Bagan

This is one of the most special places I have ever been to. It is a sacred area full of beautiful pagoads and stupors. The villages are so calm and unworldly. There are signs up for English and computer lessons which is very cute as it felt like we were there on the brink of something about to happen. I experienced real awe in this unspoiled place. As riding electric motorbikes at 5am, running through villages, getting stuck in sand, being chased by dogs, hearing the cocks crow and being greeted by friendly villagers was truly awesome!


We stayed in New Bagan which is a bit further away from the part where tourists stay and cost us 15,000 kyat return in a taxi each night to go to the main restaurants area. This is quite high for Myanmar so I would recommend staying in Nyaung-U which means is walkign distance to the night life.

It is nice to hang out in Old Bagan. There is really famous veggie cafe which is in Lonely Planet called 'The Moon' but we liked the one across the street called Yar+Pyi because the owner and his family were really friendly and they served gauc and pop (gaucamole and popadoms); indian spice flavoured guacamole with popadoms. We stayed in here for hours having iced coffees, juices and escaping the mid-day sun.

Temple hunting - hire a moped and go full throttle in the dark at 5am to hunt for the perfect temple to get the classic sunrise shot. As we were not close our chosen temple, North Guni, it was a race against time to get there before sunrise, which was very exciting and made me feel like I was in Indiana Jones.  We had no clue where we were going and were just following smaller and smaller tracks. It was one of the most thrilling things I have done in my life.  It felt like a proper adventure.

If you are getting the boat from Bagan to Mandalay the boat goes from Jetty Street which is closer to this area also. You need to leave at 5.30am which is early but you get so see the river lit by moonlight and experience sunrise which is pretty sweet.
Balloons over bagan - www.balloonsoverbagan.com

It's a popular thing to take a hot air ballon over Bagan but is $320. Ouch!

Places to go

Vondel Park on bike. You can get a bike for 5 euros a day from Mike's bikes which is on Kerkstraat.

Albert Cupyt for a massive food and bits and pieces market.

Jordaan for cafes and to see cool houses. There are a few cool brown pubs in this area, as they call them, which are the old school style pubs. These all sell strong Belgium beers which are quite common in Amsterdam. La Chouffe is a good one but will knock your socks off.

De Pijp  is nice area just out of central with lots of bars, cafes and restaurants. Locals and ex-pats live here and it is really busy. It's quite hipster but then again so it most of Amsterdam.

The 9 Streets - this has lots of boutique clothes shops and some nice cafes. My favourite clothes shop is Velour which has nicely curated selection of clothes.

Yangon

We flew into Yangon from Bangkok. The best thing here is the huge gold Pagoda and Stupors with around 1200 buddha's everywhere! It's supposed to be the best in the country. 

Yangon is all on a grid system so you can get around easily. The street food is the best food we had on the trip and cheap. There is a lot of Indian food here as there are influences from all neighbouring countries: Thailand, Indian, China etc so you get a bit of everything. 

People don't speak that much English but really appreciate you trying to say a few things. Mingalarba - hello, jeez-zu-bey - an informal thanks, the longer word for 'thanks' has too many syllables to remember! Nic-cow-la is 'how are you' and you need the reply 'gundy'  which means good,  which you can also say if you like the food. 

Ngapali

Ngapali is a beautiful beach which is very different to the rest of Myanmar. If you have enjoyed being culturally a million miles away from Western culture then you may not feel the need to visit here especially if you are travelling rather than on holiday as the prices are high and will eat up your funds quickly.

At first I stayed at Merciel which was very nice and had a pool but was a bit too far from the main affair for me. 

I would say the best place to stay is in Lin Thar village where your hotel opens on to the beach. 

Mento or Lin thar Oo were reasonably priced and you more or less have breakfast on the beach which is what this is all about. There are mega fancy places which are a very high standard but really expensive, so it depends if you want to treat yourself or not. 

Lonely Planet is a bit out of date on the ATM/ cash machine front. There are cash machine at Amazing Beach Hotel, Bay View, Jade Marina and Amada. Beware they charge 6500 kyat which is a loads for Myanmar so you really need to adjust to the prices here. Taxis are expensive here and it's not really a place for solo travellers as there were mostly couples and no hostel to hang out in, but if you jump on a bike you can go and meet the locals and be very chilled here.

If you want to stay online Oreedooo is the best 3G network here, Telenor does not really work. 

A new hospital is being built so the area must be benefitting from tourism so this is good for the locals and the job market. 

There are many fish restaurants on the front which all serve fresh fish daily so this should definitely be something you should eat while here. Red snapper, barracudo, lobster and king Prawns seem pretty common with veg and salads. The menus seems to have some Thai influence also. 

There isn't a going out scene as such, this is more a have dinner and go to bed place which makes it perfect for a  rest.

Brunch and food places

Amsterdam is all about cafes and brunch places and loads of new ones are opening that are pretty nice, stylish hangs out full of good looking people.

Coffee and Coconuts  - De Pijp

This is new and on the Centerbaaum.

Dignitas 

It is near Vondel park but the end away from central.

(Mutha fuckin') Gs - Jordaan

This is a cool spot for brunch. It's got character and is in a cool area.

Winkel - Noordermarkt 

This is potentially the best apple pie you will ever have, served with real whipped cream. It's quite big so if you are not that hungry then just share it.  You can get coffee as well as beer here.  This place is always busy as it's a famous place to go in Amsterdam. It's located near the Noordermarkt so you can go to the market and then go to one of the other good cafe/bars around there.  Finch or Cafe Proust are pretty good and serve food.

Soup en Zo - all over 

If you want to grab something fresh, quickly you can grab some soup or a salad from this place. It has loads of varieties of fresh soup which changes daily. There are now a few branches dotted around the city.

Kaaskamer - 9 Streets 

Of course the Dutch are partial to a cheese sandwich or two, daily, so you can go to the Kaas kamer in  the Nine Streets to experience some serious Dutch cheese.

It means 'Cheese Room' which is apt as it is literally a room full of cheese!

D&A - Jordaan

A really nice Lebanese brunch/lunch place selling delicious hummus inspired meat and veg dishes with lots of flavour. Nice surroundings and near Winkels.

Foodhallen  - off the Kinkerstraat, West 

This place is great for lunch and beers. There's loads of choice so everyone is happy, it's a bit pricey but it has a good vibe and is good for a hang out. There are also loads of crafts and designers around there so all in all a pretty good place.

Restaurants

Fou Fow Ramen - central, near the canals 

On Elansgracht which is near Princengracht so pretty central. It is run by Japanese people and looks pretty stylish but simple. It gets quite busy so you might need to put your name on a list.

Bazaar - De Pijp 

This is on Albert Cuytstraat and it is a really big restaurant for Amsterdam. I find a lot of the good ones can be quite small and book up very quickly so last minute dinners can be tricky, so if you have a big group and don't want to book then you are usually in luck here.

It's Turkish food which is really good, the decor is pretty kitch and it's pretty lively so there is always a good vibe.

Cafe de Klos - central, near the canals 

Go to this place for an awesome massive meat fest. Don't expect to be able to walk or go out dancing afterwards though. It is here which is close to the canals. You might need to queue to get in but you can put your name down and go for a beer across the road as the two places are linked or help each other out. They call you when your table is ready and you seamlessly move to your spot effortlessly.

Choux 

This place is North of the station near the water. Not been but told it's good.

Wilde zwijnen

In the East and also suppose to be really good.

Hotel De Goudfazant

Again supposed to be good but not been yet. You need to book as they don't take last minute bookings usually.

REM Eiland 
This is a fancy looking place here.

It is close to the sea in the North and looks pretty cool. It is a close to a place called Pont 13 which is suppose to be good for a drink beforehand.

Myanmar - good to know

The reason it has changed it's name from Burma to Myanmar is because it is made of 7 different tribes or groups, not just the Barman people, so the name Burma was not a representative name.  

The plug for Myanmar is the round 2 prong European plug. The electricity will go out at some point while you are here and generators will kick in which feels quite exciting. 

You do need to cover up as it is pretty religious. Women don't drink, they wear long skirts and cover up shoulders. People are friendly but if you look half naked they will stare.

A SIM card for the month and credit for the month cost me $11 and it well worth it as it seems that no matter where you are, on a boat, up a hill in a village near a temple, there is always 3G. Myanmar is a 'leapfrogging' nation which means they skipped the decades of rubbish technology and have gone straight to the good stuff! It's a new economist term I am told.