Richard Vines, reporter for Bloomberg cuisine category, has had 3 times visiting Myanmar from 1981 to 2015. For almost 4 decades in his life, he has seen much of Myanmar changing. Today we will find out how Myanmar developed when time passed by, before starting a real adventure Myanmar tour.
As his stories go, 1981 is the time of noisy bar in the hotel the Strand in Yangon, at that time was called Rangoon. There were not many websites and blogs for Yangon travel tips, people just came randomly.
One of the best drink there at that time was Strand Sour. Tourists sat around the table together, chatted and talked about life and how they discovered Myanmar. They bought Myanmar travel books and tried very hard to get to the best places.
Technology was not modern at that time, people used fan instead of air conditioner. And Myanmar was called Burma then.
If you were in Burma then, the beautiful and luxurious villa recommended would be Le Planteur, which was located near Inya lake’s bank. This villa was designed in French style, served French food with lobster, salad or beef fillet.
Dinners were also served inside Strand Grill, a domed roof hotel, enjoyed lobster dish at a cost of 44 dollar.
Myanmar was conquered by England in the past, so many high buildings were constructed in English style. In 1981, it was difficult for tourists to have a long tour. Visa for them to have an adventure Myanmar tour just lasted only 1 week long. These buildings are still on some Yangon streets. And there were only 5 or 6 cities opened for customers.
To discover the beauty of Myanmar, visitors had to spend a long time moving. There were not many kinds of transportation, so they often took trains from yangon to Mandalay, and if they wanted to come to Pagan( now are called Bagan), one more day on an old boat to spend.
Even at that time, many knew about Bagan, a city with thousands of pagodas, of different styles and sizes. Until now, many also consider this city as one of the most attractive Myanmar sites to visit.
Now Myanmar has changed so much since 1981. So many changes that Richard Vines has difficulties in finding his way back. One thing you can easily realize is that foreigners are more and more welcomed these days. Many come every year from many countries all over the world, both West and East sites, from young to old people. Streets are noisier and are crowded with people coming and going.
There are still people of poor class in Myanmar. But it is a fact in every country, we can not stop it. Life is still going, better on average.
He said 30 years ago, travelling in Myanmar was not really great as it was just a place to go, to rest with basic accommodations. But now, hundreds of hotels are built, with modern style and great services. Taxis, cars and trains… are plenty for you to use. Tourists will get no difficulty in finding most of Myanmar highlights for travelling, through internet, websites.
Time passes by and everything changes. Strand hotel now becomes one of the most luxurious hotel in Myanmar, the cost for eating and services also go up. With ancient style, this hotel is still a great place to remind many tourists about the old Burma in the past, different for what they see in their adventure Myanmar tour.
One more luxurious hotel is Belmond Governor’s Residence. It is located in the embassy area in Yangon. You can spend nighttime outside, near the swimming pool and enjoy special food, even India buffet.
Myanmar cost for travel is not a big problem. You can spend time travelling and enjoying great food along the street, at 19 street and at a reasonable price. There are also great hotels with cheap price. You can experience with Nilar Bryani & Cold Drink. Richard Vines said he spent only 9 USD for his dinner there.
Transportation also changes much. He said it was a hard time for him to move to Mandalay by cyclo and horse wagon, but now there are many flights for you to choose, safe, fast and clean too. Motorbikes are now everywhere, flexibly moving.
Hotels now even serve spa, massage and sauna service. Tea, coffee and food are willing to be served.
Richard Vines feels that a new life has began here, with love, with hope and new a future. He loves Mandalay, where his father was born, loves Myanmar, Burma in the past, now and forever
What about you? Do you love this country? Book an adventure Myanmar tour and discover the rest of it to see how life is moving in this Asia country. Welcome!
