Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
he upshot is that it's di
cult these
days to get a double room in a guesthouse
for less than $15, or $20 in the main
tourist areas; this will usually include a
shared bathroom, although you might get
an old air-conditioning unit rather than
a fan. If you're looking for hotel facilities
then the prices quickly rise to more than
$30 (which, in general, is the cut-off
point in this chapter). here are very few
dormitories
open to foreigners in
Myanmar, although this is beginning to
change, while you'll pay fifty to eighty
percent of the cost of a double for single
occupancy. Almost all accommodation
includes breakfast, and it is almost
always unadventurous by default - toast,
egg, banana and instant coffee are the
norm - but if you ask at reception the
night before, many places can provide
a
local breakfast
.
With demand exceeding supply when it
comes to budget rooms in places such as
Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaungshwe (Inle
Lake) and Nyaung U (Bagan), it's wise to
book ahead
, particularly in peak season
(November to February). It is not
uncommon to see backpackers trudging
around looking for an affordable room,
and in a few cases having to settle for a
mattress on a restaurant floor or in
reception.
Monasteries
may also take
in travellers looking for a bed, although
they expect a donation in return.
Power cuts
are commonplace in
Myanmar, even in Yangon and Mandalay,
and many places will have a generator to
ensure that fans and air conditioners
work through the night. Avoid leaving
gadgets plugged in during a power cut,
as there may be a surge when the supply
is restored.
Chinese as a treat. Most towns will have
at least a couple of Chinese restaurants,
typically with large menus covering
unadventurous basics such as sweet-and-
sour chicken. Dishes start at around
K1000 (vegetables) or K1500 (meat).
Indian restaurants
are also popular,
particularly in Yangon, which had a very
large Indian population during the
British colonial era. In tourist hotspots
you'll also find restaurants serving hai
and Italian dishes.
A visit to a
teahouse
is an unmissable
experience: they are hugely popular places
to meet friends, family or business
associates over tea and affordable snacks,
which, depending on the owners, might
be Burmese noodles, Indian samosas or
Chinese steamed buns. Some teahouses
open for breakfast, while others stay open
late into the night.
7
BURMESE FOOD
As in other Southeast Asian countries, in
Burmese food
it's considered important
to balance sour, spicy, bitter and salty
flavours; this is generally done across a
series of dishes rather than within a single
dish. A mild curry, for example, might be
accompanied by bitter leaves, dried chilli
and a salty condiment such as fish paste.
he typical local
breakfast
is noodle
soup, such as the national dish
mohingar
(catfish soup with rice vermicelli, onions,
lemongrass, garlic, chilli and lime, with
some cooks adding things such as boiled
eggs, courgette fritters and fried bean
crackers). Alternatives include
oùn-nó
k'auq-s'wèh
(coconut chicken soup with
noodles, raw onions, coriander and chilli)
and
pèh byouq
(fried, boiled beans) served
with sticky rice or naan bread. All of
these dishes are served in teahouses or
available to take away from markets.
Noodles
also feature strongly at
lunchtime: many locals will have a small
bowl at a street café or teahouse. Various
Shan noodle dishes are popular, including
mì-she
(rice noodles in a meat sauce
accompanied by pickle). Other common
dishes include various
ăthouq
, which
translates to “salad” but rarely includes
vegetables; they are cold dishes, usually
with noodles, raw onions, gram flour,
FOOD AND DRINK
While people in Myanmar take great
pride in their cuisine, if you ask someone
for a
restaurant
recommendation then
there's a good chance that they will
suggest a place serving Chinese food. his
is partly because they worry that foreign
stomachs can't cope with Burmese food,
but also because most people rarely eat at
restaurants, so when they do they eat
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