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Myanmar men have a penchant for Laotian sandals, they even pair them with suits.
10 fascinating insights travelers uncover when visiting Myanmar
Below are some unique aspects of the locals you'll encounter when traveling in Myanmar.
Distinctive traits of Myanmar locals
Myanmar people are gentle, kind-hearted, enjoy temple visits, and live at a relaxed pace. They always hold the belief 'better to beg than steal'.
Apart from the betel nut chewing habit, people in Myanmar, from old to young, often apply a bit of yellow powder from the thanakha tree on their faces to protect from the sun.
Men wear sandals year-round, especially Laotian ones, even when wearing suits or attending weddings. Only officials and military personnel wear shoes.
The daily life of the locals
Myanmar's national beverage is milk tea, a light tea mixed with fresh milk and honey.
Due to the weak national power grid, hotels, restaurants, and shops all have to use their own generators. The market opens at 9 am but starts preparing to close by 4 pm because of power cuts by 5 pm. Nightlife here mainly consists of cafes, milk tea stalls, or snacks; there are no bars, alcohol shops, or shopping outlets.
Weddings are held from morning till noon. The gift reception team opens envelopes, counts money, and records the sender's name in a ledger right upon receiving. The groom and bride only unwrap gifts.
A Male-centric Society
Indoors, women are expected to serve men. When doing laundry, they must wash men's clothes separately from women's.
Abundance of Temples
Dubbed the land of pagodas, Myanmar boasts thousands of Buddhist temples. According to LA Times, an estimated 10,000 temples were built from the 10th to 14th centuries in Bagan. Currently, only about 2,200 structures remain.
Each temple here features numerous spires, most of which are gilded and adorned with diamonds and gemstones. The Buddha statues and temple spires continue to grow larger each day as devotees keep adding gold leaf during prayers.
Many temples house Buddha statues nearly a hundred meters long, with some statues weighing close to a thousand tons made of gemstones, requiring the construction of the temple around the completed statue.
Barefoot Only Rule Inside Temples
Upon reaching the temple gate, visitors must remove their shoes and walk barefoot. Even heads of state are not exempt. Police forces guarding temples during festivals also go 'barefoot and bareheaded' to serve.
The shoe deposit fee per person or group is a fixed 1,000 kyats (approximately 2,000 dong). If opting for shoe bags to carry individually, the price remains the same.
When touring Myanmar, it's advisable to visit temples early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid hot feet while walking inside. It's also recommended to bring a wet towel to wipe your feet after each visit.
Temples in Myanmar use candles instead of incense, lit outside the shrine. Devotees may eat and rest, even organize music performances inside temples. Visitors wearing short or thin clothing are not allowed in temples and must purchase available clothing to cover up.
Monks Outnumber the Military in Myanmar
Monks do not reside in temples but concentrate on meditation and study in meditation centers, such as the Kyat Khat Wine Monastery, where thousands gather.
Monks observe alms rounds daily and eat like ordinary people, except they don't eat after midday, avoid harming living beings, avoid crowded places, refrain from using perfumes or cosmetics, and maintain distance from women. Meditation centers teach life skills to children and serve as places for young men to train before adulthood. Summer is when ordination ceremonies for boys occur.
Not Many World Heritage Sites
Myanmar's only current World Heritage Site is the Pyu Ancient Cities, including the remains of Kanbawza Thadi in Bago (1st century BCE – 9th century CE), recognized by UNESCO in 2014.
Different Transportation Scene
Yangon prohibits motorcycles, so the streets are filled with cars, driving on the right side. Taxis operate on a negotiable fare basis per trip, without a meter for distance-based fares. Tourist vehicles have doors for boarding and alighting on the left side, in the middle of the road, which is inconvenient for passengers getting on or off. Therefore, Myanmar assistants and guides always stand by the door, blocking traffic, to ensure safety for tourists.
Despite being in early stages of development, Yangon is experiencing traffic congestion, yet maintains order, no honking, and always yields to pedestrians. Highways are wide, and motorcycles don't ride in the middle but on the sides (not the shoulders) on the right or left. Myanmar laws do not mandate helmet use for motorcycle riders. Additionally, Myanmar has trisaws, a modified bicycle for extra passenger capacity.
A Mountainous Country without Cable Cars
Myanmar lacks cable cars despite numerous mountain temples. Locals often use modified 2-wheel-drive trucks, without a roof, fitted with 7 rows of seats, each seating 7 people, excluding the cabin, capable of traversing any rugged terrain to reach the mountains. There are also palanquins, where every 4 people carry 1 person. Palanquins are made of bamboo, with a diameter of 10-15 cm, with a seat in the middle for passengers to sit or lie down. Belongings and even children are carried in baskets behind or on the heads of hired porters. These baskets are several meters high and can carry up to 100 kg.
Beliefs about Death
Myanmar people follow cremation customs but do not collect ashes for worship or place them in temples. When someone dies, they use a communal coffin, provided by support groups, not kept for days and only cremate the body, not the coffin. There are no memorial ceremonies because they believe 'death leads to another world, free from worldly debts'
According to Minh An/Vnexpress
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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourNovember 3, 2017
