In my opinion there are three in- country experiences that every Semester at Sea student should have; an entirely planned out field program (for me that was India), a self-planned/pre-purchased trip (mine was Myanmar), a solo adventure (turned out to be China). 

Before I even knew I’d be joining the Fall 2018 voyage, I was obsessed with researching SAS and learning about the different countries. I quickly became fascinated by the one I knew the least about; Myanmar, which is formerly known as Burma. I even did an entire final project on the country my junior year at Kutztown University. 

I learned that in 1989 the name of the country was officially changed from ‘Burma’ to Myanmar. The country itself is run by a military government which has severely changed its relationship with the US government (as I am publishing this article 3 years later, SAS no longer stops in Myanmar). 

I had a clear vision of the things I wanted to accomplish while I was traveling through Myanmar including: volunteering with elephants, hot air ballooning, and scootering around to see ancient temples. 

I knew it was impossible to reserve 2 out of the 3 things for 500+ students (there were simply not enough booking companies), which led me to plan a complete country itinerary the summer before attending SAS. I shared my plans in the GroupMe filled with students attending the voyage and found my friends Jenna and Roman. 

I’m so thankful I did this because both items sold out very quickly and people were especially not able to fulfill their goal of going hot air ballooning over temples in Bagan (the activity I was most excited for the entire voyage). 

SAS TIP: DON’T plan out every single country beforehand, you will meet a group of best friends and want to travel places with them, field programs can also be super expensive. DO plan a few days in a country beforehand (maybe with an activity you know you can’t live without doing). I’m so grateful for Jenna and Roman; they weren’t necessarily in my group that I saw every day, but they ended up being lifelong friends. They gave me a chance to see the world from a new perspective.

To say that Myanmar was the most beautiful country that I have visited, would be an understatement. Despite the political issues that are happening in the country, I enjoyed every single moment of my time here. The people were incredibly welcoming, the views were breathtaking, and the wildlife was stunning. It breaks my heart knowing SAS has temporarily suspended travel here due to relations with the US.

Hopefully if you are planning independent travel here, this post will help you with your own plans:

Day 1:

After getting off of the ship the first day was pretty simple; Jenna and I made our way to the Yangon bus station via taxi. We were a little nervous about finding the bus station, but it turns out it was HUGE.. you can’t miss it there’s about 20 different companies.

We had a little extra time to spare so we walked right across the street to check out the ဇေကမ္ဘာ temple.

We took the overnight JJ Express bus to Kalaw, leaving at 6pm and arriving around 4am. We checked into our hotel and slept until it was time to catch the van to Heho.

Day 2:

We were so exhausted, but ready to see the elephants!!!! That’s right, we got the chance to volunteer at Green Hill Elephant Camp. 

Before booking anything, I made sure to do research making sure the camp is ethical. I pretty much knew it was due to the fact that it was the same elephant camp that SAS was using for one of their field programs (I always like to double check on issues that could be seriously unethical). 

Luckily, for a few extra dollars, there is a shuttle offered by the elephant camp that takes you round trip from your hotel, as it’s a little bit of a trek to get from Kalaw to Heho. 

After we checked in and paid we sat down for a mini lesson informing us of the rules and goals of the camp. We were guided around Green Hill and showed each of the elephants and learned about their backgrounds. The elephants come from a variety of backgrounds; some family owned, some forced to lift extremely heavy objects long hours of the day, and some victims of poachers who have removed their tusks. 

I really loved how great of a job the organization did of educating its volunteers- we even had the opportunity to talk to a veterinarian who takes care of the elephants. 

Our favorite part by far was getting to feed and then wash the elephants in the river. Elephants are the kindest creatures- despite the tragedies and torture these animals have endured, they had no problem with us taking pictures and swimming in the water with them.

At the end of every day, the elephants are released back onto the land to free roam for the rest of the evening and night. I was surprised to see the elephants are only kept in place by a tiny rope around one ankle (they are extremely powerful animals and could easily set themselves loose if they were unhappy). It gave me peace of mind seeing firsthand how well these animals are cared for and how much they are loved by the staff/visitors.

Upon returning to Kalaw, we got a quick bite to eat at Ya Mon Nad Restaurant (very interesting inside- surprisingly not too bad) and browsed around the shops across the street. My favorite shop is called Phoe La Pyae Danu (Traditional Shan Paper Souvenir Shop) which has the most beautiful handmade lanterns… if you have the chance go support this local shop!

We gathered our stop and once again walked over to the JJExpress bus stop. PSA for anyone taking a bus here- Myanmar is a 3rd world country, not everything is as reliable or on time as it is in the US. The internet times are not always right. Our bus was about an hour late and I ended up sleeping in the aisle of the bus because I was so tired. 

Day 3:

We finally made it to Nyaung U around 3 am and checked into the Shwe Na Di guest house to SLEEP. This was our day of rest and we couldn’t have been more thankful to do so. 

Later in the day we woke up refreshed, and ready to explore. Our guest house had scooter rentals which turned out to be ideal. It was about $10 for the day and we spent the entire afternoon riding around taking pictures and enjoying the never ending temples. I wish I’d kept better track of the temples we went to; but the fun of it all was getting lost and finding what seemed like hidden treasures.

Our travel buddy Roman, who met up with us that afternoon, suggested we try a restaurant called Ayeyarwady River Terrace Restaurant. We sat there together laughing and eating our food outside with a candle lit dinner… It was absolutely beautiful. At the end of our dinner, we gathered in our taxi making two separate stops, dropping Roman off on the way. Overall, it was a pretty relaxed day, our main goal was to get rest so that we would be prepared to wake up very early the next day.

Day 4:

Hot air ballooning… something I think everyone needs to add to their bucket list.

Our alarms went off around 3:30 am to get ready to be picked up by our group shuttle. In the shuttle we were greeted by Roman and a few others that had been staying at Umbra Hotel (also the official home office of Golden Eagle Ballooning). 

We were all welcomed with a candle lit morning snack of pastries and tea while we waited for everyone’s shuttles to arrive at the site, including some familiar SAS faces who were on a field program. 

Once everyone arrived, we gathered in the large field along with about 4 other companies to watch the men start laying out and inflating the balloons. We stood there in amazement as each balloon came to life. Jenna, Roman, a family of three, our pilot, and I hopped into the basket watching the heat from the fire flood into the balloon as we floated away.

On our journey we glided over temples and villages as the local children waved at us. We snapped pictures and admired the historical beauty and the breathtaking sunrise. Along with volunteering with the elephants this was one of my favorite experiences during the entire semester, Myanmar quickly became my favorite country. 

After floating for about an hour, we landed in an empty patch of land and set up another picnic. We finished our morning over champagne and endless fruit, telling jokes and listening to our pilots’ stories. As it turned out, he was a retired Swiss Airforce vet and splits his time between Myanmar and Germany where his girlfriend lives. His friend started the Golden Eagle Ballooning company and convinced him to join as an air balloon pilot.

*I am so grateful for the Golden Eagle Ballooning company, it was by far the most organized and fun tour I have ever been on. The staff was kind and funny, I can’t thank them enough for the wonderful experience and great communication. Traveling in a third world country can be nerve racking, especially with spotty wifi and unreliable transportation- They couldn’t have done a better job.*

The shuttle dropped us back off at our hotel and I decided to meet back up with Roman to do some more motorbiking while Jenna napped. We spent the late morning getting lost and exploring more temples. I feel like getting lost had some of the best rewards, we were able to admire temples where there were no crowds or people and swerve around on backroads with our not so great motorbiking skills (which motorbiking is indeed banned by SAS, but when in Myanmar right?). 

That afternoon we picked up Jenna and headed to Bibo Restaurant (10/10 recommend this cute little local place). We reflected on our adventure before heading to the airport to catch our flight back to Yangon around 6pm. 

Day 5:

By the final day in-country, exhausted was an understatement. Nonetheless, I woke up with a smile on my face in my favorite country ready to explore. Along with a group of my friends, I utilized the complimentary SAS shuttle from the port to the city center (offered in every port city SAS travels to). We spent the afternoon wandering around the Yangon city market before boarding the shuttle back to the ship for on-ship time. 

Overall, Myanmar quickly became one of my favorite countries I have been to, if not my favorite. The people were kind and the culture was beautiful. I felt like I was able to cross off so many of my bucket list items and really dig deeper into the culture. 

Many parents were worried about their children traveling to Myanmar due to the military-run government’s involvement in the injustices aimed toward the Rojingya Muslim religious group (cue the worried emails from my mother- as she was apart of the parent facebook page). There is conflict between the United Nations (including the US) and Myanmar. I encourage everyone to take the time to look up this issue and educate themselves about it. However, during my time in the country I did not experience these injustices and was shown nothing but kindness from the locals.

Myanmar taught me so much about my independence and ability to plan travel not only for myself, but for others. I felt somewhat accomplished knowing that I was able to provide others with a memorable experience that I had thrown together. I enjoyed getting to travel with people that I had not traveled with, giving me additional outlooks/perspectives on how people travel.

In my journal I kept during the voyage I wrote, “I got to think about how amazing my life actually is right now. All my dreams are coming true and I have nothing to complain about.