On the recent 14-Day Asian Holiday cruise on Holland America Line’s ms Volendam, we spent three days in Myanmar, with our ship docked at the Thilawa Port, about 20 miles outside of Yangon.
For our last day in Myanmar, we decided to join the “Transfer to Yangon“ shore excursion at the last minute. The shore ex folks hand-wrote us a ticket just before they were about to board the bus. The ship had to depart earlier than originally scheduled, and we did not want to worry about getting back to the terminal in time with a taxi.
Our favorite Tour Guide “Mo-Mo” (left) in Thilawa, Myanmar
A nice surprise, our transfer guide was our same favorite guide from the Introduction tour on day 1 – Mo-Mo.
Even with a police escort the Monday morning traffic was intense, making the ride into Yangon 1.5 hours long.
Our guide Mo-Mo used the time to hand out a map and explain how to get to various attractions on our own, from our drop-off and pick-up location.
Once in Yangon, we were dropped at the center of the city by the city hall.
Yangon is a vast mix of old and new.
We explored the local streets which were filled with local food vendors as we walked from there to the famous Strand Hotel, built in 1901.
We arrived at the Strand around 10:15 am and the hotel was quiet. It has some art galleries and a souvenir shop on the first floor.
We headed to The Strand Bar, which opens at 10 am but was still very quiet around 10:45 am. It’s an elegant bar from another era.
We ordered one of each of the local beers, and also ordered some appetizers.
The bar will give you a Wi-Fi code if you buy a drink, and it was the fastest internet we had experienced in days.
By 11:30, the bar was packed and overflowing with tourists.
Next we took a taxi to check out the Shangri-La hotel which very different from the historic Strand. The Sule Shangri-La was formerly a Traders, but was recently upgraded to a Shangri-La 5-star hotel after a major renovation.
The Peacock Lounge is located on the ground floor among the gleaming marble. If we were visiting Myanmar again, we’d book an overnight stay at the Shangri-La.
As we walked back to our meeting place (the streets are crowded for walking, but it is faster than a taxi can work through the traffic) we stopped in various little shops.
The local people in Yangon are very friendly and welcoming to tourists, and are often a little curious about you – especially when you are 2 meters tall like Mr. Jones.
We were glad we made this trip again on our last day and got in a little exploration on Yangon on our own.
Back at the ship, the captain departed the dock, but then waited at anchor mid-river, until the tide came up enough for our safe sailing. The river and its fishing boats offered a nice departing view at sunset.
Myanmar is a fascinating place. Visit soon if you can, before it becomes overrun with tourists.
Have you visited Myanmar? If so, please share your favorite highlight in comments below.
To read more about our Asian Holiday cruise experiences, check out these posts:
- Traditional Myanmar Dance and Dinner at La Planteur from the Port of Thilawa, Myanmar
- Getting an Introduction to Yangon via a Shore Excursion from Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma)
- Sailing into Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma); Port City for Yangon
- Christmas Day in Phuket, Thailand with a Visit to Tiger Kingdom
- Christmas Eve on Holland America Line’s Volendam
Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook
Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.