Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)

Yangon is a lively steamy city.  Tons of people going every which way. People selling stuff everywhere. Concept of space is very different where taxi’s seemingly contort themselves to wedge between cars and pedestrians. It’s pretty risky being a pedestrian. We cross the street following locals but even still it’s not safer in numbers.

We got to Yangon Int’l airport in the hot afternoon Nov 12 from Ngapali beach/Thadwe airport. Took a taxi to May Shan hotel.  Crazy action there – seemed a hub for pedestrian activity and vendors. Fish out of water…clearly we are more Bagan and Ngapali people!  And similar to Bangkok, we had a hard time finding a place to eat that wasn’t either extremely expensive high end or dodgy-looking street food.  :/

Yesterday, in between using the fast internet at the hotel  -- we were in internet withdrawals after none for 2 days and needed to check into classes and do other work – we took off on a walking and taxi tour.  We started out heading the market (which turned out to be a disappointing ‘mall’ situation.  We continued to an open-air market and were totally blown away by the number of people occupying space. Vendors sitting and selling their produce, spices, meats; pedestrians walking and buying stuff (at different speeds); trucks wedging their way in/through the crowd.  The smell was pretty pungent.  People handling meat and foods in the hot morning. Loads of chatter and honking. I needed another set of eyes to take everything in. 

We got a taxi for 1000 khat (~$1) to the ____ pagoda on the north end. Beautiful, amazing, SHINY.

Taxi’d over to this swank hotel next to the river (although you couldn’t view it due to the walls/construction).  Had a lovely beer with peanuts in the air conditioning. Walked over to Monsoon restaurant and were disappointed with the loads of tour groups they were catering too.  After a beer and spring rolls (my main staple), we were ‘outta there’ and on a great samosa caper. Stopped at a couple vendors, bought a couple bottles of Myanmar rum to take back home with us, bought a cold big bottle of beer from the hotel and went up to the A/C room to escape the mid-afternoon heat.

Yangon in an interesting place. I’ll give it that!

What a lively city. Loads of people going every direction at once. Amazing concept of space - I'm constantly amazed how taxis can fit in the spaces they do.