Yesterday I arrived in Yangon and was very overwhelmed. Yangon is a unique place. There are many government buildings with small carts of food all around. It’s hard to focus my thoughts… I ate dinner with Kamran at a Muslim restaurant, we drank beers next-door b/c the owners don’t drink or allow it at their restaurant. I’m told there is a genocide towards Muslims here in the north, tragic. We had a delicious mutton w/ flat bread, which was fantastic. It is eaten with onions and tomatoes. After the meal we bought a few drinks and went to Kamran’s place.
He lives in what appear by US standards to be a slum but is nice over here.
The next day I strolled around the city and met a guide in the park. I told him my plan and he accompanied me. I took the ferry across to dalaw. Once across the river, the vibe changes to rural very quickly. There are many bamboo huts and I learned people outside of the city can pay rent levels of around 50 USD per month. Before I went out to Dalaw, I sought out a teashop, which was easy to find. I was surrounded by folks who smiled and talked. (not to me) Many of the clientele were young, playing clash of clans on their phones. Several ordered breakfast; I think it wasmohinga, noodles with fish, kind of tasted like eggrolls. So delicious. I ordered it by asking this kid to bring me some, mostly by pointing.
To return to where I was, I headed to Sula pagoda, walked around and then to independence square where I found my guide., He spoke English fairly well. The ticket across the ferry was bought in a backroom by people counting stacks of money. The ferry itself was packed. Hordes of people swarm the gangplank to get on. On the short 5-minute ride, I lose my hearing in a loud hectic environment. Vendors walk the aisles selling quail eggs and toys for children.
I hired a motor bike driver to take me to the snake pagoda. It is a long drive through the “city” and miles of rice paddies. The three of us on a motorbike, whizzed through the countryside, drawing the eye of locals who don’t see white tourists that often…apparently not one other traveler I spoke to had ventured to the other side of the river.
My intention was to go to the snake pagoda, it was not that impressive. However, there are pythons just lounging around the pagoda. On the way back, a storm rolled in, (it is monsoon season after all)[1]. We raced the storm to the coast, but as we were apprehended and the rain grew heavier, we had to stop and pulled off to a rain shelter on the side of the road. While we waited, an old woman showered next to us and lathered up around her clothes. It was an interesting site, but a good way to not waste water.
The rain subsided and we made it to our next stop (caused by, you guessed it, more heavy rain). A large teashop, where unemployed and drivers (not working due to rain and low tourist activity) gathered to watch movies. After a short break, we crossed back to Yangon. The streets were flooded, I found out it was mostly overflowed sewage. Glad I found that out AFTER I had trudged through knee deep for a mile. The infrastructure is very weak here. This city is intriguing and busy; it’s hard to see what people actually do as a daily routine and how people hold up here. The wealth disparity is huge. I haven’t seen many rich folk yet, mostly poor. But you can see the nice houses and government employee housing and compounds, which are vastly superior to the cramped living of the rest of the city.
Addendum:
My last night in Yangon I went to Shwedagon Pagoda, a massive gold spire in the middle of the city. Truthfully, I did not see too much of it in detail because a monk came to speak to Kamran, and me, who, fresh off a meal, was taken off guard. This is not something that typically happens, so as the rain fell softly, this monk took us around the pagoda, telling us facts in broken English. He made references to U Wirathu, “the face of Buddhist terror”. Kamran says he likely supports the current genocide (if that’s the right term) in Northern Myanmar. After adding us on Facebook, (weird I know) , we were free to go. Then we went back to Kamran’s house and spent some time with Emily, walked the dog, a larger adventure than expected. We warded off packs of wild dogs and tried to keep Kamran’s formerly wild dog, Rambo, safe. The next day, I spent looking for travel agencies to buy a flight to Bagan. I had to “hot route” to Inle Lake because of late planning. Lesson learned.
[1] Subsequent to my return, there are massive floods and deaths all over the country. It is considered a large disaster and state of emergency. I got out well, I hope everyone I met is ok.