FEC / USD in Burma (Myanmar)?

"Markku Grönroos" ..
"Dieter Aa" Dieter wrote ...
And don't be too worried about walking arround with so much cash money:
crime rates in Myanmar are a fraction of the horrible situation in
european
cities.
What European cities?

Brussels, for example
As per the statistics, current crime rates in brussels are higher than
Chicago or NY in the "good" times


You will be astonished about the high moral standards in Myanmar
Do not comapare Myanmar with Thailand.
How do you know?

O, yes, you are right, I do not have statistics here.
What I wrote, was purely my own experience.
If you like, I can write here ten or twenty stories, confirming my
statement.
Would that convince you ?
Don't be afraid, my statement is not at all based on the propaganda. (if
that was your concern ?)

"USC" ..
My advise is to take a lot of cash USD's (sorry, no EURO's) with you and
to
change it in Kyats when you are there.

Best to take the USD's in the form of new (w/large presidential
portrait...the Burmese call these "gaung gyi", meaning "big head")
hundred dollar bills with no tears or folds - and definately no tape
repairs, as new $100 bills will bring a better unofficial rate of
exchange than other denominations; an old or damaged bill might not be
accepted (this happened to me a few times, even at the airport).

USC

very right, i can confirm that
Even a small spot will make a bill worthless.
Make sure your USD bills are absolutely spotless.
And take 100 USD bills with you, not 20 USD bills.

U¿ytkownik "Sjoerd" napisa³ w wiadomo¶ci
...

"Bernd" schreef in bericht
om...
Hi,

as we are leaving for Burma in two weeks what are the latest news
about foreign currency in Burma?

* do you have to buy 200FEC?
* what about the euro?

generally asked, what is the best option regarding money changing in
Burma?

As a non-group tourist you need to buy 200 FEC. Those FEC can be used in
Myanmar as if they are USD. You can use euros to pay for your FEC and you
get a reasonable exchange rate.

I was in October :
- you don`t have to buy FEC
- rate about 900 kyats for 1 $ if you have 100$ bill, less for 1-50$ bills
- take 100$ bills to exchange to kyats and small notes to pay for hotels,
entrance fees etc ( 1$ and 5$ bills are the best )



--
Jacek

Hi Bernd
Yes officially you have to buy the $200FEC unless you are part of a
recognized tour group. The staff at the desk where you buy them will make
no secret of the fact you can give them a present in order to exchange less.

I don't know about the Euro.

We changed money at hotel desks wherever possible. You may find a slightly
better rate on the street but we could only get that rate for $100 bills.
As there is no way we would want to cart that amount of paper money around
we declined and continued to exchange small amounts as needed. On no
account use the official exchange offices.

Enjoy, Sue
www.wright-photo.com

And where did you get your visa ?

direct from the embassy

Do you have a document, headed:
"Government of the Union of Myanmar
Ministry of immigration and Population
Directorate of Immigration and National Registration
Immigration Department
Application for entry Tourist Visa"

with on the bottom of the document a stub / strip:
_________________________________________
Official Use Only, Visa Authority, MOFA...
Visa nr....
Date....
and the signature of the ambassador or consul in your country
_____________________________________________

On that document, is there a small stamp "E.V.T. (Package Tour)" ?

no but I have "EVT (FIT)"

If so, you don't have to buy F.E.C.'s
If, not, you will have to buy F.E.C.'s or to apply "alternative solutions"

so I have to buy officialy FECs then...
(or apply "alternative solutions")

thx
Bernd

"Dieter Aa" Dieter wrote in message
...

"Markku Grönroos" ..
"Dieter Aa" Dieter wrote ...
And don't be too worried about walking arround with so much cash
money:
crime rates in Myanmar are a fraction of the horrible situation in
european
cities.
What European cities?

Brussels, for example
As per the statistics, current crime rates in brussels are higher than
Chicago or NY in the "good" times

What are you trying to say? On the other hand there is no such a thing as
statistics in Burma. Moreover I am a bit suspicious that a column of "crime"
appears in Belgian and US American Yearbooks. However considering that
people are under a heavy thumb of the criminal "authority", I believe
relatively few tourists have been victims of a crime.

You will be astonished about the high moral standards in Myanmar
Do not comapare Myanmar with Thailand.
How do you know?

O, yes, you are right, I do not have statistics here.
What I wrote, was purely my own experience.
If you like, I can write here ten or twenty stories, confirming my
statement.

And yet they wouldn't prove a thing.

Would that convince you ?

No, a measure of "people's moral standards" (relative to other peoples) is
not in your hands.

I was there 2 weeks ago ...
No more FECs.
We changed money at our hotel and the rate was US$1 to 850 Kyat. But we
asked in another hotel when we passed by, the rate was US$1 to 400 Kyat ...

"Bernd" ?????
om...
Hi,

as we are leaving for Burma in two weeks what are the latest news
about foreign currency in Burma?

* do you have to buy 200FEC?
* what about the euro?

generally asked, what is the best option regarding money changing in
Burma?

thx
Bernd

In article 3fc38626@shknews01, says...
I was there 2 weeks ago ...
No more FECs.
We changed money at our hotel and the rate was US$1 to 850 Kyat. But we
asked in another hotel when we passed by, the rate was US$1 to 400 Kyat ...

Strange. The rate was 1000 Kyat to the dollar in December 2002, and it
went up to 1100 Kyat in January 2003.
--

Alfred Molon
------------------------------
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Olympus_405060/
Olympus 5050 resource - http://www.molon.de/5050.html
Olympus 5060 resource - http://www.molon.de/5060.html

"Alfred Molon" ..
In article 3fc38626@shknews01, says...
I was there 2 weeks ago ...
No more FECs.
We changed money at our hotel and the rate was US$1 to 850 Kyat. But we
asked in another hotel when we passed by, the rate was US$1 to 400 Kyat
....

Strange. The rate was 1000 Kyat to the dollar in December 2002, and it
went up to 1100 Kyat in January 2003.
--

Last month I got a rate of 900 Kyat for a USD on the street market in
Yangon
End Oct.2003 I got only 850 Kyat for a USD in Mandalay
I think the rate went up again.

"Alfred Molon" schreef in bericht
news.com...
In article 3fc38626@shknews01, says...
I was there 2 weeks ago ...
No more FECs.
We changed money at our hotel and the rate was US$1 to 850 Kyat. But we
asked in another hotel when we passed by, the rate was US$1 to 400 Kyat
....

Strange. The rate was 1000 Kyat to the dollar in December 2002, and it
went up to 1100 Kyat in January 2003.

Lots of currencies appreciated vs. the US dollar since late 2002.

Sjoerd