lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

30HOW TO SKIP OVERNIGHT BUSESPLAN YOUR TRIP PLANNING YOUR TRIPThere’s not one obvious way to travel by bus between Myanmar’s four big destinations:Yangon, Inle Lake, Mandalay and Bagan. Most travellers start in Yangon andbus to Mandalay one night, then pick between Inle Lake or Bagan next; this requiresat least a couple of overnight buses. Also note, there’s a dearth of direct buses fromMandalay to the Inle Lake area that are willing to take foreigners, and there’s onlyone direct bus daily going to Kalaw/Taunggyi from Nyaung U, departing at 4am.If you like being able to see scenery out the window, or sleeping in beds, you cantravel to these places without taking an overnight bus. But it takes pre-planning and abit more time – around a week of travel time and a total cost of K44,900 if you take thefollowing buses and/or pick-up trucks:ROUTE DURATION (HR) COST (K)Yangon-Taungoo93500-4300Taungoo-Meiktila 6½ 4000Meiktila-Taunggyi (for Inle 6 2500-4000Lake)Taunggyi-Kalaw32500Kalaw-Mandalay98000-10,000Mandalay-Nyaung U (for 7-86500Bagan)Bagan-Magwe85500Magwe-Pyay74000Pyay-Yangon74100Putting TogetherYour Own PackageIf you’re used to having a car at the airportwaiting for you, and guides showing youwhere to go, that can be done and arrangedprivately. Just because many roads are roughdoesn’t mean you have to sacrifice all comforts.Either contact a Yangon-based agent(p 69 ) before a trip, or give yourself a coupleof days to do so once you arrive. The agentcan help set up private guides, transport andhotels. Ask to pay as you go to ensure thatyour money is spread out and to use differentguides at each destination rather thanone guide for the whole trip (see p 21 ). Talkwith more than one agent, telling them whatyou want, to gauge offers.We know that some agents are keen toensure you have adequate travel insurancecovering medical emergencies for your trip.Their concerns are well-founded, as qualitymedical care in Myanmar isn’t readily available.Therefore an insurance policy that coversmedi-vac is wise.BudgetingHaving decided on all the above, you’ll bein a position to budget more accurately foryour trip. If you need extra help, see p 12 .In the vast majority of cases, you’ll bepaying for everything in cash – either US$or the local currency, kyat – once you get toMyanmar (see p 364 ). With a few very rareexceptions, credit cards are not accepted forlocal payment. Sometimes, if you’re dealingwith a travel agent, you can pay in advancefor some of your expenses, on top of which aprocessing fee of around 5% is charged.Also remember to bring brand new greenbacks.Myanmar ATMs don’t accept internationalcards, and with one exception, it willalso not be possible for you to get a cashadvance on a credit card. Thus, you need tobring all the cash you think you’ll need withyou – and not just any cash. Brand-new USdollars – 2006 or later bills that have colourand are in absolutely perfect condition: nofolds, stamps, stains, writing or tears – onlywill be accepted for payment or exchangedfor kyat; see p 13 for more details.