"So much to see, with nothing to see."
Yangon, Myanmar is not what I had expected. I actually felt
frustrated and overwhelmed in the beginning. Maybe I was still upset about leaving Korea and my
wonderful friends, maybe it was the big dirty city, or maybe it was simply
culture shock. Whatever the case, the first 16 hours were annoying.
Upon arrival there was confusion with the airport pickup
from my guesthouse, I was not picked up, so I started off a little anxious. The
next morning, exchanging money was a blister in my butthole. Bills had to be
American for the best rate and brand new and crisp with no creases, marks, or
slight imperfections. I checked my dollars before leaving Korea and I thought
they were fine, but upon closer inspection by money changers, they were not. I
went from place to place, and they were very picky, I ended up getting a lower
rate with my crisp $50 bills.
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| Shwedagon Pagoda |
The travelers that are here are mainly older people, and most of the other travelers here are French. I was expecting there to be younger backpackers (like me), but I've ran into a couple cool people regardless.
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| Young Monks |
After changing money and guesthouses to be closer to the
city, I went to the infamous Shwedagon Pagoda. It was stunning! It was so vast
and every inch of it was beautiful. I walked around it several times, and sat
down to wait for the sunset, enjoying the vibe of Shwedagon. A monk sat next to
me and enjoyed as much small talk as our language barrier allowed. We walked around the
pagoda together as he gave me a guided tour, kind of explaining things. I had
trouble understanding, so I just smiled and nodded. I do remember it seemed
like each area in the pagoda represented something different. There was one
area was for luck, where he had me pour water over a statue three times so I
can be “lucky girl”, and there was another area for meditation. Even though I didn't understand much
of what was going on, it was sweet to have a monk as a tour guide.
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| The food stand with various pig parts |
After the amazing Shwedagon Pagoda, I was starving and
decided to look for some noms. I wanted to try some street food but was a
little hesitant. I decided to go big. I watched a documentary on my flight
over about Myanmar; one of the foods featured was various parts of pig,
including pig intestines. As I walked around I saw dozens of stands with the
pig parts. I stopped at one that a family was running. I tried asking exactly
what parts of the animal I was eating, but I still am not sure. One was
something to do with the arm, heart, and something about blood. Whatever I ate
was actually really delicious and tasty, but sometimes with a very odd texture.
I think it’s better not knowing exactly what I was eating. The son and daughter
smiled and giggled at me as I made funny faces while eating. I was joined by a
local Myanmar man who would cheers his pig part skewer with me. He taught me to
dip the skewer in the fat, then dip it in a red sauce provided on the stand,
then chew. We laughed at each other, without knowing what the other was saying,
then he paid for my meal! It was so nice of him!
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| The adorable daughter |
Next, I wandered around looking for a beer. Found a place
with seating outside, but with limited seating we were seated with strangers.
I was seated next to an older gentleman from Quebec who I exchanged travel
stories with, and who was enjoying his second visit to Myanmar after 20 years.
It was interesting to hear what he had to say about how things have changed. He also described the city of Yangon best, "so much to see, with nothing to see". We
enjoyed Myanmar lager and nice conversation, then when it was time to go he
paid for my beer!
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| The friendly local who paid for my meal! |
What a lucky day. I think I owe it to the monk and the Myanmese gentleman
who had me pour the water on the statue.
Solid first full day in Myanmar.
