they pee and poo everywhere, which was a very nice experience walking barefoot (on holy ground, of course) when it started to rain heavily and a yellow flood came down the stairs making it impossible to avoid contact with it. Grrrrreat!

Right now there are many calls for (tourist)boycotting this country - but this only hits the common people - not the Junta leaders. Especially now, the people of Burma are in desperate need for (the attentive) visitors.
I mentioned "attentive" tourists, because you have to look carefully where you spend your money. Avoiding all profit for the Generals and their crew might be impossible since visa fees, taxes or also entry fees end up in their pockets, but by all means avoid luxury 5-star hotels, government airlines and all business involved with the Junta and the generals who try to keep all business within their "families".
For Bagan, especially avoid the watchtower - those 10 bucks certainly go to the wrong pockets.
For Burma right now, I guess individual travelling is the best solution, since you have a better control of your spendings. You can minimize the Juntas profits and maximize the benefit to the common people.