How to Deal with Money in Myanmar (Burma)

Yangon - Myanmar (Burma)

One of the most common questions I get has to do with how to deal with money as a traveler in Myanmar (Burma).

While in the country, you'll use a mix of US dollars and Myanmar kyat.  Most hotels, domestic airfares train tickets, and entrance fees will be in USD, while everything else (food, souvenirs, ​buses etc) will be paid in kyat.

Until very recently (Nov 2012) there were no ATM's in Myanmar due to the economic sanctions...

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How to Overstay Your Myanmar Visa

Yangon - Myanmar

Most people will need to apply in advance for a Visa to travel in Myanmar / Burma (there are very few select circumstances where a visa may be available on arrival).  A typical tourist visa, which is what I'll talk about here, is good for 4 weeks (28 days) from arrival.

But that's just a taste!

Fortunately overstaying a visa in Myanmar is a relatively cheap and painless affair.  Here's the scoop...

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We Have a Winner! - Travel Photo Roulette Round #45: Surreal

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So the 45th round of Travel Photo Roulette has come to a close.  First off, thanks to everyone for entering.  All in all, we received 29 entries on the "surreal" theme.  It was a tougher-than-usual theme, but there were so many great entries from many different angles on the topic.
Before we get to the winner, I'll count down my top 5:
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Travel Photo Roulette Round #45: “Surreal”

We have a winner!
It was a great round!  Check out my choice for best surreal photo, and my top 5 here.

A few exhaustive travel days, and the past 3 mornings up before 5 to shoot photos meant I was in a dream state already. Early this morning, 12600 monks descended on Chiang Mai to collect alms for the flood victims in the south. An entire street was blocked off as waves of orange robes came down from one end to the other. This dreamy shot taken with a lensbaby summed up how the morning felt. Surreal. It wasn't until days later that I was able to look back at the enormity of the situation and process it for myself.
It's been a long time coming, but I hereby present you with a new round of Travel Photo Roulette once again.  I actually won the first ever round of Travel Photo Roulette, launched by Jeremy over at Living the Dream almost 2 years ago with a photo of a camel's ugly mug.  More recently, Travis from Flashpacker HQ choose my dreamy photo of monks in the street in Chiang Mai for the last contest "Once In a Lifetime"  
If you don’t know what Travel Photo Roulette is, here’s the idea:
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The New Skinny Backpacker

 

Over the past 2.5 years, I've been posting some of my images and stories of my travels around the globe here.

... But something has been missing.

I haven't known what to do with the site, and haven't ever really liked the layout.  I'm not a designer (obviously).

So a few months ago I began working on a revamp for the site, focusing on large images to help me tell my stories.  Although I worked down to the wire on it while in Chiang Mai, I couldn't quite get it ready for launch before #TBEX in mid June.  But it's very close.

So although I would love to present it for you here, you'll have to wait just a little bit longer.

The new website features large, widescreen images to better tell my stories, and to ask questions about the world we live in today.  Old posts are being revamped with larger images as well.  The design is tailored for a easy overview of posts by date, country, and topic, and shows many pages at once.  This will make it much easier to access my old posts that would quickly fall off the main page and out of view.

Finally, I will begin posting galleries of my other photography, from infrared to artistic, that don't fit the typical travel mold.

I'm excited that I'll have a platform where I'm comfortable sharing once again.  I have so many stories to tell from Burma (Myanmar), Antarctica, Faroe Islands, and so many other places all around the world.

... and I can't wait to show you.

 

Introducing: Too Many Adapters!

Chiang Mai - Thailand
So things have been a little quiet around here recently, and no it’s not just my typical blog posting procrastination at fault… this time. (though there was some food poisoning)
Both travel and tech are things that Dave (of What’s Dave Doing) and I have been talking about for over a year since we first met up traveling in Vietnam in mid 2010.  After subsequent meetups that year in Cambodia & Thailand, then Canada in the summer 2011, the idea began to take shape...
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4 Xmas - 4 Continents

Chiang Mai - Thailand
I hadn't even realized it until a few weeks ago, but xmas 2011 was my 4th xmas celebrated in as many continents.  Admittedly, I use the word "celebrated" pretty loosely as I'm neither religious, nor into the gift-giving, commercial bonanza that Dec 25th has turned itself into.  Traveling, and my first xmas away in 2009, was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle that the end of the year inevitably brings back 'home' in Canada.
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A Zombie Takeover

Saskatoon, Sk - Canada
Blood.  Brains.  Outstretched arms.  Vacant stares.
It seems no one was immune.  Firefighters, newlyweds, panhandlers, interstellar supersoldiers, even a guy who was obviously bitten while on the toilet.  The latter was found walking the streets with his pants down to his ankles & holding a copy of Men's Health magazine, all while slowly shuffling up the Broadway Bridge from the Vimy Memorial in downtown Saskatoon. 
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Politics on the Streets of Helsinki

Helsinki - Finland
It wasn't until I reached Helsinki on my birthday that I first found out how much of a hot topic immigration is shaping up to be in the Europe, especially the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark).  Fears over diluting culture and straining social programs have lead to far right-wing parties gaining a foothold in what are typically left-leaning countries. 
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