368
DIRECTORY A–Z
minute to phone North Amer-
ica. You’ll usually be asked to
pay in US dollars. In March
2011, the authorities banned
Skype and other internet-
based call services at internet
cafes, as the lower rates
charged for such calls was
impacting the revenue made
at government call centres.
To call Myanmar from
abroad, dial your country’s
international access code,
then %95 (Myanmar’s coun-
try code), the area code (mi-
nus the ‘0’), and the fi ve- or
six-digit number. Area codes
are listed below town head-
ings throughout the book.Mobile Phones
Mobile phone numbers begin
with %09. There’s no interna-
tional roaming in Myanmar,
so in most cases your mobile
(cell) phone will be useless
here. You’ll see a lot of them
in use, though. This is a
serious status symbol, con-
sidering the SIM card alone
offi cially costs K1.5 million
(around $1685) and much
more on the black market.
For a short period in 2010
it was possible to buy a pre-
paid SIM card for a GSMphone with $20 of credit
(expiring in a month); they
were provided by a Tay Za
company. During our re-
search in 2011 these were not
available, although $50 cards
(with credit expiring in three
months) were widely on sale
for use in CDMA phones. You
can fi nd a CDMA 450 phone
for as little as $50 in Yangon.Time
The local Myanmar Standard
Time (MST) is 6½ hours
ahead of Greenwich Mean
Time (GMT/UTC). When
coming in from Thailand,
turn your watch back half an
hour; coming from India, put
your watch forward an hour.
The 24-hour clock is often
used for train times.Toilet s
Toilets, when you need them
most (at bus stops or off
the highway), are often at
their worst. Apart from most
guesthouses, hotels and
upscale restaurants, squat
toilets are the norm. Most of
these are located down a dirtpath behind a house. Usually
next to the toilet is a cement
reservoir fi lled with water, and
a plastic bowl lying nearby.
This has two functions: as a
fl ush and for people to clean
their nether regions while still
squatting over the toilet. Toilet
paper is available at shops all
over the country, but not often
at toilets. Some places charge
a nominal fee to use the toilet.
Note that, other than at
top-end hotels, the plumbing
in fl ush, sit-down toilets is
not equipped to fl ush paper.
Usually there’s a small waste
basket nearby to deposit
used toilet paper.
It’s perfectly acceptable
for men (less so for women)
to go behind a tree or bush
(or at the roadside) when
nature calls.
Note that buses and
smaller boats usually don’t
have toilets.Tourist
Information
Government-operated Myan-
mar Travels & Tours (MTT;
http://myanmartravelsandtours.
com) is part of the MinistryLIVING ON MYANMAR TIMEChances are that your bus or train will roll in late, but much of Myanmar actually does
work on a diff erent time system. Buddhists use an eight-day week in which Thursday to
Tuesday conform to the Western calendar but Wednesday is divided into two 12-hour
days. Midnight to noon is ‘Bohdahu’ (the day Buddha was born), while noon to midnight
is ‘Yahu’ (Rahu, a Hindu god/planet). However, it’s rare that the week’s unique structure
causes any communication problems.
The traditional Myanmar calendar features 12 28-day lunar months that run out of
sync with the months of the solar Gregorian calendar. To stay in sync with the solar
year, Myanmar inserts a second Waso lunar month every few years – somewhat like the
leap-year day added to the Gregorian February. The lunar months of Myanmar are Tagu,
March/April; Kason, April/May; Nayon, May/June; Waso, June/July; Wagaung, July/
August; Tawthalin, August/September; Thadingyut, September/October; Tazaungmon,
October/November; Nadaw, November/December; Pyatho, December/January; Tabod-
we, January/February; Tabaung, February/March.
Traditionally, Burmese kings subscribed to various year counts. The main one in cur-
rent use, the thekkayit, begins in April and is 638 years behind the Christian year count.
Therefore, the Christian year of 2011 is equivalent to the thekkayit of 1373. If an ancient
temple you see sounds way too old, it may be because locals are using the thekkayit.
Another calendar in use follows the Buddhist era (BE), as used in Thailand, which
counts from 543 BC, the date that Buddha achieved nibbana. Hence AD 2011 is 2554 BE.