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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



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Old 4 Feb 2019
mmaarten's Avatar
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Exclamation Myanmar with Myanmar Senses Family WARNING

WARNING: Myanmar Senses Family

In the beginning of 2018 I booked a 10 day tour, crossing Myanmar from Thailand to India, for January 13, 2019, with Zawmin Tun of Myanmar Senses Family.
A price was agreed and an itinerary establish and confirmed in writing (see attachment) and a 20% deposit was paid by me.

One month before the start date Zawmin Tun contacted me with the unusual remark that the tour would "cost a little bit more".
I refused and pointed out we had a legal and binding agreement. I did offer that we could sleep in our camper instead of hotels, to help his company financially.

At the start date all seemed fine. The guide and the driver welcomed us and the first few days were fine.

But at the end of day 5 we found ourselves in Mandalay and not, as we were supposed to be, in Bagan.
It turned out Zawmin Tun (Myanmar Senses Family) had changed our itinerary without our knowledge or consent.

I tried to contact Zawmin Tun several times over the next few days, but altough he did read my messages (in MSN messenger and Whats App), he did not reply.

Our guide (Yawai Phyo) also contacted Zawmin Tun and urged him to reply to my messages.
I do stress that our guide Yawai Phyo did an excellent job and tried to make the best of our tour.

Since it was too late to fix this issue we had to follow the new itinerary, which left us 2 days in Mandalay (which we did not want) and which had devastating results for the highlight of our trip: Bagan.

Instead of spending one and a half day (an afternoon and a full day) during the middle of the week,* we now got to spend a Sunday afternoon in a overcrowded Bagan, which looked more like a trafic-jam.
The main temples were so crowded we could not even park to visit, so we skipped them.

We could have spend the entire Sunday in Bagan, but then we could not visit mount Popa (which we did not pass on the way to Bagan because the route was changed)

An other result of the changed itinerary was us arriving at the Indian border at the end of the last day, instead of mid-day as planned. This would mean we had to drive across the mountains in India at night (which equals suicide). We refused to do this and as a result spend an extra night (sleeping in our car as the offered hotelroom was to dirty to enter) at Tamu.

Changing the itinerary has greatly devaluated our experience in Myanmar. Bagan, what was supossed to be the highlight,* turned into a miserable vissit in which we chose not to enter the, completely packed, main attractions.

An other irregularity concerns the fact that our contract clearly states that all road and bridge-fees are included. Yet we had to pay all out of our own pocket. Also this issue has been brought to Zawmin Tun's attention, without result.

Until now Zawmin Tun (Myanmar Senses Family) has not replied to any messages other than one short sentence indicating the extra night would be paid for (in a hotel so dirty we rather slept in our car)

Better choose an other agency.

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