Category Archives: Myanmar

14 Countries in 4 minutes: My epic 2015

2nd January 2016

In 2015, I meditated in silence for 10 days with Buddhist monks high on a mountain in Thailand, became a yoga instructor deep in the jungle of India, watched the sun rise over holy temples in Burma, cycled from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok and from Istanbul to Milan, slept under the stars about a hundred times, visited fourteen different countries and met so many amazing people in the process. 2015 was also a year of great loss and I am ready to start anew.

Wherever you are, may this next year be full of adventures, health, surprises and happiness!

Getting a Thai tourist visa in Yangon

23rd June 2015

How to get a Thai visa in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Yangon is not a particularly cheap or convenient city for a quick visa run from Thailand, but if you’re looking for a single-entry Thai tourist visa and have the time to spare, you can combine your embassy visit with a trip to one of the most interesting countries in South East Asia.

Mark Weins covers a lot of the details in this post from 2011, but some of the details have changed so I thought there was worth in sharing my experience.

How to get a Thai visa in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Bagan – a photo essay

3rd June 2015

Sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

The city of Bagan is located in Myanmar (formerly Burma), a country not yet fully opened to mass tourism that is changing fast.

Sunrise in Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

Cow in Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

Inside a temple in Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

In Bagan, footwear and socks are prohibited in all temples. The entrance to several of these temples is littered with shops selling trinkets and counterfeit CK One perfumes, Revlon lippies and what have you. One would wonder which one of disobeying the shoe and sock rule or purchasing counterfeit knick knacks at the door of a holy temple is really sinful. Or if Buddha simply just enjoyed shopping barefoot.

10 Days of Burma

24th May 2015

Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

I decided on Myanmar on a bit of a whim with a few days to spare in between two trips. I was guilty again of not having fully done my homework when I landed in Yangon Airport (don’t be me, plan a Myanmar tour!) But never was I expecting a country that encompassed all that South East Asia evoked in me prior to visiting it as perfectly as Myanmar did. Far more than all the other South East Asian countries I had already visited. Myanmar was simply magical and, to this day, I am still oscillating between spilling the beans or keeping them all to myself.