So apparently getting the visa was the easy part, getting accommodation and US dollars in pristine condition was slightly more difficult. Technically speaking its now the low season in Myanmar, however after calling seven places in Yangon before getting a reservation, there are clearly still a lot of tourists here. Anyway in true backpacker style, at the airport in Bangkok whilst trying to sort the last of my US dollars issues I met a Dutch girl called Wendy and we ended up travelling together for a week, so I needn't have bothered booking anything.

Myanmar is still considered a pretty poor country, which you can certainly see even in the most developed towns and cities I've visited where there are still power cuts and street pavements that resemble a building site. This also includes big sections of uncovered sewage works on main streets - which can be fun with no street lights at night! However its also crazy to see how fast its developing, a lot of which I believe is due to the recent increase in tourism. Two months ago there were no ATM machines in the country, now I have seen at least one in every place I've been so far (except Bagan- but hey they still travel by horse & cart!) Wifi is also available in quite a few hotels and guesthouses and in a few cafes which certainly makes them tourist hotspots.

I quite liked Yangon, despite being a city of over 4 million people, it feels pretty relaxed and quite easy to get around at least in the downtown area, which could have something to do with the fact that that motorbikes are banned here.

The first day we spent exploring the rather unexciting market and general downtown area, with the Sule Paya, a golden stupa at its centre acting as a roundabout with small shops offering anything from palm readings to tourist information in the small shops at its base- a bit strange but hey- practical use of space!

Anyway we finished the day in a restaurant called 'Feel Myanmar Food' with another two Dutch girls we'd also met on the flight over here. Personally, I am not 'feeling' Myanmar food too much. Its sort of a mix between Indian, Chinese and Thai all of which I love, but a little lacking in spice and heavy in oil. The quality of the meat can also be somewhat suspect, but still fine.

The main attraction in Yangon is undoubtedly the Shwedagon Paya, which is pretty spectacular. The centrepiece is a huge golden gilded stupa over 300 feet tall with a diamond and jewels at its peak. There are numerous smaller but still beautiful stupas and shrines surrounding the star attraction in this marble covered site. The day we visited was a public holiday of sorts, which meant there were even more monks & locals visiting all dressed in their finest, which made for fantastic people watching. However as for most people tourists are still a relatively new sight I should have realised people watching is a two way street- and really should have scrubbed up a little better myself!

I arrived in Myanmar fully aware that there is not exactly a pumping nightlife scene, however we haven't seemed to do too bad. We went to 19th street where they have bbq street food restaurants and where the locals go to have a beer. It was here we met a big group of ex pats, mainly working for NGOs who were able to leads us to the only bar which stayed open past midnight and even tried some Myanmar wine which is actually pretty good.

We decided to leave Yangon in style and checked out the Strand hotel- think old colonial buildings with high ceilings and dark wood and then you can picture us there sipping cocktails- lol a world away from its surroundings!

You never really know what to expect from night buses, so my expectations were pretty low for our transport for the 13 hour trip from Yangon to Bagan. However, I was more than impressed when they showed us the brand new buses with huge leather reclining seats, a.c and meal on board all for 18,000 kyat - result! With the help of a kamikaze driver getting us to the bus station on time, (which is about 50 mins from the city centre) and a monk helping with check in translation we were all set for the trip. But not before befriending two more travellers; Carlos from Cuba and Serhat from Turkey, lovely guys we ended up hanging out with in Bagan.