I traveled to Myanmar during a military coup. Some may call that ignorant bliss, others may call it outright stupidity. I like to call it my…adventurous spirit. The US government currently classifies Myanmar as a Level 4 Do Not Travel, but hey…what does the government really know anyways?
Myanmar wasn’t always super high on my list of travel destinations, but given my circumstances it felt like the only place I could go. I had been working in Thailand as a tour group leader and I had one week of time off. I wanted to travel somewhere I had never been that was still within my budget and time frame. The only countries that fit the criteria were Myanmar, the Philippines, and Borneo. I knew I wanted to spend at least a month in the Philippines so I didn’t find it to be a good option. Borneo had a very expensive flight from Bangkok so there goes that. By process of elimination, Myanmar shot to the top of the list!
I obviously knew of the political unrest in the country so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to legally enter. But after doing some research, I realized their borders were open and I was able to obtain a 30 day visa after jumping through a few measly hoops. I had to book government approved accommodation and prove I had travel insurance. I also needed to have my outbound flight booked and pay the hefty 75 dollar visa fee.
My first task was booking accommodation but after scouring the internet I started to worry. I usually just go on the HostelWorld app and choose a nice looking hostel but it was slim pickings to say the least. All of the reviews were from years prior so I got a sneaking suspicion that these hostels were not even open. Then I checked booking.com and the results were even more grim. The hotels were all very expensive and also had outdated reviews. I started to worry that even if the country was technically open for tourists, the usual tourist services were not up and running.
I then pivoted and decided to look at bus companies to see if I would even be able to travel the country once there. All of the bus websites I could find (that were in English) all stated their buses were not currently running. Well crap. At this point I’ve started to think maybe Myanmar is not such a good idea. I tried to find anyone who was currently in the country on Instagram, Tik Tok, and blogs but no luck. I kept searching until I found a small sliver of hope.
I came across a Youtube video with 200 views of this British man who was currently in Myanmar and blogging about his trip. He was traveling with a local and in a city I wasn’t going to but still! It gave me hope that it’s at least possible. He showed videos of a bustling street market and it all seemed very normal, so I figured I would be just fine. His video gave me confidence that the travel advisories were more of an un-updated precaution from people who have never even been there. So I went back to my accommodation search and emailed the best hostel and asked if they were open. They answered back and said yes! So I booked my hostel/ flight and Myanmar was officially a go!
When I told literally anybody that I was going to Myanmar for 6 nights they looked at me like I was crazy. But I just had this feeling that everything was going to be okay. I knew it in my bones. So I listened to the only person I trust…me (hair flip emoji).
The only thing I pre-booked was the flight and two nights in a hostel. I flew into Mandalay and knew I wanted to explore around there and then go to Bagan to see the ancient ruins. Since the bus websites were not running, I didn’t want to risk flying out of a different airport and accidentally trapping myself by not being able to cross the country. So I booked roundtrip out of Mandalay and figured I would double back from Bagan.
My flight into Myanmar was completely normal. It was a fairly full and short flight from Bangkok. When I went through immigration, my visa was checked and no other questions were asked. Easy peasy. I bought a SIM card at arrivals and 100% overpaid but the lady spoke good English and I wanted to ensure I had internet the second I left the airport. Prepare for the worst, expect the best. I then booked a taxi through the same tourist help desk. When I searched online for what prices to expect, the taxi ranged from 7-10 dollars. I paid 25. This jump in price was the first of many inflated prices on my trip. It seems due to the lack of tourists, the cost of everything rose to supplement the years of loss.
As I got into the taxi, the driver seemed very surprised to have an American in the car. He was voluntarily telling me all about the current state of Myanmar. He explained that Myanmar is not what it used to be. He said it makes him sad that his country has turned into what it is now. Poverty levels are at an all time high. Tourism used to provide income for most of the population so without the tourists everybody is desperate. He said he used to be a tour guide but without tourists to guide, he turned to driving. Before I got out of the car he told me something that I will never ever forget. He turned in his seat and said, “Be careful walking around at night…bullets have no name”. I was contemplating the meaning of this cryptic message as I walked up to my hostel.
There was an armed security guard standing outside the building, just a tad different from normal then. The hostel itself seemed nice enough but my room was occupied by long-term occupants. Some of them seemed to be locals and others were Chinese students. No other backpackers in sight.
I wanted to message my family to let them know I was safe and sound, but I wasn’t able to send my WhatsApp message. I then tried Instagram and it wouldn’t work. I even tried Facebook but no dice. I thought there was an issue with the internet but when I tried to Google something it worked just fine. I was so confused when I finally realized that social media has been blocked in Myanmar. So I resorted to email to let my family/friends know my whereabouts.
I asked the front desk for some recommendations and they told me to take one of their trusted tuk tuks around the city. They advised me to be inside the hostel after sunset as there is a mandated curfew in place. They also informed me of frequent power outages and what to do if stuck in the elevator. Safe to say I took the stairs from there on out. I was starting to gather that Myanmar was going to be a very different type of backpacking trip. I felt safe enough, but I needed to keep my wits about me.
I took the receptionist’s advice and called their vetted tuk tuk to the Ubein bridge for sunset and had the driver wait for me there. Ubein is the longest wooden bridge in the world so it was pretty neat to walk the whole thing and observe the locals as they strolled, fished, talked with friends, and enjoyed the sunset views. I was stared at quite a bit and some locals asked for pictures to which I happily obliged.
From what I researched beforehand, this bridge is normally super crowded with tourists and a bit overwhelming. But when I went, it felt like I was the only tourist there. The sunset was beautiful and I even spoke with a fisherman about his life and struggles. He told me similar information as the taxi driver; that this Myanmar is not what he grew up in and the local population is furious and wants the military to be overtaken by the rebels so a sound government can replace it. He also told me to be careful and quietly motioned finger guns at me. He told me that the military drinks at night and they have loose trigger fingers. Clearly they knew something I didn’t, so I made sure to go straight back to the hostel after sunset.
The next day I went around the usual tourist destinations minus the tourists. I saw stunning temples, mountainous viewpoints, markets, and lakes. I even got a Burmese massage which was incredible. Mandalay seemed pretty normal for the most part. There were frequent power outages, the grocery store had limited stock, and the sidewalks were not maintained well. But in general it was business as usual. There were a few places that I wanted to see that unfortunately I couldn’t because there was no available transportation there or it was shut down.
I spent most of my time alone for the first few days until I started to recognize a few people who were staying at my hostel. I recognized them from the temples and viewpoint since we were the only foreigners, it was easy to spot them.
It was pretty humorous to talk with the other foreigners and ask eachother why the heck we chose to come to Myanmar during this time. We all kinda had the same answers…screw it! We were legally allowed to enter so we all figured we would go and see for ourselves. Rather than getting scared by the internet from people who had never been. It was really great to speak with these other travelers and get some updated information on bus routes and closures. I found out there was one local bus and one shuttle van leaving for Bagan everyday. I opted for the shuttle even though it was double the price. I figured it was better to get there quicker and with less stops.
The journey was 5 hours and it went fairly smoothly. There were 6 military checkpoints where we had to stop and they checked everyone’s IDs. The checkpoint station seemed like a makeshift fort made out of hundreds of sandbags with slots for guns to poke through. As the only foreigner in the van, they barely looked at mine. They seemed much more concerned with the locals. The first checkpoint I was definitely on edge but after we were all cleared, the rest of the checkpoints didn’t scare me as much. It was definitely strange to have guns pointed at the car but the military did not seem concerned with me at all.
When I finally arrived in Bagan, I stayed at the same hostel chain as in Mandalay. I saw some of the same people that were staying in Mandalay and befriended an 18 year old Canadian guy. I was shocked this was his first backpacking trip and he chose to come to Myanmar. We decided to do some of the sights together so we rented electric bikes and drove around Bagan stopping whenever we saw an enticing pagoda. Bagan is absolutely stunning and 100% worth the visit. It felt like I was stepping back in time. I read online that tourists used to climb the pagodas to watch sunrise and sunset but due to overcrowding it was now banned.
One pro to being the only tourists there, the rules were not exactly being enforced. So my new friend and I hopped a few fences to climb the outside of a pagoda and witness the sweeping landscapes of sunrise hot air balloons and pagodas for miles. It was an incredibly special moment that gives me chills when I think about it. Just unreal beauty.
Another day when biking around, a local man stopped us to share a secret sunset watching spot with us. He seemed genuine so we followed him down a dirt road and went inside an old pagoda and climbed it to the top. He was right, the views were insane. He then tried to sell us his paintings that he made from natural materials found in Bagan. We were kinda trapped on this roof and the paintings were really beautiful…so we conceded and bought two. He was a good salesman, I’ll give him that.
The rest of my time in Bagan was spent exploring temples and trying local food. I was stopped and asked for photos many many many times. It really did seem that I was the only white blonde tourist they had seen in a very long time. It felt pretty special to explore this country that seemed like it had been untouched by the usual swarm of tourists. It kinda felt like I was discovering it for the first time, even though I know it wasn’t true. But it’s pretty rare to feel like this when traveling because it feels like every place has been so over touristed to where it’s not even authentic anymore. But Myanmar still feels very authentic and not corrupted by the West.
Once my time in Bagan was over, I took the shuttle bus back to Mandalay and stayed there for one night before my flight the following day. On my last day there was apparently a resurgence in the rebel attacks. I saw two fighter jets go over my head and there were talks of the airport shutting down. There were news articles about the attack and the area in question was 2 hours north of me. Color me worried. But all was well in the end, I got to the airport and after double security, I was on my flight back to Thailand!
Overall, my experience in Myanmar was very unique and not for the faint of heart. I thought it was a stunning country with so much still to be explored. There were some big cons to going during the political turmoil which included inflated prices, mandated curfew, limited transportation, tourist destination closures, social media blockage, limited accommodation options, power outages, military checkpoints, money-less ATMs, and lack of other travelers/social events/parties. Although thats a lengthy cons list, there were still so many pros. I really did love my time there and I found the locals to be extremely friendly and kind. I got to see a country in a way that so few will ever get to see. I felt like I was truly backpacking and having to make important decisions and find my way when it wasn’t easy. Myanmar is an underrated South East Asian country that deserves a lot more credit. But maybe wait until the coup is over to plan your next trip 😉
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