Weaving our way through the busy streets of Yangon’s Chinatown, we finally felt our sense of arrival in South East Asia. 5 days earlier, Jon and I had flown from Newfoundland to spend 3 days with Steph in Vancouver, who would not be travelling with me for the first time since 2014. Steph will be embarking on a year-long trip in May and, hopefully, we will be joining her somewhere in the world next winter. We spent the majority of our time brewery hopping, but also saw a Canucks game and went thrift shopping in search of a pair of zip-off pants for Jon so he did not need to drag his jeans around Asia. We were shockingly successful (this would never happen in Newfoundland) and found a pair that looked as though they had never been worn in his size for $17. God I love Vancouver.
We then flew to Bangkok for a 48-hour layover. While our sense of arrival should have been felt in Bangkok, landing after 22 hours of flying and adjusting to the crowds, humidity plus navigating the public transport systems of trains/metro/river-boats, made our time spent walking through the temple sites of Wat Arun and Wat Pho seem like a total blur. After two nights spent sleeping on one of the hardest mattresses I had ever encountered (I will not be recommending that hotel), we happily escaped Bangkok for the airport to catch our flight to Myanmar.
The Myanmar that welcomed us was a far cry from the country Steph had visited years earlier where ATMs were scarce and sim cards were unheard of. Back then, a sim card cost 1,500,000 kyats, (At the time of this post, 1100 Kyats = $1 Canadian Dollar) to prevent the majority of the population from having access to information not curated and carefully censored by the government. Today a sim costs 1000 kyats plus another 1000 per GB of data. After getting money and sim cards sorted we took a 1-hour cab ride downtown. (details about cab rates can be found at the bottom of this post)
Although our hotel in Chinatown (Hotel Bond) was lovely, we set out immediately for the 45-minute walk to the Shwedagon Pagoda. The pagoda, also known as the Great Dragon Pagoda, is a 326-foot-tall golden stupa to the west of Kandawgyi Lake. It is believed that the pagoda was built by the Mon people and the legend is that it was constructed more than 2,600 years ago, which would make it the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world.
This hour of the day was no different than any other for our corner of the city and the narrow sidewalks of Chinatown were buzzing with life. Men crouched over large pans of mini-eggs frying in crackling oil and old ladies tended to cramped cages of chirping birds. We passed the restaurant supply area with silver pots spilling into the streets and then moved onto the tailor street with young girls on the sidewalk pumping sewing machines rhythmically with their feet. We saw only one or two other foreigners on and the local vendors and shoppers, whose faces were smeared with
When we reached our first intersection we waited to see at what exact moment the locals would dash into the never-ending stream of traffic to get to the other side. We soon learned that it was not always best to trust the judgement of the locals after watching a number of brave souls launching into the traffic and TOO narrowly being missed. The sidewalks offered their own hazards with crumbling concrete and the blood red smears of freshly chewed and spit out betel nut that made the ground (and the side of cars) resemble the early stages of a Jackson Pollock painting. Boy, can the Burmese get some distance when they spit. Not everyone spits out their window or onto the street. Some people carry it around in an empty water bottle which fills at an alarming, and off-putting, rate.
Once we had emerged from Chinatown, the crowds thinned and we eventually arrived at the grand entrance of the pagoda. Unfortunately, the large golden stupa at the centre was covered in scaffold, something we would see often in Myanmar, but the other gold and glass covered stupas and statues set atop the cool white marble floor made the site beautiful regardless. We walked around the site three times before finally feeling ready to depart and visited a nice, but far less impressive temple across the street.
We attempted to catch a ride with Grab to our next destination, but could not coordinate with the driver on the pick-up location. This would happen a few times in Yangon, so we mostly just asked local taxi drivers to match the Grab fare if they originally quoted higher. We would later discover that, unlike many other cities around the world, most Grab and Uber drivers are driving around in actual taxis so the fares usually were quoted as the same or sometimes lower and not as much animosity existed between cab drivers and app drivers than other countries.
Our next destination was the Sule Pagoda which was much smaller but not as expensive than the previous site. The golden architecture contrasting with the deep blue of the 6 o’clock sky made it a worthwhile stop. Someone did try to scam us by starting up an innocent conversation that led to him showing us pictures on his phone of a charity he runs, pointing out a woman in a photo who gave hime lots of money!! (his phone had a photo album that perfectly illustrated the story he was telling). Once he was done showing us the photos, he opened a book to show a pile of fresh bills from various currencies ($50 Canadian, $20 US, $50 Euros) that had been given to him by kind people who believed in good karma. He asked if we believed in Karma. We told him we did but had no money to give him and he eventually gave up.
We returned to Chinatown on foot and spotted a western couple sipping on beer and eating noodles outside a guest house near our hotel. Hungry, we approached the restaurant to request a seat but were refused. “No foreigners!” they said. We understood that some hotels in Myanmar are for Burmese only, and perhaps this was one, but that did not explain the Finnish couple sitting outside. A group of local men enjoying a pint intervened and managed to negotiate a beer for us. When we asked how the couple had ordered the food they said they hadn’t. Someone had just brought it out to them without them ordering anything. The owner eventually showed up and proudly asked if they were enjoying the food and asked if we would like some. We eagerly said yes and he left. He never came back. Too hungry to wait around, we squared up for the beers which cost about 850 kyats for both steins (that about 73 cents Canadian!!). The only other restaurant around was a KFC knock off down the street. We were not proud of ourselves eating our chicken burgers with fries on night one in Myanmar, but at least we were no longer starving.
On day two of our visit to Yangon, we walked to the central train station to ride the circle line. This train ride takes approximately 3 hours and is a great way to see life around the outskirts of the city plus people watch on the train. We arrived at the station and were informed that the Circle Line was closed due to maintenance on part of the track, but we could ride in one direction for an hour and then turn back. With nothing else to do, we purchased our tickets for 200 kyats each (per direction) just as the train pulled into the station. The train was indeed fun for people watching, especially the vendors selling tea, fruits and flip-flops. We even found ourselves sitting across from a man who had six toes on both of his feet!
After 2 hours on the train, we made our way to Kandawgyi Lake, however, desperation for the bathroom led to a stop at Yangon Zoological Gardens. For 3000 kyats we were willing to pay for a bathroom. The zoo is over 100 years old and could certainly use some TLC with a number of depressed looking animals, but since we had paid the entrance fee, we took an hour to walk around. It reminded me a little of the zoo Steph and I had visited in Trivandrum, India that had inspired the zoo in The Life of Pie. After the zoo, we crossed the street to visit the lake, which was a great escape from the city streets with boardwalks over the water, kids playing ball and many couples holding hands.
Our day in Yangon ended with a visit to a speakeasy called the Blind Tiger recommended by Lonely Planet. The Blind Tiger is located on a side street with no name on the door, just a sign of a tiger cub with an eyepatch. We didn’t even have a chance to reach for the door when someone inside slid it open for us. Inside was a swanky bar with some equally swanky cocktails. We had missed Happy Hour, but I was delighted to find out it was ladies night and received two cocktails for free. After a few gin and tonics, a dark and stormy and a passion fruit mojito, we were feeling pretty good. The bartenders had great showmanship with their drink making skills and even lit things on fire. They also took a lot of time to converse with us, teaching us some Burmese words and giving us tips for our trip. All in all, it was the perfect way to end the start of our trip through Myanmar.
Travel Tips:
Airport: We figured we needed proof of exiting the country to get in, but we were never asked for this and most people we met did not have flights booked out yet. Many people are still getting in and out of the country via
Sim Card Purchasing: we used Ooredoo and had great coverage everywhere except for our treks, which is to be expected. There are 3 or 4 cell phone providers at the airport.
ATM withdrawal fee: The withdrawal fee is 6,500 kyat The max withdrawal is 300,000 (once again 11,000 kyats = $1 Canadian, 15,300 kyats= $1 US dollar)
Getting into the city: Taxi drivers will come straight up to you, but it is always best to go to the official taxi stand outside. You can negotiate the price. Lonely Planet says pay no more than 8000 kyats. We could not get them lower than 10,000. Using Grab may help you negotiate.
The Shwedagon Pagoda: The first people you encounter at the Pagoda are collecting money for shoe check, this is not necessary. You can carry them with you. Proceed up to the top of the stairs where you will pay 10,000 kyats and receive a round sticker. Men should wear a sarong if they have shorts on. Women should avoid tank tops and shorts or skirts that do not cover the knees.
Hotel Bond: We really loved this hotel located in Chinatown. The room was quiet, the nternet was good and the beds were really comfortable. We had a shared bathroom, but never saw anyone else using it and we were provided with robes which made darting out to the bathroom hassle free. Great hot shower and good breakfast. They did offer to arrange a taxi to the bus station for us, but this fell through, which was good since we were quoted 10,000 kyats for a ride that ended up being 8,500 by picking up a taxi on the street.
Blind Tiger: The drinks are not cheap here (9000 kyats for a cocktail), but if you go for Happy Hour they are half off. Ladies night was on Thursday, but that could change.
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