To say we were a little excited to start exploring Yangon would be an understatement. A place that so few have seen and is listed as a ‘Bad Land’ was almost intoxicating. We were in the only 3 white people on the plane. There were also 3 monks – maybe they have to send a monk per white person?
Being here is like going back in time. While we have wifi in our hotel, unexpected, it is slow. The streets are sans 7-11’s and tourist shops. The pavement is non-existent & the streets have no signage, but it is charming. People drive in right hand drive cars on the right hand side of the road, traffic can be chaos and we were the only white people to be seen but it’s ok, I think I am in love.
The people here are incredible.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, stops us to say hello and talk to us in perfect English. I feel like it is a real human connection. They don’t want to sell us anything or want our money, just the opportunity to talk or help us.
An old woman crossing the street would not let go of my arm to cross the street – and not for her own benefit, for mine! A man stopping in the street to say hello & help us flag down a taxi in the rain. The hotel manager who checked we had our passports & bus tickets before we left. Our taxi driver stopping to buy us jasmin flowers at the traffic lights because if we are happy, he is happy. Such generosity of spirit.
We spent an afternoon having high tea at the famous Strand Hotel, one of the original luxury hotels of South East Asia. Opened in 1901 it has a colourful history including being used to house Japanese soldiers during WW2. The likes of Rudyard Kipling & George Orwell have stayed there and penned some of their best works. We felt posh and overwhelmed by the grandeur of this magnificent hotel.
After high tea we headed for Shwedagon Paya, a huge complex of temples and a hugely sacred site – a place most Myanmar Buddhists hope to visit at least once in their life. The main attraction is the giant gold stupa rising more than 320 feet into the air. We had been advised to go in the late afternoon to witness the transformation between daylight & night. It was so worth it. While it was spectacular during the day, it became breathtaking at night. The gold stupa was lit up and appeared to be glowing. The surrounding pagodas lit up made the place seem like Disneyland. And as we were leaving, a friendly local stopped us to position is in the secret position to see the glittering diamonds at the top, not visible from anywhere else. Incredible.
