Meditation in Asia - Retreat Infos

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