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Showing posts from 2009

How to go to Inle Lake

Myanmar Today has published information on travelling to Inle Lake. Travelers to Inle Lake can take direct flight to Heho near Inle Lake, take a bus to Taunggyi and drop on the way in Nyaungshwe or hire a car directly from Yangon, Mandalay or Bagan. Visitors can travel to Inle from Mandalay or from Bagan also. Details can be read at How to Go to Inle - guide to travelers .

Inle Lake Travel Guide

I have started writing articles about Inle Lake and Shan State on Myanmar Today . The series starts with an introduction to Inle region , followed by tips on going to Inle Lake and Nyaungshwe, finding a budget hotels and guest house in Inle and Nyaungshwe, mid range and high end hotels in Inle, restaurants, places to visit in and around Inle and other tips for foreign visitors. You can see all the articles on Inle at Inle Travel Guide on Myanmar Today.

Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) travel guide

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Myanmar Today is currently publishing series of articles on travel guide to Maymyo. These articles include introduction to Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) as well as how to go to Maymyo, where to stay in Maymyo , where to eat, where to go , and tips for travellers. You can read all the articles about Maymyo (or) Pyinoolwin on Myanmar Today.

Web hosting for Myanmar

I am writing a series of articles in Myanmar (Burmese) about webhosting. These articles are intended for the Myanmar audience who have very little or no experience in web hosting. This week, I starts with an introduction to web hosting in Myanmar. The articles will include choosing a good web host, setting up an easy to run blog, setting up wordpress, customizing wordpress, wordpress as CMS, search engine optimization. I believe these articles will give some idea and a start on web hosting for Myanmar people. You can see the first article here at Web hosting for Myanmar .

Mandalay Travel Guide

Currently, Myanmar Today website is running a series of articles about Travel guide to Mandalay . From back ground history of Mandalay to how to go, where to stay, what to see, where to eat to detailed guides about famous places in Mandalay such as Maha Myatnuni Pagoda , Mandalay Hill , Kuthodaw Pagoda , Kyauktawgyi Pagoda , and many other famous pagodas in Mandalay . This is the free and detailed tour guide about Mandalay , Myanmar's (Burma) second largest city and the most important city in upper Burma.

Myanmar Thingyan

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Myanmar Thingyan is coming! Now is the time for celebration for all Myanmar - whether poor or rich, educated or none. Burmese communities all over the world will also be celebrating Thingyan in their places also. This is a great time, the most joyous time for the Myanmar people. Thingyan, or Water festival is the most important and most celebrated event in Myanmar. This is the celebration for everybody in Myanmar. In case you don't know what Thingyan is, I have written an account of Myanmar Thingyan on Today in Myanmar. You can read about Myanmar Thingyan on Today in Myanmar .

Complete Shwedagon Pagoda guide

A complete guide to Myanmar's famous pagoda - The Shwedagon Pagoda can be found on Myanmar2day at Shwedagon . All the articles are original articles, and all the information is based on reliable sources as well as the actual research done at the Shwedagon Pagoda by the author. The Shwedagon Pagoda Guide starts with the history of Shwedagon (not just the popular legend but also the opinions of the archeologists), followed by the various structures around and on the Shwedagon Pagoda. There is also a Shwedagon floor plan/map with explanation of each structure described in the floor plan. There is also an article on a relatively unknown Nine Wonders of Shwedagon Pagoda . This is the most complete guide to Shwedagon Pagoda available on the internet.

Shwedagon Pagoda Guide

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I am writing a series of full length articles on Shwedagon Pagoda in next few days on Myanmar Today . The articles include brief history of Shwedagon Pagoda, stairways, terrace, details of the structures on Shwedagon, interesting places, wonders of Shwedagon and a floor pland of Shwedagon Pagoda for visitors to guide them in their visit to Shwedagon Pagoda. The series will run over two weeks. The first of these series starts today at Shwedagon Pagoda Guide - History .

Myanmar's famous and popular tourist attractions

I have written about Famous and popular tourist attractions in Myanmar. These include Shwedagon Pagoda , Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda as well as those around the country like Inle Lake and around Mandalay . This is just a brief description of those places and is not a complete description. I am planning to write about these places in details in later articles. Read about Myanmar's Famous and Popular Tourist Attractions .

Myanmar Throne by Than Tun

An account of various thrones used by Myanmar kings King Badon (Bodawphaya, 1782-1819) moved to the new palace on 17 May 1783 and Amarapura (the City of No Death) on 1 June 1783. One of his ministers called Jeyasankhaya (Zayyathinkhaya) compiled An Account on Golden Palace (Shwebon Nidan) and he completed the work on 21 February 1784. This work was used a handbook on the paraphernalia of almost everything used in the palace. It also explained how a particular thing in the palace (for instance a throne) was made, why is was made and for what purpose it was made. Most of the information given below is from this book. A king uses eight kinds of throne. The name is Pallan ( Palin ) and it is derived from a Pali word pallanka meaning a seat. As the king uses it, this seat is generally known by the name of Rajapallanka ( Yazapalin , the king’s seat). When it has a span of twenty four feet (5.53 meters) it is Mahapallanka , twelve feet (2.76 meters) Majjimapalanka

Trishaw

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Myanmar Trishaw Trishaws (or Side-car as it is known in Myanmar) are the easiest and most convenient mode of transportation in Myanmar , especially outside of Yangon. Although buses are the major mode of travel in Yangon, very few buses run the streets of other major cities and towns in Burma. In smaller towns in Myanmar, there is no public bus service. People in these smaller cities and towns have to rely on trishaws as the major mode of public transport. Trishaw is indeed a Burmese invention. First introduced around 1930 in Mandalay , the second city of Burma, it became the most popular form of public transport in colonial Burma. It had become very popular and successful all over Burma, even replacing the electric tram in Rangoon and Mandalay, forcing their closure and eventually bankruptcy..... read more at Trishaw Myanmar way of travel

A visit to Inle, Shan State

This time when I went back to Taunggyi (the capital of Shan State ), I visited Inle Lake . I didn’t have enough time this time so I could only visited Inle. Otherwise, I would have visited Pintaya and Kattu. Inle is my favorite: never feel bored how many times I visited. The most crowded time in Inle is during the Thadingyut festival (the candle light festival celebrated during the month of October). I had been to Inle during one Thadingyut festival when I was young. It was during the time of Phaungdawoo Pagoda festival. So many boats and so many people: it was a very exciting memory of my childhood. This time I visited Inle, it was on the full moon day of Ta-zaun-mone (November), and was not as crowded as the month before. My friends also wanted to go to Khaung-dine ( translator’s note: a place where there is a hot spring ), so we visited both places - Inle and Khaung-dine. Actually, I wanted to have some delicious fish in Khaung-dine, but the rest wanted to take a bath in the hot spr

Beer culture in Myanmar

Last 20 years saw the establishment of beer culture in Myanmar. Before 1988, beer is a rare commodity in Myanmar. The government produced Mandalay beer was always in short supply. It was available only in a very few hotels and restaurants. Foreign brands like Heineken and Tiger beer were available in black markets at a high price. Most Myanmar people cannot afford to buy a can of beer then. With the opening of economy in 1988 saw the introduction of a number of locally produced beer brands in Myanmar. These Myanmar beer brands include Myanmar Beer, Mandalay Beer (now a private venture), Dagon Beer, as well as Tiger Beer, ABC Stout and Anchor Beer which are produced under license from the parent brands. With the introduction of cheap locally made beer, people in Myanmar saw ... more at M yanmar Beer culture
Mrauk U was the old capital of Rakhine ( Arakan ) Kingdom. Established in 1431 by King Min Saw Mon , the city grew to a population of 120,000 in 16th century. It was a major trading port in the Bay of Bengal, and was always crowded with foreign traders - Europeans, Arabs, Indians, Mon from Hansawaddi , Burmese from Ava. Hundreds of trading ships, on their way from Europe to the exotic eastern trading cities like Java, were docked at the Rakhine port of Mrauk U. At its highest state, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chittagong, half of lower Burma and current Rakhine ( Arakan ) state. However, the hay days of Mrauk U ended abruptly in early 19th century when it fell to Burmese invasion from Ava. There are a large number of pagodas in Mrauk U. Although less in number compared to Bagan , the unique style of the pagodas of Mrauk U are a testament to the glorious history of the Rakhine kings who built them. Pagodas in Myanmar ... read more at Mrauk U

Telecommunication in Myanmar

Ever traveled to Myanmar (Burma)? Ever traveled outside of major tourist destinations in Myanmar? Ever tried to call home from Myanmar? Ever got the feeling of total cut off from the rest of the world? Ever experience frustration for not being able to call home and know what is happening at home? Welcome to Myanmar. Telecommunication in Myanmar is probably the lowest in South East Asia. Auto telephone exchange are available only in some towns. Many towns in Myanmar still don’t have auto telephone exchange and still have to rely on manual exchange. Myanmar is probably the only ocuntry on earth with manual exchange. For trunk call, there are a few telephones (about 3 to 6 phones) in these towns installed at the manual exchange and at the Public Call Outlets (PCO) . Some towns in remote regions have no land lines connected to the main communication hub, and have to rely on satellite links. For example, Mindat from Chin State has only six telephones using satellite links. In many instan

Myanmar Blogger Society

Myanmar Blogger Society is a non-profit organization for Myanmar bloggers all over the world. It promotes friendship and cooperation among Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers worldwide. The group has set up a web site for the Myanmar Blogger Society on Ning. Those Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers can join the Myanmar Blogger Society by signing up at the MBS website. Approval is needed before you could become a full member. The admin will check your blog before approval of your membership application. At Myanmar Blogger Society , you can post blog posts at the MBS blog, upload your photos, set up your own page, browse and communicate with other members, discuss in MBS forum, and form groups with other bloggers. The site is quite extensive and very user friendly. I believe every Myanmar (Burmese) blogger and blog reader should sign up here to cooperate with other Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers and to promote their blogs and interests.

Make yadayar to promote your luck

Yadayar is a custom of Burmese people, done to promote one’s luck. Originally a belief of Indian Hindi Brahmans , it has established itself as a Burmese custom, even incorporated into Buddhist belief of Myanmar people (although it is a total contradiction to the teachings of Lord Buddha). It is a concept which has no equivalence in the western culture, and one difficult to explain to foreigners. Simply speaking, it is an act which is totally unconnected to the outcome you wish for, but which, in celestial meanings, has great influence over the expected outcome. For example, suppose you wish to sell your old car which you find difficult to attract any interested person, you go and ask for the advice from an astrologer. He will, base on his astrological calculations, which usually takes into consideration of the day you were born ..... read more at Make yadayar to promote your luck

Domestic Air Travel in Myanmar

There are now a number of domestic airlines operating in Myanmar. Although few in number and only fly to a handful of popular tourist destinations in Myanmar, they serve as a very convenient way of travel for tourists coming to Myanmar. Because of the inconveniences associated with land travel in Myanmar, air travel is the most comfortable and convenient mode of travel. For those foreign visitors coming to Myanmar, here are a few facts about domestic air travel in Myanmar. Air tickets in Myanmar are quite expensive. One way ticket from Yangon to Bagan is around US$ 170 per person (although on the airlines’ website, they mention about internet booking at around half this price). This is quite expensive compared to domestic airfare in Thailand. Flights are only available to major tourist destinations (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Heho / Inle, and a few others) , as only a handful of people use air travel in Myanmar due to high ticket price. Also you cannot book the ticket in real time. If

Myanmar currency exchange rate

If you look in the currency exchange rate websites on the internet, you will see the official currency exchange rate for Myanmar kyat at about 6.50 kyats per 1 US dollar. However, if you really try to buy US dollar at this rate, you will not be able to buy anywhere. Try to buy one US dollar at this rate in one of the banks in Yangon, and you will be looked at like a lunatic. In Myanmar, the official currency exchange rate is considered a joke. You can neither buy nor sell US dollar to Myanmar kyat at this rate anywhere in the world (this is not actually true as almost all the people in Myanmar will love to buy US dollar at 6.50 kyats a dollar!). No body knows why this exchange rate exists and why the government doesn’t change this official foreign currency exchange rate to reflect the actual market...... more at Myanmar currency exchange rate . Other articles on Myanmar currency: Myanmar currency - Kyat and Pya Money Exchange in Yangon Weekly Myanmar kyat - US dollar exchange rate Sudd

Rhodendron of Chin Land - Another song by Salai Thaw Na

Here is another song about Chin Land by the same Chin song writer, Salai Thaw Na. This is about the famous flower Rhodendron which is also the national flower of Chin State. This song is also in Burmese.

Public Health in Myanmar

I recently come across a very informative blog on health in Myanmar (Burma). Written in Myanmar (Burmese) language, this site aims for the Myanmar (Burmese) people, to distribute and educate health problems encountered in Myanmar to the Myanmar people. The site is written by a group of Myanmar (Burmese) health professional, and moderated by an experience doctor from Myanmar (Burma). The aim of the Public Health in Myanmar is (according to the site): To disseminate public health concepts and practices To present contemporary international public health issues To present and discuss public health problems of Myanmar There are already more than one hundred articles in the blog, ranging from common health problems like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, HIV and AIDS, stroke, ischaemic heart diseases, heart attack as well as some medical knowledge like genetics, nutrition, contraception, and recent news and updates on health situation and problems in Myanmar (Burma). The site is very infor

Free (Low Cost) Phone Call to Myanmar

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Yesterday, I got an email invitation from one of my friends to use a new online telephone calling service. This low cost VOIP internet telephone calling service is different from other services in that it can be used to call Myanmar (Burma). Apparently intended for Myanmar people inside and outside of the country to call each other at low costs. It uses Gtalk to connect to a phone in Myanmar, or from a gtalk user from Myanmar to outside phone. Although the promotional email said it is free, the reality is, it is not a free VOIP service. Only registration is free, but to use the service, you need to buy credit. Call rate to a phone in Myanmar, either fixed land line phone or mobile phone, is US$ 0.18 (18 cents) per minute. Call rates to other countries differ from one country to another, depending on the country. You can make online payment as well as bank draft and account to account transfer. There are a number of payment methods mentioned on the website. The Bamartalk website explain

Thingyan Sar

The following is my contribution to the blog Myanmar2day . What is Thingyan Sar ? Probably you might never heard of this term before. It might be a strange term and concept for outsiders, even for our South East asian neighbours from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Actually, thingyan sar is an integral part of Myanmar people. Thingyan sar literally means words of Thingyan, which is Myanmar counter part of Thai Songkran or water festival. Thingyan is also the Myanmar new year celebration. Essentially, thingyan sar is a written prediction of what would happen in the next Myanmar year. This is usually prepared by Myanmar astrologers most of whom are of Indian Brahmin origin. As there is no official thingyan sar, and many astrologers use different methods of interpretation for the calculated results, thingyan sar from one astrologer might be different from that of another one...... Read more at Thingyan Sar on Myanmar2day blog.

New Prepaid GSM Mobile phone cards in Myanmar

Finally, at last, prepaid GSM mobile SIM cards are available to the general public in Myanmar. With the official price of post paid GSM phone cards at around 1,500 US$ in Myanmar, the new cheaper GSM cards become the hype among the general public. According to one news story, the sale of cheap handsets goes up in recent weeks in Myanmar. However, there are also some draw backs with this cheaper GSM prepaid cards. I have written three articles on this prepaid GSM cards in my other blogs and the blogs I contribute to. Here are the links to these posts. Prepaid GSM mobile phone cards to be available soon in Myanmar According to some internet news, prepaid GSM SIM cards will be available in Myanmar soon. According to unofficial reports, these GSM SIM cards are to be sold in US dollars initially, aiming at tourists coming to Myanmar. Although the price is yet to be confirmed, it is rumoured that ..... Prepaid mobile phone SIM cards available in City Mart Supermarkets in Yangon

FileZilla - Best Free FTP Client

If you ever set up your own website with a web hosting service, you will realize how cumbersome and frustrating to upload files and folders onto your server using the web based file manager provided by your web host service. For example, to upload a folder containing a few photos, you cannot simply upload the wholoe folder directly to your server. You first need to create the folder first, and then upload into the folder file by file. Imagine uploading 10 folders containging hundreds of files. It will become a nightmare. Solution? Use file transfer protocol or ftp. How will you use this ftp? How powerful is it? How easy or complicated is it? Will you need any special knowledge and expertise? How much will I need to pay for a program that will handle this protocol? Well, it is very powerful, you don’t need to pay a single cent, and it is so easy that a primary school student can use this protocol. However, you need an ftp client that is easy to use. Don’t worry. Here comes the FileZil

Shwegadon Pagoda

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One of the places that you must pay a visit in Yangon (Rangoon) is the famous Shwedagon Pagoda. Believed to be the first padoda ever built on Earth, Shwedagon is the centre of worship and devotion for all the Buddhist in Myanmar (Burma). Myanmar (Burmese) Buddhists believe Shwedagon was built around 2,500 years ago, during the time of Lorda Buddha, although archiologists believe the pagoda was built during 6 and 10 century AD by Mons. Whether this claim is true or not nobody knows, Shwegadon remains centre of Burmese and Mon buddhism since ancient time. Many Burmese and Mon kings and queens renovated Shwedagon Pagoda several times in history, many of whom said to have donated gold equal to their body weights. Today, Shwedagon is estimated to be covered in 60 tons of gold plates! Shwedagon Pagoda at night Situated on the highest hill in Yangon, and rising above 326 feet above its base, the pagoda can be seen from up to 50 miles away. It is indeed the most famous and prominent lan

Free Myanmar E Book Download

There are quite a number of websites and blogs that offer free download of Myanmar (Burmese) E books, stories and novels. Some of them contain just a few e books while other sites contain quite a lot of e books and novels from extensive range of Myanmar (Burmese) writers and authors for download. Some sites offer download of old Myanmar (Burmese) books by old Myanmar (Burmese) authors in pdf format. Although the following list is not extensive, it would be enough for most visitors. Shwesagar E Books - This wordpress blog contains more than 200 Myanmar novels and stories in E Book (pdf) format for easy download. The list includes famous Myanmar authors like Dr. Than Tun, Akyitaw, Mya Than Tint, Ma Sandar, Dagon Shwe Myar, Paragu, Takatho Phone Naing, Taryar Min Wai, Thaw Tar Swe, Thein Phay Myint, Zaw Gyi, Theitpan Maung Wa, Min Thein Kha, Ni Ko Ye, Juu, Kyi Aye, Min Lu, Moe Moe Inya, Chit Oo Nyo and many others. Download is also easy, with just right click and select save. Myanmar E

Free (low cost) Phone Call to Myanmar

Yesterday, I got an email invitation from one of my friends to use a new online telephone calling service. This low cost VOIP internet telephone calling service is different from other services in that it can be used to call Myanmar (Burma). Apparently intended for Myanmar people inside and outside of the country to call each other at low costs. It uses Gtalk to connect to a phone in Myanmar, or from a gtalk user from Myanmar to outside phone. Although the promotional email said it is free, the reality is, it is not a free VOIP service. Only registration is free, but to use the service, you need to buy credit. Call rate to a phone in Myanmar, either fixed land line phone or mobile phone, is US$ 0.18 (18 cents) per minute. Call rates to other countries differ from one country to another, depending on the country. You can make online payment as well as ... Read more about Bamartalk - Low cost phone call to Myanmar at Myanmar Man's Diary .

Public Health in Myanmar

I recently come across a very informative blog on health in Myanmar (Burma). Written in Myanmar (Burmese) language, this site aims for the Myanmar (Burmese) people, to distribute and educate health problems encountered in Myanmar to the Myanmar people. The site is written by a group of Myanmar (Burmese) health professional, and moderated by an experience doctor from Myanmar (Burma). The aim of the Public Health in Myanmar is (according to the site): To disseminate public health concepts and practices To present contemporary international public health issues To present and discuss public health problems of Myanmar There are already more than one hundred articles in the blog, ranging from common health problems like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, HIV and AIDS, stroke, ischaemic heart diseases, heart attack as well as some medical knowledge like genetics, nutrition, contraception, and recent news and updates on health situation and problems in Myanmar (Burma). The site is very infor

Myanmar Blogger Society

Myanmar Blogger Society is a non-profit organization for Myanmar bloggers all over the world. It promotes friendship and cooperation among Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers worldwide. The group has set up a web site for the Myanmar Blogger Society on Ning. Those Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers can join the Myanmar Blogger Society by signing up at the MBS website. Approval is needed before you could become a full member. The admin will check your blog before approval of your membership application.... Read more about Myanmar Blogger Society at Myanmar Man's Diary .

One thing I hate about Myanmar sites and blogs

There are now a number of Myanmar web sites and blogs written in Myanmar language. It is a good thing. I can now read about news, articles, short stories, poems and blogs in Myanmar. However, many a time I feel frustrated with some of the Myanmar blogs and sites. I install Zawgyi-one Myanmar font on my computer. As most Myanmar blogs use Zawgyi font, it is not a problem for me to read these blogs. However, some Myanmar blogs and many Myanmar websites don’t use Zawgyi. Still no problem as long as I can download and install the font from the internet. The problem arises when the website or the blog doesn’t mention the font they use or provide a download link to install the font. It really sucks. If a site is not using a common font, they should mention what kind of font they are using, and should also provide download link for the font, as many of us don’t know where to download some of these Myanmar fonts. The bloggers and web site developers should bear this fact in mind if they want v