Burma / Myanmar

I was talking with a woman yesterday who has traveled to over 100 countries. I asked her to pick 5 countries that are at the top of her list. Burma was one. Burma caught my attention since I also happen to be reading a book that's set there (Elephant Company -- quite good) and I wondered myself whether we should investigate it. We should!

So today's task is to decide whether we should seriously consider Burma as a destination.
Gleaned from the sites listed below:

• Country is embracing change since 11/2015 with the election of the "National League for Democracy"
• Travel between November and March
• Bagan is very touristy
• The window is fast closing for experiencing an "untouched" country (untouched by commercialism)
• Internet is more available than it once was, but bandwidth and electrical outages can make it extremely frustrating to use
• Public transportation is "immaculate and generally reliable"
• Cuisine derived from Thai, Indian and Chinese; great fruit
• Carry toilet paper and bug spray (lots of mosquitos)
• Crime rate is low; violent crime against foreigners rare
• Highly recommended: 3-day trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake ($12 pp/day)
• Many, many festivals. List of traditional festivals. Google images for Festival of Lights.

Sites visited:

Good Lonely Planet article: Myanmar Essentials

Five Reasons to Visit Myanmar in 2015 (US News and World Report)

A 2015 Travel Guide to Myanmar (Notes about a 3-week trip from an enthusiastic 20-something)
Myanmar travel site
Local travel company