Welcome to Myanmar, the land of golden pagodas

A typical downtown Yangon street

I think  am in the best time of my life. On May 30th, I graduate  medical school and go on to start my psychiatry residency at the George Washington  University in Washington, DC. Before my real work begins, I have one month of adventure which I have chosen to spend in Myanmar with my dear friend, Samuel Pursch.  He moved to Myanmar in February to establish himself as an expert in a country that has only recently cracked the door to increasing development and a transition away from an authoritarian military government.  As Sam says, the opening is a process and we will hear much more about Myanmar as other countries begin to trade and invest and influence its economy and culture.

Old and new as seen from Mahabandoola Gardens

For a tourist,  the choice to come here is easy. Myanmar feels exotic, still naive to tourism,  and far removed from its colonial past to not feel European. In 3 weeks we will see only a fraction of this place yet still visit major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, lay on a beautiful beach,  motorbike seeing pagodas in an ancient Buddhist city, hike around a British hill station,  and see a lake side city.

I flew to Yangon via Dubai and Bangkok. It took over 24 hours to get here,  but I can happily say, well worth the time and effort.  My taxi drive from the airport introduced me to Yangon 's themes of gilded pagodas, worn down stone buildings, brand new glass windowed developments and green public spaces.  Yangon feels native as most men and women wear the traditional longyi, fabric wrapped to appear like long skirts. The city life happens on the streets, with tea and noodle vendors serving their customers on the sidewalk at low tables and stools and numerous  fruit and vegetable merchants. Also sold are traditional local products such as betel nut (similar to chewing tobacco) and thanaka, a white plant based powder sold on leaves and applied primarily to the face for sun protection and style.

Fried quails eggs outside of Botataung Pagoda 

Shan noodle dish & goyza fried on rice paper

My first night in town, went to Sapphire Bar the Alpha Hotel, a regular expat hang out with a view of Schwedagon Pagoda,  the largest gilded pagoda in Myanmar.

View of Schwedagon from the rooftop bar

The term "bar" is a bit of an overstatement, more like your friend's apartment rooftop with some garden furniture and a full bar set up on a folding table. However, the view of Yangon was lovely and accompanied by a light breeze. For dinner, we ate at an open  air Shan noodle  bar and I experienced a new form of fried goyza.

Breakfast scene at the Strand Hotel

Sunny promenade through
 Mahabandoola Gardens

As Myanmar is across the globe from Texas, I am severely jet lagged, so my first morning in Yangon, I woke up to do yoga in Sams apartment which might as well have been an oven. The bedrooms are air conditioned and cool, but most large rooms are baking if there's no breeze.  I arrived in Myanmar on Friday May 1st, Labor day everywhere else in the world except the US. Thus on Saturday May 2nd, most public institutions such as museums and many restaurants were closed. We started with a walk to the Strand Hotel for coffee and a stroll through Mahabandoola Gardens. Then Sam and I great plans to get my dollars changed,  see The National Museum and some contemporary galleries.

Myanmar on holiday in People's Park

Literally everything we planned to see was closed,  so we meandered into People's Park, which was full of Myanmar enjoying their weekend with promenades and picnics.  Two young women seemed surprised to see Sam and I, seated under a tree in the shade enjoying a respite from the 11am sun. They asked to take a picture of us, and I insisted on returning the favor.

Most Myanmar carry umbrellas for 
sun protection during the day

Having left Sam's flat at 8am, we walked through the city during peak sun hours, finally making it back to the flat at 1:30pm. I had to recover for a while, but finally in the evening we went to Botataung Pagoda which was packed for the holiday. The pagoda compound was more like a community center or a town plaza on a Saturday night with people celebrating,  making offerings to the Buddhas and snacking with their families.

Shrine at the corner
Botataung Pagoda 

Within the main shrine, LED lights grace the Buddha's head

We finished our evening with a drink at an interesting but strangely creepy  bar called Vintage Luxury Hotel,  an old cruise ship, docked in the river, refurbished to evoke the early 1900s.  Think Titanic furnishings overlooking a fairly industrial river scene, but still a view of Botataung pagoda glowing in the distance.  We ate dinner at Green Gallery, a delicious Thai place close to Sam's house,  run by a young Myanmar woman called Bo, who did her culinary training in Thailand.  I will definitely crave the prawn salad, similar to ceviche with shrimp marinated in lime, chilis, chili oil, tomatoes and shallots.  It was an incredibly long, hot day full of new visual and mental stimuli.