We had no idea what to expect in Myanmar, and we were quite curious when we finally got here. Although it has been possible to enter the country for some time, mass tourism seems to have arrived only recently. We tried to get information from different sources, but realized that a lot of it was already outdated since the country is developing at a very fast pace. Secretly, I hoped that we would have a couple of days to acclimatize in a nice hotel, and to process the sensory overdose of India. And so it was: We managed to book a nice family hotel in the middle of the old city center of Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. Although situated right in the middle of the action, we were able to catch our breath. The very nice host family managed to make us feel welcome right from the start.
We instantly liked the city. Our positive feelings were triggered by many factors, some of the most important being:
- People are friendly and approach you without any hidden agenda (not even taxi drivers rip you off).
- There’s amazing street food all over: We literally spent hours walking around and just snacking along the streets!
- It’s (comparably) clean – hotel rooms, streets, and even the public toilets.
- They have real coffee (like proper Italian Espresso and Cappuccino and Café Latte and…)!
After reaching the point where no more food would fit in our stomachs, we started planning our trip through Myanmar. Not all the regions are accessible for tourists, (officially) due to safety reasons, and as it turns out it’s not as easy to exit the country on the land way as we were planning on doing. But since at that moment, we didn’t really want to leave at all, that last fact did not bother us too much.
We met some interesting people, among them Jonathan, an American missionary who has been living in Yangon for a few years now. He gave us priceless tips about the county and the culture, and we cooked a delicious Burmese dinner together. He confirmed the fact that Myanmar has undergone some extreme changes in the last years: For example, when he arrived in Myanmar in 2012, a simple SIM card cost USD 250. Even earlier on, the mobile net was so exclusive that a SIM card cost the same amount as a Jeep (yes, the car!) – and today we bought one for USD 1.5. Within the last two months, two new mobile phone carriers have come to live, to rival the government-owned MPT for the first time in Myanmar history. As of today, there are smart phone shops at every street corner, and about 80% of the people in the streets seem busy with their own device. That is one of the most impressive examples how fast things are changing these days.
We visited the Shwedagon Pagoda, an impressive gilded stupa of 99 meters in height, which is situated in the middle of a large park and many sacred places. Unfortunately, the Pagoda was wrapped in a scaffold (what reminded me of the ever-wrapped good old Münster in Berne…), and so we only saw a glimpse of the golden brightness.
Although we spent days exploring the city, there is still so much more to be seen. Yangon is definitely not to be missed when in Myanmar. (As a matter of fact, it can’t be missed: It’s currently the only place where foreigners are able to obtain a visa on entry for Myanmar…)
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