We were in Naypyitaw from the 10th till the 14th of January 2020. We worked from our hotel, took a taxi, and rented a motorbike for one day of exploration. A Brief History of Naypyitaw – a Planned City What would you do if you could design a city from scratch? You’d try to make it as perfect as possible, obviously. You’d try to think of everything. As someone who likes to play videogames with city planning features, I like to get things right for the sake of my sims. Back in 2002, the military government of Myanmar had it withContinue reading
Hitchhiking from Nyaung-U (Old Bagan) to Naypyitaw
This happened on the 10th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Nyaung-U – the town near the famous ruins of Old Bagan – to Myanmar’s new capital city Naypyitaw. This was our first attempt at hitchhiking in Myanmar. We covered 260 kilometers by hitchhiking. Here you can find a price comparison of our hitchhiking journey versus taking the bus and here’s the map of our route and points of interest. Preparations to Hitchhike in Myanmar I’d been preparing for hitchhiking in Myanmar for literal weeks. Back when Jonas and I were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I made the first hitchhiking signContinue reading
Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan (Myanmar)—Wonder of the Burmese
We visited the Shwezigon Pagoda on January 8th and 9th, 2020. This iconic stupa is located in Nyaung-U/Bagan, Myanmar, close to the banks of the Irrawaddy River. During my visit, the mandatory Bagan Archaeological Zone Pass, which cost 25 000 MMK (€16.25), included the Shwezigon Pagoda. The reason there’s a dedicated post to this pagoda is its inclusion in the videogame Age of Empires II. First Visit to the Shwezigon Pagoda While plotting our 28-day itinerary in Myanmar, the Shwezigon Pagoda was the one sight I knew I wanted to see. I had my doubts about Bagan itself because it’sContinue reading
Cruising Down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Nyaung-U (Old Bagan)
These events occurred on Tuesday the 7th of January, 2020. Jonas and I took a cruise down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Nyaung-U (near Old Bagan) in Myanmar. At the bottom of this article, you can find information on how to book this Irrawaddy River trip yourself. Finding the Irrawaddy River Cruise Before we’d left Chiang Mai, we had to decide where we’d go after Mandalay. In Mandalay, the road to Yangon forks in two paths: to the temples of Old Bagan or to Inle Lake. Both are popular tourist destinations in Myanmar that can later lead to Naypyitaw –Continue reading
Urban Exploring at Mandalay’s Abandoned Airport (Chanmyathazi)
I love abandoned places. I especially love abandoned airports. So when I saw on the map that there’s one right in the city core of Mandalay, I knew I needed to visit Mandalay’s abandoned airport. It’s called Mandalay Chanmyathazi Airport (VBC), named after the township it’s located in. Spotting it on the Map When Googling “Mandalay Airport” there’s no mistake where you need to go to or will arrive at. Mandalay International Airport (MDL) is located a whopping 38 kilometers outside of the city. But passengers didn’t always need to travel that far to fly away from Mandalay. When scrollingContinue reading
How to Get a SIM Card in Myanmar
Telecom and internet are developing very rapidly in Myanmar. Everything we read before we visited the country in January 2020 was already outdated. By the time I hit publish on this article, some information might already be a little off. So here’s the most recent info we acquired. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this article if you have additional or new information about the SIM-card situation in Myanmar. The country code for Myanmar is +95 A Brief History of Myanma Telecommunications Until the mid 10’s, there was only one telecom provider in Myanmar: Myanmar Post and TelecommunicationsContinue reading
My 60-Day Stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand (I Just Don’t Get It)
I entered Chiang Mai, Thailand by plane from China on the 5th of November, 2019. Jonas and I received a 30-day entry stamp initially, which we needed to extend. I wrote this piece partially during my stay in Chiang Mai and partially afterward. Months later I’m still puzzled by this city and its appeal to other foreigners. An unsolved mystery. Expectations Set People praised the shit out of Chiang Mai. For those who don’t know: Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second-biggest city. In recent years, it’s become the biggest hotspot for digital nomads; everyone we met in the scene had beenContinue reading
Happy New Year 2020! This is a Kilometer Sign…
Happy 2020 from Jonas and me! We hope you had a wholesome new year’s eve. I hope you’ll have a good start of the new decade with lots of adventures (small and big), fair winds, good hitchhiking road karma, or a strong but not scary current to paddle in. Jonas and I are currently in Chiang Mai (Thailand), but we took this photo at the Austrian Danube. At the town of Spitz an der Donau there’s a ferry to cross the Danube to the right-hand side where the signs 2019, 2020, and 2021 are very close to each other. It’sContinue reading
Kayaking the Ping River in Chiang Mai, Thailand
So far, Jonas and I joined the paddling meetup on the Ping River in Chiang Mai twice. Kayaking in a group usually happens once or twice a week in Chiang Mai. Click here to find the information to find the next kayaking meetup, the map of the route, and some tips on what to bring/wear. Paddling Addicts Since we finished paddling halfway down the Danube, Jonas and I have been looking for our next paddling fix. We once paddled down the Morava river in Slovakia before drying our dear boat Zucchini. But since then, we haven’t set foot in aContinue reading