In Myanmar this Christmas and looking for something to plump up those stockings? Here’s our top five selection for 2020, with accompanying tours.
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Dolphin t-shirts by Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project
Buy a t-shirt and support dolphin conservation efforts
Buy a t-shirt and help the Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project protect Myanmar’s critically-endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population. 50% of the t-shirts, along with 100% of any optional donation (payable at checkout), will go towards conservation activities including patrols and general supervision of the community-managed area.
Click here to purchase (available for a limited time only).
The Living Irrawaddy Dolphin project operates one, two and three-day tours. More than just dolphin-spotting, this is an excellent way of engaging with remote communities that have long worked symbiotically with these precious mammals. Click here to download our full day tour – with boats, cooperative fishermen, slap-up meals and the opportunity to explore remote villages of the Irrawaddy, it’s one of our all-time favourite Myanmar experiences.
‘The Hidden History of Burma’ by Thant Myint-U
Image of Thant Myint-U and our must-read Myanmar book for 2020
To quote Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity, “At once absorbing, illuminating, and humane, Thant Myint-U’s work traces the complex gearings of race, identity, and money with the perspective of a scholar and the intimacy of an insider. It’s invaluable in helping us understand the complexities not just of contemporary Burma but of our postcolonial world.”
Available widely online and at most good bookshops.
Thant Myint U’s grandfather, U Thant, was the third UN Secretary General, successfully serving 10 years from 1961 to 1971. To learn more about U Thant’s life, we’d recommend a visit to his former Yangon residence. Restored with the help of Yangon Heritage Trust, it now operates as a centre of learning and museum dedicated to the life of U Thant. Open from Friday to Sunday only (from 10:00 until 17:00), you may also be interested in combining this with a visit to General Aung San and U Nu’s House – one of our best Yangon tours that incorporates all three is the ‘Three Political Legends’ experience.
Brass jewellery by Pan Pet Artisans
A respected member of the Kayan Lahwi tribe
Some women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe choose to adorn their necks and legs with decorative brass rings. As they get older, these rings become loose, requiring them to be refitted and any excess length trimmed. Using discarded parts, the Pan Pet Artisans forge bracelets, each with a unique handmade design.
Available at Hla Day (our number one stop for souvenir shopping in Myanmar).
To meet with these witty, entrepreneurial and kind-hearted matriarchs, why not book onto our ‘Finding Pan Pet’ tour? Whilst in Kayah State, we’d also recommend visiting the villages of Hta Nee La Leh and Hyat Ko.
A timepiece from the Mandalay Watch Company
Mandalay Watch Company’s ‘Myanmarsar’ edition watch
One of our favourite Myanmar gifts—and one that will be sure to get tongues positively wagging at your next dinner party—is a vintage-style watch from the Mandalay Watch Company. Founder U Kyaw Thura Naung started as an avid collector, eventually learning how to build and repair watches by himself. With Myanmar numbers surrounding the dial, the ‘Myanmarsar’ edition is particularly eye-catching, as are the colourful and classy straps on the ‘Amara’ editions.
Available to buy at Yangoods.
Similar to us, the name Mandalay has been used in homage of Myanmar’s last royal capital. With King Thibaw having long been exiled, it’s fair to say that Mandalayans now have a new common object of affection – food! To witness this first-hand—both visually and through taste—we’d recommend booking onto our rickshaw-powered, ‘Mandalay Teashop Crawl’. Run in partnership with our friends at Grasshopper Adventures, find out what it’s like to travel the real ‘Road to Mandalay’, a city Rudyard Kipling never actually set foot in!
Yangon Street Map by the Yangon Newcomers Group (YNG)
A 15th Street map drawn by the Yangon Newcomers Group
When in Yangon, we’d encourage all of our travellers to put some time aside to explore the city’s downtown quarters independently. Not only will it help to save money, but it’s also one of the best ways of savouring the city’s thronging and cosmopolitan nature, without a filter, and at a pace you dictate. This is where the new Yangon Street Map comes in handy. From heritage buildings to garden alleys to teashops, this hand-drawn and meticulously annotated booklet will provide you with a crash course into everything downtown. Hats off to the Yangon Newcomers Group—a group made up of 29 volunteers from 16 countries—for compiling.
Available at Hla Day (our number one stop for souvenir shopping in Myanmar).
To truly appreciate the spread-out nature and diversity of Yangon, we’d also recommend breaking free of downtown for a day. This can best be done by touring Dala—a satellite township—on mountain bike, followed by a leisurely clickity-clack on the city’s venerable Circle Train. As an added bonus, you can combine both of these with a refreshing pint at Myanmar’s first craft brewery. If this appeals, take a look at our ‘Bikes, Boats, Trains and Craft Beer’ experience.
When touring Myanmar this Christmas, we’d also like to remind our travellers about our ‘Please can we have a kyat’ campaign. In collaboration with Community Care Myanmar (CCM), you can help those less fortunate by leaving some Myanmar Kyat behind in-country. 100% of this will go directly towards CCM’s initiatives to empower, educate and protect children living in Yagon’s disadvantaged slum communities. Click here to download the postcard we now provide travellers as part of their welcome pack.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!