Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hands or passing something to someone,
as the left hand is traditionally used for
toilet ablutions; however, locals do use
their left hand to “support” their right arm
when shaking hands.
Most people in the country are
Buddhist
, although there are significant
Muslim and Christian minorities.
Buddhist men are expected to experience
life in a monastery at least once, usually
as a child and certainly before they get
married. It may only be for a week,
although poorer children in particular
may become novices and be educated at
the monastery. Most Buddhists also
believe in
nats
, spirits rooted in older
animist traditions, which take an interest
in the actions of humans and may need
to be propitiated.
Considering the social conservatism of
Myanmar's society it is interesting to note
that while in the past most
nat kădaws
(spirit mediums) were women, today most
are gay men and many are either trans-
gendered or transvestites. A
nat-pwèh
(spirit
festival) held, for example, at the start of a
new business enterprise is an occasion on
which people have licence to sing, cheer
and show emotions which would otherwise
be repressed in public.
Homosexuality
is,
however, technically illegal in Myanmar
- for tourists as well as locals - and
punishable by fines or imprisonment. his
is rarely enforced in practice and there is a
discreet gay scene in Yangon, but little
elsewhere. See
W
utopia-asia.com/tipsburm
.htm for information and advice.
foreigners are generally expected to stay
in licensed accommodation for every
night of their visit. his means that
camping is illegal, as is staying in local
houses, in most parts of the country.
As a result,
day-hikes
are the limit in
many places. here are exceptions,
however, with the most notable all being
in Shan State: around Kalaw (see p.562),
Inle Lake (see p.565), Pindaya (see
p.564), Kyaukme (see p.581) and Hsipaw
(see p.581). In these areas it's possible to
stay in either homes or monasteries,
by prior arrangement through a tour
agency, and therefore do
multi-day treks
.
A guide is either obligatory or strongly
recommended for most hiking, but the
trails around Hsipaw are sometimes
undertaken without one.
7
BIKING AND MOTORBIKING
Both
mountain biking
and
motorbiking
tours
are available in Myanmar, through
specialist agencies. here are many
advantages to getting around in this way,
not least the chance to interact with
people in villages and rural areas;
disadvantages include the poor state of
many roads, plus the requirement to sleep
in licensed accommodation. Some cyclists
have used camping as a back-up, but it is,
strictly speaking, illegal and should not
be relied upon. If you cycle off the beaten
path, you may be questioned about your
plans and even accompanied by
immigration or police o
cers.
SCUBA DIVING
For affordable scuba diving in Myanmar's
waters, you're better off booking a
live-aboard trip from Ranong in hailand.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Outdoor pursuits
and
adventure sports
are not yet well developed in Myanmar.
With the notable exception of trekking,
most activities tend to be arranged
through travel agents and are
prohibitively expensive.
MEDITATION
With a strong Buddhist tradition,
Myanmar is a good place to learn to
meditate
. here's even a special
meditation visa
available if you have a
letter of support from a meditation
centre, which lasts for three months and
is extendable. Some centres will only take
foreigners who commit to staying for
several weeks, but one shorter option is
a ten-day course in Vipassana meditation
(
T
01 549290,
W
joti.dhamma.org;
TREKKING
Opportunities for
treks
are limited by
two main factors. One is that many of
the most appealing areas are in the
mountainous border regions, which tend
to be closed to tourists or require
expensive permits. he other is that
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