Arrival in Yangon (Myanmar)

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Fri Jan 4 2013
Up very early (4.20) to catch 7.15 flight Taipei to Yangon - 4 hr+ duration; 1 1/2 hr time diff. Lots of room on 737. Cab to Clover City Center Hotel. Hot 34 degrees. Clean spartan and very small room. Nap.
Went out to change money. Found 3 different rates: 800kt=1$, 820, (hotels) 880 (man on street). Took latter. Hilarious procedure: he walks us to "office" which is kiosk against building run by 3 men. They have bundles of 100- 1000kt notes. R asks for $250USD worth. They want to change more. - 220,000kt. R counts out each stack. Then when he produces 5 crisp $50 US bills, they want $100s. R insists- dont have anything else. Has to give them 3,000kt back (about $3.50). Done. I put the huge wad of bills into our canvas bag. They panic when I want to take photo of them and the stand!

Off to find lunch. Bought city map (1$) at bookstore. Vendor directed us to restaurants nearby. Passed lots of dodgy stands. Opted for downstairs-upstairs place. Busy. Ordered meat, fish, rice, veg, beer. Soup and tea free. Pretty good. (about $10). Home for nap. Very hot.

Cab to Italian restaurant where R had eaten 2 yr ago. Very good meal-Australian steak, huge salads, fries/grilled potatoes, red wine from Chile. Nuce complementary fruit after Chatted with group of 4 people from Canada and US. 3 of them teach at international schools in Vietnam, 4th in photography. One of them said there's a good teaching job available in Thailand(?)

Home by cab. RH drive but on RH side of road. A lot of merging goes on- not much respect for lanes.

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