April 2016 in Yangon, Myanmar
Almost 35 years ago I visited Koh Samui, a small island in the South Chinese Sea no one had ever heard of. Not many people heard of South Chinese Sea either. The island, former military zone, just opened to tourism and I (along with my kids) had the privilege of being one of the first civilians to visit the island. Our resort was just built, and we were its first guests, first ones to move into brand new bungalows and first ones to sleep in newly carpentered beds, first breakfast guests and so on and on. One could say – we inaugurated the resort. We were the only guests during the first 8 days of our 10-day stay and except for few odd Australian backpackers living in the shacks on the beach also the only visitors to the island.
Many trips followed, and I would most probably forget Koh Samui if not for its growing popularity. I was hearing its name repeatedly as more and more people were visiting the island but didn’t think much of it until a friend of mine bought a property there. It all came rushing back at me then – hey, wait a minute, did you know … I was the first one, long before the property boom, tourist boom and all other booms .. and even long, long before the airport. The airport? There was none. I know it is shocking to all people visiting Koh Samui today but there was no airport then and it took us some 20 hours to get there from Bangkok, first by train and then boat.
It was also then, perhaps 8 years ago, that the pioneering aspect of that trip crossed my mind. How cool was that? Pretty cool, I was about to realize. I felt a sense of pride to have been a part of an experience that only a few people in the world have experienced. I have understood how special it was to have walked a path no one else had walked before or have slept in a bed no one else had slept. I cherished the exploration aspect of the trip and the memory of a place only I and few others knew. I have also realized how much I would love to experience that once again.
Burma, or rather Myanmar, had been closed to the outside world for decades and only in 2012 opened its door for tourists. For this reason alone the country was on the top of my priority list of ‘must sees’ or rather ‘must experiences’. Even though I can no longer be ‘the first one’ there is still some pioneering feeling involved that I am only too happy to experience. Of all the countries on my Asian itinerary, Burma was the one I was most interested in and curious about, the country I was looking forward to visiting the most. And, I must admit, my expectations were high. For not only was I hoping for adventure but also for discovery and exploration of something new, unknown and unexpected. I wanted to be surprised and see/do something I have never seen or done before.
Myanmar is seldom mentioned in the news. But on the day of my arrival, Myanmar made the news. What are the odds of that? The world press reported the country has sworn in its first elected civilian president on that day – so there is an element of ‘the first’ after all. I was one of the first to arrive in a new country that on the day of my arrival began its journey towards democracy.
Luggage allowance for Nok Air passengers to Yangon is 30 kg.
Before I even landed in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), after a short flight from Bangkok, I sensed something very different – almost mystique. There were hardly any city lights. It was only 8 p.m. yet the entire city was.. perhaps not quite dark .. but dimmed. And so was the airport. Very dimmed. Too dimmed for my comfort. Almost spooky. I questioned nothing but quickly ordered the more expensive airport taxi as discussing price with taxi drivers in the dark in the city I’d never been to didn’t seem like a smart option. (I found out later Burma is the safest country in Asia)
Shwedagon pagoda as seen from my hotel window
The most amazing sunrise woke me up the next morning. What a surprise. And then another. I looked out the window… and there it was.. in all its morning glory … the pride of Myanmar — Shwedagon Pagoda a.k.a. the golden pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in the country.
Yangon (Rangoon) with its 5 million inhabitants is the largest city in Burma. It used to be Burma’s capital, but that changed some 10 years ago when the military regime, for no apparent reason, moved it to Naypyidaw – a secretly build place no one had ever heard of before.
The first thing visitors to Yangon notice is the lack of scooters that are so popular everywhere else in Asia. The military didn’t like noisy honking scooters and forbade them. They were not posh enough. Instead, Yangon is jammed with more posh cars. Traffic in the city is killing due to the lack of roads that can accommodate all those cars. It can take up to 2.5 hours to get to the airport which is only 10-15 kilometers away depending on where your hotel is.
One of Rangoon’s avid readers
It isn’t only the lack of scooters that differ Myanmar from other Asian nations but also its people. There is something very different about ethnic Burmese and that ‘something’ one senses right away. Softly spoken, polite and kind almost to an extreme. They give an impression of being well educated and education is something everyone seems to urge for. I have never seen so many people … reading. There are people engaged in reading everywhere, from a market vendor to a scholar. It is visible how much they seem to appreciate the written word. They seem to be hungry for knowledge and education at large. Very intriguing, it feels like they had something to say and I … for a change … would like to listen.
People love napping and take every opportunity they have to do just that. Everyone appreciates a little siesta in the middle of a hot day. Nothing wrong with that. Ask Spanish. What I find different and even strange though is that they ‘make their bed’ just about everywhere, e.g. on bare pavement. Many people take a couple of hours off, pack a picnic and go to pagodas where they lunch and nap lying on the floor or wooden benches. Not sure how to tackle nappers lying all over the place I felt uncomfortable visiting pagodas, during the napping time.
Yet another phenomenon that differs Burma not only from other Asian countries but also entire world is a number of people in love. Royal Park is a magnet for lovers.
Burmese men and their longyis
Almost everyone, both men, and women wear so-called longyi. Men’s longyi is a cylindrically sewn cloth folded in some mysterious way around the waist to hold it in place. The fabric is wide and requires double folding which must be rather warm in 45 C heat. It doesn’t look like men were comfortable wearing it for they are constantly fiddling with the fabric folding, unfolding, and folding up to miniskirt length to cool off. Women’s longyi is a wrap-up skirt which is cooler and more comfortable. Western clothes are only worn by the younger generation – mostly guys, many of which have also dyed hair – yellow.
Not only young men dye their hair
But the thing that baffles me most and even makes me laugh is the local’s obsession with American dollars. They want them in mint condition, right from the printers, so visitors keep their money not in wallets but in cardboard folders. As soon as you hand a dollar bill in the shop it is being inspected by at least 5 people looking for creases and imperfections. If they find something they think may not be perfect enough, they will not accept the bill. It happened to me twice. So I showed them their own bills and complained how filthy and imperfect they are. Each time they seemed to understand my point, scratched their heads for a while and then accepted my dollar bill. (Note: the government is trying to discourage the usage of US dollars and some stores no longer accept them)
Burmese delicatessies in a fancy supermarket. Sport the difference.
So far Burmese food didn’t make much impression on me. Yangon is a filthy town so street food, not that it was any more impressive, was out of the question for me, therefore, I explored deli counters in supermarkets. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything there either. No stimulation at all whether it is my palate or visual curiosity. Not only everything looked ‘leave me alone’ but also it looked very much the same. Small pieces of something dark brown. I couldn’t tell one thing from another.
Most of the tropical towns wake up at night. Not Yangon though. The town shuts down already at sunset. By 8 all food stalls and markets are almost deserted except for Chinatown that stays ‘open’ about an hour longer.
No nightlife? Well, there is – some. I’ve been to two rooftop bars in the city. The upscale Bistro Bar on the 20th floor in Sakura Tower and more ‘traditional one’ – Vista bar. The latter is popular with expats and has amazing views over the pagoda. I can recommend both of them.
Taking a stroll after dark is not advisable. No, no – you won’t get robbed. The place is safe, the safest in Asia due to very harsh punishment for committing a crime. The problem is the lack of pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. Even during the day, you need to watch every single step you take so you won’t fall into a hole or a drain. At night, in the dark, things get seriously dangerous so even locals avoid sidewalks and walk in the street. There are lamp posts but they are few and, like everything else, very dim. Not much help at all.
Then there is also a question of stray and semi-stray dogs. They sleep during the day, which is also hazardous as they melt into surroundings and can be trampled on, and active at night. They appear to be friendly or rather uninterested and I never heard them bark, still, I always felt very uneasy running into them, especially the scruffy ones, as they are rather big and look pretty intimidating.
If you need to move from A to B after dark – take a taxi and a flashlight so you can follow payment transaction, otherwise, the only light source that can help you count your money is taxi’s head light.
Abandoned former beauty is today a sanctuary for doves
Yangon isn’t a pretty town. Five million people, traffic that stands still, unwalkable streets, filth, poverty, heat. There are still few most beautiful and unique colonial buildings in the center but they are all run down beyond recognition or abandoned. There are plans. I hear, to bring back some of those fantastic buildings to its former glory.
Pagoda, center of Rangoon
Yangon is also a town of most remarkable landmarks. The jewel of the city center, right in the middle of a roundabout (coolest roundabout in the world?), you’ll find Sule Pagoda. A couple of kilometers North there is an amazing royal palace build in a shape of a ship and one of the most beautiful parks in the world. You can walk around the park on a wooden bridge. Quite an experience as the bridge is shaky and not all the boards are safe to walk on. And then there is the one and only Shwedagon Pagoda. All of those landmarks are ‘must sees’.
Everything, and I mean, absolutely everything can be mended and repaired in Yangon whether it is a thorn into bits backpack or a transistor radio from the fifties. Not only can they repair it for you but they also have spare parts for it. (I must admit I feel bad tossing away things I tossed away – they would have made best spare parts in Rangoon, especially the ones from this century, not to mention the ones from this year.)
So should you ever need a spare part you know now where to find it.
The People of Yangon
The City
The Royal Palace and Park
The Shwedagon Pagoda
