Myanmar Day 1 - Yangon - 19 May 2012

The flight landed in Yangon just before 12 noon. Mister said a very clean and pristine airport environment even reminded him of Singapore’s Changi Airport :D But rumor has it that the company designing Yangon International Airport is also the one which designs Changi International Airport. Contrary to his expectations of some hiccups, immigration was fast and efficient as was luggage retrieval. 

As we took the drive from the airport back to my parents' place, Mister curiously kept looking out of the car windows and saw many things which surprised him - cars which were close to 35 years old, a horde of people hanging from a public bus, children walking up to cars that were stopped at traffic junctions attempting to sell items such as water and beetle nuts. It was both amazing and disturbing to him since he has never been to a truly third world country.

After we dropped off all the bags at my parents' place, we had a light lunch.  I had Shan noodle and he had nan-jyi-thout (big noodle salad)! Then, we took a ride through the city of Yangon to get a glimpse of a few of Yangon’s landmarks such as the residence of Democracy Icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s. This is where she was put under house arrest for almost two decades. You can see the two red flags - one on each side of the gate in the photo.  That is the flag of her political party - NLD. There is also a black and white photo of a man at the top of the entrance.  That is a picture of her father - General Aung San. Of course, we could not go in haha :D 

We also drove past the houses of Myanmar's richest people and Mister was so surprised to find luxury cars such as Ferrari parked in their compounds! He totally didn't expect such wealth to be found in Myanmar. Then, we also brought him around Yangon University area and Sailing Club. We wanted to enjoy the scenery while sipping a cup of coffee at the sailing club.  But guess what, the weather wasn't cooperating with us.  It was so gloomy and there was no yacht in sight! 

So my mom brought us to Coffee Circles.  She had some errands to run around there and Mister also wanted to use Wi-Fi. My mom had Thai style rice and minced pork while Mister and I shared some Mexican snacks.  We needed something to freshen us and so we both ordered Iced Lemon Tea and wow, it was sooooooo refreshing! Definitely one of the best Iced Lemon Tea I've had.

Afterwards, my mom dropped us off at my friend's place. She is someone who had really helped me when I was in a real tight spot. And her birthday was coming up within a month.  So I just wanted to get her something and catch up with her. Mister was cool with it.  

We went to Acacia Tea Salon at Sayar San Road.  It is near YKKO (they are famous for their vermicelli dishes). Set in an old colonial styled building, the interior of the place was so pretty with modern interior designs featuring posh furniture and finishes! The selection of tea was vast and had something on their menu for just about any taste bud. We had some snacks (okay, A LOT of snacks) again.  haha we were so full after non-stop eating!

That same night, we took the overnight JJ Express bus from Yangon to Mandalay and the bus departed at 930pm. At first, Mister expected old and crammed buses given the condition of all the vehicles that he had seen on the road earlier that day. But surprise surprise! A new, sparkling clean bus with large comfy seats that reclined showed up. There are only 3 seats in one row. These buses even had a bus attendant to serve refreshments to passengers. Honestly, this bus service was one of the best that I have ever taken in my life. The bus ride lasted through the night with two pit stops and these pits stops were well equipped with clean toilets and cafes for passengers to grab a bite. For those who have taken the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur bus services, this is truly a class above it. Plus, it was just 16,000 Kyats (around 24 SGD) only! For a 9-10 hour bus ride! Since its an overnight bus ride, we did not have to spend on accommodation too! Smart way to save $ huh :D

There are so many express buses going from Yangon to various parts of Myanmar. These buses have offices at Aung San Stadium in town and at Aung Min Ga Lar Express Bus Terminal which is about 45 min drive away from town. You can buy bus tickets from either places and you have to make full payment in cash (Kyats only).

Well, that's all for day 1 of our trip. More on the trip in my new posts!

Adios!

xoxo

Miss N