In good hands in Myanmar
This item appears on page 27 of the July 2016 issue.
My husband and I were having a wonderful time on the “Amazing Myanmar” tour with Jim Cline Photo Tours (San Diego, CA; 877/350-1314, www.jimcline phototours.com) when, on Sept. 29, 2015, in Bagan, I slipped and fell at our hotel in Bagan.
I needed medical attention, and the ground operator for the tour, Santa Maria Travels & Tours (Yangon, Myanmar; www.santa mariatours.com), and their exceptional local guide who was with us, Mr. MM, came to the fore.
Mr. MM contacted a doctor, who made the assessment that my arm was probably broken. Getting an x-ray in Bagan would have been a problem, so the doctor recommended that we fly to Yangon for treatment.
Mr. MM obtained air tickets on the next-available flight, provided a driver to take us to the airport, arranged for an employee, Zaw Win Htwe, to meet us at the airport in Yangon late at night and booked a room for us at a nearby hotel.
The next day, Zaw took us to the International SOS clinic in Yangon, where they took x-rays of my arm and applied a plaster cast. Zaw stayed with us the entire day to translate.
The following day, Zaw took my husband to the Korean Air office in Yangon to rebook our flights home. He also arranged for a driver to take us to the airport on the day we left, Oct. 3.
Santa Maria Travels & Tours paid all of our expenses in connection with this incident, including the medical charges at the clinic, and allowed us to reimburse them with our credit card before we left Myanmar. The outstanding service provided by Mr. MM, Zaw and Santa Maria Travels & Tours relieved us of what would otherwise have been a great deal of stress.
My husband and I plan to return to Myanmar as independent travelers and use Santa Maria Travels & Tours.
On this trip, we were insured with Travelex (www.travelexinsurance.com). Throughout our ordeal, we took pains to maintain detailed records and keep all receipts and medical documents, even x-rays. I would like to stress how important it is to do this. I feel this helped in our getting promptly reimbursed for our trip-interruption expenses by Travelex.
JULIE CASSEN
Charlotte, NC