Myanmar

Myanmar Impressions.

After about two and a half hours of flight from Kuala Lumpur, your eyes will pierce through the clouds the plane is flying over, to have a glimpse of lush green fields of Myanmar and a big river meandering through the plains. This sight is just before you land at the Yangon International Airport. Yangon (erstwhile Rangoon of British India) is a very well water fed valley in southern Myanmar (Burma). It was the month of August and rains splashed the area almost daily.

The Shwedagon Pagoda through a frame.

The Pagoda lit up at night

I landed early at the breakfast time and meal at a cheaper rate was handy at the airport itself. There was a promo going on at the KFC that fetched me more to eat at much less the price as compared to some other cities in the SE Asia.

Burma is a developing country and the internet is relatively new here. However, since the civilian government took over a few years ago the telecom revolution has been making big strides. It has satisfactory 4G Internet services all over the tourist places and packs/plans are available at affordable prices. During my two weeks in that country, my Ooredoo data connection worked just fine. Hotels provide good wiFi for the guests but the free WiFi at the airports is in name only. Even our own Indira Gandhi Int’l airport at New Delhi provides a tardy free WiFi.

Hsinbyume Pagoda, Mandalay

A taxi from the airport to the city (14 Km) for MMK 7000 – 8000 is reasonable (1 INR to 20 MMK). However, some drivers ridiculously demanded MMK 30000. Grab provides an economical transportation taxi service in the whole of the SE Asia and Burma was no exception.

There are no motorbikes in the Yangon city limits. The military government had banned them from the city roads. I asked people and they told me that it was due to rash riding that many fatal accidents happened on the overcrowded roads of Yangon.

U Bien bridge

Only government officials were allowed to ride two-wheelers. However, I could see only two parked mobikes during my three and half days in the city. Obviously, why any government official will ride a motorbike when they could easily afford a four-wheeler.

The cursed Mingun Pagoda, Mandalay

Petrol and diesel in Burma cost almost the same (MMK 975 t0 990 per litre). Diesel was at times costlier of the two. In Indian terms, the price comes around Rs 43 – 45 per litre. The Burmese coastline is rich in petroleum. The Military junta gave all this precious natural resource to the Chinese on a platter. They do the exploration, take the crude to their refineries in China and give back 20% worth in petroleum products back to the Burmese people. The Generals struck an 80:20 deal in favour of the Chinese and fattened their own pockets and girths. Common people in Myanmar consider China as an exploiter nation and hate the Chinese. India and Indians find a place of reverence in the Burmese mind.

Cars are right-hand drives but the funny thing is that they also drive on the right side. I was told that all the cars are from Japan and they get only the right-hand drives. However, some China made buses are left are left-hand drives.

All the pagodas and temples require the visitors to enter barefooted. Walking barefoot in hot Sun on floors/ground on a temple or pagoda premises will scorch the sole of your feet. I learnt it the hard way.

Dogs roam free and can be seen sleeping right in front of the Buddha statue inside a temple. Dog excreta (dog poop) are also visible within the temple premises. However, you have to remove the shoes as well your socks. When I pointed it to a security personnel he quipped back, “no English”.

Some large temples have RO treated purified water. Fill up your bottle from there. Prefer not to use water for drinking from the pots / pitchers displayed outside the places.

Shwedagon seen from along the east gate

In Myanmar, people are friendly, speak English, and are generally helpful.

It is Pagodas everywhere

Not only in Yangon, but all over Myanmar, it is pagodas and more pagodas. The towering Shwedagon Pagoda or the golden pagoda (Historian say it was built in 6^th century AD but legend has it that it is 2500 yr old) with its spire rising 112 metres is the identity of Rangoon. Its worth is about USD 3 billion.

The other attraction of Rangoon is the Sule Pagoda.

Bahadur Shah Zafar’s mausoleum

The last Moghul emperor of India was exiled after the 1857 uprising that failed. The poet emperor died in confinement and his burial place is preserved at Ziwaka Road, in the Dagon area of Yangon.

“Kitna hain badnaseeb Zafar, dafaan ke liye

Doh gaz zameen be mil na saki Kuu-e yaar mein”
(original couplet in Urdu)

“Wretched are you Zafar even in death, for not getting

two yards of burial space in the street of the beloved.”
(translation mine)