The Yangon Circle Line (Burma continued)

After lunch, as cold rain continued to drizzle down from the steely sky, Xin and I consulted the travel guide to find out what to do next.

We wanted to do something a little bit different and off the beaten track. It was a little difficult to find the Yangon Train Station at first. Walking from downtown, we frequently had to stop policemen or people on the street for directions, but eventually we found it.

By far one of the highlights of my trip to Myanmar was riding the Yangon Circle Line. The Circle Line is a thirty-two mile railroad loop on an ancient train slowly rattling along the three-hour journey. I've never hidden my interest in rail travel, and I would have gladly paid many times the k1000 ($1) ticket price.

We got to Yangon's Central Train Station just in time as the train was about to depart. Xin and I got window seats, and tried to get comfortable on the hard plastic benches. As the train slowly pulled out from the station, we got to see what Myanmar was really like away from the city center.

Xin and I didn't really talk much during these three hours, except to point out what we were observing out our open window. It was really nice to sit and take in the country.

Although the Circle Line loops around Yangon, the majority of the trip really felt like we were in the countryside. It really goes to show you how undeveloped most of the country still is, even though we were technically still in its largest city.

The slow-moving train stopped frequently at every station we passed. Many people use it as a means to their commute to and from the city center. At every station people would jump on or off the train, and vendors wandered up and down the cars selling their wares.

We leaned back on the uncomfortable seats as the train lurched and rattled along. It began raining outside, but not hard and not for long. The windows are all open, but the rain was coming directly down and we never got wet. It cooled things off though, and after the rain passed we got a cool breeze.

The Circle Line is not really for tourists, although it was mentioned in a small box in my guidebook. A man working at the ticked counter sold us our "tourist tickets", although they were written in Burmese. He then helped show us which train to get on. Besides a Japanese tourist family, everyone else on the train seemed to be Burmese going about their lives.

Although Yangon isn't Asia's most modern city by any means - especially compared to Hong Kong, Singapore, or Bangkok, it was amazing how different life was just outside of town. To think- at any of the many stops along the Circle Line, we could have gotten off and taken a short taxi ride back to our hotel.

It was really amazing to get this great glimpse into everyday Burmese life. Though I wouldn't stay long in the country, I think it was a really valuable experience to see life outside of the city and look how people really live in what is essentially rural jungle. Again, I was struck by how rural Yangon really is despite being the country's largest city and former capital.

Three hours later, after chugging along past small villages, markets, golden pagodas, and fields, we arrived back where our trip began in the center of Yangon.

Both Xin and I agreed that although we almost had decided not to take the train we were very glad we had. Had I stayed longer in the country, I may well have taken the trip again. It's not one I'll forget.