Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Moneychangers
You'll find official bank and private licensed exchange booths at places such as Yangon
and Mandalay airports, Bogyoke Aung San Market and Shwedagon Paya in Yangon.
Never hand over your money until you've received the kyat and counted them. Honest
moneychangers will expect you to do this. Considering that K10,000 is the highest de-
nomination, you'll get a lot of notes. Moneychangers give ready-made, rubber-banded
stacks of a hundred K1000 bills. It's a good idea to check each note individually. Often
you'll find one or two (or more) with a cut corner or taped tears, neither of which anyone
will accept.
Many travellers do the bulk of their exchanging in Yangon, then carry the stacks of kyat
around the country. Considering the relative safety from theft, it's not a bad idea, but you
can
exchange money elsewhere and the spreading of ATMs is making such a strategy in-
creasingly unnecessary.
Tipping, Donations & Bribes
Tipping is not customary in Myanmar, though little extra 'presents' are sometimes expec-
ted (even if they're not asked for) in exchange for a service (such as unlocking a locked
temple at Bagan, helping move a bag at the airport or showing you around the sights of a
village). Given the low level of wages, too, it's a good idea to leave change for waiters in
restaurants.
Have some small notes (K50, K100, K200) ready when visiting a religious temple or
monastery
,
as donations may be requested and you may wish to leave one even if it's
not.
The government has vowed to fight corruption, but it's a fact that bribes remain an in-
grained feature of large sections of Myanmar's economy. You may find that a small
amount of 'tea money' is need to expedite certain services - use sense and discretion if
you find yourself in such a situation.
Opening Hours
Opening hours are generally as follows:
»
government offices, including post offices and telephone centres, 9.30am to 4.30pm
Monday to Friday
»
shops 9.30am to 6pm or later Monday to Saturday
»
restaurants 8am to 9pm
»
internet cafes noon to 10pm.
