Yangon (Rangoon)
Travelogue: August 22nd
So, yes, this is our third day in Myanmar (Burma) and I have to say that Yangon (Rangoon) has got to be the most interesting city I've ever visited. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it's beat all possible expectations. The people are so genuine and have the warmest smiles of anyone I've ever met. They are friendly and open and, as a bonus, often speak English, (having been a former British colony and all). The customer service here is amazingly good, in fact several people often wait on you at the same time. The capital city feels like a cross between India (gloriously disheveled) and Cuba (tropical but from another time). It looks as though a bomb went off in the middle of it and no one bothered to repair the roads. The cars are all from the '70s and '80s or older - nothing newer. There's a very large Indian community here, so we've had some wonderful Indian lunches while we've been here as well.
Tonight (Sunday), we're taking a 12 hour bus to the north of the country. It's going to be a long ride, although we've read that the long-distance buses aren't too bad in this country. I had an injury to my left knee a week ago. (Not sure what I did, but I suspect that I over-stretched it during my week-long Thai massage training course and then heard a disturbing "POP" during one extended stretch with weight.) So, I expect the long bus ride to be a bit difficult for the knee.
We'll be spending at least another 10 days in this country seeing some amazing temples and other sites. We're even considering extending the trip here possibly, but aren't sure yet. It does seem to be a once in lifetime journey.
So, yes, this is our third day in Myanmar (Burma) and I have to say that Yangon (Rangoon) has got to be the most interesting city I've ever visited. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it's beat all possible expectations. The people are so genuine and have the warmest smiles of anyone I've ever met. They are friendly and open and, as a bonus, often speak English, (having been a former British colony and all). The customer service here is amazingly good, in fact several people often wait on you at the same time. The capital city feels like a cross between India (gloriously disheveled) and Cuba (tropical but from another time). It looks as though a bomb went off in the middle of it and no one bothered to repair the roads. The cars are all from the '70s and '80s or older - nothing newer. There's a very large Indian community here, so we've had some wonderful Indian lunches while we've been here as well.
Tonight (Sunday), we're taking a 12 hour bus to the north of the country. It's going to be a long ride, although we've read that the long-distance buses aren't too bad in this country. I had an injury to my left knee a week ago. (Not sure what I did, but I suspect that I over-stretched it during my week-long Thai massage training course and then heard a disturbing "POP" during one extended stretch with weight.) So, I expect the long bus ride to be a bit difficult for the knee.
We'll be spending at least another 10 days in this country seeing some amazing temples and other sites. We're even considering extending the trip here possibly, but aren't sure yet. It does seem to be a once in lifetime journey.