The coolest ghost town ever – Naypyidaw

April 2016 in Naypyidaw, Myanmar

To make the long story short, let me summarize it all right from the start. Naypyitaw is one of the coolest places in the world I have ever visited. Done. 

Until only a few days ago I didn’t even know about its existence. The name just popped up by pure chance. Naypyidaw a.k.a. Nay Pyi Taw (this is not a typo – T is official spelling) or NPT for short is Burma’s new capital town. Who knew? What a shocker. It was constructed in secret by the Myanmar junta in the early 2000s and officially announced as the country’s new capital in November 2005. Out of blue all government offices and ministries were relocated and the government workers were given two months to do the same. Embassies were to follow. 10 years on – all embassies are still in Rangoon except for one. The Bangladeshi.

Officially there are almost 1 million people living in the city. But your guess is as good as mine to their whereabouts for they are invisible. The town appears to be empty. Empty of people and empty of cars. Thus it got its nickname ‘The ghost city of Myanmar“. As soon as I heard the Naypyidaw story, I was on my way. Bagan and Inle that were next in line on my itinerary will have to wait.

JJ Express office and waiting room

Leaving Rangoon turned out to be quite a task. Bus station with JJ Express VIP service  (highly recommended) was all the way by the airport so it took me almost two hours to get there and cost me more than the bus ticket itself. 10 USD for a taxi to bus station and 7 USD from Rangoon to Naypyidaw. Go figure. 

The bus station wasn’t anything like I have ever seen before. It reminded more of a full of activity village or even small town. JJ Express was not the only operator. There were dozens upon dozens other bus companies, all of which had a small office and waiting area. Hundreds of buses (many manufactured by Scandia), mini buses, vans, and taxis bringing people to the station.  There was hardly any room to move let alone maneuver. A full-size couch required the help of 3 people on foot guiding it out of the station. Then there were vendors, both stalls and mobile selling food, drinks, and souvenirs. Visiting the bus station was quite an experience in itself. 

My bus leaving after dropping me off

We took good 50 minutes to leave the station and Rangoon. But once we were out a four-lane highway, entirely empty, appeared from nowhere. The rest of the journey was a piece of cake.  Once in Naypyidaw, I was conveniently let off the bus right on the doorsteps of my hotel (not that I could see one)

Letting off people at their destination is otherwise a common practice in Burma providing your destination is on the bus’s route (this is not a taxi service). If you are a visitor to Naypyidaw your destination is definitely on the route as all the hotels are nicely lined up on hotel street, which is en route to the bus station. 

Entrance to my hotel

Hotel Street? Yes, Naypyidaw is a very organized and orderly town. There is a place (literally) for everything but distances between the places are huge. Hotel Street is at least 10 kilometers long. All hotels are spread out along that street so if you’re planning to have a drink with your next door neighbor you’d need to take a taxi.

My hotel was not visible from the road (few are) and I got bit worried ‘What is this, did the bus just leave me in the middle of the road?” but a second later security came (they must have seen the bus stop) and led me to a small road where the entrance to the property was. From there the buggy picked me up and drove me to the reception. 

Hotel, only villas, and bungalows

Most hotels occupy huge areas and offer bungalow/villa type of accommodation. They remind more of beautifully manicured residential areas in upscale small towns than hotels. They are not easily walkable. Not in the heat. It can take 15 minutes or more to walk to the restaurant for breakfast. Here come the buggies to the rescue. I was in fact offered a place on the outskirts of my resort but refused to accept it. Not only would I be always depended on buggies but I would also be there all by myself. Alone. There were no other guests in that part of the resort.

All those lovely hotels on the hotel street, so meticulously taken care of, are practically empty. The few visitors that come to town are business people from Rangoon.  Once you check in you’re entirely depended on whatever hotel has to offer. Your only other option is the taxi to … yes, to where? Maybe a mall. There are two malls on the hotel street – hmm,  next to each other.  One of them was just opposite my hotel. But I knew beforehand which hotel to book even though I didn’t know at the time how important it was to have a mall just across the road :).  

I was the only Westerner in the hotel and as a matter of fact in the whole town – and while we are on the subject, even on the bus, and on the bus station, and the lunch stop where some 500 travelers were lunching.

Flowers, flowers, flowers

Naypyidaw is a ghost city. But it is not a buu buu ghost. Whatever ghost it is I kind of like him (or is it her?). Empty. No people. No traffic. On the other hand, the streets are wide, well lit, clean, paved, decorated with lovely plants and trees on either side – just made for an evening stroll. There is a minor problem though … there is nowhere to go. Every destination is too distant and there is nothing to see on the way. Nothing, no houses, no shops, no restaurants, no other pedestrians, not even stray dogs (that I could see)  – just a road and sidewalk.

My wheels in NPT came with a driver and a helmet

Wheels of some sort, preferably motorized, are essential. Biking is possible but it can take two hours or more,  depending on where you are on the hotel street, to bike to (e.g.) the Uppatasanti Pagoda and then 2 hours back. Add to the equation temperature of 45 C. No coffee shops or water pumps on the way. Do you really like to do that?

Otherwise riding the streets of Naypyidaw is absolutely magical. No words can describe it, just imagine 11 or 14 lane street and not a single car. I just loved it and could do it (and did) for hours. A taste of Freedom. 

Other than riding empty streets there isn’t so very much to do or see in Naypyidaw except for their two (in)famous landmarks. The two must-sees are Myanmar’s parliament building and Uppatasanti Pagoda which is a replica of Rangoon’s Shwedagon Pagoda. As everything else in town also these two monumental structures are built on never-ending, super (over)sized land lots. It wouldn’t surprise me if it took an hour or more to just drive around the parliament building.

Traditional market in NPT

There is also a more traditional market right next to the bus station. But even the market that is supposed to be the most authentic thing in Naypyidaw was (not that I minded) too clean for Asian standards and too orderly to be authentically authentic – and so were the stalls at the Pagoda.

There may be a fourth thing worth visiting, which I unfortunately missed (next time?) but from the outside looked promising and that is a fountain park. This is pretty much it.

There were people on the market – nowhere near the numbers in other towns, and there were also people in Junction Mall. There were few people in the Pagoda.  But those were the only people I encountered in NPT.

Empty floors of Uppatasanti Pagoda

I still remember the crowds in Shwedagon Pagoda and how difficult it was to shoot it. People everywhere. Empty, never-ending floors of Uppatasanti Pagoda felt like ‘gift from heaven’ at first … until I realized how nice it could be to have someone there … for reference.

It is customary to dress moderately when visiting pagodas or other places of worship. Knee-long skirt, covered shoulders, and bare feet is the common practice. So, I put on my Pagoda best when visiting Uppatasanti Pagoda (even though it is only a copy) but my attire was not good enough for NPT fashion police who made me wear longyi (traditional long skirt worn by men and women). When asked why they replied, “This is Naypyidaw”. That sorts things out, doesn’t it? NPT is a town above other towns. (I used to get the same reply when I lived in Cannes. Each time I questioned something the reply always was the same – C’est Cannes – silly me for asking) 

No matter how freeing and exciting the ride on an empty multiple lane road is, no matter how unusual seeing the horizon in the middle of town is, no matter how fascinating a 360-degree view is,  the general feeling is that perhaps N.P.T. is not the paradise it meant to be.  Perhaps there is a ghost in the closet somewhere – after all.  

I was in town “just to have fun”, yet I could sense the stricter rules and regulations that applied here. It felt as the town was more controlled. Security? police? blue booths were on almost every corner.  The people were more polite, less confident and more reserved.  Myanmar’s way to democracy began only a few days ago. Before, the gathering of over five people was banned by junta due to fears of an uprising.  Perhaps the idea behind building this town the way it is build was to keep people apart.  Perhaps 360-degree views were needed to make people watch easier to assure security for military and government officials.  Today N.P.T. is not only a ghost town, but it is the most secure and safe capital town in the world that appears to have everything but smiling faces. But for me, distant, ignorant tourist not involved in the country’s present history, NPT is a marvel of the world. 

Streets of Naypyidaw

Note: all these shots were taken from a moving motorbike. Hence the quality is as it is.  

Uppatasanti Pagoda