lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

tion to our boxed text (below) and be sure to alsoread p 364 .In Yangon, you can pay for your taxi from theairport to the city in US dollars and there’s noreason to buy kyat in the terminal. Most hotelsand guesthouses sell kyat for rates slightly lowerthan the usual street rate. Bogyoke Aung SanMarket is the best place to change money; oddsare you’ll be approached if you wander downthe centre aisle. Before you go, ask around toestablish the going rate. You should not pay anycommission or tip for such services.At the time of research, there appeared tobe a near total freeze on credit cards, and noteven the Strand was accepting them. The onlyplace we found accepting and/or giving cashadvance on credit cards was the Parkroyal hotel,and this was only for Visa cards, with cash advancessusceptible to a 8% service charge anda maximum of $200 per day. Also forget abouttravellers cheques – they’re useless in Myanmar(see p364 ).PostDHL (Map p 46 ; %664 434; Parkroyal hotel, 33Ah Lan Paya Pagoda Rd; h8am-6pm Mon-Fri)Main post office (Map p 42 ; Strand Rd;h7.30am-6pm Mon-Fri) A short stroll east ofthe Strand Hotel. Stamps are for sale on theground floor but go to the 1st floor to send mail.MONEY MATTERS» Do not change money at the airportor at banks – the official exchange rateis a fraction of the black market rate.Your best bet for changing money inYangon is Bogyoke Aung San Marketor your hotel.» US dollar bills must be the latestversion (multi-coloured bills from2006 or later) and in absolutelyperfect condition: no folds, stamps,stains, writing or tears.» Myanmar ATMs don't acceptinternational cards – take all the cash(ideally in US$) you’ll need.» Parkroyal hotel is the only hotel inYangon that accepts credit cards.Tourist InformationMyanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; Map p 42 ;%374 281; 118 Mahabandoola Garden St;h8.30am-5pm) Once you wake them up fromtheir nap, the people at this government-runinformation centre are actually quite friendlyand helpful, although their resources are verylimited. This is the place to go to apply for permitsto the Delta region (Dalah, Twante) or – ifyou’re determined to do things yourself andhave the requisite four to six weeks – to requestpermission for a government-sanctioned tripto destinations such as Kayah State (p 198 ),Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) Region (p 110 ) or ChinState (p 287 ).Travel AgenciesMost visitors to Myanmar use private domestictravel agencies to book a tour, hire a car or booka domestic fl ight (air-ticket prices are usuallycheaper through a private travel agency). However,of the more than 100 enterprises in Yangoncalling themselves travel agencies, only a handfulcan be considered full-service, experiencedtour agencies, and they’re essential in arranginggovernment-sanctioned visits to more remoteplaces in Myanmar.Among the more reliable agencies:Asian Trails (Map p 46 ; %211 212; www.asiantrails.info; 73 Pyay Rd) This outfit canarrange specific-interest tours of Myanmar,including cycling and mountaineering, and canfacilitate visits to far northern Myanmar andother remote areas.Ayarwaddy Legend Travels & Tours (Map p 42 ;%252 007; www.ayarwaddylegend.com; 10737th St; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat& Sun) Professional agency that can provideadvice on visiting off-the-beaten track areas.Columbus Travels & Tours (Map p 42 ; %255123; www.travelmyanmar.com; 3rd fl, SakuraTower, cnr Bogyoke Aung San Rd & SulePaya Rd)Diethelm Travel (%662 898; www.diethelmtravel.com/myanmar; Inya Lake Hotel, 37Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd) At Inya Lake Hotel (Mapp 48 ).Exotissimo Travel (Map p 42 ; %255 266;http://myanmar.exotissimo.com/travel/tours;3rd fl, Sakura Tower, cnr Bogyoke Aung San Rd& Sule Paya Rd)Good News Travels (Map p 46 ; %375 050,09-511 6256; www.myanmargoodnewstravel.com; 4th fl, FMI Centre, 380 Bogyoke AungSan Rd; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat) The owner,William Myatwunna, is extremely personableand knowledgeable, and can help arrangevisits to remote parts of Myanmar. Highlyrecommended.Myanmar Himalaya Trekking (Map p 48 ;%227 978; www.myanmar-explore.com; Room205, Summit Parkview hotel, 350 Ahlone Rd;h9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat)WebsitesLonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma/yangon-rangoon)69YANGON 8 8 INFORMATION