lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

like it or not, for a taxi, trishawdriver or guide who takes youto a hotel, to buy a puppet oreven to eat some rice.When arriving at a busstation, you’re likely to bequickly surrounded by touts,some of whom will try tosteer you to a particular hotelthat offers them a commission.Be wary of claims thatyour chosen place is ‘nogood’, though in some caseswe found that trishaw driverswho had warned us that‘foreigners can’t stay there’ended up being correct. If youknow where you want to go,persist and they’ll take you.Be wary of fanciful offersof jade or other gems assome are filled with worthlessrock or concrete mixture.Many people may approachto say ‘hello’ onthe street. In some cases,they’re just curious or wantto practise some English. Inother cases the conversationswitches from ‘what countryyou from?’ to ‘where you needto go?’ It’s all pretty harmless.You’ll be asked to changemoney frequently. See p 364for tips on doing so withcaution.SpiesAt some point on your trip(and you'll probably neverknow when), the authoritieswill be watching you. This iseven more likely to happenwhen you go to more off-thebeaten-trackplaces, whereauthorities are less used toseeing foreigners.Transport & RoadHazardsThe poor state of road andrail infrastructure pluslax safety standards andprocedures for flights andboats means that travellingcan sometimes be dangerous.Government-operatedMyanma Airways (MA) hasa sketchy safety record, andthere are reports that someMA aircraft have been usedby Air Bagan. The ricketystate of Myanmar’s railwayalso doesn’t inspire muchconfidence. It’s not muchbetter on the roads wheresafety often seems to be thelast consideration of bothdrivers and pedestrians.Proceed with cautionwhen crossing any road,particularly in cities wheredrivers are unlikely to stop ifthey are involved in an accidentwith a pedestrian. Trafficdrives on the right in Myanmar,but the majority of carsare right-hand-drive imports,which add to the chance ofaccidents occurring. Factorin the poor state of roadsand the even poorer state ofSAFETY GUIDELINES FOR HIKINGWe’ve heard about some travellers finding new pathsand staying in the hills for a week or more. Most, however,stick with day trips. Here are a few points to considerbefore lacing up the boots:» Hike with at least one companion; in most cases it’sbest to hire a guide.» Do not venture by foot into areas restricted toforeigners; ask around before taking off.» Camping in the hills is not technically legal, as foreignersmust be registered nightly with local authoritiesby owners of ‘licensed accommodation’.» Trail conditions can get slippery and dangerous,especially in the rainy season.» Walk only in regions within your capabilities – you’renot going to find a trishaw out there to bring you back.GOVERNMENTTRAVEL ADVICEThe following governmentwebsites offertravel advisories andinformation on currenthot spots:» Australia (www.smarttraveller.gov.au)» Canada (www.voyage.gc.ca)» New Zealand (www.safetravel.govt.nz)» UK (www.fco.gov.uk/travel)» USA (travel.state.gov/travel)many clapped-out vehiclesand you have a recipe forpotential disaster.TelephoneLocal CallsMost business cards inMyanmar list a couple ofphone numbers, as linesfrequently go dead and callsjust don’t go through.Local call stands – as partof a shop, or sometimes justa table with a phone or twoon a sidewalk – are markedby a drawing of a phone andcan be found all over Myanmar.A local call should beK100 per minute.To dial long distancewithin Myanmar, dial the areacode (including the ‘0’) andthe number.A useful resource is theMyanmar Yellow Pages(www.myanmaryellowpages.biz).International CallsOfficial telephone (call) centresare sometimes the onlyway to call overseas, thoughsometimes this can bedone on the street throughvendors offering use of theirmobile phones.Generally, it costs about$5 per minute to call Australiaor Europe and $6 per367DIRECTORY A–Z TELEPHONE