My Chiang Mai

A Burma private airline is planning flights to Phuket beginning this year, sources within the airline have told the China news agency, Xinhua.

The airline, Air Bagan, plans to add more services to Cambodia, Thailand and China in 2010, with a service between Yangon and Chiang Mai opening last Thursday.

Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur are now the airline’s two international destinations, the news agency says. Phuket and Siem Reap, the destination closest to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, are next on the wish-list, with China’s Kumming and Guagzhou.

Air Bagan, which flies to 20 destinations inside Burma, has yet to cement its reputation internationally.

The airline’s first international scheduled service to Bangkok began on May 15, 2007 and the second, to Singapore on September 7 the same year.

Both of the flight services were suspended in 2008.

Starting on the 2nd of August, 2009 Air Mandalay will be operating twice weekly flights between Yangon (AKA Rangoon) and Chiang Mai.

This is great news for tourists and for local residents who want to take a break to Mandalay, where it’s easy to travel onwards to many other interesting places in Myanmar (Burma).

As the main gateway to the rest of Myanmar, the Yangon Division is located in the southernmost part of the central plain and borders, Bago Division in the north and east, Gulf of Mottama in the south, and Ayeyawaddy Division in the west. Coco archipelago, which is part of Yangon Division, is situated in the Bay of Bengal. The total area of the division is 3,927.15 square miles.

If you have never been to Myanmar then it’s well worth a look. It’s a different experience from anywhere else in SE Asia and most visitors are very impressed with the warm welcome of the Myanmar people.

Myanmar has some spectacular beaches for the more adventurous traveller, including Ngapali, Ngwe Saung and Chaungtha.

Other tourist destinations near Yangon include Shwedagon Pagoda, Botataung Pagoda, Bogyoke Market and Kandawgyl Lake.

Myanmar can be very hot and humid in the summer months, and the best time to travel is in the cooler season between October and March.

Editor’s note: Our policy is to help readers with travel information. Whether readers wish to avoid Burma under the existing regime or not is entirely down to personal decisions.

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