Thoughts on Yangon

Ok so my uncle was afraid that I wouldn't like Yangon, but I did. There was so much to be seen on the street, from fresh seafood I've never seen in my life to rickshaws and folks wrapped in longyis (Lohn-gees). Locals lived their lives on the street here way more than any other place I've been in Southeast Asia.

Compared to Hanoi the air was cleaner (perhaps due to the rain) and more people spoke English (and better English than most of the folks I talked to in Vietnam). The buildings were a little run-down, but there was a lot of colonial-era architecture that was still up, in addition to weird fusion buildings and old shop houses. 

Facing south-- foreground are the shrines to the days of the week (folks pray to the day they're born on)

I did go to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda which is comprised of many many temples and has buddhas and shrines to the different days of the week (you pray to the day of the week that you were born on), and has the largest bell in Myanmar (which the British attempted to steal but it capsized the ship and sank to the bottom of the river and had to be lifted out by a makeshift raft by the locals). Spectacular.
(Hint, if you want a good view head to the rooftop bar called Vista Bar)

The view from Vista Bar....

Loved the street markets around 19th street-- on Maha Bandula and 19th there was food, and Anawratha Road and 19th had lots of recycled hardware and tools. Tried a bunch of foods and didn't get sick so I highly recommend you do the same if you go! Just be wary of uncooked (the ice cream/popsicle thing I had didn't give me any issues).

19th and Maha Bandula for amazing food (cooked and raw)

Or go to Anawratha if you want to see a lot of tools 

Suggested Walk for Architecture

Sule Pagoda is a major landmark around this part of town (Central area)

City Hall on the other hand looks like it has gone through different styles....

High Court Building-- it feels so British

Around the Sule Pagoda, you can walk by the oddly decorated City Hall, and the old Court building. Unfortunately we didn't get to go down to the Strand hotel or walk Strand road to find the other old colonial buildings.  If I went back I'd do that and go on the circle train around the city.

Bogyoke (Bow-geok) Market: Pretty amazing place if you want to buy longyis, jade, cane balls, and fruit all in one stop.

Alibaba Amusement Center: Stumbled upon this entirely by accident-- it's the Yangon equivalent to Chuck-e-Cheese. No pictures allowed inside, though (for whatever reason) so I snapped a shot on the way out. Definitely seems like a good place to spend some time on a rainy day.  Located somewhere on 25th Street north of Maha Bandula.

Places to Stay

We met up with our friends from Vietnam who stayed in Pickled Tea Hostel (we stayed at Royal 74 Hotel, which I lived in a windowless shoebox of a room and the provided breakfast was fairly greasy and only somewhat good). If I did go again I'd probably stay at a hostel instead (you meet people). We met a lot of good folks through our friends and it was a good few days in Yangon. Do note that there are calls to prayer early in the morning in these places, which was pretty noticeable by my friends at Pickled Tea.

Where to eat (if you need a restaurant)

Shan Yoe Yar -- clean, great service, and affordable. If you like spicy food, then you'll love Shan food. It was so good we ate there twice!