Having been inspired by the photos shared by forum members of Myanmar over the past 2 years, I finally embarked on a DIY solo trip in Feb to experience Asia's last frontier after getting "spousal domestic ICA approval". I had some help from Hak Liang as well and would like to thank him for sharing some tips from his trip last year.
Travelling solo for 9 days over 3 places, doing prior research and drafting a rough plan to be tweaked on the go has always been my style of travel allowing for flexibility, focus and a reshoot at any place I wanted.
I started from the north of Myanmar arriving in Mandalay, working myself downwards to Bagan and finally Yangon so I don't have to do a loop back if arriving in Yangon which would take up considerable amount of travel time between destinations. Did not opt to fly between cities on the expensive domestic airlines but took the very nice overnight VVIP coach or minibus that are now available for travel in between cities. This would save travel time and also save the funds for good eats & beers which I am always on the prowl for versus spending for an extra night accommodation.
I did not manage to slot Inle Lake into my itinerary as 9 days is really a stretch to cover 3 places and it would also give me an excuse to go back again next year with a good photo buddy of mine to cover Inle Lake.
Some gears I brought along include the following:
Nikon D810
Nikon 24-85mm F3.5-4.5 VR (used most for general landscape and street)
Nikon 16-35mm F4 VR (great for ultra wide indoor)
Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 VR (least used)
Nikon 1 J5 (great for light gear street shoot after a day of lugging all that camera gear above)
Nikon 1 CX 6.7-13mm
Sirui travel tripod (a MUST for sunrise & sunset)
If anyone might be keen on a rough idea or maybe a custom google map which I prep up as a guide, do feel welcome to ping me.
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