Cargo Jungle

For our time in Myanmar, Lara and I had sent 4 large boxes of stuff (ca. 110kg) from Switzerland. On Saturday 15 October, we set out to customs to fetch our boxes. After a short stop at the airport we arrived at the cargo terminal where we were instantly redirected to the cargo warehouse by a very friendly police officer. At the cargo warehouse we were told to come back on Monday.

Before heading out to the airport Flo had also called the Emirates Cargo hotline. They told him that he would have to go somewhere at the airport to get some sort of confirmation letter, before going to the cargo terminal. The following log describes our “journey” on that Monday:

Stop 1: Old international terminal, service desk

We explained that we needed to pick up some cargo.

--> Response: You have to go the new international terminal.

Stop 2. New International terminal, Service desk

2^nd explanation of our situation.

--> You have to go the Myanmar Airways International Desk 

Stop 3: Myanmar Airways International Desk

--> You have to go to the MAI (Myanmar Airways International) office, 2^nd floor old international terminal 

Stop 4: Unsuccessful search for 2^nd floor à Security desk old international terminal

Asking for directions. The security hands us visitors passes and gives us directions to the elevator taking us up to the 2^nd floor.

--> over to the elevator

Stop 5: MIA office

The staff at MIA office tells us to go to the domestic terminal.

--> Over to the Domestic terminal

Stop 6: MIA office at the domestic terminal

Everybody’s having lunch at the office. One of the men asks for the Airbill number. We have no clue.

--> Flo calls Emirates Cargo hotline. They help us find out our Airbill number.

Stop 7: Again at MIA office at the domestic terminal

Flo shows the Airbill number to one of the Lunch-guys, who tells him to go to the cargo terminal.

--> we take a taxi to the cargo terminal

Stop 8: Cargo terminal

Seems like we are in the right place: by showing the Airbill number, Passport and some 15’000 Kyats, a friendly woman getting her own cargo manages to get the papers associated with our boxes.

Before we leave, we also take a picture with the police officer, who had told us on saturday that we were in the wrong place here.

--> Next stop: Cargo warehouse, where our boxes must be.

Stop 10: Cargo warehouse

In a very busy environment we spend about 3h waiting for:

• Passport copies
• 12826876238748234 Stamps and forms
• Copies of our flight tickets to Myanmar: 
• iphone screenshot à hand over the iphone to our designated burmese  agent  à despite german language setting he easily creates a new “viber” (= Asian whatsapp) contact and sends himself the screenshot, then disappears for 20 minutes and comes back with a printout)

Stop 11: Cargo warehouse, goods inspection area

After what felt like an eternity, we finally get to see our boxes. And more than this, we need to rip them open for inspection.

--> Customs police lady inspects our stuff and gives us weird looks when we explain what all the climbing gear is for…

Final Stop 12: Getting our boxes on a taxi

Everything is ok and we put the boxes on one of these Asian pickup-truck taxis. After a good 5 hours we hand over 30’000Ks toll fee, 5’000Ks agent fee, 20’000Ks for the taxi and we’re on our way back to our place. 

And that's how it's done in Myanmar!