Travelling Pole

Hpa An, Myanmar

Hpa An is a small town located about 6 hours drive south from Yangon. We got a VIP bus again to have enough leg room. Mi Ba Gone is not as good as JJ Express but they got us there safely nevertheless.

The town of Hpa An has a laid back vibe and is easily seen on foot. It is less sophisticated than Bagan or Nyaungshwe in terms of tourist resources but this is also its main appeal. We were drawn here by the surrounding attractions too which you can get to by hiring a motorbike or if you are lazy like us, by hiring a pick up truck to drive you there.

The accommodation in Hpa An is on the basic side as the tourism is only starting to flourish. We stayed in Galaxy Motel which is conveniently located in the centre of town and had great reviews. It was super basic though, I’m talking diarrhoea colour walls, smell of drains in the bathroom and barely enough room to move around… but we only slept there really and the hospitality and kindness of the owners as well as the value for money and the amazing surprise breakfast more than made up for it.

Breakfast in Galaxy Motel: watermelon, coconut pancake, rice pudding, samosa and noodle soup

We arranged the truck driver through the hotel and the cost of it was £17 for the whole day (we started at 9.30). The roads in the area are very bad and the truck has no suspension so you will feel the sightseeing in your back at the end of the day! It is all worth it though as the sights are truly amazing. The first stop on our journey was Taung Wine Mountain. We didn’t want to do a full blown trek as my foot was still full of blisters from the Kalaw trek and we read this hill only needed 45 min climb hence why we decided to to go there instead of the more popular Mount Zwegabin which needs several hours of climbing. I think it took us maybe an hour to go up but it was a very intense hike, very steep steps pretty much all the way to the top. I nearly died at the end but it was so worth it for the insane views and a sense of achievement.

After the hike, we went to Sadan Cave which is the longest one in the area. It is also a temple so you will need to take your shoes off for the walk through. It is really peaceful inside with lots of buddha statues and bats flying around. Make sure you take your shoes with you as at the end of it you can take a boat to take to nearby rice paddies and you can walk back to the entrance that way rather than walking back through the cave. I suspect it must have been very dry season over there as a large part of the river was dried up so we actually walked back for the best part of it. Nevertheless it’s a nice experience and you get to see lush green rice paddies and beautiful mountains on the horizon. There is a small entrance fee to the cave and the boat costs £2. All very worth it for the experience.

Our final stop was the Kyauk Ka Lat Pagoda. I have to say that we were pretty much done with the pagodas by that point but wanted to see this one because of the setting. It is located in the middle of a lake and makes for a nice sunset spot.

Back in town, we also took a walk along the river and through the daily night market. The area is a bit of a work in progress but I think it will be nice in a few years’ time.

Due to the proximity to the Thai border, there was a lot of Thai inspired food on offer in Hpa An. We ate twice in a place called Wadee (once by candle light due to power outage!). Both times the food was delicious and we felt fine afterwards which is a big achievement in Myanmar! We also had lunch in the Verandah restaurant which also serves as a travel advice hub and helps young people in the area get hospitality experience, definitely worth a visit.

Thai green curry with rice and fried morning glory in Wadee restuarant

Hpa An should feature on any visitor’s itinerary in Myanmar. It is very accessible from Yangon and if you don’t mind roughing it a little there are a lot of amazing sites to visit here.

Kalaw & Inle Lake, Myanmar

Kalaw is a small town in the northern part of Myanmar. It is around 6 hours bus ride from Mandalay. The main reason why most people would visit the area is to do a trekking excursion in the nearby countryside or (as we did) do a longer hike all the way to Inle Lake which is the second biggest attraction in Myanmar.

We got to Kalaw on our trusted VIP bus, JJ Express (tickets £7 each). We had previously exchanged some emails with one of the trekking companies called Ever Smile and decided to go with them for the trek.

Upon arrival in Kalaw, we checked in to Genesis Motel where we would spend the night before setting off on our trek. The place was pretty basic but the bed was comfy and had a proper duvet. Turns out duvet came handy pretty quickly as there was a power outage and everything including heating went off. Did I mention Kalaw is in the mountains and is by no means a tropical destination?? It was in fact quite cold at night so I was slowly getting worried about the trek itself.

With power back on, we set off to see the trekking company. We were given some basic info on possible routes and after some deliberation we chose to go for a 2 night/3 day trek starting the next day at 9 am (cost £20 each). We got a list of things to pack and among them was what they called a “layer” for the chilly evenings. Walking back through town we noticed all shops were selling proper winter gear so thinking of the worst outcomes we ended up buying a huge woolly hat and a pair of gloves to accompany a hoodie and a jacket we already had just in case.

The next morning we reported to the meeting point where we were divided into 3 groups. Ours was the smallest, only 4 people but we were told that 5 more will join the next day which was effectively how they do the 1 night/2 day trek. Our main luggage was tagged and sent to our Inle Lake hotel so we only had our small rucksacks with us. When I say small, they were packed full of stuff and quite heavy. Our companions for the day were a young German couple and our guide, a local lad. It quickly transpired that the trek was a lot harder than it was sold to be. At one point it was full blown jungle uphill climb and a mud river crossing. Sounds fun right? It may have been if you didn’t have to carry your life on your back. Admittedly, I’m not very fit but by lunchtime I was knackered.

The trek price includes all meals and accommodation which is incredible value. We had lunch in the village and it was all tasty and largely vegetarian (suited us scared tourists, after the food poisoning in Bagan we wanted to avoid any risky foods like meat). The guide was chatty and clearly wanted to practice his English but very often we found ourselves not really understanding him. We slept in villages both nights where the locals have prepared us bedrooms. We all slept in one room (4 the first night and 9 the second). The bed consisted of a very thin mattress on the floor plus a hard pillow and 3 blankets. As soon as the sun went down it became clear we will need all the clothing and blankets possible. It was freezing, like seeing your breath freezing. Not even mentioning the toilet situation, it was a hole in the ground located outside so a trip to the loo at night was out of the question (for me at least). The breakfast was pancakes, fruit and coffee which I actually enjoyed. The second day of trekking was easier but by that point I had developed huge blisters so was in pain by the end of the day. The idea is that the last day you get to Inle Lake and they give you a free boat ride to Nyaungshwe which is the base for exploring the lake. The third day we had to walk about 5 hours and I was literally dead at the end. The boat ride was amazing though and felt like a nice reward after the hardships of the trek. Knowing what I know now, I would 100% only go for one night. It is quite an ordeal for someone used to some comforts plus I don’t think we got anything more from the extra day in a sense of culture or local information. It is totally worth doing though for the experience.

Typical lunch in the village, fried noodles, soup and fruit

Huge advantage of the trek – so many puppies to play with

Our trekking crew, 2 Canadians, 1 American 2 Germans, 2 French, 1 Brit and one Brit Pole 😀

Now for Inle Lake. The area is absolutely stunning. Think more of a sea when you first see it (it’s 22 km long!). It is surrounded by mountains and you can find villages on stilts on its shores as well as many floating gardens and allotments. The only way of transport is a boat, I love being on the water so this was heaven for me.

Nyaungshwe is the town where most visitors are likely to stay and where you can hire boats to go and explore the lake. We stayed in Mother’s Home Hotel which was set away from the noisy port area. It’s a great value option, just under £20 per night. A comfy bed and a fluffy duvet plus a small balcony. Breakfast was average but served on a nice terrace overlooking the town. We spent the first day on admin, like doing laundry, shopping and booking our boat trip.

What we noticed that as lovely as they were the boats were quite noisy (think tractor engine) so when we stumbled across an option of hiring a silent boat for the day we jumped at the opportunity. We probably paid too much but £25 seemed reasonable to us for the whole day. This included an English speaking guide too. We set off at 9 am the next day and the whole day was one of my highlights of Myanmar for sure. It felt incredible to be cruising on the lake, visiting the locals (mainly relatives of the tour agency’s manager) and finding out more about them and their lives. The visits were so genuine and not motivated by any shopping opportunity, the people seemed really interested in where we came from and how we live. We were greeted with amazing hospitality everywhere we went and I loved every minute of it. The day ended with a visit to Indein to see a site with hundreds of stupas. It was a pleasant stroll but I have to say I had reached a temple saturation point by then so can’t give a lot of detail on this. My blister was also flaring up so it was hard to concentrate 😂

Inle Lake is in the Shan state and we were told that it’s also a tasty cuisine so were keen to try it out. On our last day, we went to Sin Yaw restaurant for a bowl of the traditional Shan noodles. They are kind of sticky and set in a rich and peanutty broth with chilli. Very yummy indeed. We also had stir fried kailan (Chinese kale/broccolli) and a tomato salad with their signature sesame dressing. Really recommend this place if you want to sample Shan cuisine. Apart from being templed out, we were also becoming rice-d out so ended up having dim sum and roast duck pancakes twice for dinner at the Live Dim Sum restaurant. The dim sum were very tasty and so was the duck, all washed down with jasmine tea.

Nyaungshwe turned out to be one of my favourite places in Myanmar and I wish we had stayed a bit longer. I loved the relaxed vibe and the water setting. You could easily spend a day just watching the life go by from a waterside terrace. The boat trip was awesome too. In terms of trekking, opt in for one night for sure and only from Kalaw to Inle, not the other way round. The reversed route is all uphill!

Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay is Myanmar’s second largest city. It has an international airport with links to nearby Thailand and China. If you’re already in Myanmar, you’re likely to arrive there either by bus or by boat from Bagan as we did. The boat company we used was MGRG. The tickets cost $32 pp and include breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. The boat leaves at 5.30 am and gets to Mandalay about 4 PM so it is a long day but a pleasant one too assuming you are well to travel. We were up all night with food poisoning so the boat ride ended up being quite an ordeal but we got there in the end. Needless to say, we didn’t eat any of the food on board but it did look ok. The bus from Bagan to Mandalay takes 4 hours so is much faster if you don’t have time.

Upon arrival at the jetty we had to endure the usual haggling over taxi price which is quite normal here (but very tiring after a while). Fortunately our hotel was only 10 minutes away, we ended up paying £2.50 for the ride which I’m sure was inflated but hey, it’s just £2.50 after all. That just gives you an idea of how cheap things are here!

We allocated 2 full days for Mandalay and I believe this is probably enough to see the main sights. The city itself won’t wow you, it’s pretty much a smaller version of Yangon however there are several attractions in the vicinity that make Mandalay a great base for exploring.

On our first day, we decided to visit Mandalay Hill. It is a religious complex and yes, it is on a hill and quite a large one I must say so be prepared for a bit of a hike. I think it took us about an hour and a half to climb up to the top with a leisurely pace. There is a pagoda or a small temple on every level which breaks the journey up nicely. The view from the top is lovely and worth the climb but it is also very popular for sunset watching so it did get quite crowded around 5 PM. We think that it’s actually nicer to go a level or two down and watch the sunset from there because it is a little closer to the city and you can see various monuments and the city sections plus you will be alone there.

Apart from seeing the various temples on your way up the hill, you can also observe local life as people actually live on the hill. It is quite startling to see the poverty levels and indeed very eye opening to a Western person.

I had two other things on my must see list in Mandalay: the white temple in Mingun and the U Bein bridge (the longest teak bridge in the world). The two things are quite far apart so after speaking with the hotel reception we decided to hire a driver for the day to take us to both attractions and a few others in between. The cost of this was £27 and I must say was tremendous value. We started at 8 am and visited Mahamuni Pagoda first. We then made our way to Mingun where you can see the ruins of what was supposed to be the biggest pagoda in the world, the world’s second largest bell and what we came for which is the white pagoda. The first two are nice to see however the white pagoda is 100% worth a longer visit. It is certainly not the most elaborate one but it lends itself to the most striking photos and you could see why for sure, so many photoshoots were taking place there! If like us you happen to be here in the middle of the day, make sure you bring a strong sunblock and sunglasses, it was absolutely boiling there with the white colour reflecting the sun so much.

In the afternoon, we visited Sagaing Hill which was a sort of a smaller version of Mandalay Hill and then we went to the ancient town of Innwa. You need to take a boat over there which I believe costs £2.50 each. Once you’re there either a horse and cart or a shared taxi will take you to the most important monuments.

Our favourite spot was the old teak monastery, it was very atmospheric and really nice to take a stroll through.

We finally made our way to U Bein bridge for the sunset. Our driver urged us to take a walk on the bridge however the best way to watch the sunset there is definitely over water. We hired a boat for an extortionate price of £10 for less than an hour but it was a nice photo spot and we enjoyed the boat ride so it didn’t matter in the end.

Our accommodation in Mandalay was Hotel Aurora and we were very pleased with the service and value we got. Our room was small but very adequate for 3 nights and cost £60 which is great value. It was located on 87th street, corner of 26th street so pretty central. The staff spoke really great English and helped us with the tickets to the next destination as well as the taxi for the day of sightseeing. I’d really recommend the hotel for a short stay but as with most hotels you should take ear plugs with you, no double glazing!

I can’t really comment on the food in Mandalay as we didn’t have much of it. We were recovering from a bout of food poisoning and were only eating bread, chips and soup so nothing to shout about I’m afraid.

As with Yangon, you should have Grab app ready for your transport needs. It’s the Asian Uber equivalent and in Mandalay you can get tuk tuk on it too. Most rides will cost you about £1!

Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan is the biggest tourist attraction in Myanmar and you can clearly see why as soon as you arrive. It’s the biggest archeological site in the world with over 3800 pagodas but the best thing about it is that people actually live in the middle of all of it and life just goes on as normal among these ancient monuments. You will need to set a few days aside to see it all properly, we allowed ourselves 5 days as we also wanted to incorporate a couple of lazy pool days to shake off the journey and the madness of Yangon. If you have less time, I think 2-3 days should also work.

We arrived in Bagan on the coach from Yangon but there is also an airport nearby which is served by the domestic airlines. Flying is not my favourite thing to do and since we had 30 days in Myanmar it was easier to use the coach. It is a long journey and if you want to travel in comfort you will want to choose JJ Express. Their VIP coaches are of a really good standard, with AC, your own screen, snacks and water on board and regular toilet stops. They even give you a blanket and there is an English speaking attendant on board. Most importantly though, the seats are huge and fold out nicely so that tall people like us don’t have to suffer. Myanmar roads are not the best though so while you are comfy in your seat it doesn’t mean you will get a lot of sleep because of the bumps but I could see lots of people dropped off easily. One thing to consider is the timetable of the bus though, it arrives in Bagan at 5 am so you need to make sure the hotel where you’re staying will accommodate an early check in. Buses from other towns may have a different timetable of course but a lot of them do use the nighttime, I’m guessing it’s because of the traffic.

Before you can get to your hotel you have to endure the taxi haggling process at the bus station. The bottom line is that you will of course get fleeced on the taxi fare because the taxi drivers at the station price fixed the fares to a degree and it will be up to you how persistent you want to be (and how early in the morning it is!). We got quoted a price of 15,000 MMK which is about £7.50 for the 20 minute ride to New Bagan. We then waited around to see if they drop the prices a little but instead ended up sharing a cab with another couple which came out a little cheaper. Just to put things into perspective, an hour long taxi ride to the bus station is Yangon was £5 so you can see how tourists coming to Bagan are being exploited a little here. Still, it is only £5 so not worth losing sleep over, I’m just flagging what you can expect. Once in the taxi, your Bagan experience is then completed by a random stop in the middle of the road by a guard demanding you pay the tourist visiting fee (roughly £12.50 pp). This is genuine and you get a printed pass showing it is valid for 5 days.

All of the logistical challenges aside, what awaits you is a truly incredible and one of a kind experience. The site covers about 12 acres and the best way to actually get a feel for the place is to visit the Bagan Viewing Tower. All the tourist maps and GPS will easily show the directions. The entry costs $5 and is valid for the whole day so you can return later to see the sunset if you like. The view from the Tower really shows you the scale of the area and it’s a really nice experience to just look at the landscape and take it all in.

Looking out from the Bagan Viewing Tower

You are now ready to start exploring the temples. The best way of doing this is by renting an ebike. All the hotels can facilitate one and there are a number of shops in town where you can go too. We got a bigger ebike for the two of us from our hotel for the price of £5 per day which is a steal. Ebikes are big business here as the tourists cannot drive motorized vehicles. Also, most of the smaller temples are located on small dusty roads so completely not suitable for a car.

You need to bear in mind that the temples are a religious place and you will need to cover up appropriately so no strappy tops or short skirts or shorts. Some temples have sarongs you can hire but most didn’t so best to come equipped as otherwise you won’t be able to enter. Also, there is no footwear allowed in the temples so you may imagine what your feet look like after a day of sightseeing in Bagan, especially given that it’s practically a desert! Finally, a good tip here would be to get one of those face masks that you see a lot of in Asia. The area is so dusty that you will have sand in your mouth after 5 minutes on the bike.

There are a number of must see temples which are accessible to cars as well and you are likely to encounter a lot of people there. We started by visiting the big ones and then went a bit off road and saw a lot of little hidden gems. It’s lots of fun exploring on your own and definitely the best way to see Bagan. What you will also encounter in Bagan are super friendly locals who will be keen to show you their village or what they do. Ok, they will most likely take you to a shop so that you can leave some of your cash there, however, unlike in other areas this is an actual place where people live and work so feels very authentic and the two times we ended up visiting such a village we loved every minute of it. It’s so interesting to be able to get a sneak peak of how people live and yes, some of the conditions are very basic and miles away from the world I live in.

Apart from seeing all the temples the thing to do in Bagan is seeing all the temples at sunrise and sunset! We chose the Viewing Tower for sunset since we bought a ticket that day. It was a really lovely place to watch it from but you will have to compete with a lot of tourists for the best spot so you need to get there early, I think we arrived just before 5 PM and the sunset was at 5.50 PM. There are a lot of other good spots to watch the sunset though and we actually loved watching it by the river from the Riverfront restaurant in New Bagan. It’s a wonderful setting with the nearby Lawkananda Pagoda and the river being so still, perfect for photos.

Catching sunrise was a little bit more complicated as there is very little street lighting and if you don’t know where you’re going it can be tricky. We hired a tuk tuk driver to take us to a good spot. I used Bagan Tuk Tuk Group and booked it through their Facebook messenger. It was £7.5o for the 2 hours which I think is good value. He picked us up at 5.45 and we were back for breakfast before 8 am. We were the first people in the spot but soon it was full of people with giant cameras. It was definitely the best sunrise I have ever experienced, it’s all so magical to see it come up and light up all the misty tops of the pagodas. What is also really nice about sunrise are the hot air balloons that go up at this time (we would have loved to do it but given our budget has to last us for the next 3.5 months we decided not to part with the $300 each and watched them from the ground instead).

There are 3 areas to stay if you wish to visit Bagan: Old Bagan, New Bagan and Nyaung-U. All 3 are close to all the temples and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter where you stay as you will need an ebike regardless to get to the temples. We stayed in New Bagan and chose the Shwe Yee Pwint hotel. It’s located off the main road so you get a bit of peace and quiet plus it has a swimming pool to cool off in after a day of sightseeing in the dust. All for about £30 a night so a real bargain. They allowed us to check in early at 7 am too!

Finally, the food. Most restaurants offer the usual mix of Chinese and Thai dishes plus a few Myanmar dishes thrown in like the local, slightly sweet curry or pickled tea leaf salad. We mainly visited the restaurants near to our hotel and I have to say that the best food we had was in the vegetarian place called Moon 2 (yes, there is a Moon 1 outside Ananda Pagoda). It’s a short walk away from the main street and you may need a torch to get there but it really is worth it. We had the best aubergine curry and also a vege Masaman curry there too. Highly recommended!

To sum up, Bagan is Myanmar’s top attraction and you can see why. It’s exotic, it’s full of local culture & tradition, it’s an adventurer’s paradise. It will not stay like this for long either so get your explorer’s hat on and venture out there!

Ngwe Saung, Myanmar

Ngwe Saung is a small seaside town in the west of Myanmar and is famous for its long stretch of pristine white beaches. I am all about the beach so a few days in the sun were always going to be on the menu when visiting Myanmar.

Getting there is a bit of a logistical challenge but the transport is very cheap so if you’re not in a rush and don’t mind losing half a day then you will be rewarded with the most amazing sea views with hardly anyone around. You can book the coach tickets online and we did it through 12Go Asia. The tickets cost £16 return. The bus terminal is located really far out of Yangon so you need to allow at least an hour to get there by taxi (cost £8). The bus was a tad dilapidated and one of the seats was broken. To add to this, the bus driver clearly makes some extra cash on the side by picking up on the way (although all seats are taken) and makes people sit in the aisle on plastic chairs. Then you have the various sellers coming on board trying to offload some goods. The journey there lasted 6 hours and had one 30 minute stop and it was totally doable. The way back took over 7 hours and the bus was very hot and cramped so it’s a bit of a pot luck what you get. I can tell one thing for sure, you will forget about the bus journey as soon as you get there.

We had 4 days and decided to stay in the Ngwe Saung Yacht Club. It sounds very posh and it really is incredible however what is a huge benefit of this resort is that it offers a variety of rooms to suit different budgets. They have sea front villas, sea view rooms in the two main buildings but also little cabin type rooms they call lofts as well as a camping site. We stayed in the loft room which costs about £50 per night including breakfast. Tuk tuks operate in the area and it costs £2 to get from the bus stop to the resort.

Loft rooms, ours was the one on the right

The hotel is situated right on the beach and has a gorgeous infinity pool. The majority of time we were the only guests at the pool! I loved the peace and quiet and of course the magnificent views. The hotel prices are of course inflated and we were expecting this however since we are very lazy we did eat in the hotel a couple of times and had a couple of drinks at the pool.

The hotel itself was well designed and immaculately maintained. What I really liked though were the little things that go a long way. One of them was a water station to fill your bottle, or the fact they have their own vegetable garden. Simple things but very effective and giving off the right vibes for the modern tourist. The staff were so well trained too and never failed to greet you and say hello. I really enjoyed staying there and would definitely recommend the hotel if you are looking for a place to stay in the area.

If you don’t want to pay through the roof (in Myanmar standards of course, the prices are pretty decent by European standards, think Greece or Portugal perhaps) you can always venture out to the village of Ngwe Saung (10 minute tuk tuk ride) or to a restaurant nearby. The tuk tuk drivers offer a return service which works very well. They take you to the place of your choice, give you a card and you ask the restaurant to call them when you are ready to leave, really handy. We went to a nearby Thai restaurant called Chai Thai one night (really delicious meal and very authentic) and to Home Food and Drink in the village another night. The Home restaurant was really good and since it is famous for fish we ordered a whole steamed seabass with garlic chilli and lime. It was very fresh and so soft, I could have eaten at least 5 of them! The staff also spoke English which is not that easy to find in Myanmar.

If you are feeling active there are a few boat tours you can take to nearby islands. We were very lazy so didn’t go for it but all the tuk tuks had flyers in them so it is easy enough to get it booked through the driver.

My favourite thing about Ngwe Saung were the sunsets. I honestly couldn’t get enough of them! It’s worth the bus journey just to witness one of them.

Yangon, Myanmar

This was our first stop on a 4 month journey across Asia. Not the easiest place to get to from Europe as it involves at least 2 flights but definitely worth it. Coming from Europe, Thai Airways offers probably the best connection. A flight to Bangkok is approx. 10 and half hours, you then get a pleasant 2 hour break at Bangkok airport followed by a short 1 hour flight to Yangon.

I have to say that the arrival at Yangon didn’t fill me with confidence after I had to visit the loo and discovered that it was a hole in the ground situation but of course it’s all part of the experience! (don’t worry, most other loos we encountered are as you imagine them to be).

Upon arrival, you need to get some currency. Burmese currency is not available to buy anywhere outside of the country so best to get it at the airport (apparently the rate is quite good too). We changed about $150 and we still have plenty of it left and we are on our third full day in Myanmar! Yes, things here are very cheap indeed. A 45 minute taxi ride from the airport was about $10, one of the most expensive bills we have had to pay so far.

We arrived after dark so couldn’t see much that evening and were also pretty tired so ended up staying within the walls of our hotel for the night. Since we are away for 4 months, we need to budget a bit more than we would normally so we have opted for a budget friendly Hotel 63 (costing about $25 per night). It’s a little out of the way on the far Eastern side of Downtown and you do have to take taxis everywhere but they only cost about $2 so it really doesn’t matter. The area around the hotel was quite industrial given the proximity to the port and there was nowhere to go so for that reason alone I would probably recommend to stay somewhere closer to the main action area, from 40th street onwards (we were in 63rd street). I will have an opportunity to test out 2 more hotels in Yangon as we will be back there twice in the next month so will update this if my opinion changes. In hindsight, Yangon can also get a bit oppressive in terms of traffic and sheer volume of people so if your budget can stretch to it, get a hotel with a swimming pool or a terrace where you can escape the crowds for a bit.

Right, so the next morning, we made a list of things we wanted to see and made our way to 41st and 42nd street where a previously grubby alleyway has been decorated with amazing wall art and graffiti (Yangon Walls). This was our first glimpse of Yangon and while you can appreciate how this was once perhaps a charming and bustling neighbourhood, even with the addition of wall art it felt rather dilapidated and neglected. It is a shame but it looks like perhaps people are starting to realize that and some efforts are being made to make it a bit edgy and trendy. Overall, I would recommend stopping there for an hour or so.

Then, we went to see the Karaweik palace by the lake. This is actually a fairly new addition to Yangon but has become a sort of a landmark and even features on Myanmar’s national beer label. The area around the park is actually really nice and a welcome break from the narrow streets of Downtown.

Our final attraction stop on that day was undoubtedly the biggest attraction of Yangon which is the Shwedagon Pagoda (entry $10). The entry is somewhat modern, via a lift, however the pagoda itself dates back to 588 BC and is truly spectacular. We spent quite a bit of time there taking photos but also being photographed! Very weird at first, then was sweet and then got a bit annoying. We asked someone about it after as there are foreigners in the city so and we couldn’t figure out for ages why people wanted to take photos with us. Apparently, visitors to such sites very often come from outside the city and where they come from foreigners are rarely seen – hence the attraction. It felt a little odd but we obliged most of the time and given how may selfies we took with strangers over the course of that weekend I’m surprised we weren’t trending on Yangon’s insta account!

If you are in the market for some food and entertainment then you should definitely visit 19th street. It’s in Chinatown but also happens to be the lively place to be of an evening. We sat in Ko San and had a very enjoyable night there, won 3 free beers and made some first Burmese friends. The drinks were an absolute steal, cocktails were around £1!

We were slightly unlucky with the time we visited as 4th of January also happens to be Myanmar’s independence day. While it’s great to be a part of a celebration, the reality was that some of the attractions we wanted to see were closed (National Museum, U Thant House). Because of this, we ended up in People’s Park which is a huge green area with lots of landscaped gardens, follies etc. It was super busy but we really enjoyed it, so if you have time it’s nice to take a stroll in there but perhaps avoid the weekends and holidays if you don’t want to end up in everyone’s selfie collection.

Final activity we did in Yangon was to attend the street food tour. While the tour itself was not exactly what we hoped for (it was really history focussed rather than food), we did get to eat some delicious street food like tea leaf salad and we also had a pretty amazing BBQ on the 19th street. Neither of the places gave us any stomach troubles so I imagine they must have tried and tested them beforehand which is good. The BBQ place was called Shwe Mingalar and I can really recommend it.

Bratislava & Vienna

The two cities are surprisingly close to each other so make a perfect long weekend break which is guaranteed to keep you busy. Vienna is a lot more expensive for an average tourist which is another reason why this combo makes sense. You can stay in Bratislava very cheaply and hop over to Vienna for a day’s sightseeing. You also have the two airports to play with so more opportunities to get a bargain flight. We opted for a flight to/from Vienna and then used the shuttle bus which connects both airports to get to Bratislava city centre. We didn’t book the bus and while this wasn’t a problem when we arrived (the bus was empty) on the way back the bus was full and we ended up having to get a cab to Vienna airport, lesson learned! If you book the shuttle online, it can be as little as 5 euros!

Bratislava is a fairly small city and most things can be seen on foot. The Old Town area is full of bars & restaurants and makes for a nice stroll through historic streets.

After that you can make your way up the Castle hill. It’s not a strenuous walk and you are rewarded with some great views on the way.

While walking up the Castle Hill you will notice the strange looking tower on the other side of the river, it’s the UFO viewing deck. We paid it a visit out of curiosity (you need to pay to go up, about 6 or 7 euros from what I remember). The lift going up is a bit of an experience as it goes up slightly sideways! There is a nice restaurant and the viewing platform and overall it is worth popping in for a few panoramic shots of the castle.

Another thing to do which we enjoyed was to hire bikes and go cycling for the day. Bratislava has a great network of cycling paths and we opted in to cycle along the river to the Danubiana museum. It was a great day out and the bonus is that you can stop in numerous bars along the path and sample some excellent local beer! Bike rental was about 15 euros for the day.

We set a day aside to visit Vienna and getting there was super easy. There is a regular train service between the two cities and within the hour you can be in Vienna for as little as 6 euros. The train station is a little far from the main attractions and we decided to use Lime scooters for any inside the city transport and it worked very well.

Vienna is famous for museums and there is a long list of those you should visit for sure. The Hofburg is definitely top of the list. It is the former palace of the Habsburg dynasty rulers and today serves as the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria.

The Museum Quarter is a great place for a walk and rest too. It also houses the Leopold Museum which can be a nice break from classic art as the museum has the largest Austrian modern art collections.

No visit to Vienna can be complete without the obligatory slice of cake in one of the old fashioned cafes. We opted in for Cafe Landtmann and we not disappointed. Yes, it does look a little posh and it is pricey but it’s a nice experience and you get to eat cake so it’s worth it! If you still have space for food you should have a Viennese schnitzel. It’s so tasty and also enormous that you won’t be disappointed! We had it at Figlmüller and although we had to queue up it was worth it! https://figlmueller.at/en/wollzeile/

Our final stop in Vienna was Hundertwasser House which is an expressionist apartment block and stands out hugely in the very classical looking city. It’s a fun piece of architecture and it’s worth stopping there for a quick photo.

Western Crete, Greece

Another place which features a lot in our travels is Crete. My father in law lives there and we also got married there so over the years we got to know the place pretty well. We typically spend all our time on the Western side of the island and fly into Chania so I will concentrate on this part however there are lots of other places on the Eastern side of the island which are also worth a visit.

Crete is best seen with a help of a car. Public transport does exist however with so many breathtaking views on offer being able to stop whenever you like and take it all in is priceless.

The city of Chania is a great starting point on your journey around Crete. The biggest attraction is no doubt the old Venetian harbour and narrow streets of Old Town surrounding it. The thing to do here is to simply stroll around and take it all in! There are a number of restaurants and bars on the waterfront but we actually found that it’s better to go a little away from the harbour for a better value and quality food. There are a lot of souvenir shops and the whole Old Town area is quite tightly built which means a lot of shade which is very needed, especially if you come in the middle of summer (the temperatures can reach 40 degrees C easily!).

While you are in Chania area, I’d really recommend seeing Seitan Limania. It is a beach located about 20 odd kilometres from Chania. The beach itself is quite small and there is nothing there in terms of food or drink however it’s about the view when you get there! The beach is surrounded by high cliffs wchi are sort of zig zag shaped. It is truly spectacular! If you do wish to descend down to the beach please make sure you wear trainers, it’s super steep and rocky in places.

Heading West from Chania, you should definitely make time to see the Balos Lagoon. It is a bit of a trek and although the road leading up to it is not the best you should be able to do it a normal car however we opted in for a sturdier jeep type car to be on the safe side. Again, may be an idea to wear more sensible shoes for the walk from the car to the lagoon. It is all really worth it though, the view is incredible and I don’t think I have ever seen that many shades of blue. Truly spectacular sight!

There are some nice beaches to the east of Chania and that’s where we normally would stay. The little village of Almyrida has a really pleasant vibe and is home to a hotel where we got married – Almyrida Resort. It’s actually 3 separate hotels and you can pick whatever works for your budget. It’s a great hotel and I would thoroughly recommend it. We stayed in both the Beach part and the Residence part and both were exceptional.

The city of Rethymnon is also worth a visit. It is similar to Chania in a sense that it has a cute Venetian harbour and lots of bars and restaurants where you can easily spend a good few hours. It is also famous for jewellery and there are some great bargains to be had! The waterfront (not the harbour) is really lively and always full of locals and it’s worth stopping there for a drink and observe the daily life.

You can make a stop at Lake Kournas on your way to/from Rethymnon. It is the only freshwater lake on the island and offers some nice views as well an option to rent a boat or a pedalo. A good option to break up a long car journey.

Finally, I couldn’t write anything about Crete and not mention the food. I love the fact of how much local produce features on all menus and how tasty and fresh it all is. Greek salad is a must together with any seafood, it is so good and great value. The restaurants always give you some bread and dips/olives to begin with and also always bring you something sweet at the end so unless you are desperate don’t bother ordering a dessert. Warning – they will also give you a shot of their local tipple, raki. The stuff is pretty lethal but when in Crete… The best way to discover the food is to order a few things to share. Away from the cost you can find some tasty meat stews and grills like souvlaki (chicken or pork grilled on a skewer).

Warsaw, Poland

Many people say that Warsaw hasn’t got the charm of Kraków or Gdańsk but I think it has a lot to offer and there are many reasons why it should feature on your city break wish list. This also happens to be my home town so I had to cover it first really 🙂

Firstly, it is a really affordable destination. Hotels are very reasonably priced and you can get an amazing deal on Airbnb too since the city is largely comprised of flats. Public transport is also cheap but very efficient at the same time. A 20 minute public transport ticket will cost you 1 euro and you can cover a lot of distance in that time Warsaw is not a huge place. Taxis and ubers are also inexpensive so if there is more of you sometimes it will make more sense to grab an uber. Same goes for bars & restaurants, a beer will be around 2 euros and a really good plate of food around 8 euros.

Secondly, Warsaw offers a variety of things to do to keep you busy during your visit. Here is what I would typically do if I was showing someone around for the first time:

Old Town – it is the most touristy part of town but it draws the crowds in for a reason! It’s very pretty and bustling with street performers, bars & restaurants. My tip would be to start by climbing up the tower of St. Anne’s church to the observation terrace which has a great view of the Old Town. My other tip would be to try and avoid the restaurants offering typical Polish food there, they are not the best but an ok option for a quick drink or a sandwich
Riverside – the whole stretch of the river by the Old Town and beyond has been regenerated and now hosts a shiny new Science Museum and Planetarium, a number of bars, restaurants and art installations. There is a separate bike path if you’re feeling more active and want to explore the area that way. Also, electric scooters are really popular and I have to say it is my favourite way to see this part of town. I use LIME app but there are a couple of others that recently popped up too
Łazienki Park – the largest park in Warsaw and a former summer residence of a Polish king is a delightful place to visit, particularly in summer. It is a setting for palaces, villas, follies and monuments. Łazienki also serves as a venue for music, the arts, and culture. The park is also home to peacocks and a large number of squirrels and it hosts live piano concerts on Sundays by the Chopin monument
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews – this is an excellent museum, probably one of the best I have visited recently and would thoroughly recommend a visit, not only on a rainy day. It is really interactive and although it inevitably covers the darkest period in the history of the Jewish nation and which will no doubt make you cry, it is not all doom and gloom and you will leave feeling very enriched by the fascinating history of this nation. Tip – visit on Thursdays is free and you don’t need to book in advance

Finally, the food. Polish cuisine is hearty and delicious. Whether it’s flavoursome and light soups, dumplings, cold cuts, summer salads or beautiful cakes and pastries, there is something for everyone. Apart from the traditional Polish cuisine, you can pretty much have any food you like in Warsaw. From my recent visits, I noticed a huge rise in oriental restaurants as well as Middle Eastern ones. If you’re up for some Polish food I would recommend Stary Dom (https://www.restauracjastarydom.pl/), for Middle Eastern option Tel Aviv Urban Food (https://telaviv.pl/en/) is amazing and for oriental – Arigator (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g274856-d13743270-Reviews-Arigator_Ramen_Shop-Warsaw_Mazovia_Province_Central_Poland.html), which serves one of the best ramen I have ever had.

Useful travel tips

So you’ve decided it’s time for a break, great! The fun part starts now (at least for me!). It all may seem a bit overwhelming if all you have ever booked was a package holiday but fear not, it’s much easier than what you think. If you know where you want to go, research your destination first so that you’re not surprised by things like weather for example. https://www.accuweather.com/ has the weather history for most places in the world so if you’re not sure what to expect in Barcelona in April you can always check what it was like this time last year to get an idea.

Next, you will probably want to look at flights. Make friends with https://www.skyscanner.net/! The easiest way of getting a good deal on flights is to be flexible and plan in advance. Supposedly the best time to book a flight is 3 months in advance. I can’t say how true it is but it has worked for me a few times. Skyscanner will show you the cheapest months for your chosen route as well as the cheapest days in each month which can save you some cash:

Another useful option on this site is the reversed scenario where your travel dates are fixed but you don’t mind where you go for your well deserved holiday. Instead of going through 8 different destinations you can simply select “Everywhere” and the tool will show you where you can go on these dates and will show approximate flight costs:

Once I have figured out the flight costs & times, I then normally wait until I have checked the accommodation options and know what I can get for my budget. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ aggregates hotels, B&B’s, guesthouses from various booking sites and can display those to you based on value and rating. I always tend to go with rating and then just have a quick look to see what roughly I will need to pay to stay somewhere half decent (personally I think that anything with a 4+ Trip Advisor rating will be acceptable).

If you’d rather experience more local culture consider booking your accommodation through https://www.airbnb.co.uk/ which has tons of apartment and house rentals worldwide and may also come out cheaper than staying in a hotel. This is particularly true in cities where there is a lot of supply and when there is more than one of you to split the cost of the apartment with.

If you’re looking for a budget friendly option and the place where you want to go is proving to be pricey, a solution here could be widening your search area a little. Depending on what you want to do of course it may not always be a good idea but it’s worth having a look before you discard the destination completely. Sometimes you can stay out of town or in another city altogether and still easily do what you wanted to do anyway. For example, I recently wanted to go to Vienna for the weekend but found it pretty expensive looking at hotels so instead I opted for nearby Bratislava which is also charming, half the price of Vienna and you can go to Vienna easily in an hour on a train or bus for as little as 6 euros. All the delights of Vienna for a fraction of the price and a twin city break in one weekend!

Finally a few words about hotel booking websites. You will most likely come across 2 which are my favourites: Agoda and Booking.com. Set up an account on both as members do get some discounts and perks. Booking has genius level discounts which are based on how many bookings you have made. Agoda offers money off your next booking which is handy if you plan multiple trips in quick succession. The cheapest option to book any room will be to pay up front so if you have the money set aside and are certain your plans won’t change it’s worth using this option to get the best deal on a room. I’m always somewhat risk averse so would probably choose to pay nothing until a week before (Agoda) or pay at the property (Booking.com). This also allows you to spread the cost of the your holiday a bit rather than paying all up front.