A Few Suggestions before Visiting Burma

I visited Burma in 2006 and really liked the time I spent there, it was quite an experience Even though I am against the junta controlling the country, I still decided to visit Burma, as there are many places worth visiting

I visited Burma in 2006 and really liked the time I spent there, it was quite an experience. Even though I am against the junta controlling the country, I still decided to visit Burma, as there are many places worth visiting.

If you are unfamiliar with Burma, which was officially renamed by the junta to the Union of Myanmar in 1989, it is the the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Bay of Bengal to the southwest.

Here are a few suggestions if you decide to visit Burma.

You should bring more money than you expect to spend. The reason is simple, as there are no ATMs or credit cards in Burma. You will only be able to use your credit card for hotels, but then you can book on the Internet. That means you need to calculate a budget for your trip. Expenses for transportation, food and souvenirs should all be carefully calculated before heading to Burma. By having a travel guide, you will know what the typical prices for different services are. I strongly recommend the Lonely Planet guide, as it is the one I used after looking at a few guides. It has all the information you need for you to have a safe trip. You should know that you will pay a departure tax for leaving the country; it was $10 US back in 2006. If you want to avoid stress of counting your money to make sure you have enough, plan well in advance. I came in the country with $135 US and left with $5. For 5 days it didn?t cost a lot, but I still had to watch out my spending, as I had no way to get more money. So don?t make the same mistake as I did and plan well.

Another thing that is suggested even by the Lonely Planet guide is to support the local population as much as you can instead of the junta. That means not going to government owned hotels or restaurants. By doing this you make sure that it is the population that will get your money and not the junta. In the Lonely Planet guide, they will tell you what hotels are owned by the junta and which are not. Try to go in local restaurants and see how the Burmese are, you will find that they are among the nicest people you will ever meet. Even though they are oppressed by the junta, they still manage to be welcoming and friendly. From all the countries I visited, I found that the Burmese were the nicest people.

So maybe you never thought of visiting Burma because of the junta and the actual situation over there, but it is truly a beautiful country to visit. If you are armed with a travel guide and plan well your expenses, you will be fine. And don?t forget to support the local population, as they deserve to have a better life.

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Michael S. DeVries is the Founder of I-ShopTheWorld.com (http://www.I-ShopTheWorld.com ) - where You may Save Money on Unique Native Products Direct to You from All over the World! and a Principal of The Virtual Consulting Firm (http://www.TheVCF.com).