Enchanting Myanmar and KL sidetrip

After I posted my Myanmar Travel Photo Diary in facebook, a lot of my friends messaged me to share the details of my trip. This inspired to take time to write down a detailed account of my trip. Myanmar is probably not in your travel list this year, or anytime soon. Hopefully you will think twice of visiting it soon rather than later.

The Route

There is no direct flight from Manila to Myanmar. So we decided to stop over in Kuala Lumpur then fly to Yangon via Air Asia. Please note that the airport terminal of Air Asia is in the old domestic airport which means that facilities are below standard. If airport situation is one of your non-negotiables, then this option is certainly not for you. :)

Price per Person: ~P11,000 inclusive of all flights (Manila - Kuala Lumpur - Yangon - Kuala Lumpur - Manila)

Hotels:

Yangon: Motherland Inn 2 ($30/ 3 pax)

Bagan: Hotel Thirpitsaya ($65 / 3 pax)

Kuala Lumpur: Prescott Hotel in Sentral ($40/ 3 pax)

Overall Itinerary

We spent 7 days for the whole trip. This is definitely not enough to explore the whole of Myanmar but since we are all working girls, this is the only length of time we can afford to be out of the office.

Day 1 was spent traveling from Manila to KL to Yangon. We took the 6:30 AM flight from Manila to KL. We had a 4-hour layover in KL. We decided to just lounge in the airport instead of going to KL Sentral. We arrived in Yangon around 7:30 PM.

Day 2 was spent going around Yangon City (Shwedagon Pagoda, Kandawgyi Lake, Chauk Htat Gyi Reclining Buddha). When we were planning for the trip, going to Bagan was a non-negotiable. Since we were working on a tight schedule, we decided to take the 9-hour bus ride to Bagan at night. The bus ride was a bit smooth so we were able to get some acceptable sleep.

 

    Sunrise in Shwedagon Pagoda

     Reminiscing our youthful years

Day 3. We arrived in Bagan around 4:00 AM which was perfect since we were still able to continue our sleep before we explore Old Bagan. This day was spent going around Old Bagan. We rented a van for US$ 45 and usually the driver will also serve as your local tour guide. We prioritized visiting the major Pagodas.

Day 4. This was more of a DIY itinerary for us. We went biking around Old Bagan. You can rent bicycles at the hotel for US$ 3. To complete the experience, we also tried riding the horse car. It was time to head back to Yangon to catch our flight.

Day 4. We arrived around 6:00 AM in Yangon. We decided to freshen up and get some power nap first. Our flight back to KL was around 6:00 PM which meant we had a few hours to explore the rest of Yangon.

    Yangon High Court

Day 5 was spent exploring KL. We just stayed for a night in KL. We had dinner with one of Nickie's friends who is based in KL now. 

    Mandatory picture in petronas

       Thanks Elsa for bringing us here!

    KL at night 

Day 6 was time to suffer from major separation anxiety and face the fact that vacation finally ended.


Trip Highlights

It's the people you are with that makes the journey worth taking. We met new friends and the truth is we might never see them again in this lifetime. Meet Teemu and Henrik, our scandinivian friends :) 

Breakfast remains to be our favorite, non-negotiable meal of the day. My girls and i enjoying our breakfast in Hotel Thiripitsaya.

I now understand why people love to bike. I had my first lesson last November 2013. After 6 months, I found myself biking around in Bagan! 

One horsepower for the win! Sure we have Calesa in the Philippines. This horse taxi is similiar to our Calesa but I guess what made the ride different is the countless pagodas.