First views on Yangon

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The Yangon drive from airport was more stop than go and took over an hour. Chris told me some history of the city, (didn't like to say I'd read it in preparation for traveling), explained how to agree a price for the ride before getting in a taxi and told me a bit about himself. He was in Singapore for 5 years after being a student in Yangon. He began guiding in 2010.
Out of the window I saw little trucks with people lying on stuff in the back, expensive cars with closed windows for aircon, cheaper cars with open windows, small Hyundai buses full of commuters and all of them in crush to get along the streets and often switching lanes or turning left dodging the oncoming traffic.
Many streets had small shack-like stalls reminding me of the higgledy, piggledy way of life in this part of the world. They were selling all manner of goods and I will have to get photos. Different to 30 years ago was the number of motor vehicles and consequently the fuel garages and tyre stops just like QwikFit in UK. Down the center of roads are concrete barriers separating the north/south traffic with lamps flashing red and blue to indicate them.
We drove on wide main roads into the city in the rush hour but Chris said it can be clogged like that at any time of the day. Passing Lake Inya I saw little as there is a bank from the road, in the ground was 'Welcome' as well as Burmese script. From the road I could see a reddish glow in the sky and we eventually saw the Shwedagon Pagoda lit up at night. It was only near this that we turned down smaller streets to reach the hotel.

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Photos

Apartment block Win Gabar Street
at street level there are small shops and cafes

Win Gabar Street
walking on pavements is a dangerous sport so people walk in the road - always take a torch at night

Comments

[Loril]

Happy trails !
And so the adventure begins ! I'm glad I can travel vicariously through your blog, as if I'm there with you.