Farewell to Yangon

Yangon Taxi

As my time in Burma drew to a close, there were still a few sites that I didn't want to miss in Yangon. While I had originally had planned on heading out of town for two days to the Golden Rock, one of Burma's most important holy sites, I had to change my plans due to flooding and stayed in Yangon the whole time. In the end I'm glad, because if I had gone ahead with my original plan, I wouldn't have gotten to see much of the country at all because I would have spent the whole time traveling.

After lunch at another one of Yangon's ubiquitous tea houses for a hot bowl of Shan noodles, Xin and I took a taxi to the Bogyoke Aung San Market. During British days it was known as Scott's Market, and like the Burmese equivalent to Bangkok's Chatuchak, it's the place to find just about anything. It's huge and chaotic, and packed with people from all over the world. I noticed more westerners here than anywhere else during my time in Burma, and I was particularly interested in overhearing an obviously incredibly wealthy and well-spoken Indian family examining gold jewelry while being lavishly catered to by eager shopkeepers hoping for their business.

Scott Market (AKA Bogyoke Aung San Market)

I didn't need to get anything. but it was very interesting to wander along the clean and fairly well-organized market. My friend Xin wanted to buy a traditional Burmese outfit, and was able to talk the shopkeepers down to a decent deal by repeatedly asking them "can it be cheaper?". She got exactly what she wanted in the end!

traditional Burmese dress

While we waited for the tailor to sew up the longyi, we looked around at the other wares offered nearby. Most notably we saw Burmese style slippers (the sturdy waterproof sandals, that along with a good umbrella seem as much a part of the national dress as the longyi), jade, gold, carvings, and lots of food.

waiting for the tailor

Xin departed up-country to Bagan the next morning, and I was on my own to explore during my last day in Yangon. Taking a taxi back downtown, I decided to walk to the Botataung Paya. Yangon's third most famous golden pagoda is much smaller and outwardly less impressive than either Shwedagon or Sule had been.

This slightly shabby riverfront pagoda would have been a bit of a letdown if it wasn't for the feature that makes it so unique. Unlike the other pagodas, which are also built to house a holy relic, Botataung Paya is hollow, and worshipers and tourists alike are welcome (after paying the k3000 entry fee) to enter the glittering golden maze inside. Entirely gilded from floor to ceiling, the amazingly intricate interior of the pagoda is centered around its relic.

I overheard several Thai tourists speaking, but I couldn't think of anything to say to them. There were lots of people inside the pagoda taking pictures and talking excitedly, but that didn't seem to disturb the crimson-robed monks who were sitting in odd corners, deep in meditative prayer.

a monk meditating in a golden corner

I'm told that the name Botataung refers to the 1000 generals who are said to have escorted the Buddha hair relics from India to Burma 2000 years ago. Whether the legend is true or not, the center of the pagoda which can only be viewed through a small opening in the golden wall, holds what is said to be one of the relics of The Buddha's hair. This is the reason that people come to this paya. Unlike the others which are all solid, Botataung gives the faithful a chance to get as close as possible to what they believe to be a true relic of Siddharta Gautama himself.

the relic

Blistered, tired, and still in quite a bit of pain from my fall several days earlier, I returned to my hotel in the early afternoon. I spent the remainder of the day on the covered rooftop reading the history of Burma in my guidebook while the monsoon stormed around me. My hotel arranged a taxi for me the following morning at 5:30, which I split with three other travelers who were also heading to the airport. My flight was uneventful, and I was back in Bangkok just after 9:00.

"home sweet home" during my stay in Yangon 

I won't forget Yangon, and I'm eager to return to Burma again. After all the hassle and headache I had to go through to obtain the visa, I've learned that starting yesterday (1 September 2014) the government will begin allowing online visa application. This is a step which will significantly speed up the process and will probably lead to the beginning of the real first wave of tourist influx into the country.

I'll be interested to return someday. I'm eager to see how this previously mysterious and closed-off country continues to develop. I would like to see the temples of the ancient city of Bagan, the beaches in the south, and Burma's other great city Mandalay before they become completely overrun with tourists. More than Cambodia, more than Vietnam, Burma was one place where I had absolutely no idea what to expect before I arrived. I was greeted by friendly people and a beautiful culture in a country that is ready to engage with the world for the first time in a half-century.

a mural at the airport