Burma - the hidden gem of SEA (Yangon)

Member Name: sun-is-shining

Product:	Yangon
Date:	26/05/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: breathtaking temples, friendly locals, cheap food,

Disadvantages: none

How could I sum up Yangon in one sentence? A total assualt on the senses!

It's a large and chaotic city crammed full of a diverse cross-section of ethnic groups; Birmar, Shan, Mon, Karen, Bengali, Tamil, Chinese and Nepalis all share the streets and tea houses that dot the city's suburbs.

Then there are the wonderful temples that have followed in the footsteps of each of these people's religions; From the Buddhist pagodas that form the majority to Hindu temples in the Indian district to the Taoist temples in Chinatown and the Cathedrals scattered all over the city that serve as a constant reminder of Burma's colonial days under British Imperial rule...Burma, like neigbouring India to the west, is home to one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse societies on the planet.

However, perhaps paradoxically, Burma still has a uniqueness to it...

The effects of the trade embargo are immediently apparent. The taxis here are all old cars, mostly toyota corolas imported from Japan (one of the few nations who haven't conformed to the international trade embargo along with China, Thailand and India) and are virtually all falling apart. One taxi we took in Yangon had the fuel tank attached to the back seat and the chasis and doors were held together by duct tape and some sort of adhesive glue (maybe hot glue or silicone gel!?)...For the vast majority of Burmese this is the harsh reality of the trade embargo, they simply cannot afford new cars as new cars cost even more than we pay in the west to import.

To add to the completely alien feel to the country, there is almost a complete lack of western 'brand names' to be found anywhere. So everything is home grown or Chinese, Japanese, Indian or Thai imports.
For example, Coca-Cola is available through a loop hole in the embargo (Thai, Malaysian or Chinese merchants buy it from Coca-Cola in there home countries and get it into Burma to sell) but is technically a black-market product with a price-tag to fit at over $1.00US per can...Most Burmese are lucky to earn this in a day.
So you can forget about Mcdonalds, cinemas showing western films, or Ipods!

With all these products banned from Burma you can no doubt imagine how smuggling has become a popular and lucritive business for many opportunists ready to exploit a black-market and a government run by corrupt tyranical generals who have total control over the lives of the population...

Perhaps Burma is a last reminder of what Eastern Europe was like during the height of the Soviet era under hardline Communist regimes...It really is a closed society.

The military junta's prescence seems to pervade everyone and everything in Burma. The Myanmar 'KGB' followed and kept tabs on us on a few occasions in Yangon.

I got the feeling all this simmering frustration and anger would soon explode onto the streets of Yangon again like in 2007 where mass demonstrations against the junta lead to an international condemation of the junta and the arrest and subsequent torture of tens of thouands of peacefully protesting Buddhist monks and pro-democracy dissidents...Everywhere we went people whsipered their discontent to us over a tea or down a quiet side street...

But we got the feeling we were never out of reach of the junta and there were moments when we were both feeling a little intimidated. I couldn't imagine living under this fear every moment of every day. It must do horrible things to the mind...You'd think so wouldn't you? But if this is true then the Burmese don't show it, because they are some of the warmest most genuine and hospitable people i've ever encountered traveling.

The amount of times we got invited for tea with a local on the first day alone was staggering. It certainly took us a while to adjust because our defenses were still up from traveling in neighbouring Asian countries where these kinds of friendly offers can sometimes disguise a scam or something involving you getting ripped off.

However we'd find this kind of genuine warm hospitality and curiousity a hall mark of our trip to Burma...

But enough about the people. What about the signts?

Swedagon pagoda is the landmark of Yangon. It's more than just another temple. Much more.
First it all it dominates the skyline much like the Effiel Tower dominates the skyline in Paris as it stands hundreds of feet high on a large hill in the middle of northern Yangon. It's towering gold spiral can be seen from many parts of the city.
Secondly, it is surrounded by hundreds of other pagodas on the hill top many of which are equally as impressive for there own special reasons.
One temple houses the largest carved jade Buddha in Myanmar and possibly the world. Another has a Boddhi tree growing through it which is a symbol of enlightenment as the Buddha attained enlightenment under a Boddhi tree. Another is supposed to contain hairs of the Buddha and others still are said to contain magical staffs and scrolls...
Aside from the legends and magic surrounding the complex, the architecture is absolutely stunning.
Four tunneled steps made of marbel, gold and iron lead up to the top of the hill from all points on the compass.
Then when you get to the top the temples are adorned with pure gold, emeralds, rubies, diamonds and sapphires. The effect on the senses is mesmorising. After spending a coupel of hours here we actually felt motion sick, such was the intensity of the colours from these precious stones!

To sum up, Shwedagon was quite simply the most beuatiful and awe-inspiring holy site and work of architecual art i've ever seen...For me it even made the brilliance of the Angkor ruins in Cambodia seem extremely tame.
If ever Burma opens it's arms to the outside world then Swedagon will instantly become a UNESCO world heritage site. But the fact it isn't is probably a blessing in disguise, because for now it's one of the last remaining wonders of the world that has yet to succumb to the trappings of mass tourism...Now you can enjoy it in all it's glory with only a handful of westerners (we saw maybe three there), devoted Burmese locals and pilgrims and a few hundred monks for company.

Burma is definitely a world of strange contradictions!

Summary: a unique place to visit - worth all the hassle with flights/visa etc