Random in Yangon

Some random things from the last month or so…

1. On my way back from the UK, I popped into Boots at Heathrow Airport, and saw this amazing product. Yep, for 4.39 you too can buy "hot weather Refreshing spray” (best for sensitive skin) or “hot weather cooling spray” (no skin sensitivity required). Water in a canister. Amazing stuff. As April/ May is pretty sweaty in Yangon I obviously stocked up.

2. In contrast to the best of my knowledge Yangon Airport doesn’t sell any spray of any variety, but it was all decked out in Thingyan flowers and a nice cardboard cut out of a bit of water festival splashing fun. Strangely Ant requested I take this photo. Not a normal occurrence.

3. A nice glass of white wine and a royal themed game of Banagrams at the British Club. Still no ale. Poor Ant.

4. The golden wonder. Never get tired of it.

5. City Mart Randomness # 1: Christmas chocolates and Valentines day chocolates on sale in April and May. No sign of Easter chocolates. Yet. Perhaps they will come in, in August?

 

6. City Mart randomness # 2: Mother’s day specials. Washing powder, washing up liquid, cooking oil, and Ovaltine and Milo powder. What more could any mother want?

7. Pepsi do Myanmar. Love the Myanmar script. Even if it is totally unintelligible to me.

8. Red Link Internet Service Provider. Ridiculously expensive. Dire service. Scary in store marketing.

9. Mini monks and nuns in downtown Yangon. Not really random… more of an every day sighting…

 

10.1 Moldy and Ant get up close with the hippos… they really could have touched them if they felt stupid enough…

 

10.2 Moldy and Ant continue their animal love in with the elies…

11. Moldy almost trains Telfy in the ways of the elastic face.

12. The right hand/ second photo is a zoom in of the left hand/ first photo. Yes that man has + 1 inch long hair growing out of his ears. AMAZING.

 

13. Attending the wedding of the daughter of the security guard from our apartment. We were honoured guests, and enjoyed ice-cream, luminous green jelly cake and wedding favours of a single cigarette (for the men) and a scented tissue (for the ladies). The tissue was in fact very handy as it was an exceedingly sweaty occasion… why Ant decided to wear a jacket is in fact a mystery.

On reflection I have to admit that the bride does look slightly disgruntled… perhaps it was a little distressing to have ones wedding crashed by a couple of whities who were more in demand for group photos than her good self.

Random update over.

Pyin Oo Lwin

Pyin Oo Lwin is an old British Colonial Hill Station, and home to Myanmar’s national botanical gardens. As such there are heaps of old colonial buildings in various stages of decay – fun for the Victorian architecture fans that we are,,,

 

There are cars, bikes, trucks and motorbikes, but tourists and locals alike seem to make use of crazy Victorian style horse and carriages, dragged around by half starved, half lame ponies. The pink plastic floral pony tribute was rather fun though!

 

The town centre had a bit of a wild west feeling to it…

The beautiful town Mosque and “Purcell Tower” – a not very attractive British legacy.

 

Tasty street food and weather that is cold enough for there to be shops that only sell jumpers. What more could one want????

 

The Botanical Gardens were beautiful beautiful. Although public spaces and gardens in Myanmar are usually very well kept these were particularly stunning, and the fact that there was no rubbish anywhere at all in sight made us think we had been transported to Australia, or somewhere else tropical and manicured… until we reached the area with the massive stage and karaoke/ band music blaring out for everyone to… enjoy???

  

Gokteik Viaduct

From Mandalay we went up to Pyin Oo Lwin and enjoyed a day trip up the train line and over the Gokteik Viaduct. Some facts from Wikipedia. Source of all knowledge:

• Highest bridge in Myanmar.
• Constructed in 1899… which makes it 115 years old.
• Components were made by the Pennsylvania Steel Company and shipped to Myanmar from the US.
• The railway line helped the British Empire to expand its influence in Myanmar.

Lonely Planet hypes the trip up… “Trains slow to a crawl when crossing the viaduct to avoid putting undue stress on the aging superstructure…” [true - the train did go very slowly] “… which, despite some 1990’s renovation work, still creaks ominously as the trains edge their way across…” [bit of an exaggeration… didn’t really notice any creaking… the train was pretty noisy as it was, what with the open windows, and general clatter that the train made].

Karen enjoyed training us in the art of pulling some of her favourite elastic faces, whilst we waited for the train… which was late…

Ant enjoyed inspecting the tracks…

  

The 4 hour 1 way ride cost just over a pound, and included “life insurance”. I did wonder what the payout would be if we did die on the train. Naturally we traveled “upper class”.

 

The train ride was beautiful. We bumped and clattered slowly through the Shan countryside. Red soil, mountains, flowering trees, cool weather…

One of the unfortunate consequences of no glass in the windows was that when the train brushed bushes, trees etc. (which was often), bits flew into the train and hit the passengers who were facing forward.

Ant was very excited by the census stickers on the carriage.

I was very excited by the on board toilet – a hole directly onto the tracks. Sounds basic. It was, but it did have a strategically placed handle so that you could hold on whilst squatting. Very useful given the ride was not exactly smooth… and accidentally slipping and getting a foot (or worse) stuck down the latrine hole would probably not be the best thing to happen.

After a while the viaduct of glory came into view.

… which was exciting for Karen.

… and then over the bridge we slowly went. Stunning views. Don’t look down.

We did breathe a small sigh of relief once we got to the other side…

… but it was probably less nerve wracking than the taxi ride back to Pyin Oo Lwin, on a road which snaked its way down, up and along the gorge. Over taking large trucks on hairpin bends is always fun, especially when there isn’t a safety barrier in sight.