Myanmar. Burma. I was a bit anxious about coming here. Mainly because of the elections. The not being able to withdraw money from an ATM and walking around with crisp US dollar bills was ok. Also I knew that most accommodations would be overpriced and underdelivering. That infrastructure would be bad. All ok. Elections however are unpredictable; how would the military respond, and how would the people in the streets? As I was flying in, Burma had seemed to have made a first step towards democracy and I was curious to see if I would notice any of that during my trip.
Arriving in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, I noticed that I was trying to get a grip of the country. Somehow it felt that I had walked into a combination India, Thailand and Indonesia. I stayed it Chinatown, a bit outside the former colonial center of Rangoon. There was activity all around. Market stalls with fresh fruit, some selling fish or crabs. Men walking around in longyis, the Burmese form of a sarong, teeth red from chewing ataca nuts with betel leaves. Also more than in other places I noticed how many monks I saw.
The main attractions in Yangon are the Shwedagon pagoda and the old center. The latter is really a case of faded glory, many old colonial buildings in disrepair. The pagado is really something to see, especially after sunset when the place really comes alive. The pagoda itself is made up of some 8,700 gold bars at its base and some 13,500 bars for the stupa. In addition to that it is decorated with about 5,400 diamonds and 2,300 other precieus stones. In the eventing you can see people lighting up candles and incense all around the pagado.
In the end I didn't notice too much about the election, besides selling posters and calendars featuring. Aung San Suu Kyi. But perhaps that is already a positive sign.
