Travelling the easy road – using the internet as a travel guide
By Manny Maung | Monday, 09 September 2013A lack of decent travel websites and a frustrating lack of valid travel information was a good enough reason for Marcus Allender to launch the website, Go-Myanmar.
A rest stop on the way from Ye to Dawei by train. Photo: Supplied
The 34-year old (soon to be 35) has managed to pool a horde of resources into one comprehensive online travel guide for the weary traveller – who for a change, wants to turn up to a destination and actually find the hotel they're looking for still exists. It's also the only travel website in the country that allows you to make online domestic tour bookings and tours.
A candid interview with Allender reveals the ins and outs of travelling around the Golden Land.
Why did you move here to live?
I was living in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in 2010 and I travelled over land with friends to Myanmar through the Ruili/Muse border crossing. It was an amazing experience, even before we crossed the border. Getting the required permits was straightforward enough, but we were told at the consulate in Kunming that the border was shut; from the start, we were travelling on a wing and a prayer. That was exciting, much in the same way as travelling through more remote parts of the country still is today.
From then on in it was sensory overload – everything was so wonderfully unfamiliar. Our car broke down four or five times between Muse and Lashio; they filled the tank with whisky bottles; in Lashio we changed our dollars into gigantic bundles of K1000 notes in the office of the local Chinese hotel kingpin, and those notes were mostly torn to shreds. And then there's the scenery in the mountainous north of Shan State, which is stunning.
Even though much of the rest of our trip was on the standard 'tourist route', there were very few other foreigners around – we tended to bump into the same people in Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake and so on. They were mostly middle aged French people, so, apart from the numbers, not much has changed on that front!
There was so much colour and variety, the whole place felt so untouched, and it felt like there was so much more to explore. All of these things made Myanmar one of the most intoxicating placing I had ever visited, and I said to myself that I would definitely come back some day. I didn't expect it to be so soon though.
What are your tips for dealing with local companies and how have you been able to get them on board?
Firstly, patience. As everyone who lives here knows, the pace of change in Myanmar may be fast, but nothing happens quickly. Developing a business like this means talking to – and working with – a broad range of people. It's not just hoteliers and tour companies. This kind of thing would take time back home, but with attitudes and lines of communication being what they are in Myanmar, you need to be in for the long haul.
What's your favourite aspect of travelling in Myanmar?
No two days are the same; this is a big country with lots to see and do, with amazing ethnic and cultural diversity. People talk of 'pagoda fatigue', but I don't get that. Religion is a cornerstone of the Myanmar experience, and in many ways it makes the country what it is. I've been to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, but this country is steeped in Buddhism in a different way – and that lends more impact to the incredible monuments like Shwedagon and those you find in Bagan and all around the country.
Have you got any tips for travelling in this country?
Take luxury overnight buses, which are widely available to the big destinations and allow you to make the most of your trip by not wasting your daytime hours.
If someone says it isn't possible to go somewhere, don't take their word for it. A huge number of places that were previously out of reach for foreigners can now be accessed, although it may take time and patience.
In my experience, the further you go off the beaten track, the more eye-opening the experience tends to be.
Some of your tips for go-to best resources?
The lack of decent websites was one of the main reasons I started this project! But there are some great sites for individual destinations around the country, like Bagan (www.baganmyanmar.com) and the Shwedagon Pagoda (www.shwedagonpagoda.com); they're both well designed and provide great background info. In particular, the Bagan site is invaluable if you want detail on any (or all) of the temples on the plain. I'd also say that Oway.com is a good general bookings website.
For more information, visit www.go-myanmar.com
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/travelling-the-easy-road-using-the-internet-as-a-travel-guide/
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