City capers >> Travel: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand 12

Oct 8: Afternoon, Yangon

I'm watching the Star Sports channel and writing my diary. Football or soccer is on. It's Real Madrid versus Alaves.

Alamak! I should have checked out the TV when we arrived two days earlier, but it was more interesting exploring the city. However, we could not leave for Mandalay today because the bus was full. So we were told.

And now, I'm watching Spanish soccer in Yangon.

I'm not sure, but I think Myanmar (then Burma) had a respectable soccer team in the 70s or 80s, although we in Singapore don't hear much about their soccer exploits these days. Thailand, I believe, is now the regional powerhouse in this sport.

Back to our failed mission to bus to Mandalay. We think there is a racket going on.

An Indian man followed us to the Leo Express bus office and even got in before us. When we wanted to buy two tickets from the guy behind the desk, the ticket seller told us he had no more tickets on sale for buses leaving today. It was still early morning and offices had just opened for business. Maybe we should have booked earlier?

At our moment of dismay, the Indian man promptly plonked himself next to us. He said he could get us tickets for today, same bus type, even the same company! Of course, the price was higher, but only K400 more per ticket (K3,000 compared to K2,600)! Surely a pittance to travelling foreigners, right?

The day before, one of the staff from our hotel did tell us that we could buy black market tickets from some Indian guys seating with three desks by the road, just a throw away from the Leo office. I thought she did not sound overly enthusiastic about this mode of transaction.

But, to have a scalper actually selling tickets in the bus office itself! I see we have much to experience in Myanmar. Anyway, we politely smiled at him and then turned to the Leo employee to ask him about seats for the following day.

He took out a piece of paper. It had a diagram of the seating arrangement, with passenger names printed on each seat. After scrutinising it, the man took a bottle of blanco from his drawer and painstakingly brushed out two adjacent names. When the surface was dry, he penned in our names. These people had cancelled, he explained. We got our tickets and the Indian disappeared.

Walking around Yangon, we noticed a few things. We also joined the crowd in some of the activities.

(a) Betel nut chewing
Earthern pots had been placed on the road for people to spit after chewing their paan, but many people spitted as and when they liked. Reddish brown spots littered the pavement everywhere.

(b) Impatient people
They pushed forward, did not give way and tried to jump queue if they thought it was not moving fast enough.

(c) Reading material
There were many roadside stalls selling second-hand books. The scene reminds me of Singapore's Bras Basah in the 1970s. In a bookstore, we bought three-to-six months' old copies of Time and Newsweek for K150 each.

(d) Noodles
We ate tasty Shan noodles for lunch. The accompanying pickles were very sour and went well with the slurpy noodles. We added an order of very delicious tofu, dipped in batter and deep-fried. There was little meat even if you ordered them in your rice and noodles. At best, you got a few slivers. Better to stick to vegetables and tofu with your starch.

(e) Branded stuff
A can of Coke cost K500-K800, while the local Star Cola cost a mere K70. An ice-blended (or frappe) at Cafe Aroma was about K800-K1,000 and the house brew was K350 a cuppa.

(f) Majestic Shwedagon
We had to take off our shoes outside the temple compound, at the gates before the complex entrances. After that, it was barefoot up a long flight of steps, past shops selling religious paraphernalia, snacks and souvenirs.

Addendum: Night, Yangon

We just had chicken rice at a local fastfood joint called KSS Chicken. Its prime location on one of the main drags off the busy Sule Paya circle was no doubt aided by bright advertising in the form of a neon pink sign by the side of the building. This was our first dinner in Yangon where meat featured as the main dish.

I don't know if the situation is different in the upmarket hotels, but there appears to be a dearth of meat in the small, local eateries. While Annie and I are not voracious carnivores, we do like some meat in at least one main meal.

Each order of chicken rice consisted of two huge pieces of chicken and a generous bowl of chicken-stock flavoured rice. At K800 per plate, this was about three times the price of a bowl of noodles. While it was not very crowded, the joint did get a steady stream of visitors, including packbackers, while we were there.

Budget (for two in US$ or kyat as indicated)

Room >> US$15 + Bus (Yangon to Mandalay) >> K5,200 + Lunch >> K770 + Fruits >> K100 + H20 >> K200 + Mosquito coil >> K235 + Doughnuts >> K295 + Dinner >> K1,990

Next... Off to Mandalay