Oct 7: Night, Yangon
A tiring day. Walked a lot.
We did not see anything we wanted to eat, so we skipped lunch. We were hot, sweaty and grimy, and had no appetite.
The drivers were very annoying. They honked endless and most energetically. Many vehicles emited black fumes.
The songthaew minibuses were overcrowded. People hung off the back of the vehicle, which was where passengers boarded the bus. And then, there were the so-called 'Air Cond Bus'. Their windows were opened.
Yangon
would have been a very pleasant place to explore on foot without these annoyances. At first, we walked happily on the wide and shady pavements, but were soon hopping over potholes and avoiding broken drain covers.
Then, we came to a wide road. Hardly suicidal, we observed the locals first. Crossing the road had evolved into an extremely frenzied, non-linear, activity in Yangon. Everyone (driver and pedestrian) weaved in and out of the traffic, adriotly (or hopefully) avoiding each other. Unlike the situation in some other countries, no driver here appeared to give a damn about the pedestrians. They honked impatiently and pounced into the empty space as soon as someone moved an inch out of their way.You must exercise some determination if you want to travel around the country on a budget. Of course, you can simply pay US dollars for an air or train ticket. An overnight train ride from Yangon to Mandalay
cost over US$30 without a sleeper.Even then, you may not enjoy a comfortable journey. We met a German couple who told us that they got a sleeper at US$50 each because they wanted a good night's sleep. The woman then told us that the tracks were so bumpy, they could not sleep a wink!
Our hotel manager told us that bus fares should not cost more than 10-20% the price of a train ticket (without sleeper). We will try to buy bus tickets for Mandalay
tomorrow. I am not looking forward to a bus ride of 15 hours or more.Budget (for two in US$ or kyat as indicated)
Room >> US$15
Shwedagon >> US$10
Drinks >> K925
Dinner >> K1,700
Next... Real Madrid
in the capital
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