Travelling to Myanmar feels like taking a step back in time. In many ways little seems to have changed since British colonial times.
One of the many decaying moss-covered buildings built by the British
Yangon Central Railway Station – with the original British narrow-gauge tracks
For the most part, the people of Myanmar stick to traditional customs and dress, with the men wearing the skirt-like longyi and women smothering their faces in thanakha (a yellow paste made from sandalwood – serving as sunblock and moisturiser).
During the time of the British Raj many Indians came to Myanmar, so there was a strong Indian feel to Yangon.
Traditional teashop offering – note the curry and samosas
Betel nut (pan) packages for sale at 4 for 100 Kyat (US 10 cents)
When we got into our taxi at the airport. we noticed that the cars were all right hand drive vehicles and they drove on the right hand side of the road. The taxi driver told us that a previous general had become quite nervous about his waning power and had consulted an astrologer. The astrologer had advised him the only way to restore his power was to change the road system so he changed the traffic from the left hand side to the right hand side!
We also noted that there were no motorbikes in Yangon making it unlike any of the big cities in South East Asia. Rumour has it that they were banned after a motorbike collision with a general’s car.
Myanmar’s version of a cycle rickshaw – the passengers sit back to back instead of side by side
We visited the Shwedagon Paya at dusk and stayed until the sun went down. It was really spectacular – an enormous gleaming gold stupa on an octagonal marble platform surrounded by hundreds of colourful temples, stupas and statues.
Unlike the rest of the monks in South East Asia, Burmese monks wear maroon (not saffron)coloured robes
One of the three white elephants at the Hisn Hpyu Daw park
The elephants are actually pink in colour and had been brought to Yangon by the military who regarded them as a good omen for the country. We felt that it was a bad omen for the elephants who were chained to the floor and were obviously unhappy and bored as they were rocking backwards and forwards to the extent of their short chain.
Fish for sale at a street market – perhaps the cigarettes are a sales gimmick?
One of the many street dogs in Yangon – this spotted hairless dog was a particularly striking specimen
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