Reflections on Yangon

One of my followers has intimated that my blogs are very long, as in too long, so just for her (you know who you are!) a pictorial record of a few sights in Yangon:

Above: City Hall

Sule Pagoda, in the middle of the busiest roundabout in Yangon, you either walk round the outside or go through it. Should you choose to go through the inside you are charged $3 as a foreigner.

And lit at night

The gardens opposite City Hall

And the rules for said garden.

The Baptist Church opposite City Hall

The local cinema

The National Theatre: I went there specially to take a photo for my theatre loving daughter, but sadly the one-legged man at the gate seemed to take exception to me photographing the building and came rushing after me (well, as much as you can run with only one leg and brandishing a crutch at an obviously unwelcome visitor) to make me leave, all very odd, it wasn't exactly a military installation.  Thinking about this peculiar incident later I wondered if maybe he thought that I was under the impression that this building was the National Museum and he was just trying to tell me, albeit in a somewhat clumsy manner?

The Burmese version of recycling

A local bus (and that's one of the better ones!)

Part of the rail track!

The local gem market

Sunset from Sky Bistro, on the 20th floor of Sky Tower

Lighting up time, Sule Pagoda in the distance

The cocktail bar had run out of my chosen wine and only had the most expensive one available (what a surprise) so this was my alternative choice, treated to it by my NBF, a lovely Chinese girl who turned out to be a Shell executive.

I think the Grand Hotel has seen better days.

A new hotel, just about to open

But this is by the entrance, so might need a clean up before the first guests arrive. One day technology will have advanced sufficiently for you to be able to smell this photo, in the meantime just be grateful that you can't!

One side of the road .....

And on the other.

Just a few images of the contradictory nature of the city.

Burma/Myanmar and Yangon/Rangoon

Burma, now known as Myanmar, has long had a reputation as a magical mystical land full of temples and pagodas, with a placid mix of monks and novices and smiling inhabitants, all full of grace and devotion to their Buddha. This air of mystery has been enhanced due to the crackdown of the military and the consequent difficulties of entering and travelling the country, its reputation therefore resting more on past tales than present day facts.

Arriving in Yangon/Rangoon, these spiritual fantasies are immediately shattered by the noise and the heat and the dust and the visible poverty. The population seem to be divided between those who cook on the streets (with a total lack of regard for any health and safety issues!) for seemingly constantly snacking inhabitants, those who ferry people around in a dizzying variety of transport modes, and those who appear to do nothing other than indolently watch the other two groups, all quite confusing.

I haven't been able to get a photo showing the real chaos on the streets as it is such mayhem that trying to get a shot would involve standing in the road and almost certainly getting run over, so I thought it possibly wasn't worth the risk! But below see a view of a group of tourists being led to the access gate of the local central garden:

The stalls really do make the place look untidy (but then so do the tourists!). Typical view of cities in this part of the world, huge modern steel and glass buildings towering over makeshift stalls and homes.

There is a Catholic Cathedral, St Mary's, which I came across on my first evening, very reminiscent of British architectural style (obviously, considering Burma used to be ruled by the British) and since a Mass was about to start I entered for the service and was pleased to see that the majority of the congregation was Burmese. A haven of peace and tranquility after the lunacy in the streets:

It was unfortunate that the following day the humidity obviously got to my poorly joints, as my hands and feet were so swollen and painful that I had to abandon any thoughts of sightseeing, as I could neither get my clothes on, nor walk, oh dear. And there was me thinking how well my RA was controlling itself in the climate - not a chance!

2 days later ...... That is how long it took me to recover, not a fun time, but onwards and upwards ......

So what could I do that would involve as little walking as possible but would still enable me to see something interesting/different/relevant? Answer: the local circle train. 3 hours on a route that went around the city and all for 500 Kyats (about $0.50, bargain!)

The route

The train

A family's 'home'

Drying the washing (poor quality picture as shot through grubby train window)

The market at the half way point of the journey was interesting fortunately:

I didn't buy anything, mainly because the train stopped for so little time at each station that I was afraid of being left behind on the platform, watching my means of escape chugging off in the distance without me!!

So I arrived back at the start some 3 hours later and decided there was only 1 way to cheer me up after the frankly pretty depressing morning of viewing how desperately some people lived, and that was of course: lunch.

Absolutely yummy and with unlimited tea, cost all of 1200 Kyats, or $1.20.

Time to end this blog, I've been neglecting you, my dear followers, so bye bye for now and lots more in my next blog, to illustrate the sights and sounds of downtown Yangon, the good, the bad, and the definitely unexpected.

And so the adventure continues .............

UGetting to the airport in Bangkok is relatively straight forward providing you're going from the main international airport and not the provincial one at Don Muang which is to BKK what Stansted or Luton are to London Heathrow. You even manage to get a seat on the rail link as it starts at the interchange where you get on so happy days.

I had been concerned that I had no actual proof of a ticket but when I got to the check in desk my passport was checked and I was then asked if I wanted a window seat so they obviously had a note of my reservation, in fact they seemed happy to see me, I'll explain why later.

Bangkok International Airport is HUGE with everything happening in the same building so think all 5 Heathrow terminals in one place and that gives you some idea of the size.  It's obvious to me now of course knowing what a major hub it is for the whole region.  Most people who are doing Indochina and the Far East use Bangkok as their main junction and the city has built its reputation on being cheaper for flights than other cities in this part of the world. But you do see some strange sights:

And is this someone's idea of carry on baggage?

After strolling around for a while I thought I might as well start going through security.  It's just as well I moved when I did as the queue for security is vast and slow, then once you've navigated your way through that you've got the even longer and slower queue for Passports. Having thought I had all the time in the world it suddenly occurred to me that I had ended up cutting things a bit fine.  Needless to say the gate I was heading for was the furthest in the building, so far in fact that I wondered at one stage if I was still in the same building. But I got there and settled in, to discover that there were 18 passengers and 5 crew, no wonder they were pleased to see me at check in.  Good heavens I thought, there can't be many intrepid travellers going to Burma.

Landing in Yangon I worked out where all the intrepid travellers were, they were all in the arrivals hall having flown on AirAsia for less than half the price I'd paid, there seemed to be hundreds of them, all with their huge backpacks (and many with their tattoos and dreadlocks and huge pierced holes in their ears, no, not the women, the men!). I discovered that AirAsia is the Ryanair of flights in that region and Myanmar Airways, my carrier, is the BA.  Still, at least I got a drink and a snack (no wine sadly but it was a bit early even by my standards!) whereas they probably had to pay for the 'hot bacon and cheese melt' or whatever rubbish it was that was on offer.

The first thing you have to do when you land is change some money, and it was at this point that I found out that, despite what all the clever informative and up to date websites tell you, you do not need small unblemished $ bills you need large ones. The dreadlock crowd were getting a much better rate with their $100 and $50 bills than I was getting with my $20s and $10s, interesting. That's the system.

When you eventually get to the front of the queue and hand over your initial $190 you get given over 200,000 kyats, talk about feeling an instant millionaire. But it's all notes, they have no coins so the smallest denomination note you get is virtually worthless but it does pad out your wallet and make it difficult to close.

Then there was the scrum of the transport to the centre of the city. I was originally going to be clever and find the local bus just to prove how much research I'd done (note to self: remember what happened in Sukhothai when you were trying to be a smart.....) but it was so hot and the thought of wandering around the area looking for a bus stop at least 15 minutes away suddenly lost its appeal and I joined the taxi queue, good decision. A slow journey - Yangon traffic is horrendous - but $8 later I was dropped on the opposite side of the road from my next resting place.

And this is where you need nerves of steel.  Trying to cross the road in Yangon, at any time of the day or night, requires a level of death wish that I was unaware I possessed. I have since discovered that the only way to survive without being left for hours on the wrong side of the road from the one you want to be on is to sidle up next to a local, ignore his suspicious sideways glances at you, and shadow his every move until you're on the side you want to be, there is no other way. I can assure you, you do not wish to be end up as a casualty because I've seen the ambulances and they don't inspire confidence:

Time for dinner: that was inevitable wasn't it? It's Chinese New Year at present so it's obvious which cuisine will be my choice tonight.

In my next blog: the joys of being in Yangon, and the not-so-joys.

Back to Bangkok then on to Burma

Arriving back in central Bangkok late in the afternoon after my trip north left me with little free time before my departure to Burma as I had quite a bit to sort and organise. I didn't want to drag everything with me for my 17 days away and I didn't want to risk constantly hauling myself up 4 long flights to the dorm I was in so took over the small lounge area and sorted and tidied and packed and unpacked and repacked, all got a bit tedious in the end so, guess what, yes, that's right, I went out for some dinner!

The next day, the last full one before Burma, was due to be at Ancient City, about an hour south of BKK but I decided in my wisdom that I'd rather save that for another time I'm here and can have a really long day there as I've been led to believe that the site is huge so deserves a decent amount of viewing time plus by Thai standards it's not cheap (700Baht) so instead I took myself off to the furthest point on the river boat, to Nontaburi, which is reputed to have an amazinging market. 

I do agree with that, it is amazing, but not necessarily in the way I was expecting.  It's huge, it's heaving, it's jam packed, it's full of areas for flowers, meat, vegetables, and a great deal of the rest is tat, sorry to say, but that's how I saw it.  Photos below but they in no way can help you understand the street upon street upon street of stalls of every description.

And below a couple of examples of goods I suspect have not gone through the standard copyright agreements:

I presume the incorrect spelling is so that 'they' can deny ever trying to replicate the real thing?

The perishables area was a bit more 'normal':

It didn't take me too long to have had enough of the heat and the smell and the chaos and the jostling so it was back to the ferry for one of the great bargains in Bangkok, 15 Baht for the entire run from the last stop to the first. A few shots of sights on the way including the enormous monastery/temple I had come across unexpectedly a few days earlier:

 

I added that last one just to show it's not all steel and glass and modern along the river!

And so my time in Bangkok comes to an end for now.  What better way to celebrate what has been a fascinating experience?

See you all in my next blog, hopefully either on the way to or in Yangon.