Yangon

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Panorama view of downtown Yangon. Left: Sule Pagoda, Center: Yangon City Hall.

Panoramic view of Yangon with the Sule Pagoda in background.

Yangon is a religiously diverse city. You can find a Synagogue, Mosque, Church, Pagoda and Hindu Temple a couple of blocks apart.

Traveling with another person can be difficult at times. Especially, if you both have different itinerary. George and I had our first and only fight, though it was indirect, it was still a fight. After Mawlamine, we decided that our next destination would be Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock). I was down to stay there for 2 or 3 days, but George had other plans. We ended up rushing thru Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, trying to see it in one day. We took a bus from town to the Pagoda. It started raining hard. Really hard. It felt like we were on the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studio. We were soaked. Luckily, I was able to protect my valuables from the rain. George had a meltdown in his own passive way. It was as though he just disappeared into himself. I was hot and irritated by his decision to rush thru this. We caught the bus to Yangon. It was a silent ride. Things took a turn for the worst after we checked into the hostel in Yangon. We decided from that instant that we would do our own thing and just meet up when we needed to. Things eventually worked itself out as our trip progressed, but it took compromising on both our ends..

Young Buddhist nuns collecting alms.


"Its cute how Burmese call waiters and waitresses at restaurants by making a smooching sound. Its amazing how somethings has a certain meaning in one culture and a totally different one in another."
Journal Entry: 07.16.2014


Side walk venders and businesses.



Street view of downtown Yangon.



Independence Monument and Park.



Traces of Yangon's past under British Colonial rule...



For The Foodies:









More sweets.



Burmese Pizza.


"I have been feeling depressed for the last couple of days. I feel reluctant to go home, but I don't know where else I can go with this much money...I am physically drained from traveling. Tired of Southeast Asia. I must be experiencing travel fatigue. I'm questioning whether or not I want to go to China. I will find out. I had a dream about my pops and brother. Couldn't remember what it was about., but it helped me realized how I am feeling. They have moved on with their lives, as well as everyone else. I feel stuck. The feeling never disappeared after almost nine months away from home. I feel lost, lonely and in despair. I long for the warmth of my mother. The comfort of women. I have chased it for so many years and it has brought me so much pain. I'm all out of tears to cry. I just want to find a way to properly end this pain."
Journal Entry: 07.18.2014

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