The fact that every country has their own culture and traditions, it is good to know about their distinctive features before you visit to a certain place. Myanmar (formerly know as Burma), as one of the Southeast Asian Nations, owns its unique traditions and social norms. So before you meet with culture oriented people or undeveloped nature of tourism, here are some tips to prepare your journey to Myanmar.
Ready for barefoot?
As you know, when you come to Myanmar, your surely have to make a lot of pagoda visit. In Myanmar culture, you need to take off your foot wears (including socks) when you enter into a pagodas or Buddhist temples. It is their tradition of showing respect to holy place.
Crispy dollars!
It is clear that money is the first important thing for traveling, and the visa and master card can only use in specific area in Myanmar. So most of your time, you can only use by cash. One awkward thing is the money changer from Myanmar only accept new and crispy dollars, not even accept a note with a folded-line. So please carry a plain, smooth and brand new notes (I recommended a hundred dollar note, it is easier to change).
Power-up
In Myanmar, unlike any other countries, there is no standard electric socket usage. It is really annoying when your phone or camera is in low battery and you can't charge because of different type of plug and socket. So to eliminate this situation, the best thing is bringing a universal travel adapter. Please keep in mind.
Smart phone friendly!!!
In the past, the telecommunication of Myanmar is very poor because there was only one network provider held by Government. But last few years ago, the country opened and now, there are a couple of international network provider such as Telenor and Ooredoo established. Currently, you can easily buy a SIM card only about USD1.20 and can use mobile data with 3G services. It is not very first, but it's worked for your twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Let's make your journey memorable with beautiful photos and hashtags eg. #themightymyanmar.
Smile
It is not usual thing for smiling to a stranger in western culture, but it is here, believe us. Myanmar is land of smiling. Myanmar people are very friendly and do not hesitate to smile you and willing to help you. So prepare for smiling.