All across Myanmar jeeps are the most popular vehicle to hire for the Thingyan water festival. Pic: Hein Latt Aung

THINGYAN is Myanmar’s most prominent traditional festival and attracts a lot of attention locally and overseas.

Most people organise their schedules in order to gain maximum time for travel and recreational activities.

Some go around the town, soaking up the atmosphere; others leave for sightseeing or prepare for pilgrimages to the country's prominent pagodas. Picnics at famous sites throughout Myanmar are also popular during the festival.

Traditionally, most people opt to drive around the city's pandals in cars, to enjoy the water throwing. Now that the festival is drawing near, the number of car hire and car rental services is soaring.

Jeeps are the most favoured vehicles for going around although there are many other options. Ko Thura Aung is the owner of a car rental service in Yangon and he said jeeps are the first choice for the hirers to go around the pandals. “The customers mostly ask the question of how they can hire jeeps first. They think only of the other choices when it is not convenient to hire the jeeps,” he said.

The cost of hiring cars for the festival has increased in 2008, compared to last year’s rates.

Golden Hope Int’l Ltd has been offering car rental services since 1998 and its owner U Kyaw Aung said this year’s car hiring charges will be 10-15 percent more than last year.

“All car rental services are taking the hiring charges on a daily basis. Last year price to hire a jeep was only K100,000 and K90,000 for a Sunny or Publica pick up. More spacious Town Ace or Lite Ace pick ups are K120,000 for about ten hours a day. The fuel is the renters’ responsibility and if there is an accident hirers have to pay for repairs. A chauffeur service is also available,” U Kyaw Aung said.

But some problems, such as engine failure and machinery breakdowns, do occur. Fixing these problems are the renter's responsibility, according to the owner of Yangon’s Day Car rental service, Daw Tin Po, who set up her business especially to cater for the water festival.

“Rates this year will be higher than last year. The current set price is K120,000 for a jeep, K100,000 for a Sunny or Publica pick up or K150,000 for a spacious Town Ace or Lite Ace pick up. We already have three to four bookings for the festival right now,” she said.

Daw Cho Cho Khaing, marketing executive of a car rental service company, said agencies were introducing rules for renters during the Thingyan festival.

“We are setting a precondition of not allowing more than five six people on a jeep, not to treat the cars badly and all the hirers generally agree with these rules. But in reality, the jeeps have about 15 riders in it, which you will see during the festival. It is the biggest national festival and nobody is worried about this kind of thing,” Daw Cho Cho Khaing said.

She also said she expected rental charges to surge this year compared to last year – because of the fuel hike.

Jeep owner Ko Thiha Kyaw said diesel and gasoline prices increase every year when the festival is draws near.

“People who plan to visit different areas during the festival store fuel weeks before the festival arrives. We are saving diesel and gasoline for use during the festival,” Ko Thiha Kyaw said.

Agencies are already taking bookings for hire cars during the water festival. Some car owners are beginning maintenance works on their vehicles so their car has the best chance of surviving the four-day assault.

While many people want to drive around and enjoy the water throwing at the festival, others want to see the pandals without getting soaked. Car rental services cater to these customers as well.

“Rental services offer services of saloons like Toyota Pajero, Town Ace and Lite Ace for such customers who don’t want to get soaked by water. This year rent price for a Toyota Pajero is K200,000, for a Lite Ace its K150,000 and for a Town Ace it’s K120,000. All are renting on daily basis,” U Kyaw Aung said. “Clients who choose this option are mainly foreign tourists.”