1. Guide books go out of date so quickly as Myanmar is developing at a ridiculous rate – bear this in mind when taking recommendations from them.
2. The Myanmar currency is “kyat” – pronounced “chat” – I was that person calling it “kee-aat” for the first few days
3. Immigration in the airport isn’t the scary experience I had expected (based on stories I had read online!)
4. Beware of the “masturbating taxi driver” *shudder* (you should be totally fine btw – we were just super unlucky on that one!)
5.Get the “MapMe” app if you have a smartphone – super handy free maps app that doesn’t need wifi to direct you places – great for when you do get dropped off randomly by said “masturbating taxi driver”
6. Yangon (& Myanmar in general closes down by 11pm) so when we arrived in at 11.30pm it just seemed creepily eerie & deserted – don’t let this form your initial opinion of the country, it truly is the most magical of places!
7. If you do want a bit of sessioning in Yangon – head to 19th St and visit one of the many bar stations along the street that serve cold beer and bbq’d awesomness!
8. You need to bring American dollars into the country to exchange in Yangon – I got my dollars in Bangkok airport en route (I am sure there are plenty of other places that do better exchange rates but I was stuck for time!). The taxi drivers accept dollars from the airport (at an inflated rate) then just find a money exchange somewhere in Yangon – they are everywhere! There is meant to be one in the airport too but we got in late and didn’t come across it! Do not stress over money – it is so easy to get it sorted and there are ATMs in a lot of places!
9. Embrace Yangon – I loved the grittiness of it, the hustle and bustle, delicious smells & lovely smiling faces you encounter! It’s raw!
10. Attempt to speak Burmese at any opportunity – it is really appreciated!
11. Explore the rough & ready corrugated iron temples dotted around the countryside & get chatting to the loveliest of monks.
12. Hop on the circular train around Yangon…it goes around the city & out into the countryside a little – I loved it but I am a total train slut! It was only like 30c or something like that?
13. I loved chatting with random elderly folks – their English is perfect (think BBC English) since the whole British Rule & they are so incredibly fascinating & love the chat!
14. I got a bus from Yangon to Nyaung Shwe (Inle Lake) & bear in mind the bus station is like an hour outside the city so try split a taxi with someone (usually around $10 or so)
15. I stayed in “Nanda Wann” bungalows in Nyaung Shwe – I could not recommend it higher – the staff are incredible – they are pretty much the nicest family who completely welcome you into their home – it is super reasonable too!
16. Rent a bike & cycle around Nyaung Shwe & the lake and along the way you will get invited to cross Inle lake (bike & all) in “taxi boat” type thing – great craic! Everyone is out to make a bit of dosh so try spend your money with the people who need it most! 
17. The night market in Nyaung Shwe is unreal for cheap & DELICIOUS eats – I pretty much lived off Shan Noodles – yumm!
18. Embrace the power cuts – they happen a lot but learn to love it!
19. There is an amazing pancake place in Nyaung Shwe in one of the side streets (I cant remember the name) but FIND IT! You won’t regret it!
20. Burmese scenery is spectacular – from the quirky villages to the cloud soaked mountains – sleep on buses when it’s dark out & there’s nothing to miss!
21. Winner Hostel is truly a…ahem…a “winner” for visiting Bagan – it is right in the action for templing it up – the nearest “town” is Nyaung U” and it’s only $18 a night!
22. Rent electric bikes from the restaurant next door (they are super sound and do lovely food after a long day of templing). I tried to plan my temple routes to “hit the main ones” but quickly realised it is actually more fun to just drive around and explore whichever one tickles your fancy! You can make your way right to the top on some of them & half the fun is adventuring around themBeware of the early morning painting sellers nestled within the major temples who claim they painted all these beautiful amazing ORIGINAL sandy artworks – they’re ever so tricksy & just a bit of craic really – just get used to saying “No thank you” with a smile after the 15th attempt!
23. Turns out E-bikes can go off road – major laughs were had!
24. You won’t forget the amazingly powerful feeling of “finding” your own “secret” temple – even if it is short lived – still totally awesome!
25. N. Guni Temple was my absolute favourite for sunset – not as busy as they major ones & you can climb to the very top – you just have to find the secret staircase! The views are absolutely incredible! Also – just after the sun had set, go to the opposite side of the temple & take it all in – there is nobody around & it is equally as beautiful in the post sunset light – breath taking! Getting down off the temple in the dark is a larf too!
26. Sunrises are meant to be pretty incredible too – try pick a location the day before to re-visit as trying to find the temples in the dark with only the E-bike headlight guiding you can be tricky – a great adventure none the less! The weather wasn’t great so who knew when the sun actually rose but it is an incredibly peaceful moment!
27. Explore the place after sunrise as opposed to going back to bed – the temples are pretty much deserted & it is truly incredible waking up with families who live among the grounds of the lesser known temples. We ended up spending the morning helping this lovely burmese old lady who was out picking these beautiful white flowers from the trees, we put them in our hair…she ate hers…we were all a little confused as she was trying to explain in Burmese & us in English – who knew flowers tasted so yum!
28. To enter some of the temples you need to find the key keeper before you can get in – an adventure in itself!
29. In Mandalay, I stayed in “Rich Queen” guesthouse in for like 15 bucks – again the family who ran the place were so lovely & accommodating – the guest house was actually full so they let us stay in their house in one of their bedrooms which was lovely (bar negotiating their watchdog coming home after dinner 🙂
30. We rented bikes from the guest house & cycled (Map Me app came in handy) to Amarapura & the Ubein bridge – the longest teak walkway in the world? Absolutely stunning! Seeing the locals smile back & laugh at us cycling through the heavy rain made it even more memorable!
31. Get the slow train from Mandalay to Hsipaw (one of the furthest locations north that foreigners can visit) – this was one of the highlights of my trip! Unfortunately you cannot buy your tickets in advance (in-spite of trying twice) so get their early (3am) to make sure you can get a ticket – it wasn’t too busy when we were there but apparently sometimes tickets sell out fast!
32. Go to the early morning market in Hsipaw – it was my favourite market of all my travels! It’s on super early (2am – 6amish) and it is where all the tribes from Shan State come to sell their goods/food etc . What makes it is the walk to it in the early morning you see all the young monks & nuns on their way to the monastery collecting their alms – its beautiful with their shaved heads & umbrellas.
33. We were in Hsipaw during ridiculous thunder storms – the worst they had seen in years (so bad that the main bridge collapsed into the river in the town and 20 people were swept away!) As a result of this I didn’t get any trekking in but apparently it is unreal if you are luckier! I did manage to get through 5 books during my time there whilst listening to the rain hitting the corrugated iron roof outside.
34. Note: they speak a different language in the Shan State (similar to Thai) – I only found this out later & was wondering alright what the story was!
35. Try read “The Land of the Green Ghosts” before you go – gives a great introduction to Burmese not so distant history
36. Climb Mandalay Hill – the views of Mandalay are stunning & I got chatting to some lovely local kids who wanted to practise their English at the top – that was the most craic of all! (also really got to see the extent of the flooding from the thunderstorms from the top – it was horrendous!)
37. I stayed in the “Willow Inn” in Yangon on my way back to the airport – a really lovely place right in the middle of town – think it was pretty reasonable as well! Again – the staff were incredible!
38. Don’t forget to exchange back any unwanted Kyat to dollars before you leave – pretty sure other countries don’t do it
39. The people really made Myanmar for me – embrace them at every opportunity!
Happy adventuring x
this crow flies 