Exploring Yangon

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Geo: 16.7837, 96.1568

Myanmar is a country that has a lot to offer and we were really looking forward to making the most out of every moment. We arrived in to Yangon on the full moon public holiday so fireworks greeted us as if they were celebrating our arrival, if only!
The first noticeable difference coming from Indonesia was that there were no motorbikes or tuk tuks. I think these aren't allowed in Yangon.
A sight to remember was driving at night with the Shwedagon Pagoda wistfully glowing gold in the near distant landscape which felt like one was being hypnotised.
Day one and after 5 minutes outside, the heat was already making us uncomfortable, just finding a small shaded area was welcome relief.
We checked out the area near our hotel in the town center first then made our way to the market where my bartering skills were put to shame. They're hard to negotiate with!
We took a taxi to two inspiring pagodas, Shwedagon Pagoda being the largest and popular one and it definitely doesn't disappoint. It appeared that male tourists especially like myself got caught out by wearing shorts and have no option but to buy a longie which I had bought only a few hours before.
The Pagoda is quite striking in both daylight and at night and you can watch locals and monks doing their daily prayers and offerings.
We also visited bogyoke park which has a nice board walk and views of Shwedagon Pagoda and an odd looking floating restaurant.
Yangon was a good start and introduction to this exciting country. There are a few things around that can keep you busy but probably two days maximum. Taxis are the easier option as the buses seem complicated and with no English written anywhere. Accommodation in Myanmar appears to be the expensive thing that keeps the daily spending budget high, most other things like food and transport are cheap.
Just make sure you give yourself three hours to get to the bus station. We thought two hours was enough! A lot of stress on my part as we arrived 5 minutes late but thankfully the bus was still there!
We were looking forward to heading in to the countryside and had a overnight bus to Inle Lake.

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