Meng's Travels: Yangon

Earlier this year I was on a family visit to Singapore. I had planned on a 3-4 week trip to Myanmar, then Yunnan, China. Unfortunately, my two older brothers got very sick and one of them ended up passing away. I managed to take an abbreviated trip to Yangon, Myanmar. If the name doesn't sound familiar to you, a few years ago I'd have said "Rangoon, Burma." Until 2011, Myanmar was a closed country. The last few years have seen an influx of foreign tourists and businesses. Like other countries in Southeast Asia, it's still very poor but a fascinating place to visit. You can click on this link to learn more about Burma.

Yangon was the capital of Myanmar until in 2005, until the military junta built a new city called Naypyidaw and moved the capital there. However, Yangon is still the commercial capital of the country. You still see old government buildings, with their British architecture, in downtown Yangon. Towering above everything else is the Shwedagon Paya, a temple complex that is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world. The main or central stupa is covered with 27 metric tons of gold leaf. Worshippers prayed at different temples or sacred statues scattered around the complex. I guess each different prayer sites serve a different purpose.

One of the many worship sites in the complex

A walking plaza around the central Stupa

The main Stupa

As you'd expect of a poor country, the infrastructure is very undeveloped. There are many residents who live on the outskirts of Yangon and they commute around the city by taking the Yangon Circle Line. This train starts from downtown Yangon and take a circuitous route around the city. A ride on this train is highly recommended by tour books. It takes about 3 hours to go full circle but you get a good glimpse of the daily lives of the locals. Here are a couple of pictures that I took on and off the train.

Vendors selling food on the train

Vendors at one of the train stop

One of the train stations

I stayed at a hotel in downtown Yangon, in an area called Chinatown. I was not aware that there are so many Chinese in Yangon but when I walked around, I noticed that many businesses and restaurants are owned by the Chinese. One of the popular places to eat among the locals and tourists is 19th St, where there are many food stands selling fruits and BBQ. It's only a couple of blocks from my hotel and I enjoyed going there at night to eat dinner. During the day, I walked around the downtown area and was fascinated by the number of people trying to make a living selling everything from noodles, fruits, books, phones, etc. It's a microcosm of life in a developing country - the struggle to make ends meet.

Traffic Jam in downtown

Remnants of British Colonialism

Ferry Across to Dalat

Betel Nut Vendor

Betel nut is chewed by many people in different Asian countries. This is almost like chewing tobacco or gum in western countries. To read more about this go to this link: Betel Nut