Customer Reviews

Burma (Myanmar, Odyssey Guides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having recently returned from my third visit to Burma in three years, I looked forward to the publication of this new guide. Information for the traveler is current and accurate. The historical and literary references greatly add to ones appreciation and perception of the country. The photographs are wonderful and plentiful. This book is a pleasure to read and more importantly it has added to my knowledge of that country which is Burma.

Having just returned from a 10 day trip to this beautiful, exotic country, I found the Odyssey guide book which I brought along helpful but it is likely an insufficient source of information for most travellers. The book provides detailed background on the history, politics, culture of the people of Burma. There are also boxes containing interesting snippets of people like Aung Sang, the drug lord Kung Sa, as well as other interesting topics like the making of lacquerware. Unlike most guide books I have used in the past, this one is filled with beautiful, colourful snapshots of the places and people of Burma.

The major shortcoming is the lack of detailed information about the attractions, i.e., details regarding times of operation, location, costs of admission, as well as details about the sites
themselves. Also I believe many of the lesser known attractions in each destination were not covered by the author. Overall I think the target audience for this book is the traveller who has signed up with a packaged tour. Such an individual is likely to visit only the major destinations covered by the text, namely Yangon, Bagan, Manderlay and Isle Lake. This individual also is unlikely to require the details mentioned above.

In summary if I had to buy a guide book again for a visit to Burma, I would choose the Lonely Planet book which I believe remains the gold standard of guide books to relatively obscure destinations of the world.

Excellent background sections covering basic history, the religious lives of the Burmese, festivals, theater and music. Guide emphasizes Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay and Bagan (Pagan), and their immediate environs -- if you are traveling more off the beaten path, you need the Insight Guide, which also has more and better pictures. Strong on the "flavor" of the country, particularly the last Burmese empire and the colonial years.

a glossy superficial look at one of the most underdeveloped and tyrannically ruled countries in the world today. yes , Burma is a beautiful country but tourists are shielded from seeing the horrors committed by the ruling junta.
forced labour, rape, child soldiers, state censorship and political prisoners , very old and very young - infants even! languish and are tortured in Burmese prisons.
this book is irresponsible in its depiction of Burma as a tourist destination, as is any tourist guide book touting the wonders of "magical myanmar"