Basics - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 49

fortable seats, in the cabin, then you can pay a little extra; a seat in the back (or on the roof)
will seldom set you back more than K600.
Taxis are available in large towns and cities, and range from 1970s Toyotas to occasional
new left-hand-drive Chinese imports. There are no meters but drivers tend not to overcharge
as outrageously as in many other Southeast Asian countries. Expect to pay around
K1500-2000 for a trip across town of a reasonable length, such as from a bus station on
the edge of town to a central hotel. Burmese-style tuk-tuks ( thoun-bein ) - motorbikes with
roofed flat-bed trailers attached behind them, with rows of wooden benches for seats - re-
place taxis in smaller towns and villages, and often work out slightly cheaper, starting at
K500-1000 for a short ride. Cycle rickshaws ( saiq-ka ), also known as trishaws, are still in
use in many towns, although these are being edged out by motorbike taxis (on which the
passengerridespillion).Thelatteraremuchfasterandnormallyaroundthesameprice(start-
ing from K500 per trip).
Most of these forms of transport can also be hired (with driver) for a day, and can be ar-
ranged direct, through accommodation or via travel agents; you'll need to bargain to get a
goodprice.Motorbiketaxismaynotworkoutmuchmoreexpensivethanrentingaself-drive
motorcycle, while groups can often get a good deal on a pick-up or tuk-tuk for the day.
Finally, in small towns, horse-drawn carriages are used as a key form of transportation,
and also ferry tourists around in a number ofplaces, notably Bagan, Inwa and Pyin OoLwin.
The horses are not always well looked after, however, and the lack of suspension on bumpy
Burmese roads makes them uncomfortable for longer trips.
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ACCOMMODATION
First, the bad news: accommodation in Myanmar is crazily expensive, and prices con-
tinue to rise dramatically thanks to the general shortage of rooms, the cost of taxes
and licences, and the fact that the government itself encourages hotels to set artificially
high tariffs in its attempt to maximize foreign-currency earnings. In many places quite
ordinary rooms in a mid-range hotel can go for over $100 (in a country where many
people earn less than $2 a day), while you're unlikely to find a reasonable en-suite
budget room for much less than $25.
Secondly, more bad news. Given the cost of accommodation, and the fact that so many of
the better places are owned by businessmen with close government links , this is where
you'll need to be especially careful if you don't want your money falling into the hands of
the government's cronies. Most hotels and hotel chains are locally owned, and international
chainshaveyettoarrive,except foracoupleofrareexamples -youwon'tcurrently findany
Burmese Hiltons, Hyatts, Marriotts or Sheratons. On the upside, although accommodation