What to pack for Burma

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Luggage and bags: My day bag is a small back/pack that carries my cameras and lenses (out of sight) also my daily neccesities.It is important to carry with you an International Power Point Adaptor for recharging all your electrical items.
The most important thing to have with you is your bottled fresh water ..carry more than you think you need. I buy mine at the supermarket and keep it in the fridge in my hotel room for when I need it.
One thing here in Burma is a neccesity to have with you ,and that is a small torch, mine is small, and self charging. I wouldn't be without it due to the power outages here. Also there are no street lights.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: I carry with me a small rolled up poncho that is light and when rolled up fits into my pocket.This covers me and my back/pack in case of a tropical downpour..Tropical storms can be unbeleivable.
Wear a hat for sun protection
Wear sunglasses for sun protection.
Wear comfortable hiking /walking boots/shoes.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: To avoid uneccesary "hassles" at different customs and immigration controls have your medication prescriptions handy for inspection. So as you can show what medication you are carrying. I always have mine in a zip locked plastic sandwhich bag along with my passport and shot card.
Because the temperatures here are so severe, with the extreme heat and humidity comes the insect problems. See that you are using a good reliable Mosquito and Insect repellant at all times. Malaria and Dengue fever are prevelant here.
Seeing that most foods are eaten by hand it is imperative to have a hand sanitiser in your pocet to constantly wash your hands.

Photo Equipment: Before you leave for the day see that your digital batteries for your camera are fully charged and you have a spare memory card...so you wont have any dissapointments..

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: On my list of neccesaries I see that I am carrying a good reliable sunscreen at least 30+
A small tube of moisturiser
A small tube of lip balm.
DON'T FORGET THE MOSQUITO and Insect repellant

Miscellaneous: Carry a spare pair of glasses if you wear them!!.
A couple of band aid strips.
A small packet of tissues..as there usually is NO toilet paper anywhere.
This might seem a lot of items but they are small in size, light in weight, most fit in my pockets, and the rest are in my day pack. I find all these items essentials for me to avoid "daily hassles".

Luggage and bags: One small suitcase if you are moving around or a back pack for those who don't want to buy.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Men: 2 shorts, one long pants, t-shirts, a comforatble pair of walking shoes(mine are 30 years old0, thongs, an umbrella and a light sweater or rain slicker .

Photo Equipment: A battery charger with plug adaptor.
An electric usb charger for your mp3 freese you from computers.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: a really good torch for temples

Miscellaneous: Thanks to all the people who made clothing suggestions. They made it clear that less is more and better.

This is my first time in the tropics for a long time and I am looking forward to it.

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Luggage and bags: Aircraft baggage handlers chew betel nut (like more than half the population in Yangon).
They spit everywhere.
Some spit lands on your luggage.
So try to have ONLY carry-on luggage.
Because the flight attendants don't chew betel nut.
But your fellow passenger might.
You should use hard-sided luggage if you are bringing check-in baggage.
So that you can wipe it down when some disgusting beteljuice spit lands on it.

Miscellaneous: you can use US$ most anywhere but the exchange rate is flexible depending on who you deal with. Generally we got between 800 and 1000 while the going black market rate was around 1200 per USD. You need to have nice crisp new bills or you will have to negotiate and argue with your counterpart to use your bills. This seems to be a common issue in countries where the currency market is not open. Make sure when you get change that they give you crisp new US$ bills too.

Luggage and bags: Travel light! This eases everything. You can get laundry service in most hotels. Alternatively bring some (eco) detergent.
You might want to consider using waterproof or rainproof (inner) bags .

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Bring flip-flops otherwise - if you are unlucky and hit a several day lasting rain - going out for food wont be fun at all.
High boots are only good as long as the water doesnt get deeper. I did indeed encountered the water in the streets of Rangoon being nearly 1 ft deep . Of course also bring a rain coat. For longer hikes dont forget some proper boots or trekking shoes.
Bring a sun hat , maybe gloves (against the sun!) and sunscreen.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Be sure to have a some supply of Anthelmintics such as Albendazole AND Praziquantel .
Alternatively you get such medicine in the bigger cities at ease. Please consider your doctor for more informatin about specific threats, possible vaccinations and malaria risks . If you visit rural areas and have a longer trip ask for vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis . Never travel anywhere without a small first aid pack ! :) I saves life in worst case and only "wastes" 250ccm in best case. Be prepared for Traveler's diarrhea with your favourite medicine.
Grab enough insect repellent ! Consider a mosquito net for longer trips or more rural trips. Dont forget some quality tape to patch holes in existing nets. You might want to have a pack of Doxycycline handy.

Photo Equipment: As there can be very much water and humidity - if you dont travel in the very midst of the dry season - consider using waterproof eqipment such as Pentax Optio W 10 or newer/similar models.

Miscellaneous:
Daniel Mason
The Piano Tuner
ISBN: 03-304-9269-1
2002
Dutch translation:
De Pianostemmer
ISBN: 90-234-1003-3
2003
On a misty London afternoon in 1886, piano tuner Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the War Office: he must leave his wife, and his quiet life in London, to travel to the jungles of Burma to tune a rare Erard grand piano.
The piano belongs to Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll, an enigmatic British officer, whose success at making peace in the war-torn Shan States is legendary, but whose unorthodox methods have begun to attract suspicion.
So begins the journey of the soft-spoken Edgar across Europe, the Red Sea, India, Burma, and at last into the remote highlands of the Shan States. En route he is entranced by the Doctor's letters and by the shifting cast of tale-spinners, soldiers and thieves who cross his path.
As his captivation grows, however, so do his questions: about the Doctor's true motives, about an enchanting and elusive woman who travels with him into the jungle, about why he came. And, ultimately, whether he will ever be able to return home unchanged to the woman who awaits him there...Sensuous and lyrical, rich with passion and adventure.
The Piano Tuner is a hypnotic tale of myth, romance and self-discovery. It is an unforgettable and haunting novel.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: In the rainy season you definitely need an umbrella. A raincoat can be useful but i (and all Burmese with me) swear by the umbrella. That and shoes/sandals that can stand an enormous amount of water.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Good mosquito repellent!! In every season there are mosquitoes here. And they are not of the tiny size either.

If you're attached to a special brand of toothpaste/deodorant etc. Definitely bring it. You can find western brands (imported via China/Thailand or Singapore) but don't bet on them having the one you want.

For the ladies: sanitary napkins are of the mattress-kind here. And tampons i saw the other day in the City Mart (at the Yankin centre) but there were so few packs that i wouldn't be surprised if they run out of them on a regular basis.

Luggage and bags: If you are travelling Anywhere and using a Rucksack / Backpack as your luggage then I would Strongly recommend that you use some form of Rucksack / Backpack Pro-tector !!This tip is from my own personal experience, as I have had Big Problems having my Rucksack damaged or even destroyed by airlines, particularly on Airport Carousels,
What can happen is that one of the straps can drop in-between the lats on the moving Carousel and then as your Rucksack goes around a corner, the strap gets ripped off, I lost the entire back and carrying system from one of my rucksacks !!
I have tried many of the Rucksack / Backpack Protectors that are available on the market and was disappointed with how they performed, So after having many problems with these decided to design and manufacture my own.
Full details of how this came about are written up on my Nepal page.
So, Obviously my own recommendation would be to get your Rucksack / Backpack Protector from
Pro-Tector

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Also, after successfully designing, producing and selling the Rucksack Pro-tector for several years, I have now introduced some new lines such as a Pro-Tector Travel Wallet and a Pro-Tector Document / Valuables Travel Pouch.
If you think that any of the above would be of benefit for yourself on your own travels then please take a look at my web-site at . Pro-Tector

Miscellaneous: The Rucksack Pro-Tector has Many Uses, As in the photo here, We left our Rucksacks at the left luggage office at Mumbai (CST) Railway Station, so we popped them inside the Rucksack Pro-Tector and locked them up so to discourage petty pilfering, when we returned 8 hours later our luggage was safe and untouched :-)