Friday 14th October
I left very humid KL at lunchtime, taking the bus to the LCC Terminal. The flight was uneventful, and after putting my clock back 1.5 hours, we arrived in Yangon, Myanmar at about 7pm local time. The airport is modern and as we came down into the arrivals area there were locals looking through the glass smiling and waving at the people they were there to meet.
The immigration people take everyone's mugshot, and probably shaving my head just days after handing in a passport-sized photo of myself with hair, to go on the visa that they put in my passport, wasn't the best idea; but they stamped me in.
Outside there was a rep from one of the hostels listed in the LP; he was there to pick up three French people so I jumped in the taxi with them, with my bag on my lap and sticking out of the window. The roads were not too bad and somehow the taxi kept going despite its age; the pollution made me cough a bit. We passed a very bright shopping centre, but then closer to town the main roads were not lit.
The Burmese staff at the Mother Land Inn 2 hostel made us feel very welcome; their English is very good (they study English at school) and they are polite and smiley and helpful, much more so than in most of the places I have stayed in the last few months. The hostel is clean and comfortable.
On the other hand....the hostel does feel a bit like a boarding school, although that might be just because I have opted for the dorm room, which at the moment only has one other occupant. I get a bit put off when a hostel/hotel is full of western guests and no locals, like here. There are a few reasons for this:
1. it is probably more expensive than where the locals stay (albeit cleaner?),
2. the owners here are probably relatively well-off compared to the owners of a place where the locals stay and so don't need my tourist dollars as much,
3. I don't like the idea that it is assumed I need some things laid on for me, e.g. breakfast, western food, bus tickets; I can do these things myself around town and when I do I will interact with more local people. But, hey, the veggie noodles I got in the hostel's restaurant next door were good!
Later............it seems tourists are only allowed to stay in such hostels, foreigners are not allowed to stay in 'local' guesthouses?
There are no ATMs in Myanmar so you have to bring with you however much cash you think you will need and exchange it for Burmese Kyat on the street, or at a Guest House, although accommodation and some tourist sights are normally paid for in dollars anyway. You can only change dollars (and maybe Euros) and the locals will only accept dollars in pristine condition. Well, I have heard enough stories of people getting ripped off on the street (even though they offer a better rate than the Guest Houses) so I just changed US$100 here at the Guest House.
Saturday 15th OCtober
The included breakfast of toast, two frieds eggs, jam, a banana and coffee was appreciated. At 8am I headed out to explore Yangon. The area around the hostel is pretty run-down but there are a few tea shops and then trishaws as you get towards the main road. Most of the men wear longyi instead of trousers, and many of the women wear a sunscreen on their cheeks that looks like paint.
On the way in to town I saw a couple of groups of monks in single files collecting their morning alms. I have seen this in other countries but in more serene surroundings than in the suburbs of Yangon.
I found an efficient internet cafe then dropped into a tea shop for samosa and tea. These places are popular with the men where they catch up on the gossip and maybe do business. The friendly manager replaced my third samosa as soon as he saw it was a bit burnt. In the city there are shops selling plasma screen TVs while ancient buses stop outside to pick up passengers.
The centre of the city is considered to be Sule Paya, a 151ft golden temple with its origins dating back 2000 years. As I got close there was a cloudburst so I took shelter for a while in a large telephone kiosk with 5 locals. Then I ran across the main roundabout to the temple. I left my shoes at the bottom of the steps and paid the $2 foreigners charge. As I walked around, the main stupa was shining against the blue skies behind. On the inside were various different rooms; some rooms had Buddhism classes running, some had Buddhist statues and another a series of simple paintings describing Buddha's life, in the same way as at the statue in Singapore.
Some people were praying, but many were just hanging out, relaxing and chatting, perhaps in the same way that we might go to a bar or a cafe on a Saturday afternoon. Two University students came up to talk to me and we chatted for quite a while. They told me that monks are not allowed to go to University, not since the Monk protests of 2007.
There was another cloudburst just as I was on a covered pedestrians-bridge across a busy road. There are people selling stuff on the bridge and While waiting for the rain to stop a guy kept trying to sell me a large pair of pliers! What did he think I would want them for?
I followed the LPs guided walk, past some colonial buildings. I liked walking down the side streets off the main roads; there are shops below and above them are apartments painted in various pastel colours; I think they were built in the 1950's. There were locals stood out on their balconies and washing hanging out.
I went to look at the Yangon River and a couple of nice kids bothered me to buy postcards from them and to buy them biscuits. During our chat, the girl said she didn't go to school because her Mama can't afford it, and that she was hungry. Well, her English seemed far too good for an 11-year old who has not been to school, and she looked well-nourished. Anyway, I tried to persuade them that fruit would be better for them than biscuits but they were having none of that! So they got their biscuits to share and I then agreed to buy some postcards if they could show me where to buy stamps - the post office was across the road.
I had Indian for lunch, sitting opposite two Banglesdeshi Merchant Navy guys. They speak Bengali at home, the same as the people in West Bengal. After, I went to the Trader's hotel to watch the RWC Semi-final between France and Wales. It was posh in there compared with outside and there were about 60 expats. I chatted to an English guy who works for Medicine Sans Frontiers; he runs 4 HIV/AIDS clinics in Yangon. Meanwhile, the game was pretty tense and I was disappointed to find that the one coke I had cost $3 whereas beer was only $1.50, but I am tee-totalled at the moment so that's it.
I went to look for the offices of the local Times newspaper, which is the least-censored English-language paper in Myanmar, and owned by an Aussie who has just been released from prison; such is the Government in Myanmar. Opposite the offices I found lovely St Mary's cathedral. It is a large modern red and white brick building and is similar inside using many other colours. There was a service on so I just loitered at the back for a while but I might go and have a better look another time; instead I wandered around the outside and then sat on a step and read Dracula as it seemed a safe place to do so with all the crucifixes around!
Most of the streets that run at 90 degrees to the main streets are numbered like in America. So in 35th street I found a 'Beer Station' where they were showing Liverpool v Man United. I had Japanese Tofu with veggies and rice and it was really good, lots of garlic and ginger. The atmosphere in there was ok and the locals got more interested towards the end.
It rained 3 times today, each time for about 10 minutes, then it stops and the sun comes back out. No problem. I got back to the hostel around 8:30pm so it has been a very long but enjoyable first day in Myanmar. I feel like I have seen so much already just from wandering around.
Sunday 16th October
We were all a bit pushed for time this morning so 3 British girls, Irish Bob and me got a taxi into town. We got dropped off at the train station and Irish Bob and I walked up to Kandawgyi Lake, where we had to pay $2 to go in. On the other side of this natural lake is a big concrete gold-coloured fake royal barge. Bob and I walked around the lake on the raised wooden walkway, swapping travel stories as we went; Bob is a fair bit older than me and had some entertaining stories to tell. We took shelter from the quick downpour then headed out to the road and while waiting for a taxi a car zipped through a puddle and splashed the pair of us. We got the cheap old bus back into town; it was like being in a tin can.
After lunch we headed to the Trader's hotel and got there in time for the start of the NZ v Australia game; the Haka was amazing, the way that the guy's voice echoed around the stadium and even the Aussies in the room were applauding it. Not really a surprise that the Kiwis won. I had 2 beers, my first in months. We sat there after the game watching football highlights and chatting to other visitors.
Bob and I walked to Chinatown for dinner and sat at a table with 3 local guys and chatted to them for a bit. On the way back to the hostel we stuck our heads into a few tea shops to check on the football scores. Good chat back at the hostel.
Monday 17th October
Blue skies today. I went for a walk into town, and checked out some of the hostels in the centre for when I come back to Yangon in a couple of weeks. This hostel is ok but a bit expensive and bit far from the centre.
Mid-afternoon I walked to the north of the city and to Yangon's main attraction, Shwedagon Paya. This is a Buddhist temple/shrine complex which is probably the most spectacular and the most important to the people of Myanmar. Approaching from the south I could see the top of the main golden stupa.
I took off my shoes on the bottom step and headed up the wide, covered staircase towards the entrance. Even though there are souvenir stalls on both sides the decoration and the paintings still make it a pleasant walk and there is some anticpation building as you approach the actual entrance. I tried to ignore the cashier because the entrance fee of $5 goes to the Government, but they saw me and I had to pay up.
A few more steps and then I was in front of the first colourful shrine, Konagamana; there were Buddha statues and pilgrims inside. I looked to my left and to my right and saw smaller golden shrines on either side and stupas behind - it all made me think of a forest of golden shrines. I took a few steps to the left and looked up and there was the main stupa; the stepped bottom half of the stupa is gold-leafed and the upturned-bell-shaped top half is gold-plated. Also there are huge precious stones decorating the very top. The stupa was relecting the sun and was so bright against the blue sky. Definitely a wow moment and I was stood shaking my head while I stood and stared up at it.
I carried on walking round and it felt like being in a Buddha theme-park, in a good way. Many different shapes and sizes of shrines and stupas and Buddha statues. It was fairly busy but the atmosphere was good; the locals are so friendly and clam that it is nice to walk around with them.
Sometimes at sunset the sun shines through the diamond on top of the main stupa and casts colours around the complex, but not today. But the complex is nicely lit up after dark and I started to walk around again, seeing it in a different light. Monks and locals lit candles and continued to walk around or pray. I almost felt left out while the locals were praying so I headed for the exit and left them to it.
Internet access at the cafes was slow today. It seems sometimes the government likes to slow it down. At the last cafe the guy said 'it is slow today', I asked 'Why?' and he just smiled. I said 'Secret?', and he smiled again, nodded and said 'Yes'.
There is no hassle on the streets in Yangon, nobody trying to get me to buy stuff; this is probably because there are fewer tourists about. But I did try for the first time to change $100 on the street, obviously being wary of getting ripped off. Well, the money changer offered a good rate and so I counted out the 85 individual 1000 kyat notes and that was ok. But when I showed him my $100 note which looked pristime to me, he said 'no good' and offered me a lower rate so I walked off. Maybe he was being cheeky but he didn't call after me when I walked off so maybe even my 'pristine' note really wasn't good enough for; everyone has told me they are very picky......
I left very humid KL at lunchtime, taking the bus to the LCC Terminal. The flight was uneventful, and after putting my clock back 1.5 hours, we arrived in Yangon, Myanmar at about 7pm local time. The airport is modern and as we came down into the arrivals area there were locals looking through the glass smiling and waving at the people they were there to meet.
The immigration people take everyone's mugshot, and probably shaving my head just days after handing in a passport-sized photo of myself with hair, to go on the visa that they put in my passport, wasn't the best idea; but they stamped me in.
Outside there was a rep from one of the hostels listed in the LP; he was there to pick up three French people so I jumped in the taxi with them, with my bag on my lap and sticking out of the window. The roads were not too bad and somehow the taxi kept going despite its age; the pollution made me cough a bit. We passed a very bright shopping centre, but then closer to town the main roads were not lit.
The Burmese staff at the Mother Land Inn 2 hostel made us feel very welcome; their English is very good (they study English at school) and they are polite and smiley and helpful, much more so than in most of the places I have stayed in the last few months. The hostel is clean and comfortable.
On the other hand....the hostel does feel a bit like a boarding school, although that might be just because I have opted for the dorm room, which at the moment only has one other occupant. I get a bit put off when a hostel/hotel is full of western guests and no locals, like here. There are a few reasons for this:
1. it is probably more expensive than where the locals stay (albeit cleaner?),
2. the owners here are probably relatively well-off compared to the owners of a place where the locals stay and so don't need my tourist dollars as much,
3. I don't like the idea that it is assumed I need some things laid on for me, e.g. breakfast, western food, bus tickets; I can do these things myself around town and when I do I will interact with more local people. But, hey, the veggie noodles I got in the hostel's restaurant next door were good!
Later............it seems tourists are only allowed to stay in such hostels, foreigners are not allowed to stay in 'local' guesthouses?
There are no ATMs in Myanmar so you have to bring with you however much cash you think you will need and exchange it for Burmese Kyat on the street, or at a Guest House, although accommodation and some tourist sights are normally paid for in dollars anyway. You can only change dollars (and maybe Euros) and the locals will only accept dollars in pristine condition. Well, I have heard enough stories of people getting ripped off on the street (even though they offer a better rate than the Guest Houses) so I just changed US$100 here at the Guest House.
Saturday 15th OCtober
The included breakfast of toast, two frieds eggs, jam, a banana and coffee was appreciated. At 8am I headed out to explore Yangon. The area around the hostel is pretty run-down but there are a few tea shops and then trishaws as you get towards the main road. Most of the men wear longyi instead of trousers, and many of the women wear a sunscreen on their cheeks that looks like paint.
On the way in to town I saw a couple of groups of monks in single files collecting their morning alms. I have seen this in other countries but in more serene surroundings than in the suburbs of Yangon.
I found an efficient internet cafe then dropped into a tea shop for samosa and tea. These places are popular with the men where they catch up on the gossip and maybe do business. The friendly manager replaced my third samosa as soon as he saw it was a bit burnt. In the city there are shops selling plasma screen TVs while ancient buses stop outside to pick up passengers.
The centre of the city is considered to be Sule Paya, a 151ft golden temple with its origins dating back 2000 years. As I got close there was a cloudburst so I took shelter for a while in a large telephone kiosk with 5 locals. Then I ran across the main roundabout to the temple. I left my shoes at the bottom of the steps and paid the $2 foreigners charge. As I walked around, the main stupa was shining against the blue skies behind. On the inside were various different rooms; some rooms had Buddhism classes running, some had Buddhist statues and another a series of simple paintings describing Buddha's life, in the same way as at the statue in Singapore.
Some people were praying, but many were just hanging out, relaxing and chatting, perhaps in the same way that we might go to a bar or a cafe on a Saturday afternoon. Two University students came up to talk to me and we chatted for quite a while. They told me that monks are not allowed to go to University, not since the Monk protests of 2007.
There was another cloudburst just as I was on a covered pedestrians-bridge across a busy road. There are people selling stuff on the bridge and While waiting for the rain to stop a guy kept trying to sell me a large pair of pliers! What did he think I would want them for?
I followed the LPs guided walk, past some colonial buildings. I liked walking down the side streets off the main roads; there are shops below and above them are apartments painted in various pastel colours; I think they were built in the 1950's. There were locals stood out on their balconies and washing hanging out.
I went to look at the Yangon River and a couple of nice kids bothered me to buy postcards from them and to buy them biscuits. During our chat, the girl said she didn't go to school because her Mama can't afford it, and that she was hungry. Well, her English seemed far too good for an 11-year old who has not been to school, and she looked well-nourished. Anyway, I tried to persuade them that fruit would be better for them than biscuits but they were having none of that! So they got their biscuits to share and I then agreed to buy some postcards if they could show me where to buy stamps - the post office was across the road.
I had Indian for lunch, sitting opposite two Banglesdeshi Merchant Navy guys. They speak Bengali at home, the same as the people in West Bengal. After, I went to the Trader's hotel to watch the RWC Semi-final between France and Wales. It was posh in there compared with outside and there were about 60 expats. I chatted to an English guy who works for Medicine Sans Frontiers; he runs 4 HIV/AIDS clinics in Yangon. Meanwhile, the game was pretty tense and I was disappointed to find that the one coke I had cost $3 whereas beer was only $1.50, but I am tee-totalled at the moment so that's it.
I went to look for the offices of the local Times newspaper, which is the least-censored English-language paper in Myanmar, and owned by an Aussie who has just been released from prison; such is the Government in Myanmar. Opposite the offices I found lovely St Mary's cathedral. It is a large modern red and white brick building and is similar inside using many other colours. There was a service on so I just loitered at the back for a while but I might go and have a better look another time; instead I wandered around the outside and then sat on a step and read Dracula as it seemed a safe place to do so with all the crucifixes around!
Most of the streets that run at 90 degrees to the main streets are numbered like in America. So in 35th street I found a 'Beer Station' where they were showing Liverpool v Man United. I had Japanese Tofu with veggies and rice and it was really good, lots of garlic and ginger. The atmosphere in there was ok and the locals got more interested towards the end.
It rained 3 times today, each time for about 10 minutes, then it stops and the sun comes back out. No problem. I got back to the hostel around 8:30pm so it has been a very long but enjoyable first day in Myanmar. I feel like I have seen so much already just from wandering around.
Sunday 16th October
We were all a bit pushed for time this morning so 3 British girls, Irish Bob and me got a taxi into town. We got dropped off at the train station and Irish Bob and I walked up to Kandawgyi Lake, where we had to pay $2 to go in. On the other side of this natural lake is a big concrete gold-coloured fake royal barge. Bob and I walked around the lake on the raised wooden walkway, swapping travel stories as we went; Bob is a fair bit older than me and had some entertaining stories to tell. We took shelter from the quick downpour then headed out to the road and while waiting for a taxi a car zipped through a puddle and splashed the pair of us. We got the cheap old bus back into town; it was like being in a tin can.
After lunch we headed to the Trader's hotel and got there in time for the start of the NZ v Australia game; the Haka was amazing, the way that the guy's voice echoed around the stadium and even the Aussies in the room were applauding it. Not really a surprise that the Kiwis won. I had 2 beers, my first in months. We sat there after the game watching football highlights and chatting to other visitors.
Bob and I walked to Chinatown for dinner and sat at a table with 3 local guys and chatted to them for a bit. On the way back to the hostel we stuck our heads into a few tea shops to check on the football scores. Good chat back at the hostel.
Monday 17th October
Blue skies today. I went for a walk into town, and checked out some of the hostels in the centre for when I come back to Yangon in a couple of weeks. This hostel is ok but a bit expensive and bit far from the centre.
Mid-afternoon I walked to the north of the city and to Yangon's main attraction, Shwedagon Paya. This is a Buddhist temple/shrine complex which is probably the most spectacular and the most important to the people of Myanmar. Approaching from the south I could see the top of the main golden stupa.
I took off my shoes on the bottom step and headed up the wide, covered staircase towards the entrance. Even though there are souvenir stalls on both sides the decoration and the paintings still make it a pleasant walk and there is some anticpation building as you approach the actual entrance. I tried to ignore the cashier because the entrance fee of $5 goes to the Government, but they saw me and I had to pay up.
A few more steps and then I was in front of the first colourful shrine, Konagamana; there were Buddha statues and pilgrims inside. I looked to my left and to my right and saw smaller golden shrines on either side and stupas behind - it all made me think of a forest of golden shrines. I took a few steps to the left and looked up and there was the main stupa; the stepped bottom half of the stupa is gold-leafed and the upturned-bell-shaped top half is gold-plated. Also there are huge precious stones decorating the very top. The stupa was relecting the sun and was so bright against the blue sky. Definitely a wow moment and I was stood shaking my head while I stood and stared up at it.
I carried on walking round and it felt like being in a Buddha theme-park, in a good way. Many different shapes and sizes of shrines and stupas and Buddha statues. It was fairly busy but the atmosphere was good; the locals are so friendly and clam that it is nice to walk around with them.
Sometimes at sunset the sun shines through the diamond on top of the main stupa and casts colours around the complex, but not today. But the complex is nicely lit up after dark and I started to walk around again, seeing it in a different light. Monks and locals lit candles and continued to walk around or pray. I almost felt left out while the locals were praying so I headed for the exit and left them to it.
Internet access at the cafes was slow today. It seems sometimes the government likes to slow it down. At the last cafe the guy said 'it is slow today', I asked 'Why?' and he just smiled. I said 'Secret?', and he smiled again, nodded and said 'Yes'.
There is no hassle on the streets in Yangon, nobody trying to get me to buy stuff; this is probably because there are fewer tourists about. But I did try for the first time to change $100 on the street, obviously being wary of getting ripped off. Well, the money changer offered a good rate and so I counted out the 85 individual 1000 kyat notes and that was ok. But when I showed him my $100 note which looked pristime to me, he said 'no good' and offered me a lower rate so I walked off. Maybe he was being cheeky but he didn't call after me when I walked off so maybe even my 'pristine' note really wasn't good enough for; everyone has told me they are very picky......
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