While traveling around Southeast Asia, the one place where everyone kept telling me that I needed to visit was Myanmar and sooner rather than later. After becoming a democratic state sometime around 2010, the country is rapidly westernizing and becoming just like any other capitalist, consumerist society in Asia. For the most part, backpacking around Thailand felt comfortable and convenient, but I didn’t feel challenged like I did when I was traveling around India. There’s a time to get pampered and there are other times when you just need to challenge yourself. Yearning for some adventure and a bit of mystery, I booked a flight from Bangkok to Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.

From the airport, I could’ve taken a taxi to the city centre for around $9 USD, but instead opted to walk a few minutes to the train station and take the train into the city for less than 50 cents. It probably took much longer by train, but it was all part of the experience. Other than myself, there were no other tourists in sight.

The trains were old school, something you’d probably see from 50 years ago. It felt like I had been transported back in time. As it was getting dark and because all the signage along the stops were in Burmese, I asked the man sitting across from me (you can see his foot there) where I was supposed to get off. In his limited English, he eagerly explained to me that he was going the same way and that I could follow him. When we finally got to our stop, I followed him out of the train and onto the bustling streets of Yangon. After a few minutes of walking, the man showed me to the street where my hostel was located. I got him a drink as a thank you, but he refused to let me pay for it. I was taken aback by his sincerity and generosity, which I would keep witnessing from the Burmese people regularly for the remainder of my stay. He then reminded me to be very careful of counterfeit bills, added me on Facebook and went our separate ways. He still occasionally messages me to this day.

The next morning, I explored the area around my hostel to get a feel for the city. The sights and smells reminded me a lot of India. I can also imagine that Myanmar is very similar to what Thailand would’ve been around 30 years ago. I noticed a lot of billboards for new luxury condo developments being advertised throughout the city, as well as a lot of really nice cars. To my surprise, Myanmar is rich in natural resources, including natural gas, mining and foreign investment is capitalizing on the recent economic liberalization. Of course, the presence of poverty is all around, reminding one that inequality will only grow with the emerging economy. 

Back at my hostel, I met an Aussie staying in my room who invited me to visit Yangon’s main attraction with him, the Shwedagon Pagoda. Located on top of a hill, the 99 metre high gold plated pagoda is the oldest in all of Myanmar, apparently dating back 2,500 years. It’s truly an impressive structure and the ambiance at the temple is quite hard to describe in words. The predominate religion in Myanmar is Buddhism and is the most important pilgrimage site for Buddhists in the country.

The golden exterior reflects the light during the day…

and is lit by spotlights at night, creating a glow that can be seen around the city.

At the pagoda, the Aussie chatted up a Kiwi and Brit, who were traveling together and had both just arrived to the country. There are very few hostels in Myanmar (Yangon had two) since the travel industry is heavily regulated by the government, which meant that hotels are the main form of accommodation. To keep our travel costs low, the Aussie proposed to travel in a group. The two girls agreed and we all made plans to head to our next destination, a place where thousands of pagodas dot the landscape as far as the eye can see.