lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

28DON’T VISIT MYANMAR IF...PLAN YOUR TRIP PLANNING YOUR TRIPIf you don’t like to compromise on such things as food and hotel quality, and/orhave a low tolerance for last-minute changes of plan or being denied conveniencessuch as guaranteed round-the-clock power, use of ATMs and credit cards, yourmobile phone and the internet, then perhaps Myanmar isn’t for you.Don’t come here if your holiday priorities revolve around nightlife and partying.Myanmar’s evening entertainment options, including bars, are very limited, if they existat all – Yangon (Rangoon), the largest city, included.And in Myanmar, like many developing countries, there are questions around travelsafety and health.Sometimes areas that were possible to visitwith or without a permit, suddenly becomeoff-limits; that’s how it is in Myanmar.Exiting Myanmar by a land border (onlythree possible; see p 375 ) will require permitsand ‘guide’ fees and plenty of advancednotice.Areas of RestrictedTravelPlan accordingly if your travel itineraries involvethe following places:» Border Crossings (p 375 ) Permission is neededto exit Myanmar by all open land border crossings;entering the country this way is also subject totravel restrictions.» Kayah State (p 198 ) Only accessible on agovernment-sanctioned package tour, whicharen’t allowed to stray too far from the statecapital, Loikaw.» Mt Victoria (p 287 ) Bypass the governmentguide by going with a private one, but you’ll stillneed a permit. Mt Victoria is in Chin State.» Putao (p 266 ) Putao is in Kachin State.» Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) Region (p 110 ) Nopermission needed to go to Dawei (Tavoy), Myeik(Mergui) and Kawthoung, but access in and outis by flight only and you must stay within the citylimits.Picking HotelsThis guidebook lists hundreds of hotels andguesthouses that are believed to be privatelyrun with no links to the government. Bearin mind that a tax of at least 10% goes tothe government no matter where you stay.Visitors who want to ensure that the leastamount of their money goes to the governmentcan stick with budget family-runguesthouses and minihotels. Those whowant their stay to benefit the most peoplemay prefer midrange and top-end hotels,which can employ staff of 100 or more andoften fund community projects. See p 22 formore details about how we decided whichhotels to review for this guide.If you want to stay at a particular hotelor guesthouse, advance bookings areadvised for the busiest holiday season inDecember and January. Otherwise, youusually shouldn’t have a problem findingplaces to stay once you’re in Myanmar.Note that some high-end hotels importtheir furnishings, supplies and even food;ask before booking. Staying at hotels thatuse local products can keep more of yourmoney in the country.Family-RunGuesthousesOften with just five or so rooms and alounge, which are shared with three orfour generations of a family living in-house,these budget-level guesthouses can be ahighlight of your trip, offering connectionswith local life and cheap deals (often $10 to$15 for a double). Most rooms come with afan or some sort of air-conditioning unit,though electricity frequently cuts out aftermidnight. Some are better than others,however, and like budget hotels, you’ll findsome with squashed mosquitoes left on thewalls.Budget HotelsIn many towns your only options will bea couple of four-floor, modern, ‘Chinesestyle’hotels. In some there are dark celllikerooms with a shared bathroom on theground floor (usually for locals only), and