- A new perspective (13 days)

Departs anytime (2021-2022)

Please note: This itinerary can be modified in any way to best suit your school’s aims, learning objectives and budget.

In the last 100 years, over half of the world’s countries have been renamed. Myanmar is no exception. Since 1989, Burma has become Myanmar and its former capital city Rangoon has become . The country’s new capital city is .

This 13-day student-centric trip of Myanmar is for those wishing to learn how this beautiful nation is, for better and for worse, evolving to finally find its place amongst its richer and more developed neighbours.

This trip entails visits to the country’s most noteworthy places of interest including mesmerizing Inle Lake, the temple city of , , and Yangon. It will further include travel to the far-flung northern and eastern regions of Hsipaw. We will also journey to the ethnic minority region of , where local people maintain a lifestyle little changed in 400 years.

As the trip is designed to be of a service nature, it also includes interaction with Burmese students working in a solidarity effort to build a classroom for an under-resourced school.

Most importantly, this tour is designed to be highly enjoyable and aims to foster students’ awareness of an enigmatic country still struggling to find a place in the 21PstP century.

David Eales Asia Manager

www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

1 Day 1 Arrive Yangon

Today we will arrive in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. It is a delightful city, once the centrepiece of a colonial empire stretching right across west and Southeast Asia. Our tour leader will greet us as we clear customs to take us downtown for our first experience of Yangon with its very evident Indian and Thai influences. En route our tour leader will tell us all the things, we need to know about travelling in this land as well as giving us a quick Burmese language lesson. There will be a time to relax before a short group meeting to talk about the program and answer any questions. Following this, we will set out for an orientation tour of this multicultural city and in the evening enjoy our first taste of Burmese food at a popular local eatery. (meals: lunch, dinner) Flight details to be advised

Day 2 Yangon day tour (Circle train)

Since the country’s recent opening to the world, Yangon most aptly reflects the rapid changes that have taken place. We will head out for our first full day in Myanmar, beginning with an exploration of the bustling city. We will visit Chaukhtatgyi to learn about Myanmar’s rich Buddhist heritage. Then, we will continue to the most famous site in all of Myanmar – the Shwedagon Pagoda; an awe-inspiring golden stupa. An exciting journey awaits us as we aboard the city’s ‘circle train’. Train travel is a popular means of transport in Myanmar and a great way to interact with the local people and glean an understanding of their daily lives. After disembarking our train at Insein Station, we will set off to a vibrant local market. To facilitate fun urban exploration and to enhance our knowledge of this historic city, we will participate in a Great Race activity around Yangon. During this activity, students will navigate assigned routes, collecting information that will increase their understanding of Myanmar's history and culture. Later in the day, we will visit the Yangon Bake House, an enterprising NGO established to teach underprivileged local children trade skills as bakers. Here we learn of the success of this enterprise that provides a secure future for the children through vocational training. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 3 & 4 Yangon (School building project)

Myanmar until quite recently was described as a ‘pariah state’ and not long ago suffered crippling sanctions resulting from the international community’s refusal to acknowledge the ruling junta. Only in recent times has Myanmar been able to gain access to development funding, foreign investment and trade opportunities that other developing countries have long enjoyed. As such, Myanmar is still one of the poorest countries in Asia, only slightly ahead of Laos and Bangladesh. It is here that we will undertake our community – service project designed to assist a local school in building classrooms. Arriving early, we will begin our two-day project to help build a classroom for a school on the outskirts of Yangon. This will take the form of practical building as we construct brick walls for the school, working alongside our local contemporaries. Our tasks include bricklaying, cement mixing, frame construction and the transporting of materials. Local tradesmen and our tour leader will be supervising and assisting throughout the project. The local school will provide us with meals, whilst our assistance and interaction in this task will be greatly appreciated. The days will be long and the results rewarding as we see our school project develop. On our final day of building, we will farewell our fellow students whom we have worked alongside. During these two days in Yangon, we will head out each evening to enjoy the hustle and bustle of this English inspired city with its crumbling facades and wide boulevards. www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

2 Whilst in Yangon we will also visit the intriguing Bogyoke Market (formerly Scott Market), where we can browse a great range of antiques and curios from the country’s colonial days and go for a walk through the city’s Chinatown. (meals: 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners)

Day 5 Yangon Bagan

A short flight will take us to Myanmar’s vast interior, arriving in the township of Bagan. Bagan is only a short distance from India and Bangladesh which heavily influences the population of this region. Arriving about midday, we will venture out to see one of Asia’s most popular archaeological destinations and one out of two most pre-eminent religious old cities in Southeast Asia. En route, we will enjoy a stroll around one of the region’s unique markets and try some local fare to this remote State. This evening, we will visit a temple from where we can enjoy views over the surrounding hinterland. As it is a ‘working temple’ (as distinct from those in Cambodia, for example, that are no longer used extensively as sites of worship), they are quickly being restored by local people who routinely pay a donation during their visits. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner) Morning flight: YANGON – BAGAN (flight time to be advised)

Day 6 Bagan

After breakfast, we head out for a half-day bicycle tour around famous temples. We begin our journey to the famous Ananda Temple – reputed to be one of the masterpieces of Bagan. The countryside surrounding Bagan is home to literally thousands of stupas and temples. In every direction, we will see ruins of all sizes, some ornate and majestic and others standing quaintly at a junction, with the beauty of the meandering completing the scene. This ancient city is one of Asia’s most significant archaeological sites which, until now, has remained relatively unknown to outsiders. Like the Angkor Temples in Cambodia, it is a pre-eminent religious-inspired city and a marvel of Asian civilisation. Later we will view some of Bagan’s ancient mural paintings as well as stop by the massive Sulamani Temple. To end our day, we will board our boat along the Ayeyarwady (formerly the Irrawaddy) River and learn of its importance in Burmese history. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 7 Bagan (Student-initiated Activities)

Prior to travelling to Myanmar, a Student Educational Adventures staff member will talk to you and your students about specific activities that student might like to add to their itinerary. These activities might be based on students’ prior knowledge of the country based on their interests or passions for any aspect of the culture. Alternatively, we can offer students a choice of highly enjoyable, student-centric activities such as those described below:

Activity 1 “Tattooed faces” (student-centric anthropological activity): The distinctive Chin tribe is best known for the intricate ink details covering their entire face. This tradition started generations ago when several tribes in the Chin province of Myanmar began to tattoo the face of every single young woman. What is the reason behind this? Like in many other feudal countries in Asia, it used to be the case that the members of the royal family could marry whoever and whenever they wanted. Often, it meant there wouldn’t be any willingness involved. A neighbouring prince could eventually show up and take his next wife on a whim, without any notice from neither the girl nor her family in advance.

www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

3 For the Chin tribe, having their daughters stolen away by strange marauders was an unfortunate yet common affair. Nobody would be able to successfully fight against this injustice. As a result, the Chin parents began to get creative: they started tattooing on their child’s face. Over the years, what was originally intended to make the women undesirable began to have another opposite effect. The full facial tattoos became signs of beauty for every Chin woman. Nowadays, whilst a younger generation of Chin no longer favour this practice, it remains a unique feature of this very fascinating culture, whose village we will visit today. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Activity 2 Day trip to Mt Popa: We will travel south to visit intriguing Mt. Popa, an extinct volcano located south-east of Bagan. Mt. Popa lies in the heart of one of Burma’s designated national park, featuring unique preserved forests in this hot, dry plateau region. The significance of Mt. Popa itself is believed by the Burmese to be the abode of spirits, or “nats”. Today, we will climb the Taungkalat, a part of the main volcano, to see panoramic views of its landscape. We will continue our journey from Mt. Popa across the country gateway to the Shan State and Inle Lake. Inle Lake is one of Myanmar’s most magical places. It is located 900 meters above sea level and surrounded by mountains of the Shan plateau. This region of Myanmar was off-limits to foreigners for several years as is home to the Inthar minority tribe. We will check into our centrally located hotel this afternoon before venturing out for a pizza. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Activity 3 Mediations with Monks: This morning we will travel to the surrounding hinterland to begin a vigorous walk. We will journey through villages amongst the foothills, visiting local communities on the way. Later we will visit a friendly monastery to learn of Theravada Buddhism, practised by an estimated 89% of Burmese. Here we will have the opportunity to talk to the local monks about their lives and commitment to their way of life, as well as join them in an uplifting meditation session. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 8 Inle Lake

After breakfast, we will enjoy a true trip highlight as we board fast boats that will take us to explore this unique region of Myanmar. We will stop en route to visit cottage industries, including weaving collectives set amongst water communities where we will witness a very different way of life. From the comfort of our boats, we can take in such sights as fisherman rowing one-legged style, and the gardens of grass and earth floating on the river’s surface. In preparation for this trip, we have been invited to visit the monks and novices at an Inle Monastery. They invite us to learn of Buddhism’s practices, followed by quiet and mindful meditation. Later we will also visit the Phaungdawoo Pagoda – famous for its richly gilded five small Buddha images then we will continue to Ngaphechaung (jumping cat) monastery, built more than one and a half centuries ago. We will make our way to our lakeside hotel, where we can relax and take a stroll along the banks of the lake. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

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4 Day 9 Heho (Inle Lake) Mandalay

A later start this morning will allow us ample time to enjoy the sunrise over this beautiful region of Myanmar. A new adventure awaits as we will fly to the fabled city of Mandalay, residing in the country’s north. Arriving just before midday, we will enjoy a local lunch before setting out to visit some of the city’s most impressive sites including the Mingun Bell, said to be the largest hung bell in the world. In the afternoon we visit the former royal capital of Amarapura and the U Bein Bridge. The bridge is more than two centuries old, and at over a kilometre, it is the world’s longest teakwood span. Time permitting, we will visit a local school to learn of the Burmese education system, the lives of its students and their aspirations for the future. We will embark on a walking tour of Mandalay this evening. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 10 Pyi Oo Lwin

Another adventure begins as we travel to the remote northeastern region of the country – for years off-limits to foreigners, this region is a short distance from China and is one of Myanmar’s most beautiful places. To our knowledge, no student group has ever visited this region of Myanmar making this a very special experience. We will travel to the delightful town of Pyin Oo Lwin (formerly known as Maymyo), a picturesque small town in the Shan Highlands of central Myanmar. This town began as an outpost of the British military and eventually grew into a permanent post. It is also the summer capital of British Burma, due to its temperate climate from a high elevation. Today, Pyin Oo Lwin has a strong Anglo legacy, home to one of the largest Anglo-Burmese populations in the country. Evidence of British occupation and rule is apparent everywhere, from old colonial homes to the chimes of the town’s clock tower, aligning with those of Big Ben in London. In the afternoon we will board horse and carts for a more thorough look around the town. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 11 Pyi Oo Lwin (Gokteik Viaduct) Hsipaw

Today we will enjoy a journey you will never forget as we embark on a train ride passing above the Gokteik Railway Viaduct route to the hill tribe province of Hsipaw, that follows the ancient route into China. For rail enthusiasts, this Viaduct is world-famous which on its completion in 1901, was the largest bridge in the world. Whilst seldom visited by foreigners, the journey is one of Asia’s most spectacular train trips. As we travel the line built over large cliff faces, the experience is best enjoyed by hanging slightly out the windows of the slow-moving trains, camera in hand, ready to embrace what’s around the next bend! We will arrive in the town of Hsipaw where we will visit to a local school for some interaction with our Burmese contemporaries. Dinner will be at a very local eatery. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 12 Hsipaw Lashio

Pronounced ‘see-paw’ this far-flung town remains a completely genuine northern Shan State town and is reminiscent of what the northern provinces of were like before mass tourism. Taking full advantage of the delightful morning light, we will enjoy an early morning hike to explore the towns picturesque

www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

5 hinterland, encountering curious locals en route. We will return to our hotel later this morning to prepare for our departure to the even further-flung town of Lashio. Lashio (pronounced ‘lar-show’) is a booming and sprawling market town with a significant Chinese population. This largely forgotten corner on Myanmar was once a powerful state, pivotal in the fight against the Japanese in WWII. It served as Burma Road’s starting point, supplying food and arms to Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang army. Tonight we will enjoy our final dinner in Myanmar at a quaint local restaurant, before an evening circuit of this far-flung town. (meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 13 Depart Lashio Home (via Yangon)

There will be time for an escorted stroll around this. We will take a swim at one of the most pictures waterfalls you are ever likely to encounter. Following this, we will transfer to the airport for our flight home. Our group leader will take care of your onward travel arrangements and bid us farewell at Yangon International Airport. (meals: breakfast) Flight details to be advised

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6 Summary Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

Grading # Please contact Student Educational Adventures Challenging; Students and teachers should be in good for a competitive flight quote for flights from your condition to be able to take part in this trip. Students will country. be expected to work for long days during the service- learning components of the trip. You will also be expected to be able to ride a bike. While the trekking component is Inclusions not designed to be too challenging, it will require students • All accommodation, transport, activities, entrance to be in good health and to have some prior walking costs and other programs as described in the experience. Students will be expected to carry their own itinerary packs during this section of the trip and their own • 2 internal flights: Yangon to Bagan, Heho (Inle luggage throughout the trip but only for short distances. Lake) to Mandalay  Professional Student Educational Adventures tour Group Size leader throughout trip & additional specialist guides  Community project sourcing and arrangements

Minimum group size 20 students & 2 staff members  Extensive destination-specific risk management and travelling Ufree of chargeU. assessments ▲ Smaller group sizes can be quoted upon application  Meals (along with drinking water) as listed and underlined in the daily itinerary Specific Trip Activities  24 hours IN COUNTRY support from Student Educational Adventures staff YANGON  Pre-departure support, briefings and planning  Yangon City tour (Indian quarter, china town, meetings for students and parents riverfront)  All equipment  Yangon Bake House (NGO program activity)  Parents information evening presentation  Circle train (local transport) excursion  Parental & student advice for vaccinations &  Shwedagon Pagoda excursion equipment etc.  2-day school renovation activity  Tips for local guides & drivers Please see below # 5 How authentic are your  Cost of the community project service-learning programs? Exclusions BAGAN • International flights to/from Myanmar #  Bagan Temples exploration • Some meals  Cycling activity • Myanmar Visa (if required)  Burmese lacquer workshop tour

INLE LAKE Accommodation  Heho paper industry excursion Student accommodation is on a twin/triple share basis.  Inle Lake motorboat activity Teacher accommodation is on a single room basis. Hotels  Cycling excursion hold a 3-star equivalent rating.  Weekend local market exploration  Student-initiated activity: Transport

 “Tattooed faces” (anthropological activity)  Meditation with the Monks Modern air-conditioned bus, local railway, boat, plane,  Mt. Popa (full day excursion) speedboat.

MANDALAY  Amarapura Old City excursion  U Bein Bridge visit  Glass making activity  Burmese rickshaw excursion

PYI OO LWIN  Gokteik Railway Viaduct journey

HSIPAW  Light hiking activity  Hilltribe encounter

LASHIO  Waterfall excursion

www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

7 7 things to check before choosing a student travel company

Choosing the right travel company is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your students. As you compare different school travel providers, you’ll need to weigh up everything from staffing arrangements to overall trip cost – and, of course, educational value. To help you choose with confidence, we’ve created a checklist of seven essential factors to consider when you’re assessing travel companies. You’ll be pleased to know that these factors are a feature of every trip we run.

1. Does your travel provider have a truly local presence?

You might not know it, but many school travel companies have no local presence in the countries they send your students to. Behind the façade, these providers are marketing companies who outsource their trips to in-country operators – often importing a foreign manager at your schools’ expense. Value for money aside, running trips in this way has far-reaching consequences in an emergency, when access to language skills and local knowledge are vital. To make sure you’re getting a genuinely local experience, it’s important to choose a bonafide in-country travel company who has a real local presence in the country you’re travelling to. For example, we use our own in-country supervisors and tour leaders to manage the school trips we run. As local experts, they travel with you and your students throughout your entire trip and are responsible for every aspect of your students’ wellbeing.

2. Is your school trip really of value to your students?

A trip abroad with friends will appeal to any young person, and many will relish the chance to explore a world away from home. But to be of real and enduring educational value, a school trip should challenge students beyond the kinds of basic touristic experiences they might just as easily have on a family holiday. To this end, your school travel provider should provide a customised itinerary that shows quality and depth of engagement. We tailor each of our itineraries to push students beyond a surface-level exchange and maximise their time in-country so they’re learning the whole time they’re travelling. Our activity-rich programs are big on cross-cultural interaction, team-building and authentic local experiences. We also include community service projects wherever possible, which make our trips not only highly educational but life-changing, too.

3. Is the person leading your students up to the task?

The best people to lead you through a country are the folk who live there. But on top of having expert local knowledge, the people leading your students should also be expertly trained to deal with young student travellers. A tour leader who’s up to the task can teach across the full range of personalities, interests and abilities found among every student group. For this reason, we make sure our tour leaders have at least three years’ experience leading student groups before they go in-field with yours. And they’re more than just guides – they’re also teachers, translators and troubleshooters. Our tour leaders will welcome you warmly when your group arrive, manage all of your trip logistics, and work responsibly to make sure you and your students always stay healthy and safe.

4. How safe is your travel provider, really?

While some travel companies offer a 24-hour call centre, there’s no substitute for having local people by your side and looking after you where you are. Local staff know the lay of the land, how to access the best medical attention in times of crisis and which dialect or language to speak when you need it most. This is especially important outside of major cities, where major providers’ services can be limited. Our in-country staff and tour leaders not only access the best international providers (such as SOS, Global Rescue and Columbia Asia), but also complement these with expert knowledge of the nearest and most appropriate medical attention within every local area. So, if a worst-case scenario happens – when you need to communicate with non-English speaking doctors; when a comprehensive first aid kit won’t do the job; or when the phone number of an international medical provider just isn’t sufficient – you can be sure your student group is in the best of hands, no matter where they are.

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8 5. How authentic are your service-learning programs?

Today, having students raise money for their overseas trip is a common way for schools to give back to the places they visit. However, exchanging skills – and smiles – with local communities can leave a positive legacy that’s even more powerful. Fundraising, while well-intentioned, can be in vain if it’s not done in consultation with local communities. To make sure your impact isn’t simply an add-on, choose a school travel company that facilitates projects that solve real community problems and which help build local capacity. Take our community service projects, for instance. We develop them through extensive cooperation with local people’s committees, NGOs and women’s organisations to ensure your students’ altruism has a lasting impact. All our service components are meticulously planned, designed to be meaningful and transparent, and, most importantly, provide tangible long-term benefits for communities.

6. Does the program you’re being offered match your students’ learning needs?

No two school groups are the same, which is why no two school trips should follow the same itinerary. Check that the travel company you choose offers a customised program that’s flexibly designed to match your students’ unique interests. In our experience, nothing inhibits a successful trip more than ‘off the shelf’ programs with generic activities. For this reason, each trip we run is tailored to your school’s curriculum and your students’ distinct learning needs. We also like to involve students in co-designing their itinerary. Prior to their trip, we run a series of student-initiated activities to promote agency and collaboration, setting them up for success once they’re overseas.

7. Is the tour priced competitively?

A foreign travel experience for your students needn’t cost the earth. And while variations in destinations, flights and trip durations add complexity to the task of pricing your trip, the school travel company you choose should offer you that transparency, without question. Alongside integrity in pricing sit sound educational outcomes. If your trip provider can’t quantify how your students will benefit from the trip, then you might ask whether they’re the right fit for you and your school. Because we operate entirely in-country, with exclusively local staff, our overheads are significantly lower compared to those of other travel companies. With us, your money goes directly toward creating your tour, rather than to overseas administration costs or third-party suppliers.

www.studenteducationaladventures.com Myanmar - A new perspective (13 days)

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