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. Contents1 A Brief History of Naypyitaw – a Planned City2 Day 1: Orienting Ourselves2.1 Naypyitaw’s Hotel Zone2.2 A Lesson in Walkability3 Day 2: Searching for Life3.1 Naypyitaw City Hall3.2 Eating at Thapyagone Night Market4 Day 3: Working from the Vegas Hotel5 Day 4: Renting a Motorbike and Driving it About5.1 Our Semi-Automatic Motorbike on Empty Streets5.2 Uppatasanti Pagoda5.3 20-Lane Highway/Runway5.4 The Hluttaw5.5 Myoma Market5.6 Naypyitaw’s Diplomatic Housing Estate5.7 Handing Back ourContinue reading
Myanmar
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. Contents1 First Visit to the Shwezigon Pagoda2 Vista from Bagan Viewing Tower3 Shwezigon Pagoda Night Visit4 History of the Shwezigon Pagoda5 Price to Enter Shwezigon6 Shwezigon Pagoda as a Wonder in Age of Empires II7Continue 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. Contents1 Finding the Irrawaddy River Cruise2 The Gaw Wein Jetty in Mandalay3 Departing Mandalay and Watching the Sunrise at Sagaing4 Breakfast and Lunch Aboard5 The Stop at Yandabo6 Choosing My Myanma Name7 Drinking Parties at the Pakkoku Bridge8 Arriving in Nyaung-U/Old Bagan9 Map of the Irrawaddy River Cruise10 How We Booked theContinue 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 Contents1 A Brief History of Myanma Telecommunications2 Why Should I Get a SIM Card in Myanmar?3 Which Provider Should I Choose?3.1 ShouldContinue reading