Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bus
Almost always faster and cheaper than trains, Myanmar buses range from luxury air-con
express buses, less luxurious but nice buses (without air-con), local buses, and mini
32-seaters. Most are operated by private companies.
SURVIVING LONG-DISTANCE BUS TRIPS
Heed the following points and your long-distance bus trip will, possibly, be more
comfortable:
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Bring snacks and drinks by all means but don't worry too much about this. A
bottle of water is often handed out on better-quality buses. There are usually no
bathrooms on the bus, but frequent toilet-and-refreshment stops (where everyone
must get off the bus to prevent anything being stolen) punctuate journeys.
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Often the TV blares for much of the trip - usually sticking with Myanmar-made
concerts or movies detailing things such as, oh, protagonists dying bloody deaths
in car crashes, but the occasional Raiders of the Lost Arkslips in.
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Take a jacket or blanket (preferably both) as temperatures can drop substantially
at night; air-con can also make it chilly. And consider earplugs and an eye-mask as
well if you plan to grab a little shut-eye between toilet stops.
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Myanmar superstition says that when you're on a journey you shouldn't ask any-
one 'How much longer?', or 'Brother, when will we arrive?', as this is only tempting
fate.
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Try not to become alarmed when you see how some local passengers hold their
breath whenever a bus approaches a particularly dodgy looking bridge.
Classes & Conditions
Many long-haul trips allow the greatest comfort, with new(ish) air-conditioned express
buses - some of which are quite nice. For several long-distance routes, many services
leave between 4pm and 10pm or later, and arrive at the final destination in the wee hours
(often 5am or 6am). There are a couple of reasons for this: local people can't afford to
waste a working day on a bus so prefer to travel overnight; and the buses don't overheat
as much by avoiding the punishing midday sun.
If you want extra air-con comfort but don't want to go the whole way on one of these
routes, you usually have to pay the full fare (eg going from Mandalay to Taungoo you pay
the full fare to Yangon) and will have to deal with the middle-of-the-night arrival time. Sim-
ilarly, by paying the full fare for the route, you can jump on a bus at a stop along the way,
