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| Sule Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar |
July's second feature post: A travelogue in Yangon, Myanmar back in 2016.
Despite the time difference, I believe the places that have taken my breath away and the culture that opened up not only my eyes but mind - remains.
Why was I in Yangon?
I was lucky to be one of the two to represent my previous company to a conference and I flew to one of the countries that was never in my to-go list.
I hope if you're like me back then, this post can change your mind.
A little story about Myanmar
Myanmar is where Aung San Suu Kyi is from, and I believe the name is not strange to you.
The country has only recently freed itself from a certain power that was reigning for over 5 decades long. Even when I visited two years back, certain bans were also still going on because of the political instability. One particular ban that I really remembered was that they didn't have motorbikes along the roads in Yangon. Because back in the olden days, people in war would ride on bikes and throw in bombs to their rivals' areas.
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| Almost impossible to find motorbikes on road, that's a bicycle |
Yangon used to be the capital of Myanmar but they have changed to Naypyidaw now.
What about Yangon?
- Transport
I vividly remembered when I asked the receptionist about Uber and Grab, they only looked at me.
Back then they still didn't have those. Now, I'm unsure. But you can check online (:
So we only had the taxi to rely on and funnily enough the Burmese taxi drivers charge you by peak hour - whenever you ask him for rates, they're just gonna tell you very jam, expensive.
And we later on found out there's no non-peak hour on the Yangon streets. The traffic is really bad.
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| Peanut butter jam! |
- Currency
Burmese uses Kyat, which is not commonly found in Malaysia.
So the best thing to do is get the USDs and change some local currencies when you've arrived at the airport.
Myanmar accepts two currencies, USD and Kyat.
- Culture
Since Burmese are heavily influenced by Buddhism, I find the people to be very zen and peaceful. They are generally very soft spoken and polite.
What's more interesting is that you see them donned in traditional clothes, almost everywhere. To work, to malls, even at home.
- Safety
What to do in Yangon?
Watch the Sunset at Inya Lake
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Something special about Yangon is that they have a lot of lakes even within the city!
Burmese enjoy their spare time just by chilling at the lake side.
I spotted a few couples sitting by the lake, and some even brought guitars to sing to their girlfriends!
Romantic, eh?
Venture to Chinatown
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Chinatown is a combination of street food + wet market + restaurants
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| What I mean by street food Fried roaches! |
Just kidding, they have the normal food as well!
Surpassing the Chinatown, walk further down and you'll stumble upon a really big pedestrian bridge that overlooks this beautiful pagoda.
Sule Pagoda
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| Sule Pagoda from the pedestrian bridge after Chinatown |
Visit the beautiful and famous Shwedagon Pagoda
The Burmese treats the stupa as the most holy places of all, so please be respectful.
You're suppose to be barefooted and all covered up.
They'll charge you for a scarf to cover up your skin (if you're wearing sleeveless and bottoms above ankles) and I remembered it was expensive. The entrance fee itself is expensive so it would save you some money if you're well covered. :P
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| Burmese spending their night time at the pagoda, some praying, some spending family quality time. |
I think the biggest cultural difference is that the Burmese will spend time in the stupa, just chilling with their friends and families which I don't see very often in Malaysia.
And I also heard that the locals visit the stupa almost everyday.
Talk about commitment!
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| Kids diligently praying |
This scene put a smile on my face.
The stupa has smaller pagodas surrounding the main one, that is themed by days in a week. For Burmese, they believe in praying to the pagodas which are aligned with their birth days.
If you don't remember which day you were born, just check the calendar at your phone and search all the way back to your birth date.
If you don't remember which day you were born, just check the calendar at your phone and search all the way back to your birth date.
Walk into the gem's heaven, Bogyoke Market/ Scott Market
The best souvenir, I'd say, is the gems and jades since Myanmar is famous for it and you will get really good deals!
Enjoy local Burmese food @ Karaweik Palace, Kandawgi Lake
This massive architecture is built overlooking the Kandawgi Lake, where you get to enjoy both international and traditional Burmese food.
The cherry on top of this is that they have cultural shows from time to time so do check them out!
BONUS!
Remember to try their locally brewed lager beer!
It's a thing for me to taste local beer whenever I travel overseas :P
Thank you for reading!
And if you really visit Myanmar, tell me how you feel about the country, because I personally love the people there a lot and they make up the bigger parts of why I am planning to visit again.