Yangon, Myanmar, June 22-26, 2012

It is an early Friday morning when we leave for our four-day extended weekend trip to Yangon, Myanmar. We change some US dollars and visit the sunflower garden at Changi Terminal 2.

The Silkair flight goes well, and the arranged airport pick-up takes us to the Classique Inn in no time.

After the refreshments, we are quick to leave our upstairs room and start our exploration of the Yangon city.

The Inn is located in a quiet and somewhat posh Golden Valley neighborhood, among foreign embassies, art galleries, and coffee shops.

The roads are not in very good condition, though, and there are no sidewalks. It is also rainy season, so the streets are quite muddy too.

Two lions always guard holy places.

We get a bit lost and try to find our way back via the back streets.

There are many monasteries around the main pagoda Shwedagon.

And they all have their own little temples.

Painted in gold.

The North entrance to the Shwedagon Pagoda. The lions guard this entrance as well other entrances. We don't visit the pagoda this time.

This is the West entrance to the Shwedagon pagoda.

Although the pagoda is more than one thousand years old, it is very well kept.

But temples are not everything. Other buildings clearly need maintenance too.

Though they look kind of idyllic and historic when badly maintained.

But not everything is run-down. This sidewalk is fancy and colorful.

There is practically no litter around.

The curbs are quite high, so we get a lot of exercise squatting up and down on the sidewalks.

An empty football field. There is still room for "development".

A deserted gazebo stands next to a huge building with Vietnam flag in front of it.

This revolving door is stuck so we can't explore the world beyond it.

We finally get to the city center and pick the first place we see, Zawgyi Cafe, for lunch: fried rice, grilled beef with curry sauce and Greek salad.

We down it all with beers, Mandalay Blue and Dagon Green.

We then continue to explore the downtown. This turquoise color is very common in apartment buildings in Yangon.

Fresh fruits are sold at sidewalk markets.

A busy roundabout surrounds Sule Paya, another pagoda downtown.

We continue further south towards the river.

Another turquoise building downtown.

Law Court building.

Walking at night in Yangon is not recommended: chances are that in the dark you find yourself swept away in one of the open drains, or other sidewalk holes, which are numerous.

Some downtown sidewalks are in miserable condition, but there are not too many walkers either.

Yangon Port Authority.

Prisoners are escorted from the ferry terminal by police and family.

The Strand - the most famous hotel in Yangon.

Another building that looks deserted.

But a single look inside reveals that it is in use, and in prime condition.

From the pigeons you can tell that someone is selling corn nearby.

For dinner we walk to another inn next door, Alamanda Inn. We have chicken tagine with French red wine, Chateau Troupian, 2008. Actually we tried to book accommodation at Alamanda first, but all their rooms were fully booked. No regrets, our stay at Classique was very comfortable, and the service superb.

Next morning, Saturday, we decide to walk to Kandawgyi Lake. On our way we bump into a shopping mall belonging to a Singaporean chain.

It looks all too familiar.

It's called development.

We've already learned that Shwedagon Pagoda is a good landmark.

As foreigners we pay 2000 Kyat for the entrance to the park surrounding the lake. We skip the ice world though.

Park showcases Burmese wild life,

lush greenery,

and bright green waters.

The navigation is challenging despite the maps provided.

We find some hippy food courts, which are all closed though.

We can't figure out if these apartment buildings are newly built or old ones currently being renovated.

A local band filming a music video.

Old trees are supported too.

Floating Karaweik (garuda), a concrete reproduction of Royal barge.

A huge pineapple.

Utopia, made of fake rock.

A (wo)manned telephone booth.

Another view of the barge.

A fancy hotel owned by Myanmar's richest man, who also owns airlines.

Avoiding planks marked white crosses adds an extra challenge to the stroll.

We are not lost since we can always see the Shwedagon.

Always.

After an almost full round around the lake we have a Burmese lunch at The Garden Bistro: chicken skewers, grilled prawn salad, red pork curry, plus a bottle of Myanmar Green (beer).

We then take a taxi to the National Museum.

Cameras and phones are not allowed inside the museum, but we have to leave them in lockers outside.

So we just have this photo from outside of the huge 5-story building. The museum is interesting, the collections expansive, but unfortunately the way they are displayed is not very appealing. It takes a lot of walking from one exhibit to another. Also some of the spaces are poorly lit, perhaps in order to hide the detrimental state of the exhibit stands and screens.

Family house at Classique Inn.

We have a Mediterranean dinner at Inya 1.

From there we take a taxi to Mr. Guitar Cafe.

Live music and youngish clientele make a nice contemporary atmosphere. It's also late but more people are still coming in. Lonely Planet told us that there is practically no night life in Yangon, but bars and restaurants close early. We learn that it is not quite true.

Next morning, Sunday, we hire a guide to accompany us to the other side of the river to the town of Twante. The plan is to visit a morning market, a couple of pagodas and a monastery, and a pottery workshop, and then have lunch before returning to Yangon.

We run to catch the ferry that is already full of people. The ferry ticket price includes the seating on regular wooden benches, but these plastic chairs cost some extra.

Getting out of the ferry takes some time.

Another driver is awaiting us on this side of the river. Our first stop is at the morning market where we marvel yummy mounds of fermented fish paste,

bags of different grains,

legumes, and spices.

The market is relatively clean.

And well organized.

We buy some black sticky rice.

Just a small bag though.

The prices are very low.

The NLD office in the countryside looks pretty new.

While working methods are still old and well tested.

Rice is the staple of all meals.

But it is not just the body that needs nourishment. We make a stop at a snake pagoda.

The fish around the pagoda need food, too.

For a small amount of money, we can feed the fish and make a wish that in their next life they won't be fish.

And pigs won't be pigs, since there is a long way from being a pig to reaching Nirvana.

Ideally, pagodas are surrounded by a lake,

and a monastery, since someone needs to take care of the property. Even pagodas, hundreds of years old --- at least in this Yangon region --- are well kept and clean.

Incidentally, this one is funded by a rich Chinese woman.

We continue to Shwesandaw Paya in Twante.

Our guide teaches us a lot about Buddhism.

The pagoda is surrounded by many places of worship.

Not too many people are around at midday --- it is quite hot. The shiny surfaces do not make it any cooler.

Gold is abundant.

Despite their age, these buildings are not museums, but they are actively used and maintained,

New structures are also built.

Then there are also nats, spirits that add a local flavor to Theravada Buddhism.

One cannot but wonder the amount of work that goes into this sphere of life, since for Buddhists the life is a sphere of reincarnations.

In the next round you may be a pottery maker.

Like this family.

We visit their workshop, which is owned by a woman. We've read that it is very common in Myanmar for women to run a business at their homes.

Newly baked pots.

Everything is done and made manually,

or pedally, including rotating the potter's wheel.

We stop for a lunch in Twante, and then head back to the river.

The ferry ride back is less crowded.

Finally, we pay a visit to Shwedagon Pagoda, since we still enjoy the company and knowledge of our guide.

With her knowledgeable guidance, it is easier to find the way

among the spirits,

and the people. It is Sunday night and the place gets crowded.

After a quick shower at the Inn, we take a taxi to The House of Memories. The food at this restaurant is great, but Tei is not feeling well.

For the next two days Tei is really sick; diarrhea combined with high fever. For the first thing on Monday morning we visit SOS International clinic at Inya Lake Hotel. We get back to the Inn with antibiotics and some 100+ for hydration. Despite antibiotics, Tei is still too weak to fly, so we postpone the flight to Tuesday, and just sleep one day at the Inn.

The small but tranquil Yangon International airport offers last glimpses of temples.

And then we fly back to Singapore.