Exploring Myawaddy, Myanmar

1. Myawaddy (or all of Myanmar?) lets me fill-up the hotel form every single day that I stay at the hotel, with photocopy of passport. Insane!
2. even bus companies want your passport for photocopy (2 copies each!)
3. there are many money changers in Myawaddy at fair exchange rates (Wave Money, True Money, etc). So no need to change all your Bath into Kyat before leaving Thailand
4. at Myawaddy Immigration, have your departure date and departure exit point definite
5. border closes at 8pm, Mon-Fri beginning March 2016
6. adjust time 30 mins behind from Thailand (if arriving from Thailand)
7. since July 2015, the odd/even days of making trips to and from Myawaddy/Yangon is no longer in effect due to the opening of a 4-lane highway (but still under construction as of Jan 2020)
8. not all hotels in Myawaddy can accept foreigners. Best to contact the hotel directly before making a booking
9. Myawaddy is a very dusty place. Best to have a face mask when walking about
10. there is no centralized bus terminal in Myawaddy. Different bus companies have their own depot and there are a several such bus depots in town
11. Myawady to Hpa-An (min 6 hours), B200 (MMK 10k) cramped car or bus, Jeeps or private cars at Baht 500 or MMK 15,000
12. Myawady to Yangon (7 hours), B200 (MMK 45k) bus, VIP bus leaves around 9:30am, regular trips 8:30am and 9:30am and 5pm and 6pm: MMK 10k-15k

1. Crocodile Monastery (Myikyaungon) - 65m-long crocodile-shape building
2. giant Buddha - standing Budha about 15/20m high
3. golden bell tower (Shwe Muay Wan) -
4. outdoor market -

Myawaddy is a border town in Myanmar and popular for border crossing into Mae Sot,Thailand. From Mae Sot bus station, take the red songthao (B20 if taken outside the bus terminal and B50 if taken at the bus terminal - it's just a few steps to go out of the bus terminal) to the border bridge, Friendship Bridge and get your papers processed by Thai Immigration. Cross the bridge and step into Myanmar. Go to Immigration. Note, aside from ASEAN people who don't need a visa, there is NO visa-on-arrival at this border. Make sure you already have an exit port in Myanmar and ensure you actually exit using that place unless there is an emergency. From Immigration, you can simply walk into the Myawaddy town proper. There are lots of restaurants and hotels just after crossing the bridge.

1. accommodation - not all destinations in Myanmar can accommodate foreign travelers. Walk-in hotel guests could be refused. Better make an online booking, or make sure the hotel you wish to stay, at is listed in the online booking sites (Agoda, Booking.com, etc.)
2. local time - adjust time 30 mins behind from Thailand (if arriving from Thailand)
3. Burmese people - Burmese people are new to what's happening to Myanmar - being opened-up to the rest of the world. They remain friendly, helpful and curious. Tourism being new, the culture is not yet corrupted by it.

1. arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
2. put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
3. avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
4. power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!