The plane was by no means full, indeed I had three seats right up till the last minute. Then, about a dozen people piled on, no boarding passes and were 'told' where to sit. One by the side of me. Not sure what that was all about...... Don't really want to think about it either.....
The flight is 2 hrs 40 minutes although Yangon is an odd 1:30 mins behind KL. I slept most of the way, once again missing my chance to taste Uncle Ben's chicken rice. As we came through the clouds there was a stark difference in landscape. It appeared flat and very much agricultural with almost 'english' fields. It was about 6.30 and the sun was beginning to set.
The view as we flew over the Shewdagon Stupa was just stunning as the has light of the suns rays were reflected off the massive gold structure.
I guess I'm seeing history in the making. Yesterday the military junta was resolved and a civilian government sworn in... Not sure what that means. I guess it could go one of two ways.....
Yangon international airport is a surprisingly modern airport. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this was certainly not it. Large, spacious,marble clad and looked pretty new. As we went towards the immigration control there were a group of people dressed in masks and white coats stood by a sign that said. If you have arrived from Japan please report for radioactivity testing!
At the immigration counter there were two people, one to check your passport and visa and the other to check the checker. Rather like BT. The passport stamp was rather plain and disappointing. Still, the visa was pretty!!
As promised and the email confirmation, I was met at the airport for my free transfer to the Ocean Pearl. The trip to the hostel took around 30 minutes. At first I was very surprised with the infrastructure. As you got closer to the downtown area of Yangon it steadily deteriorated.
One thing that stood out though. Not a 7-11, KFC or Starbucks in sight. Now that can't be bad.
The rough guide makes it very clear that credit cards are not accepted in Myanmar and there are no ATM's. The official currency is Kyat but dollars, albeit crisp new ones are accepted and exchanged for the local currency.The official exchange rate 4.5kyt to $1, you can get 450kyat in airport and 800 ish on the black Market.
I arrived at the hotel room. It was not bad for the price of 15 USD, checked my map, changed some dollars and went out for the normal arrival recky
I was knackered, after dinner in a restaurant next door of chicken rice and beer, I went to my bed.
Morning walk , didn't get up for breakfast really nice sleep
Wandered downtown. It is very similar to India in that there is stall after stall selling everything you can imagine. Solid state radios, nuts bolts, used books an of course, the food stalls.
I don't know the technical details but somehow your mobile phone does not work here. I suspect, such are the sanctions that there are no reciprocal agreements with other Asian providers hence, no signal. You could of course get a SIM here but I couldn't be bothered. Doubtless there would be reams of paperwork.
Downtown Yangon was hot and sticky, the weather was steaming , much hotter than KL. Still no McDonalds, KFC or Starbucks in sight. Everyone was so friendly, stares then smiles and nod, even a few 'where you come from'
The nearest thing to a star bucks was 'Tokyo Donut' it claimed to have WiFi . And you could smoke. The WiFi worked in a fashion, kept dropping out. Just enough time to leave a FB message saying I was ok.
I did a lot of walking, quite a few necessary hydration stops. I think I saw three westerners all morning.
Not a great deal to see apart from the crumbling architecture and markets so far. True there are a few temples including the Swyedagon Paya, but not a great deal more than everyday Burmese life. This city is not kitted out for tourists, there are very few travel agencies, no touts of conmen.
After a sweaty morning I headed back to the hotel. In the afternoon I wandered down towards the yang on river and visited the Botataung Paya where relics of Buddha's hair are supposed to be kept in the centre of the Stupa. Again, the temple not particularly kitted out for foreign tourists, itnis more for the Burmese pilgrims. Outside a guy came up to me and asked where I was from. Of course you are expecting to be sold something. Not this time, he shook my hand, very pleased to meet you and wandered off.
There was an entry charge of $2 plus a dollar to take photos. Very friendly. A lady invited me into her shrine to see her family Buddha. Some sort of ceremony going on. Kids being carried on shoulders dressed up. Very sweet.
Had a beer on the way back to quench my thirst. Generators everywhere. Clearly the 'national grid' can't be relied on so they provide their own.
Back at the hotel I asked if the could recommend any travel agents.
'Where do you want to go'
'I dont know.'
I had designs to go to Bagan but not sure if I had time, unless I fly, which is quite expensive. Overnight train there and fly back could be an option. The hostel owner will look into it in the morning and let me know. Not sure I could stay in Yangon for the whole week.!,
First impressions are this is a very friendly country. None of the tourist stuff you get in many of the other SE Asia destinations. Not a lot of westerners around either. Dinner and an early night again.....
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Location:Yangon, Myanmar.
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