Burma vs. Laos

[Hah Baht]

Good report, tell us some more details, i am leaving for Yangon in three weeks. how is the emperor or palace' selection there and also very interesting to know more about Ambo hotel, thanks lot.

The Palace and the Emperor are located in the same building. They were similar, but the Emperor had a bit more of a selection. Again, I don't like to get too specific, but I loved these girls. All had great attitudes. None of them even wanted a drink. by the way, Myanmar Lager Beer is excellent IMO.
I was taken to the Ambo by a taxi driver who had me wait outside while he went to into the hotel to set things up. Came down with the Papasan and we went to the third floor into a room. He then thriught in three girls at a time to let me choose. Selection was ok, but better in the nightclubs. I think there are any number of these kind of places that the taxi drivers know about.
As I stated previously, I wasn't thrilled with the Thamada Hotel. Next time I will do more research. What I'm not sure of are which hotels are gf and which are not.

[Benjamin Be]

I just finished reading the previous post and can pretty much agree on everything he said. I stayed at the Thamada, which my friend had booked through his agent. Hotel was not quite up to snuff: a little run down and worn looking, no in room safes, and the aircon thermostat that did not work. However, the one bright spot was a terrific location. I'm not one to get into much talk about the bedroom antics. But I will say that I loved the girls. All had great attitudes and were ready and willing to please. I did have a little trouble finding daytime action but found a taxi driver that took me to the Ambo Hotel whre I could pick a mate and take her back to my hotel for about three hrs. Night or day I was hit with the same number, 30 bucks or 30000 kyat.

I also visited the venues that were previously mentioned. The Music Club in the Parkroyal nad the ladies were asking more but didn't take from there anyway.

As an aside, Yongon was hotter than any of the other Asian cities that I have been to. Very hot.

I will most definitely visit there again, but will choose a bit better lodging.

Good report, tell us some more details, i am leaving for Yangon in three weeks. how is the emperor or palace' selection there and also very interesting to know more about Ambo hotel, thanks lot.

[Hah Baht]

I do disagree on one specific area from previous posts. I think the girls are every bit as nice looking as the Thais, maybe better, IMO. Also, no tattoos, no fat chicks and ro real dogs that I saw.

[Hah Baht]

I just finished reading the previous post and can pretty much agree on everything he said. I stayed at the Thamada, which my friend had booked through his agent. Hotel was not quite up to snuff: a little run down and worn looking, no in room safes, and the aircon thermostat that did not work. However, the one bright spot was a terrific location. I'm not one to get into much talk about the bedroom antics. But I will say that I loved the girls. All had great attitudes and were ready and willing to please. I did have a little trouble finding daytime action but found a taxi driver that took me to the Ambo Hotel whre I could pick a mate and take her back to my hotel for about three hrs. Night or day I was hit with the same number, 30 bucks or 30000 kyat.

I also visited the venues that were previously mentioned. The Music Club in the Parkroyal nad the ladies were asking more but didn't take from there anyway.

As an aside, Yongon was hotter than any of the other Asian cities that I have been to. Very hot.

I will most definitely visit there again, but will choose a bit better lodging.

[Biz99]

i spent last weekend in yangon and write this little report for two reasons – firstly in the spirit of giving back to the forum and secondly because i am just giggling thinking about what a great time i had.

living in thailand and traveling around sea for both work and pleasure, i appreciate that i am a lucky bastard. sometimes i forget how much i would look forward to finally getting a trip to asia or latin america when i lived in the west. often when i am out doing errands i will make a point of stopping into [CodeWord900] for a blow job, or swing by a soapy massage place to have my pipes and everything else cleaned.

often, i will not really need to get blown or laid, but i kind of feel an obligation to take advantage of what thailand offers me. living in a developing country comes complete with all sorts of frustrations, and these can start to bother you if you forget to make sure that you get the benefits that come from living here.

take thai massage, as an example. working at a computer for hours and sitting in a car or a plane can give me a sore back; having a massage for a couple of hours can really make me feel better, but this is not something i would ever do in the west. here, for 10 dollars, i can have all the knots worked out for a couple of hours and feel a lot better after. sometimes though, i need to force myself to go and have a massage done. other things can fill up my day and i will put off having a massage, and the knots in my back just get tighter and tighter.

i guess what i am talking about, is taking things for granted. it is easy to do no matter where you live, but going to a place like burma is great for reminding me how easy my life is.

most people in bangkok will avoid going somewhere if they have to walk for 10 minutes. it is really hot, but people in bangkok are generally pretty lazy, and in many cases pretty spoiled. in yangon, people walk because they have no other option. there are buses and they are cheap, but even cheap is too expensive for them. so they walk, and if you walk down any major road, there are plenty of others doing the same thing. i walked from the shwedagon pagoda back to the central hotel and there was a long line of young and old picking their way down the broken pavements in the hot sun.

people in burma are darker than thailand, partly because of race and a large portion of indian genes, but also because they are out in the sun a lot more. at the pagoda, it was like walking across a big frying pan in your bare feet – the sun had cooked the tiles so much that it felt like your feet were burning (and in some cases, they probably were). families were huddled in the shady parts of the huge open spaces of the pagoda, grinning at the white guy sizzling across the tiles in his bare feet. this is a substitute for entertainment in yangon.

last saturday was the full moon day, so there were many more people at the pagoda than otherwise, but i did not see any other foreign face until i was almost back to my hotel. i saw lots of pretty faces, babies and old geezers, but no tourists at all. people bring food from home and sit around eating on the ground. there was water in cisterns and they handed out suspicious looking water in bottles, but i was not brave enough to drink it.

i did stop off at a place at the side of the road to eat, though. sitting on a little plastic stool out of the sun, i did eat some of the street food with no ill effects. again, i was the principal source of entertainment everywhere i went. people are generally friendly, albeit shy, but curious too. my tab at the food place was less than two dollars, including a pot of chinese tea. the 30 kilo girl serving me could not have been cuter, but language is a big issue as i speak no burmese at all. this was brought home when the fried pork i thought i had ordered was replaced by cut up roasted pig face. i could not find anything chewable in that dish, so i concentrated on the other things i had ordered instead.

this time i stayed at the central hotel, and i made sure that the travel outfit i went through booked me a double room, so there would be no issues about joiner fees. my rate was $28 for a double deluxe room, which was hardly deluxe but okay. the air was not great, but after a few hours the room was cool enough and there was plenty of hot water. the room had a double bed and a single, tv with hbo and espn and a sampling of other choices. it was clean enough and the bathroom had a tub and hand held shower.

no real room complaints, and the location is ideal – close to the central market and just down from the supermarket for supplies. taxis are always outside and the money changing rates some of the best around, and money that did not smell like everyone in yangon had touched it before it came to you. still can’t get used to the idea that 1,000 chayt was the biggest note – so for my $100 usd notes i would get 97,000 chayt in 1,000 denominations. you always need to have small us notes for everything, or else you will pay more for using burmese currency. like $5 or 6,000 chayt entrance fee at the pagoda. most everywhere else, they will equate one dollar to 10000 but if you have both you will not get stung by a difference.

overall, i find it really hard to spend much money in yangon no matter what i choose to do. perhaps if i were buying $10 garlands, it would add up, but i am not and the amount of money i go through is next to nothing in burma.

more people have cell phones now, but i did not bother with a sim card for two days. a kind isg member provided a local number in a pm, but i did not have cause to use it (but thanks and you know who you are!). none of the girls i took had a cell phone, although their mama sans all did and i got a couple of their numbers.

having been to yangon before, i had some idea of where i wanted to go on each of the two nights. i reread one of the immortal sakaundeh’s prior posts where he listed his favorites and matched them to mine. on the back of one of the hotel envelopes, i listed my plan of attack – starting early i hit palace the first night, and emperor the second. if these did not pan out, i would hit asia plaza for a fashion show and a couple of other mid market places before going to music box if none of the others hit gold.

both days, i did not get palace and emperor before i found what i wanted. i showed up at palace the first night too early, and went across to the chinese food court place to grab a (decent enough) bite and kill half an hour. at around 8 i was back at the palace with a bar seat and in a conversation with my first night’s girl. she quoted 30,000 and i asked to see the mama san who confirmed the same rate for 7 or 8 a.m. departure. rather than try to knock the price down, i said yes and she was changed and we were out the door in no time. this was well before the fashion show began and there were half a dozen others who were doable.

mine was 18, had a rocking body and no children. she blew me in the shower and did a pretty decent job on the horizontal cha cha on the bed. after round one, her enthusiasm had waned a bit, and i asked her if she wanted to step it up a bit or hit the road. she wisely chose to step it up. the morning session was less inspired, so i sent her off at 7:00. when she started to count the money on the doorstep of the room, i guided her elbow into the hallway and closed the door. the front desk called to confirm that her departure was okay.

the second night, i came back early with two of my new friends from the emperor. when i got my key, the girl said a $5 charge for the extra girl. i said okay and i would take care of it in the morning. when i was fooling around with the first girl in the shower, the doorbell rang and it was the maid with an extra towel. nice touch.

after one round with one girl and two with the other, they fell asleep on either side of me in the big bed and i watched the olympics on tv. i was a bit hungry, so i slowly slipped on some shorts and a t shirt and went down to the street for some banana roti to get my potassium levels back up. one more round for my favorite and i had to bid farewell for the early flight to bkk. i gave them each the 25,000 negotiated (mama san asked for 30,000 but quickly accepted 50,000 for two) and tipped my favorite another 10,000.

it was a fantastic night, plenty of bathroom sex with the other girl in the bedroom and great enthusiasm all round. same age group as the first night and almost limitless sex on offer. i ran out of energy before the two of them did. taking two from a place like emperor (which i personally like better than palace) works out well for me. with the language barrier, they at least have someone to talk to and i have someone to service while the other regroups. modern medicine application number 127. gotta love it.

i like burma and i like the people. i feel for them, and it makes me grateful for my charmed life. i spread small amounts in tips wherever i eat or with any of the girls. they appreciated it always and the amounts were trivial for me. i do not go around dropping big dollar bombs, but spread it out where i go. i think that i am helping the people out a bit and they are good folk – much warmer than the thais and more shy and far less commercial. they always treat me well and i like to get back there every once in a while just to see the changes. small changes now, but china, korea, india and thailand are sending in fdi around the sanctions and there is building and economic activity. just no social improvement. the girls were lovely with perfect bodies and naturally bald pussies in two out of three cases.

great trip and i would do it again in a year or so – it is different, but it will not displace my other destinations except for short trips.

thanks to all of the posters who went before me and shared experiences

[Nullnull]

I have spent 6 days in Yangon last November.

Overall atmosphere

Very friendly. As a tall, blond guy in mid thirties I earned a lot of smiles and hellos from girls on the streets. Sometimes I was even told what a handsome guy I was. But these are very innocent attempts. The girls want to chat a little and tell thier friends that now they have a european "friend". Some only want to test thier school english. Even an invitation for an ice cream would normally be impossible.

Hotels

I checked in at the Park Royal. This is certainly not as luxurious as they pretend to be, the staff was friendly but not overwhelmingly friendly and sometimes I felt they refused to try everything to help you. They did refuse with lots of smiling and bowing but still they refused. But overall it was still a good choice. I think there are better hotels like The Strand, Sedona or Traders (I often dined there) but in these places it might be more difficult to bring a girl to your room. Park Royal was perfect for this purpose but to avoid some emberassing hassle at the reception I would recommend to book a double room from the beginning.

Restaurants

Since having serious stomach problems on some occasions in India I am not too adventurous and generally don't eat on the streets. A few of the restaurants that were recommended in my guidebook were closed down. So I found the Monsoon Restaurant in Theinbyu Road and this remained my favourite. You get a mix of southeast asian cuisine there. I loved the prawns in palm sugar. Sometimes I felt I was in need of a hamburger or some nice hotel buffet so I went for the Traders. They had the much better looking waitresses than the Park Royal.

Money/cash

As often mentioned this is a real problem in Burma. There are no ATMs. After having paid for a little journey to Bagan and Mandalay I was literally running out of cash. My hotel didn't accept Mastercard. I had to take a taxi to the Sedona Hotel where you can get some cash by charging your credit card. But if you are in trouble come there before 10 am since they only have a certain amount of cash available per day. And sometimes even the biggest hotels refuse to change foreign currency on public holidays. And then they don't accept untidy dollar bills.

Girls

For a start I recommend to go to the Music Club in the Park Royal. As soon as I sat down at the bar some nice girl approached me. Later I found out that there were more attractive girls so a little smile was enough to have a whole bunch all over you. I have not figured out the system there but I think there is one group of girls for each side of the bar. The girls are really competing for you. Even if you already have one girl on your knees the others don't stop licking your ears or kissing you. My usual girl group included on girl from Mandalay (very tiny but somehow cute, named Htike Htike), one half thai (her friend named Po Po), one indian with dyed hair and some others (can't remember all their names), all of them were in their early twenties. You are expected to buy one or two drinks for them but not in an aggresive manner.

On my first evening Htike Htike took care of me asking me for a dance and so I ended up taking her to my room. Passing the reception the girl had to leave her passport and first they wanted to charge me with a 10 USD joiner fee. After realising I already booked a double room they apologized and smiled.

We both took a shower first then she performed a nice BBBJ. Since he mouth was so tiny I feared to come immediately but somehow I managed to hold on. Then she asked for a condom (bring your own ones with you!) and we fucked in various positions. Doggy style was best having her apple ass right before me. After coming I asked for her price (much too late!) and she wanted some 70 USD for the whole night which in my opinion was too expensive. She explained that normally her Mamasan asked for 100 USD but only because she liked me so much. Blabla. Then she also started with the usual story about her mother being very sick and having a serious surgery the next day and so on. I didn't like the way the story was going so I sent her away with 35 USD. Then she gave me her phone number and asked me to meet her in private. To convince me she again got on her knees and started with a BJ. I wasn't in the mood and sent her away. She again told me how much she liked me and gave me lots of hugs and kisses. A few minutes later I got a call from the reception that my "guest" was leaving and if everything was o. K. So the reception guys really care about their guests. Have to mention that her english was horrible. She said "lie" when she meant "like" and "night colo" when she meant "9 o'clock". Anyway this didn't matter too much since her performance was good.

Two days later I returned to the Music Club. The usual group of girls approached me. Since it was Saturday the bar was crowded but nevertheless there were 3 girls for every half decent looking foreigner (the ugly ones only had only two.). Since Htike Htike complained a bit too much for not calling her this time I turned my attention to the half thai one. She was much more entertaining. At least her "I am a student" story was somehow convincing. We ended up going to my room. She had very nice skin and GF attitude but in fact her performance was only so and so. She charged 50 USD for the whole night.

Another night a Burmese guy I have met took me to a karaoke bar near the Traders where according to him the finest pussies should be available. But I wasn't impressed too much so after one or two hours I returned to the Park Royal music club and found an amazing girl. Since this encounter turned very intimate I am too polite to describe this girl in terms of looks and performance.

A few days later I returned to Bangkok, a true convenient heaven. In general I found the Thai girls much prettier than thier Burmese rivals but since Burma was a bit off the beaten path it had its own charme.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Cigar7]

Here are my observations of Myanmar. Most people in Myanmar are poor and are willing to do anything for cash. Bring only US$ or Euros, it is practically impossible to exchange any other currency, except at very heavy discount like 25-50%. There are no ATMs. I saw no commercial establishment accept a credit card except the Strand Hotel. Change your money into Kyat (pronounced chat). Most people equate US$5 to 5, 000 chat, but you can get 1, 100 chat for a US$ so that means you get another 10%.

There is virtually no easily obtainable talent outside the major cities of Yangon and Mandalay. It is very difficult to find talent in a city like Bagan. Big city talent is eager and willing to please and here are some successful techniques. It is not necessary to find someone who speaks your language.

Using this technique, no common language needs to be spoken. First, buy one of those small pocket flashlights that are found with the street vendors. Get one with a laser pointer and maybe 3 coloured LEDs. Try to find a bar that is open to the street. There are not many such establishments, many are air conditioned closed door establishments. Sit so you get a good view of everyone walking on the street. Select any suitable candidate, and catch their eye with the LED light, not the laser. The laser is excellent for night time. Just shine it on their shoes or the side walk in front of them to get their attention. Wave them over, and if they come over or smile, be ready to go to your hotel in the next available taxi. They have been known to request 30, 000 but have been known to accept 20, 000 LT. Be sure to bring a pad and pen and write down the amount of time, services required and sum, to avoid disagreements and misunderstandings. Afternoon is a good time, say 12 noon to 3 pm.

Just stand near a corner of your hotel at dusk or around 6 to 7 pm Just smile at a suitable candidate. If the smile is returned, just follow them. When you catch them, smile and ask them to come to your hotel.

The third technique that works is, use the cab drivers. Try to approach a group of cabbies, at least one will speak English and interpret for the rest of the cabbies. A ride any where in Yangon should be 1, 200 chat or less.

The Asia Plaza is a friendly hotel, priced in the US$20-$25 range, with breakfast for 2. Be sure to check your room for hot water and AC. The railroad side of the hotel can be noisy, even on the 10th floor. The trains blow their horn at 5 am. Also, you may hear prayers over loud speakers near the train station at dusk on special occasions. Also check the fridge contents upon arrival. They may try to make you pay for things like chocolate bars, which were never in the fridge. Menu price lists in the room may be out-of-date, so verify the price upon ordering room service. Also be aware, Yangon does get earthquakes, so know what do in case one strikes. Safe guard all valuables, and lock your suit case. For a small commission, staff can be persuaded to act as your agent to procure services which may even be brought to your room.

Negotiate a cab fare not more than US$5 from the airport to Asia Plaza hotel, even for 2 people. The cabs on the hotel ramp pay the doorman a commission. They will try for $6 or more to go to the airport. If the cabbie on the ramp does not accept US$5, (or 5, 000 chat) walk away and go to the street and hail a cab and offer them US$5. Watch the ramp cabbie come running after you. Make sure you have enough chat for the departure tax at the airport. If you pay in US$, you will be getting the official government exchange rate which is about half of the black market rate.

One final observation, in Yangon, on numerous evenings, soldiers setup road blocks and patrolled some streets with weapons. Be careful, carry your passport at all times. Down near the waterfront in front of the Strand Hotel and Australian Embassy, there are sand bag guard posts, ready for action.

[Cigar7]

There is huge difference between the government rate and the black market rate for $US in Myanmar. When I was there, the government rate was 600 for US$1 and the black market was 1050 to 1070 for US$1. I saw all of the below scams by the money changers outside the court house in downtown Yangoon.

#1 You agree on a good rate, say 1150 for US$1, for US$100. One of the guys pulls out his calculator and presses in 1150 then the multiple sign then 100, then he presses the MRC (memory recall) button and shows you 105,000 and says, see, here is what you will get. Make sure he pushes the equal sign!

#2 You agree on a good rate, say 1150 for US$1, for US$100. If your bill is not in perfect condition, discounting on the exchange starts. If a bill has any writing on it, they will want a heavy discount like 150 per US$1 or not accept it. Also the exchange rate changes if you have 2 $50 bills versus 1 $100 bill.

#3 You agree on a good rate, say 1150 for US$1, for US$100. Usually they will provide 1,000 chat notes, so you should be getting 110 bills of 1,000 plus a 500. To make counting easier and faster, the changer has 10 bills in one group which is folded in half. The group has a wrapper bill then the inside bills are folded so that you only count one half the bill. He has an elastic band around 10 groups, so the bundle has 100,000 chat. He takes one group of 10 bills out of the bundle and shows you there are really 10 bills in the folded. The scam is that not all groups have 10 bills. The groups in the centre of the bundle usually have 2 or 3 bills missing. Be sure to open each and group, unfold all of the bills and count them one at a time.

#4 You agree on a good rate, say 1150 for US$1, for US$100, in $20 bills. The money changer and you go to a restaurant or bar to change the money. The money changer will bring his associates, maybe 2 or 3 other guys. He counts out all of his money onto the table, there is a big pile of money on the table. Next, he wants to see your money. You pull out your $20 bills, and hand them to him 1 at a time. Each bill is held up to the light and basically everybody is looking at the bill, trying to find a fault. Do not take your eyes off the pile on the table. One of the associate’s tries to sneak a bill or 2 from the pile. He then returns a $20 bill to you because it has a wrinkle or 2, or it has some pen or marker ink on it. Let’s say you pulled 5 $20 bills, he rejects 2 of them, so in his left hand he has 3 of your $20s. Now you pull out your wallet and start looking for good replacement bills, maybe you pullout all of your remaining $20 bills. He reaches across the table and starts to grab at your 20s, and you tell him to stop. He sits back down, but his right hand, plam down, passes over his left hand, and takes one of the 20s from his left hand, and brings it down to side and under the table, and quickly passes it to his buddy to his right. You don’t see the bill moving. Then as you add another 2 good 20s and he counts all of the 20s in his hand, there are only 4, so he asks you for 1 more.

My recommendations are: 1. limit each side of the transaction to 2 people. 2. Always, make sure the money stays on the table, do not let anyone hold it in his hand. 3. Do not take your eyes off the money. If you have to take your eyes off the money, put your hand on the money. 4. Make sure your bills are in excellent condition before starting the transaction. 5. The new US$100 get the best rate.

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[Wes Man]

I would just to add a little to the story about joiner fees at the Park Royal hotel. I have just stayed for five nights and on each night had company with no problems or fees. Most of my accomplices were from the music club and when having the same one for the second night the I D was left all day and she could come and go by herself with no problems.

On one night my company came from the Emperor night club and it was still no different. Each morning the phone call came to ask if it was ok to release your lady.

The freelancers told me that the hotel was worried the guest would be unhappy so there was never problems with the lady.

I will write my tales in the next week or so of my thoughts and quality of places to source.

[Mayday14]

Many girls use fake ID's. The reason for this is obvious in that they don't wish to reveal their true identity when working and most of the time, the mamasan has a collection of IDs that she gives to the girls before they go out. The photos on these IDs are usually faded or difficult to see. I had one girl recently who was laughing along with the reception guy when they sighted her ID. The ID has her age as 28 years old ... there was no way she was 28!

Also often the 'successful' girl borrows an ID from a less 'successful' friend, going rate 2-3k kyat.

[Sakaundeh]

The one thing I like about taking the girl down to the basement carpark to get her card back is that you get to see the id's of the other girls who've 'spent the night'

Many girls use fake ID's. The reason for this is obvious in that they don't wish to reveal their true identity when working and most of the time, the mamasan has a collection of IDs that she gives to the girls before they go out. The photos on these IDs are usually faded or difficult to see. I had one girl recently who was laughing along with the reception guy when they sighted her ID. The ID has her age as 28 years old ... there was no way she was 28!

[Mayday14]

I have to contradict the information of Mayday 14 about joiner fee in Parkroyal hotel. I have been there 2 weeks before for 3 days. I took girls in 3 different nights in my room and never paid a joiner fee. The girls had only to release their ID card. They got the ID card back in the next morning.

I'm very happy to be contradicted on this one, need to see a few more reports but if they've stopped charging for joiners that's a very positive step.

The one thing I like about taking the girl down to the basement carpark to get her card back is that you get to see the id's of the other girls who've 'spent the night'

[Mayday14]

Thanks,

What does the embassy in Bangok ask for? Just the occupation?

The tourist visa application forms I found online asked for actual employment history. Current and previous 2 employers. That was for the Washington DC embassy, but I live in the UK.

As you live in the UK you should be using the application forms on the Canberra embassy website - isn't that obvious ...

UK embassy requires no employment history or anything really except £14.

EDIT:Takes about 3 days door to door for a visa.

[Muzungufotsy]

Eh guys this thread is about what s happening in Yangoon.

Not how you can get a Burmese visa.

BTW if you can't get a visa yourself don't go to Burma.

[Liggi1]

Yes, they have an Express Service und you get the Visa same day.But you must go for yourself to the Embassy!

For example, the Agencys in Pattaya told me in January this. They can't make the Visa for customer. Last year was this no problem.