Yangon and Rangoon – a City with Two Names

Actually, there are lots of places in the world have several names.  From Rangoon in colonial era to Yangon after independence, status in international relationship changes along with the change of name.  Nowaday, it is no longer Burma but Myanmar (note 1).  With the change of government in recent years, the country’s capital is no longer Yangon.  Interestingly, the only direct flight from Hong Kong to Myanmar available only goes the Yangon.  

The schedule of direct flight to Hong Kong to Myanmar does not fit my tight schedule.  This time, I went Myanmar via Thailand, Bangkok.  

Taxi drivers look like they found preys coming out from the airport.  They use fluent English to welcome foreign visitors.  Since my friend had been here several times, he knows how to bargain with taxi drivers.  Although there is meter in every taxi, basically it is for decoration.  Maybe local people will force them to follow the meter.  

After we left the airport area, the view outside is totally rural.  Not only after about 10 to 15 minutes, I can see some houses, and then taller buildings.  What I mean by “taller buildings” are those built in the British colony era with several storeys.  Then there are more cars, buses, and bicycles.  

This previous capital city of the country (note 2) is still an important economic city, although the political status was a history.  Crowded with people and cars, people wear half traditional clothes, with t-Shirt on top and the traditional longyi in the bottom.  The long longyi cloth is not an obstacle for their movement at all.  

A Taste of England

Sanctions from western countries were not relaxed until recently, but this already seriously affect the country’s development. The buildings in the city preserve the art of colonial style, from architecture to food.  Our afternoon tea is English high tea (note 3).  I don’t know a lot about high tea, but the tea tastes exactly the same as in England.  My friend said the cream and jam for scone are comparable to those 5 stars hotels in Hong Kong.

Wet Market

Afterward, we went to a wet market nearby.  In order to know more about the daily live of local residents, the best place to go is wet markets.  The wet market is just the same Hong Kong in 40 years ago, maybe older, when my granny was young.  Fruit and vegetable are sold on the floor, and sellers scream to attract customers.  Only meats are sold on tables as butchers need to chop bones and meats.  Fish and shrimps are placed on floor, attracting not only customers but also flies.  After that, we did not have any seafood in our trip.   Are flies one of the measure to their freshness?

Housewives shop for groceries everyday so they can feed their families with fresh food.  The wet market is basically on a street, and it becomes narrower when stalls fill the remaining space.  Women holding babies with bags of food, picking the most fresh piece from stalls skillfully.  I just feel I entered into time tunnel. It does not like 21st century to me.  But this is the modern day Yangon.   

Meals

The main Burmese food is curry and rice.  Like many countries, different area have different kind of cuisine.  Shan cuisine (note 4)  is famous for leaves cooking.  It looks like Yunnan cooking style.  As I was in Myanmar for only a week, I cannot go deeper to analyse their cooking in different states.  However, I fall in love with Moyinga, thin rice noodle in rich fish broth.  (see my other article about Rangoon Tea House)

Although Burmese food taste good, but I got a little bit fed up for the same food in every meal.  It is difficult for me to gain weight in Myanmar.  When I was about to leave Myanmar, I found I missed McDonald.  Unless there is no more US sanction, McDonald and Starbucks are still foreign stories in Myanmar.  

Since our schedule is tight, we chose to go to sightseeing spots in the last two days in Yangon.  We went to Sule Pagoda.  Sule Pagoda is in the middle of Yangon.  If you get lost, you will find your direction here.  This is not only a religious site, this is also historical site. In 2007, monks gathered here in this stupa to protest the government and to protect the country and religion.  

Shwedagon Pagoda is another temple (or stupa) where you must go.  The golden stupa shines the whole city.  My friend said this Pagoda has jewellery everywhere, but no one dare to steal.   However, on the way to Shwedagon Pagoda, we had another tourist experience, Monsoon rain.

Rainy Scene

This is daily in Yangon, but as a traveler we hardly had experience with this kind of weather.  In just a few minutes, Yangon becomes a pool.  We hid in a nearby coffee shop to watch the art of weather.  Shwedagon Pagoda was skipped.  Pity

Yangon was the first stop as well as the last stop in my Myanmar trip.  It is the beginning, and also the end.  In between, we also went to Bagan and Mandalay.  So, stay tuned~ 

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Note 1:  Whether Burma or Myanmar is still an international issue.  Due to political reasons, it is still Burma for Britain and the United States.

Note 2:  The capital of Myanmar is Naypyidaw, a city north of Yangon.  The city becomes the country’s capital only since 2005, where government headquarters and the headquarter of Htoo Group are situated.  

Note 3:  This delicious high tea is in the most luxury hotel in Yangon, The Strand Hotel Yangon.

Note 4:  Myanmar has 7 states and 7 regions.  Among them, Shan State is one of the northern states in the border, neighbouring Yunnan China, Thailand and Laos.  Due to the geographical sensitivity, it is not a tourist spot.  However, there are a lot of Shan cuisine restaurants in Yangon.  The one we went to is Shan Yao Yar Restaurant.