Myanmar (Burma) — Leaving Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)
Departing from Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport (RGN), Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
April 2015
My stay in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) had ended, and it was time to leave and return to Malaysia.
A taxi picked me up from Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel at 5 am, and we headed to Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport (RGN). I was sad to be leaving Myanmar; it had been a fantastic experience, and I had a great time.
It was far too early to be up and about. And far, far too early to be in a taxi going through Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma).
Seeing the city waking up (or possibly going to bed) was interesting.
There were many people on the streets exercising. Mainly older folks, and there are even some monks doing their early morning workout routines.
The bike couriers were already on the move. And food stalls and temples were open.
But there were no cars. That was odd as the city was usually so busy.
The flood-lit pagodas against the dark morning sky were stunning.
And it was surprising how cool the temperature felt. It looks like I had missed the best time of the day to be out on the streets.
The taxi ride to the airport took 25 minutes and cost US$15. I had planned for over an hour, as that was what the person at the front desk at the Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel suggested. I was also told that during the day, due to heavy traffic in Yangon (Rangoon), you should allow 90 minutes.
Bag scanning occurred before check-in, and I could not check my bags to my final destination. That was going to make the connection at KL, Malaysia, very tight as I would have to collect my bags and check them back in.
Early morning, 5:30 am, was not a good time to be at Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport (RGN) as nothing was open. There were no food stalls open, hence no breakfast. Also, the airport was full of mosquitoes — clouds of them. And as the Wi-Fi at the airport didn’t work, I couldn’t kill time surfing the web.
One handy tip for leaving Myanmar:
Don't forget to complete a departure card
You may have completed it on your way in as part of your arrival card, so don’t forget to hand it in.
Departure cards were available at immigration. And as queues at immigration for departure can be long, give yourself plenty of time.
Leaving Myanmar was possibly the slowest ever departure procedure I have ever seen.
And this was weird — there is a winter-wonderland-themed gents toilet in the departure terminal boarding area. Why?
And, as in most airports, some passengers at Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport (RGN) thought the rules were meant for other people.
There were strict hand luggage rules, and yet some people thought they didn’t apply to them.
There was no way the above bag met the rules shown below.
When I visited, Yangon (Rangoon) International Airport (RGN) needed to sort out its IT.
I almost ended up in Bangkok, thanks to misinformation on their departure boards. The screen said gate 4 to KL. I showed my boarding pass at Gate 4, only to discover that my flight was going from Gate 3. And Gate 3 was already listed as closed on the screen, yet they hadn’t even opened it. It was a real mess.
One interesting thing I discovered, monks get express boarding, even if they aren't in the Xpress boarding seats. Why?
Stuck in KLIA2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2) Departure Hall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I had trouble getting my bags and checking back in. Hence, I missed my connection and was stuck at KLIA2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2) Departure Hall for 7 hours. Luckily, I managed to get on a later flight.
This was the first flight I had ever missed, and the 'miss' was caused by “Philip" in immigration, who was processing arrivals at half the rate of his colleagues, and I, of course, got in his queue. Thanks, Philip.
So, I had 7 hours to kill at the airport.
I found this at KLIA2, and it amused me.
I particularly liked the last line about parking only being free for aircraft. Kind of good to see a breakdown of costs, though.
