9 Countries in 7 Months: Shiniest Country Ever

We arrived in Myanmar, AKA Burma, on May 27th, at 5:35 PM. Our flight touched down in Yangon, and the number of countries Travis has been to before this trip officially doubled. We shared a taxi with an Israli woman to the center of town, and checked in at the Golden Smiles Guesthouse, a dingy yet friendly sort of place, and venture out to find nourishment. Yangon has a high percentage of Indians in their population and it wasn't long before we were plunked down with a huge plate of vegetarian curry and rice. To our delight, we could get as much curry, rice and soup as we wanted for 1000 Kyat ($1.25).

Myanmar is a strange place. The US and EU have trade sanctions on it, so all imports come from other Asean countries, so the sorts of Western imports we are used to seeing in other S.E.Asian countries aren't here. The people all dress in a traditional style, wearing a longyi (lon-jee), a wraparound type skirt. Men's longyis are tied differently than women's and come in a much more limited selection of colors. There are no foreign banks or ATMs here, meaning all of the money we need we had to bring with us in cash.

Speaking of money, there is a ridiculous standard for bills here. USD are widely accepted for payment of things like hotel stays and admission to sights, and kyat is for smaller things, like food and taxi rides. But heaven forbid you give them a USD with even the slightest fold, crinkle or minute abrasion. I tried to exchange a $100 with a tiny tiny tiniest little spot you've ever seen at my guesthouse and they wouldn't take it. But the Kyat can look like it was put into a blender and then taped back together, then stomped on and eaten by a cow. see exhibit A: our beautiful, crisp clean unacceptable $50 next to a 200Ky note that no one would glance twice at except maybe to try to decipher the denomination of the bill under all of the filth.

Back to our adventures...

The first day in Yangon we went to the National Museum, which we sadly have no photos from due to them saying "No cameras allowed". The riches inside of this poorly labeled and lit museum surpassed anything I could have even thought of. There was a huge throne covered in gold and ornately carved. There was a golden bed encrusted with rubies, emeralds and sapphires. There was a pointy royal tunic also encrusted with jewels that would have made one look incredibly regal and goddesslike. A bejewelled golden duck-shaped bowl laid locked in a case behind thick steel bars. No doubt, the Burmese love their gold, as we would find out even more the next day.

We began our day by catching a local bus to Kandawgyi Lake. We strolled along the boardwalk and watched middle-class Burmese families and amorous modern couples relaxing in the gardens. We walked past flowerbeds and lotuses, and came to a mini Buddhist shrine, on a little peninsula. I wasn't allowed in the main shrine, but Travis was (guess why). Yup that's right, no women allowed. According to Theravada Buddhist beliefs, only men can reach enlightenment. Booooo!

We stroll further and we catch sight of this HUGE boat! It is the Karaweik, a royal barge. It's 3 stories tall and probably around 200 feet long, red and gold, with huge ducks keeping the front of it afloat. Never seen anything like it! We approach and apparently it's a government run dinner-theater. Giving that one a miss, we walk on, and see a strange sight: A man in a longi and flip-flops installing stage lighting on rickety looking scaffolding. Pat Barnes would not be happy.

We feel hungry so we leave the park in search of lunch. On our search we walk by a bumping party. It turns out to be an Indian Wedding, and they invite us inside! We eat delicious byriani off of a fresh banana leaf with our hands, Indian style. All of the women had brilliant, sparkley saris and flowers in their hair. We met the bride and groom who sat on a stage to be admired, not allowed to join the party. We also found out that it was an arranged marriage, and that could account for some of the newlywed's unenthusiasm. We found the family to be so kind and gracious for inviting us in, and it was such a great experience.

I think the highlight of our trip to Yangon was the Shweddagon (go ahead: pronounce it). I have never seen anything like it before in all of my life. It was by far the shiniest place I have ever been. In the center stood a 350 ft tall spire (zedi), most of which is coated in real gold. It is surrounded by dozens of smaller spires also covered in gold(paint?). As you walk around the base of the zedi there are shrines and meditation rooms containing different themed Buddha images. Every surface is covered in intricate carvings and plasterwork, and painted with gold, red, white or green, or covered in mirrored tilework. I don't know how they could have made it more lavish or ornate if they had tried. We marveled for a while and talked to a monk named Santa. He was very kind and showed us things like a 3 ft tall Buddha made entirely out of jade.

That night we ate at the same Indian restaurant as the first day and unfortunately became sick from the delicious curry. We have since been recovering and planning our next leg - the overnight journey upcountry to Inle Lake.