Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Video #1, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Video #2, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Gyar Tawya Street and the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

This monk practiced his English with me and also invited

me to take his photo, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Visitors, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Contemplative visitors, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

A line of sweepers, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Worshipper in front of a Nat or spirit shrine, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Main pagoda, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Monk in meditation, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

 Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

 Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

ATOP SINGUTTARA HILL is the stunning Shwedagon Pagoda. The golden dome soars 99 metres (325 feet) above it's base and is regarded as the most sacred site in Myanmar. According to several internet sources, the main structure is covered with gold leaf, a tradition that began in the 15th Century. Near the point of the spire, are also thousands of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other gems too. 

Shwedagon Paya has survived numerous earthquakes but the worst came in 1768, when the top portion broke off. It's worst indignity however was perhaps in 1824-26 and 1852-29, when the British used it as a military compound.

My visit began in the middle of the afternoon and lasted for four or five hours. Time floated by here. Just like at the Suledagon, the mood was similar and ranged from reflective to festive, with crowds of worshippers walking clockwise around the base of the shining central structure. As the sun went down the effect was utterly magical. The central pagoda changed from a fiery gold to a more muted and floodlit presence. 

Given that i normally wear orthotics, walking around the complex without my arch support, was uncomfortable. Perhaps being over weight, i felt the displacement right up to my hips. One had no choice however, as shoes must be removed at all Buddhist temples, in this part of the world. At the end of my visit, i followed a ramp to an elevator and descended to the entrance, but my footwear was nowhere to be found. The temple had four entrances and slowly it became apparent that i had left by the wrong exit. I retraced my way back up the pagoda, descended another way, and there were the shoes. 

Shwedagon Pagoda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maha Bandula Road, Yangon

Video of Crepe/Dosa street food on Maha Bandulu Road, Yangon

Video of traffic at sunset on Maha Bandulu Road, Yangon

Maha Bandulu Street, Yangon

Maha Bandulu Road, Yangon

Maha Bandulu Road, Yangon

Maha Bandulu Road, Yangon

BEFORE THE COLONIAL ERA this busy street was a stretch of mud flats and the actual community was to the North. Today Maha Bandula Road is a dense traffic thoroughfare that reflects the changing fortunes of Myanmar. Vehicles clog the streets and the crowded sidewalks are an obstacle course of stalls selling everything from food through fruit to flashlights. Here you can experience bustle and activity with the accompanying symphony of dissonant sounds and the aromas of unfamiliar food smells and dense traffic exhaust. 

It was the Royal Bengal Engineers who created Dalhousie Road. After independence, in 1948, it was renamed in honour of General Maha Bandula. He was a national hero who defeated the British, in the early 19th Century. In later battles it was the British however who became the victors. The Burmese General fought however courageously but died on the battlefield. After that the region became a colony and was absorbed into the British Raj.

Bandula, Maha

Maha Bandula Road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In a derelict mansion

Video from upstairs in a derelict mansion, Yangon

Approaching the mansion, Yangon

Tree growing out the wall of the mansion, Yangon

Staircase, mansion, Yangon

 Driveway from upstairs in the mansion, Yangon

The back of the mansion collapsing into the garden below, Yangon

The top floor of the mansion, Yangon

Detail of inside wall on the top floor of the mansion, Yangon

NEAR THE CORNER, where the road to my hotel began, was a pair of large gate posts. Beyond them, a dirt driveway ran up to a derelict mansion. Here was a relic from colonial days, when the sun never set on the British Empire. Built perhaps a hundred years ago, this ruined dream, was likely to be demolished soon. With two embassies nearby, it seemed just the place for a new hotel or perhaps a condominium complex, in such an upscale township as this one.

For one US dollar, a guide let me wander through the empty rooms, where i saw only the slightest sign of occupancy: cheap plastic chairs, some clothes drying on a length of twine and signs of cooking on the floor, in the corner of one room.

I never was able to find out the story behind this building. 

On board Yangon's Circular Railway

Video taken on the Yangon Circular Railway

Video taken in a Yangon Circular Railway station

Yangon Central Railway Station, Yangon

Yangon Central Railway Station, Yangon

Waiting in the wrong train, Central Railway Station, Yangon

Empty locomotive, Central Railway Station, Yangon

 Yangon Central Railway Station, Yangon

IN ALL TRUTH i meant to board the train for just a quick look-see. In the space of a few hours, what should have been a simple hop-on, hop-off exercise, got inflated into this blog post instead.

In the shadow of the station platform roof, here at Yangon Central Railway Station, i tried to avoid the sticky afternoon heat. There was no escaping it on the platform so i waited in the railway carriage, hoping to find a cross-draft. No luck there either –  just more hot and humid waiting and more waiting. I shuffled to the locomotive, up at the front. An aging diesel electric unit, sat out in the sun, silent and deserted, with it's cabin door wide open. Then i walked back down the the end of the train. Finally i discovered that i was on the wrong platform. Now i picked my way across two or three pairs of tracks. After this interminable length of time, a whistle sounded, a train approached and the crowd began to surge towards the edge of the platform. Soon i jostled my way aboard as the whistle sounded. The battered carriage jerked forward and the train began to rumble and sway it's way slowly out of the station. The interior was worn and basic, not crowded, with the odd hawker moving between the passengers. I decided to step over a rope near the end of the wagon and sit across from a policeman. I had no idea why the rope was there, or why i even stepped over it, but that is where i found myself. The accompanying video tells the rest of the story. 

Myanmar Railways operates a commuter rail network that serves the Yangon Metropolitan area. The wikipedia entry mentions that it is a 46 kilometre (29 mile) loop system serving 39 stations. 

Yangon Circular Railway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laphet – a culinary narrative

 Laphet food stall on Suledagon Road, Yangon

Laphet ingredients, food stall on Suledagon Road, Yangon

Laphet salad assembly, food stall on Suledagon Road, Yangon

Voilà! Laphet salad, Yangon

PERHAPS NOWHERE ELSE will you eat this! Imagine something vaguely reminiscent of Pesto Sauce but combined with a medley of crunchy and flavourful textures. This uniquely Burmese dish makes use of pickled, or rather fermented tea, as a foodstuff. It is laced with sesame oil plus other ingredients such as crispy fried garlic, peas and peanuts, toasted sesame, crushed dried shrimp and preserved shredded ginger.

Having read about this strangely different dish, in my Lonely Planet Guide, my interest had been piqued. The LP travel writer had described it as a "slimy-looking mass of leaves that puts some foreigners off, but is actually quite tasty." Now, you could hardly call that encouraging, could you? In the same publication the dish was referred to as  leq-p'eq however they added that it is often spelled Laphet. Often sounded better to me, in a desperate kind of way.

Across from the Sule Pagoda and along the street, of the same name, was a block of buildings that included a mosque and a lot of pedestrian traffic. Lining a sidewalk of broken pavement, with occasional peeks at the neighbourhood drainage, were a row of food stalls. All of sudden, i spotted the legendary Burmese Laphet. I thought to myself, better not to eat here and just wait. But an invisible force was pulling me towards the humble stall. Before i knew it i had agreed on a price, hardly anything, and before my eyes the Laphet took shape in a bowl – or rather it took place between somebody's fingers. At that point i only then noticed how dirty the server's fingernails were. Oh well! All eyes were on me now, as the hulking tourist took his place on a tiny stool and ever so gingerly tasted the legendary Laphet – and guess what? My Laphet salad was indeed tasty. Nothing worse came of the experience then a new dish tasted and you, dear reader, having to stomach this culinary narrative.


Lahpet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How to Mix a Tea Leaf Salad - YouTube

Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Video of Sule Pagoda, courtyard, Yangon

Video of a bus stop in front of the Sule Pagoda, Yangon

 Sule Pagoda in British colonial times, Yangon

Sule Pagoda from Maha Bandulu Street, Yangon

In contemplation, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Worshippers, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Stall keeper, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Worshippers, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Central Spire, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Sule Pagoda, Yangon

Worshippers buy and free captured birds, to gain merit 

and improve their karma, Sule Pagoda, Yangon

IN THE CENTRE of Yangon was the Sule Pagoda. It's golden, stupa shaped form, gleamed in the sunlight. According to legend this site of worship was actually 2,500 year old. Today, we can thank the Bengal Engineers of British colonial fame (or curse them), for placing this in a traffic roundabout, and in what would later become the heart of Yangon. 

The pagoda played a key role in modern times too. It was a meeting point, due to it's long history and central location, for protests against the military junta. In the aftermath of the 1988 Uprising, 3,000 died. During the 2007 Safron Revolution, the Myanmar Government responded once again, with brutality.

Before entering the pagoda, one had to enter the traffic circle, dodging taxis and buses in the process. At street level were multiple entrances to the octagonal based structure. Shoes were removed, before one ascended the stairs, entering a tiled courtyard that encircled the stupa like spire itself. In a sense one had arrived. There was much colour and commotion, and worshippers moved about their devotional duties, from shrine to shrine. Incense was lit, prayers said, visitors lingered alone or in groups and attended ceremonies. There was even a large classroom, for adults, where a class was in session. Within the confines of this Buddhist temple, there was even a shrine devoted to Nat religion, a Burmese kind of spirit worship.

In these first hours in Myanmar, i was still in a spell. This new setting was completely engrossing and a little bewildering too. Sule Pagoda was a kind of initiation process. 

Sule Pagoda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sule Pagoda In The Centre Of Yangon(ဆူးေလ ေစတီ ေတာ္) | Enchanting Myanmar

On to Myanmar (Burma)

Video of the final approach and landing at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar

Burmese video satire, depicting burmese concerns, as the country 
faces internal and external challenges (Edo Vader, Burmese animator)

Old city buses in a changing city, Yangon (Rangoon)

Unfamiliar first impressions like drinking "Crusher," Yangon

First stop, Yangon

Those first impressions

WITH A NEW VISA, and one week after leaving Canada, i flew on to Myanmar (Burma) on January 12th. The Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Yangon (Rangoon) took about 1 1/2 hours and in the early afternoon i arrived in this very different world. After clearing customs there was a wait to exchange some dollars. Current wisdom (on the internet) suggested that Myanmar had no opportunities for foreign visitors to withdraw money from banks or ATMs. For that reason i had arrived with $1,500 in pristine US banknotes (not folded, marked or torn). After converting $100 US, i walked away from the counter with a wad of local currency, or Kyat (pronounced jet) about 2 centimetres thick (3/4 inch). 

Once out at the entrance a crowd of agents and taxi drivers descended on emerging visitors. In the process i missed seeing an ATM nearby. Soon a friendly taxi driver took me into Yangon. After the frantic traffic of greater Bangkok, with 14 million, this seemed much slower. In an aging white Toyota Corolla, i arrived at the sleepy Beautyland Hotel One. In the distance was the famous Shri Dagon (Pagoda) and close by several embassies, here in the Bahan township. Nearby were derelict villas, from the British colonial era, to add to the district's atmosphere. Once i was settled in my room, i took a taxi into town, to explore further. The gorgeous Sule Dagon (Pagoda) was my destination.

Background information and impressions

Myanmar is flanked by the Bay of Bengal to the West and South while an outlying subrange of the Greater Himalayan mountains system ends on it's Northern border with China. In addition, Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand are it's neighbours. This nation is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. The Bamar, or Burmese (an imprecise label) make up two thirds of the population which is in excess of 60 million. 

Arguably, a major highlight in Burma's history was a thousand years ago when the Pagan Kingdom ruled far beyond what is today's Central Region. In the 1700s, there had been great back and forth struggles with neighbouring Siam. By the 19th Century, Great Britain's slowly conquered Burma, between 1824 and 1886. In 1948, Burma managed to achieve freedom from colonial rule. For 17 years, beginning in 1961, the strongman Ne Win ruled the nation. This was followed by a full army takeover, which lasted until January 2011. Since then, 75% of the seats have been in the hands of Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by Thein Sein as president. These politicians were largely hand picked by the military or the President himself. Aung San Suu Kyi, who now leads the opposition, emerged from house arrest, which she endured for most of the time from 1988 to 2010. Her party is known as the National League for Democracy.

As of January 2013, Myanmar's transition from full blown dictatorship to a limited democracy, was only a partial won freedom, as the military still exercised a great deal of influence from behind the scenes. Bloody clashes between the army and ethnic minorities, continued in the North. Furthermore, ugly and brutal conflicts between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority erupted sporadically. These disturbances were getting closer and closer to the capital. That said, whenever i did have conversations with Burmese people, at the time, they were cautiously hopeful for the future.

Some links

Background info on the country (Wikipedia):

Burma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From poverty to financial solvency: microcredit in Yangon
(Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):

Step by Step: Gradual Change in Myanmar | Journal | DW.DE | 23.03.2013

Aung San Su Kyi's heroic status appears to diminish as her apparent indifference to land rights for the poor, becomes known (Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):

Myanmar's 'worrying' transition | Asia | DW.DE | 15.03.2013

Troubling news about the clash between the present government and the Kachin ethnic minority in the North of Myanmar (Deutsche Welle/German Broadcasting):

Kachin women want Myanmar sanctions renewed | Asia | DW.DE | 18.03.2013

Excellent one hour documentary on YouTube, entitled "The Choice," which explains Aung San Su Kyi's resistance to the savage military dictatorship

and the outcome (BBC - September 2012):

bbc aung san suu kyi the choice - Google Search

If you want to view the above video at a larger size look, navigate to "You are you,
I am Me – a Burmese Story" here (Edo Vader, Burmese animator):
edo vader - YouTube

This CNN link on Burmese customs was passed onto me –things for visitors to know:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/travel/myanmar-11-things/index.html

Vintage Window Shopping at Rod Fai Market

Video from the Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Another Pad Thai noodle moment, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Proud owner with his vintage Toyota van, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Shoes with personality, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Patterns and colours, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

A tall quickly taking shape, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Visiting another world in a warehouse store, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

Pop culture toy figures, Rod Fai Market, Bangkok

SMALL AND LOW KEY Rod Fai (Railway) Market, behind the enormous Chatuchak Weekend Market, was situated along defunct railway tracks. I got there in the last golden rays of the day. Soon i had  a small but tasty plate of Pad Thai noodles, that had just been prepared, placed in front of me. As i washed that down with cold beer, all around the market came to life. With much clatter and some chatter, stalls were quickly and efficiently set up. More expensive items were available in little shops, inside the former train warehouses, around the edges of the open areas. To begin with there were some vintage japanese cars, from the 60s and 70s. Other retro items included old LPs, record players, furniture, toys, fans, cameras, radios, telephones and suitcases, just to mention a few. For me, once again, there was really nothing to buy but lots to look at. 

Rod Fai Market in Bangkok - Bangkok Markets

Rod Fai Market in Bangkok - Bangkok Blog