Travel Day 1140 – Yangon to Bagan, MYANMAR
It was my Arrival Day in Myanmar and I was only waking up to the realization that something had to be done…
Botataung Paya by the Yangon River
The hotel I was staying at came recommended by other travellers because it was supposed to have a 10 USD dorm room. Technically it did have this dorm, but although they had told me that they would not take any reservations for the dorm, it was apparently completely booked out for the next couple of days. Since my private room came with a price tag of 22 USD, which I could justify only for one night since it saved me 8 USD on the airport transit, I knew one thing for sure already: I would have to move hotels and use the day to hunt for a cheap place to stay, instead of visiting any sights in Yangon…
Not really happy about this prospect, things got worse when the entire morning became one continuous downpour of rain, tying me to the lobby of the hotel since my infected food was not allowed to wet at all. So after reading my guide-book for a while and chatting with some other travelers, I spontaneously decided to join some people on a night bus bound for northerly Bagan. The area around Bagan was not only home to some of the most amazing temple ruins in Asia, but it was also supposed to be a very hot and dry place…
Run Down Houses in Yangon, Myanmar
By the early afternoon the rain then finally ceased for a while, allowing me to go for a little stroll around the area. Obviously I had to wear my hiking boots, on the one hand because the rain could set-in again any minute and on the other because the sidewalks were nothing but a big muddy mess of ankle traps. So I simply had a look around my immediate area and it was still giving me the same kind of impression as it had done yesterday. Everything looked pretty run down and dirty, reminding a more Asian version of Kolkata…
While I absolutely loved Kolkata, here I wasn’t quite sure yet how much I really loved Yangon. The vibe was somehow different, restaurants did virtually not exist and the only chance to eat or drink seemed to be at somewhat sketchy street stalls. But since there appeared to be a language barrier and I wasn’t quite sure how to ask for vegetarian food, everything seemed to be surprisingly difficult. Actually even trying to order a milk tea that looked like a cross between the Thai Cha Num and the Indian Chai became a real challenge…
Dirty Ankle Trap Sidewalks in Yangon
Luckily I managed to get my tea in the end and I even walked down to the golden Botataung Paya by the YangonRiver. Botataung Paya was said to house some hair relics from the Buddha which have been marched over to Myanmar some 2000 years ago. Unfortunately during WW2 an airplane bomb destroyed the original structure, leaving only a reconstructed version of the stupa that once existed at this place. For me personally Botataung Paya was nice to see as it was not only the first Buddhist monument that I visited in Myanmar, but also my only real sight of my day…
Besides the run down houses, flooded streets and the dirty ankle trap sidewalks, my first impression of Yangon was rather underwhelming. It was technically my Arrival Day and I would have loved to spend some time to fully arrive and settle-in, but as things turned out, by the late afternoon I found myself already in an overnight bus and on the way north to Bagan…
Find all Yangon Photos here.
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