28 Feb – 04 March, Yangon

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stay in Okinawa Guest House near Sule Paya. The following morning we take a sightseeing walk visiting the riverside, the morning market and several food stalls. The town is full of lively tea houses serving sweet milk tea and numerous food stalls. We try all kinds of delicacies like golden or black sticky rice, doughnuts, samosa or dosai. The mixture of cultures, religions (Buddhist, Muslim, Christian) and races (Indian, Burmese, Chinese) creates a special atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way to the Shwedagon Paya we stop at Kandawgyi Lake (USD 2 entry fee for foreigners).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite being the primary tourist attraction of Yangon, it’s quite enjoyable walking around the paya. Locals carry around offerings, monks sit and chant or meditate quietly and the whole atmosphere is very relaxed, even happy. All Burmese people try to pay a visit here once in their lifetime and they seem to really appreciate and enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next day is for riding on the Circular Train, travelling around the town with locals. The train is popular with locals rather than tourists; you can get off at any station and get on again. We stop to see the monster-sized reclining Buddha at Chauktatgyi Paya, laying under a metal structure.

 

 

 

 

After another few stops we accidentally jump off at a residential area and take a long stroll around this fascinating quarter of the town which rarely sees tourists. During the walk we bump into a Chinlone match played on the street.

 

 

The last day we hurry to the Indonesian Embassy to arrange visas. We have a marvellous breakfast (less than USD 2 for the two of us) in Feel Myanmar Restaurant with embassy workers and locals around.

 

Thanks to a helpful officer, we can pick up the visas in the afternoon (it would normally take 3 days). We hang out in Feel for the rest of the day experimenting with a wide range of Burmese dishes and using their free Wi-Fi. We order mohinga (fish soup with rice noodles), leq-p'eq (green tea leaf salad) and a Burmese noodle salad but our table gets full of plates with the variety of side dishes which come free: let thoke (fresh veggies with a dip), lime, chili and garlic, chopped coriander and rice of course.

 

In the evening we take a 'VIP' night bus equipped with armchairs to Mandalay (K 14,500) accompanied by a few monks and a stewardess who serves coffee and cake. A toothbrushing set is also provided at a stop.