The Most Authentic Things about Myanmar (Burma)

The following information is the record of a person living in Myanmar for many years. This will bring you the most authentic perspective on this Southeast Asian country. 

Myanmar poor locals & golden temples

Myanmar has a lot of minerals but most of them are gemstones such as Rubies, marbles which are considered the best ones in the world. Huge marbles are used to carve large Buddha images.

The people adore Buddhism, so the offering of money, gold, gemstones to build pagodas is very popular. Most of the pagodas have gold – plated stupas which show the prosperity of religion. However, along with this fact is the hardness of the people living around pagodas. Most of people have low income; their life is tough; their houses are in poor condition.

Cuisine: The mixture of Indian, Thailand and Chinese cuisine

Myanmar cuisine is the mixture of Indian, Thailand and Chinese cuisine. Especially, Myanmar people only use their hands when eating. Many travelers come to places designed for foreigners to enjoy Western dishes.

Bus is the main means of transport

The transport system of Myanmar features buses. Most of poor people could not afford to buy a car, so bus is the most effective vehicle. The system of bus is supported in price by the government, so it is very cheap and suitable with the budget of the locals. However, the system of bus is very old with careless running. A bus could carry more people than normal. At rush hours, it is normal if you see a group of people swinging behind the bus.

The awareness of maintaining national identity

Myanmar government always makes effort to stimulate people to keep the national identity. People still wear traditional clothes when going out. Women use thanakha as a type of powder to make up. Many men still chew betel leaves. This is an interesting custom but it is unsanitary when splitting betel water on the streets.

50 percent of goods coming from Vietnam

Myanmar is a country which has been embargoed for many years so it is still underdeveloped. Most of people think that most of goods in supermarkets are imported from Thailand but in fact, more than 50 percent of these goods are from Vietnam. Most of people could not read Vietnamese, so they think it is Thai.

• Consider Myanmar holiday packages to visit and learn more about this country.