getting the Myanmar visa

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Andrei

Burma – a place with a name that conjures magic images. From Schwedagon Paya to Bagan, Mandalay and Rangoon, Myanmar has a lot to offer. As Rudyard Kipling said – “this is Burma – and it will be quite unlike any land you know about”. So – expectations are high, camera ready – and visa in the passport. And this post is all about getting the elusive Myanmar visa.

Why elusive? Because there are no embassies in a lot of countries – for Romanians a trip to Belgrade is necessary. Or getting it i Bangkok (like I did). Putting the wrong profession in the application form can lead to denial. And as the word of mouth at the hostel goes – having a too darlk or too light photo can also cause problems.

Doing a Google search also show a labyrinth of information – a lot of website devoted to electronic visas (if there is such thing), offering visa services, and only 2 or 3 blog posts that state how to get the actual visa.

My luck started when I discovered that the hostel is in walking (Asian, but still) distance from the embassy. So – one trip on Monday with: passport, 2 photos (3.5×4.5cm), and the first hotel address from Lonely Planet. i think that hotel gets a lot of virtual tourists. At the embassy I had to pay 5 baht for a passport copy,and 820 baht for the actual visa. For 200 baht more you can pick the visa next day, and some people payed 1300 baht for same day service. Same day service is available only if you queue at 9am. People who came at 1pm could only ask for a second day service.

The visa pick-up service is from 3:30pm (not 1pm as it is on the embassy placque – however on the paper slip it is clearly written 3:30pm). Pick-up took no more than 20 minutes, the double queue to get the visa form and the order number took 40 minutes. Pretty quick and efficient.

So – in short – it was an easy and painless experience, and no need to use weird tout services. There is also a photo center nearby in case of lost / forgotten photos, and some good food options nearby if you want to hangout and wait to pick the passport same day.

I hope this might prove useful for people who intent to get this visa and are scared by the online information floating around.

Cannot wait to actually visit the country!

biking in Ayuthaya

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Andrei

Ayuthaya – the old Thai capital – is just 1h30 by train from Bangkok. So after a morning spent at the Myanmar embassy applying for the visa I decided to spend the rest of the day doing a short trip to Ayuthaya. So off to the train station – which fortunatelly is just 2 MRT stations from where I have the hostel.

The train ride costs a whooping 15 baht (the metro costs 18, and a beer starts at 60 baht), and riding the 3rd class is an experience in itself (good one, just to be clear).

Once in Ayuthaya I discovered that seeing most of the temples can be done either with a tuk tuk ride,or by renting a bike, as the distances are too much for simply walking. So after 2 or 3 years of no riding I decided to test the old saying that “biking once learned is never forgotten.”. True saying by the way…

The downside to the bike ride is that I took very few photos – meaning less than 100 – but being able to visit most of the temples, the floating market, and a few out of the way areas was absolutely great.

I definitively intend to repeat the experience in other cities.

sailing into sunset

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Andrei

Another photo from Sri Lanka, again with a boat at sunset.

I see a pattern here: depressing autumn outside – and I start dreaming about holidays.

cup of tea in Sri Lanka

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Andrei

Sri Lanka is famous for it’s tea plantations. In the central highlands in Sri Lanka there are huge hill slopes covered in tea bushes, and seeing women going to pick the tea leaves is a common sight. Some of these plantations have shops, and eagerly serve you a cup of tea (as a cup of good, nicely prepared tea can lead to some purchasing).

Of course – this is a nice photo opportunity, which I couldn’t miss.

railroad tracks in Sri Lanka

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Andrei

I realized I hadn’t posted any photo from Sri Lanka – which is a shame as it is a very interesting and fascinating country. As I process more photos from that trip – with highlights as the ascension on Adam’s Peak in the middle of the night or tea-picking women – I will post a full photo gallery the following days.

Maldives – where it’s always sunny

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Andrei

In Maldives the average temperature is 30 degrees Celsius, and the winters are not that different from summers. Rains? I think they do happen once in a blue moon. The people do say that the sea can get rough, and in theory there are some thunderstorms. However, compared to this weekend in Bucharest – rains, storms, cold, flooded streets, raindrops falling in the beer mug and a sun that doesn’t want to shine on us, Maldives seems like a faraway paradise.

Which, in a way, it is…

spicy India

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Andrei

Every time I browse these photos I remember fondly the delicious food from India. From yummy vegetarian food to different curries, everything is so tasty.

India – photos from Goa

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Andrei

I took so many photos in India, that probably this year I will continue to post photo albums from time to time.

These were taken mostly in Goa.

the post with monkeys

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Andrei

It seems the little guys are a big attraction for friends and so I think they deserve a post only for them.

The monkey temple in Jaipur has a few very funny and expressive little guys, who are a joy to photograph. Watching them crack and eat the peanuts tourists throw them, “meditating” perched on walls or even diving in a local pool – one can see how we are related to them.

around Jaipur

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Andrei

Besides Amber fort, Jaipur has a lot of other places to visit. Even a simple stroll in the markets can provide a lot of photo opportunities. And visiting the city palace, the astronomical (or astrological) observatory, the monkey and sun temples and countless other gems can fill a few days.

Other photo galleries from India: