Meditation in Southeast Asia - Insight Meditation Center
Meditation in Southeast Asia - Insight Meditation Center
Meditation in Southeast Asia - Insight Meditation Center
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2. Myanmar (Burma)<br />
The Burmese as a rule are a very hospitable people and Burma is considered a<br />
relatively safe country to travel <strong>in</strong>. If you plan to use public transport you should be<br />
aware that busses are crowded and delays are frequent. Inexpensive flights to<br />
Bangkok start at US$ 500. A return ticket Bangkok/Yangon may be as little as<br />
US$ 200, but the regular price for return tickets from Europe is about US$ 900.<br />
The Return airfare from Bangkok to Yangon (Jan 2006), are<br />
Myanmar Airl<strong>in</strong>e, twice daily : THB 8000 ($200) - Old Airplanes McDonnald Douglass<br />
Bangkok Airways, twice daily : THB 9000 ($225) - Newer Boe<strong>in</strong>g Planes<br />
Thai Airways, twice a day , twice daily : THB 11,000+<br />
Air Mandalay (flies directly from Chiang Mai to Yangon, once a week on Sundays?),<br />
Return $160<br />
It is not recommended to change money at the airports.<br />
Medical care is not comparable to Western standards. Hygiene and the country’s<br />
greasy cuis<strong>in</strong>e are a problem to some Western travelers. Hence it is important to<br />
observe the usual travel precautions for the east. Potable water is to be treated with<br />
caution. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule – the Hse Ma<strong>in</strong> Gon Forest<br />
<strong>Meditation</strong> <strong>Center</strong> cuis<strong>in</strong>e offers no doubt one of the best monastery cook<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
There are a number of excellent meditation teachers and monasteries with very good<br />
conditions for practice. Especially those <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> Mahasi Sayadaw’s method f<strong>in</strong>d<br />
ideal possibilities for long-term retreats. But also for those <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensive<br />
Sammatha-practice <strong>in</strong> Pa-Auk Sayadaw’s tradition or <strong>in</strong> Vipassana methods relatively<br />
unknown <strong>in</strong> the West, such as Mogok Sayadaw’s, Burma is ideal.<br />
English is more widely spread than <strong>in</strong> Thailand and hence <strong>in</strong> most monasteries<br />
translators can be found.<br />
Permission of Entry: A visa is compulsory!<br />
Tourist visa is valid four weeks. If you want to enter with a meditation visa you must<br />
ask for a so-called sponsorship letter from the center which must be sent to the<br />
Burmese embassy together with the visa application. For process<strong>in</strong>g, reckon on<br />
about three months. Visa extensions are also possible. Take sufficient passport<br />
pictures (about 10) for the various forms.<br />
Visa regulations do change once <strong>in</strong> a while, and one should check with the<br />
relevant people prior to mak<strong>in</strong>g travel<strong>in</strong>g plans!<br />
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