On Monday, March 21, we arrived in Myanmar around 10:30pm after a long yet smooth eleven hour travel day. Although Bhutan is pretty much next door, there are only a few cities that Druk Air will fly in and out of so we had a four hour flight from Paro to Bangkok, a five hour layover and then a two hour flight to Yangon. As we exited the plane, we immediately felt such a drastic change in weather. It was roughly 55 degrees in Paro when we left and at least 95 degrees now - at night, after the sun as been fast asleep for hours. With every step we took on the tarmac, we were shedding layers of clothing the way snakes shed skin. Less is definitely more. Once we went through immigration and got our passports stamped, we were greeted by two guys from our hotel, which I pre-arranged for at a hefty fee of $20 USD. Given how late it was, we felt it was definitely worth the convenience. Plus, they were rolling deep in a black leather, tinted windows, fully air conditioned SUV. The minute the blast of a cold breeze tickled my face, I instantly felt a relief from the tiny bubbles of sweat quickly developing on my upper lip. If you're sexy and you know it clap your hands. So attractive, I know.
After a thirty minute drive, we pulled up to our hotel, Merchant Art Boutique, at 11:15pm. Very modern, new and clean. Our room was $70 a night.
In order to fully appreciate this country, we felt we needed to fully understand this country. And since Myanmar was such a mystery to us, we decided to do some research on where it has been, where it currently stands and where it hopes to go. It is not a place that is widely talked about (at least not in the conversations I have) nor is it a place that Westerners are relatively familiar with (correct me if I'm wrong, although that's very rare, wink wink). It is not as black and white as some of the other areas we've visited or will be visiting either. And since I'm such a good friend, I'll give you the very vague cliff notes version from what I learned so you too can be better educated.
Some people have heard of Myanmar while others haven't. Some people have heard of Burma while others haven't. Either way you spin it, Myanmar and Burma are actually the same thing. It's like all the other countries or cities out there that have changed names within the last century - Bombay to Mumbai, Persia to Iran, Peking to Beijing, Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, Kampuchea to Cambodia, Siam to Thailand, Russia to Soviet Union then back to Russia (wonder why they were Russian for a change -HA). Myanmar shares a border with five countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. As wild as this sounds, there are more than 135 different ethnic groups, each with its own history, culture and language. Myanmar became an independent state in 1948, after gaining its sovereignty from The United Kingdom. Then the ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands were killed in the suppression of a popular uprising. At this same time, Rangoon, the largest and most commercially important city, received a new name as well - Yangon. These changes were recognized by the United Nations as well as France and Japan; however, many English speaking countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada still referred to it as Burma. As both names are currently used by the locals, Burma is considered more popular while Myanmar is viewed more literary. The decision to continue using Burma was rooted in a desire to show disapproval for the noxious regime.
A big reason why Myanmar is so mysterious to the outside world (in my humble opinion at least) is because its doors were closed to tourism for nearly 50 years due to the army-imposed isolation that turned the country somewhat upside down. It wasn't until 2010 that they started allowing foreigners to enter their home again. Due to this closure, Myanmar is not like its neighboring countries. It is quite untouched, undiscovered and unchartered territory compared to the rest of the region. It isn't part of the typical "backpackers" route of Southeast Asia but since Vinny and I dare to be different, we added this to our list anyways. Plus, my friend Kari visited in 2013 and our family friends Mark and Dorith visited in 2014 - both coming back with rave reviews. It is nearly impossible in this day and age to experience a country not heavily impacted by tourism so this was our one opportunity to see the real Myanmar.
Day 1 - March 22nd
Today is our 69th day on this wild and crazy adventure (yes, I'm counting). Surprisingly, its has all gone ridiculously well. Flights have been relatively on time, trains never broke down, hotels on average were all up to par and never once did we get sick (well I had a weird fever for two days while in Jaipur but that doesn't really count). I continued to rub my lucky crystals (thanks Carole!) because it is a miracle nothing happened while in India, Nepal or Bhutan given how underdeveloped those three countries are. I kept pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. But unfortunately, that pinch soon became too real. Vinny woke up this morning feeling a little nauseous. We thought it was maybe because of the heat, maybe because we were drained from the past 2+ months of constantly being on the go or maybe because he was hungry. We were leaning more towards the latter so we went downstairs to the complimentary breakfast and put some nutrients in our bodies. But that only made things worse. Around 1pm, he started throwing up. And throwing up. And throwing up. Uh oh, could this be food poisoning? I've never had it so I can't diagnose him but he kept saying it was a different feeling than when he had it a few years back. Either way, he was super sick which totally sucked. Every time he would drink water, his body would reject it so he had no liquids and no food to give him any sort of strength. As he continued to move from the bathroom to the bed and vice versa (sorry for the nasty visual), I twiddled my thumbs in a 25 square meter room with no one to talk to and nothing to do. I was somewhat going crazy so I ended up taking a walk around our hotel neighborhood in hopes of finding saltine crackers and some sort of sports drink with electrolytes. But we aren't in the USA. And we aren't in Europe. Nor are we in South America even. Brands like Gatorade don't really exist here. Starbucks and McDonalds don't even exist here. Right when I was about to give up hope (mainly because I couldn't really handle the massive drops of sweat creeping down my back anymore), I came across a tiny convenient store called Grab & Go. And wallah, they had some kind of drink with electrolytes AND fairly plain crackers. Just like that, I quickly became a hero. Hopefully Vinny can keep them both down...
Day 2 - March 23rd
Even after a restful night sleep, Vinny woke up feeling weak, tired and nauseous still. He stopped throwing up around 11pm and thankfully didn't wake up in the middle of the night. This made us question whether or not it was in fact food poisoning. Let the unknown remain but let's just hope he feels better tomorrow. Although it completely sucks to be in his position right now, the timing couldn't have been any more perfect (easy for me to say). The reason for this is because we have absolutely nothing planned for the first time on this trip. We paid for three nights at this hotel but we don't know where we are going next, how we are getting there or how long we'll be there. Worse case, we extend our Yangon stay a few more nights to actually see the city, once the V is feeling like Superman again.
Day 3 - March 24th
A new day, a new you! After resting to regain his energy yesterday, Vinny is finally feeling somewhat like himself. Hip hip hooray! I'm first and foremost happy for him but selfishly, I'm yearning to get outside and explore. Since it is about 105 degrees (yuck), we decided to take things a little slower than usual to make sure he doesn't relapse. We held hands over a casual stroll, passing by rainbow colored apartment buildings and an abundance of street stalls serving local food. It seems to be normal for adults to sit on what looks like plastic chairs and tables made for children. Not just at one or two or three different places but at every single location we passed by. Very interesting.
We then stopped by a decently sized department store for some more toiletries and ended up getting two umbrellas as well. You're probably thinking "oh, is rain in the forecast?". Which is a totally legit question. But no, it's not. We got them to cover ourselves from the sun because it's ridiculously strong and somewhat miserable. The UV Index is 11. I've never seen it that high in my life. Usually it's below 7 but not today, not in Myanmar. Plus, all the locals have an umbrella so why not try to fit in. It's a win-win. In the famous words of Rihanna, "When the sun shines, we'll shine together. Told you I'd be here forever. Said I'll always be a friend. Took an oath I'ma stick it out 'til the end. You can stand under my umbrella. Ella ella eh eh eh". If you imagine me singing that song, it sounds way better, I promise.
Now that we had permanent shade to protect our delicate skin (mine is an absolute mess at the current moment, P.S.), we walked to lunch at the Rangoon Tea House, a place recommended by our hotel, TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet. It had a very westernized look and feel but the air conditioning was much appreciated. And we needed food that was on the simpler, lighter side so Vinny could stomach it (literally).
Next up, we went on The Circle Train. This was a three hour journey allowing us to get a realistic glimpse into rural Yangon for a whopping 400 Kyat or $.33 (that is cents, not dollars). Outside of the city, miles aways from the touristy areas, we witnessed locals living their normal everyday lives. The Circle Train is a commuter transportation outlet that brings people to the city as well as out of the city. Some are using it to get from home to work and vice versa while others actually work on the train, trying to make every last Kyat they possibly can - whether it's selling various fruits, vegetables, water, rice crackers, hats, newspapers, etc. You name it, it's sold here.
The carriage rocks and rumbles as you slowly make your way through 45.9 kilometres of track via 39 stations which forms a loop around Yangon. Stopping at each and every station for only a minute or two, people clamber on with only seconds to spare, lugging more belongings than they can usually handle. The train returns back to Yangon's city station before making the same journey over and over again throughout the day. The more stations you pass, the more the landscape changes from city concrete to paddy fields and rustic villages, and the more passengers the train picks up. This is, after all, one of the main and cheapest forms of transportation for the populace.
There was no air conditioning on the train but there was a slight breeze coming through the open windows, although the maximum speed is 17 mph so it's fairly slow. By the end of our journey, my legs produced enough sweat on the plastic seat to fill a kiddy pool. And with every stroke of wind that made its way past my nose, I couldn't help but smell so many different scents - food, trash, body odors, vegetation, etc. Your senses are on overload, while your eyes just want to divert to the tranquil countryside. Before you know it, the train pulls into its next stop, folks exit and a whole new set of characters enter for the next leg of the journey.
About halfway into the ride, an older local gentleman sat next to me. He kept to himself at first but then he kindly asked where we were from. When I said the USA, he quickly replied, in a high pitch voice and with a Broadway like expression, "YOLO!". It was impossible not to burst into laughter (in a respectful manner of course) simply because of the way he said it and because that's what he thinks of when he hears America. Wow, we have such a great reputation out there. Since the Circle Train is his commute everyday, he has taken it upon himself to learn English now that tourism is booming. He takes advantage of being on the train with foreigners and tries to learn new phrases all the time. He actually keeps a little journal and has people from all over the world sign it. What an awesome concept. When he asked me to sign it, I taught him FOMO. For those of you who don't know what either acronym stands for, let me know teach you too. YOLO is "You Only Live Once", meaning go skydiving or book that one way ticket or try frog legs or finally enroll in that photography class you've been wanting to take. FOMO is "Fear Of Missing Out", meaning you feel the need to be everywhere all the time because you are afraid something will happen if you're not there. Both are not educated sayings but they are frequently used by my generation.
Once we returned to the main train station after a stimulating three hour ride, we made our way to the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the most famous pagodas in the world. Gleaming in gold and decorated with diamonds, the huge Shwedagon Pagoda is a spectacular work of Burmese temple architecture and is the holiest Buddhist monument in all of Myanmar. It is believed to enshrine eight hairs of the Gautama Buddha as well as relics of three former buddhas. The original height of the pagoda was 66 feet. From the 14th century onward, successive monarchs in Myanmar rebuilt or regarded it until Shwedagon reached its present height of 326 feet. It is decorated with 3,154 gold bells, 79,569 diamonds as well as other precious stones.
We were told it was best to visit at sunset so that's what we did and it sure didn't disappoint. The pagoda colors transformed from a flaming crimson, to a burnt orange until it finished with an ever so splendid golden shine. It was pretty pretty pretty perfect, stupendously stunning, impeccably impressive. There was just so much gold everywhere you looked. Thanks to Kanye West, all I kept singing was "I ain't sayin' she a gold digger"...
We ended this epic day with a delicious dinner at Monsoon (thanks Mark for the recommendation!). Great food, great vibe and great cheesy American music playing on a very short loop in the background.
Day 4 - March 25th
Unfortunately, Vinny woke up feeling sick again so we laid low for most of the morning. I think we might have overdone it yesterday. Oops, I'm not that good of a nurse apparently.
Around 5pm, we hailed a cab and headed to The Strand Hotel for some high tea. Pinkies up always. The Strand Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Yangon, built in 1901, and remains one of Southeast Asia's few grand colonial and most awe inspiring architectures.
After we sipped on tea and enjoyed the beautiful decor of The Strand Hotel, we decided to have an earlier dinner since we didn't have lunch. But as soon as we walked outside, I got this not so pleasant feeling in my stomach. In a snap of a finger, I was utterly nauseous. That's weird. I felt totally fine when I sat down and now an hour later, I feel not so fine. Maybe I'm just hot and hungry? The Union Grill was a quick ten minute walk so in no time I will shove my face with some yummy food and be 125% again (why settle for average).
However, that wasn't the case. About fifteen minutes after sitting down, I abruptly rushed to the bathroom to throw up, twice. Ummm, what is going on with us? I couldn't fathom eating a meal so Vinny finished his as quickly as possible and we unwillingly went back to our hotel room. For the next few hours, I set up shop in the bathroom. As you can imagine, both of us were obsessively trying to determine what this could be. We both had the same sickness yet two days apart. I guess we will never know but the unanimous decision was some kind of stomach bug. Not fun.
Day 5 - March 26th
I woke up not feeling horrible but not feeling like my energetic self either. We were scheduled to take an overnight bus tonight to Bagan so we had the entire day to explore but I couldn't get out of bed. Since we weren't leaving until 8pm, we paid $15 USD to keep the room past 4pm so I could rest in the air conditioning. We ended up in Yangon for five nights (originally planned for three nights) and five full days but could only really enjoy one and a half of them. Such a bummer. Oh well, moving on.
Around 7:45pm, we boarded our overnight bus with JJ Express from Yangon to Bagan, which cost $19 USD per person. There was no bathroom, which terrified me in case I got sick again but they did have reclining chairs, a blanket and a pillow. Hopefully I will just shut my eyes and wake up in a new city, feeling like a new me...
