Yangon is a city like no other we have visited. There are security checks everywhere. At the entrance to every office block and major hotel there are always several security staff manning (and womanning) metal detecting arches and bag scanners. Even small shops seem to have at least one security officer asleep by the door. Mind you, I set off the alarms every time i walked through the arches but I was never once stopped for further searching!
There is really very little sign of a tourist industry. Our hotel has very few western visitors. There is little evidence of activities for tourists to be conned out of their dollars. In that respect it is a delightfully naive sort of place. However it will change. Already there are small signs. There’s a new aquarium being constructed in the centre of thecity by Kandawgyi Lake. Some of the old colonial buildings are being restored to their original state – even the massive building site adjacent to the hotel is being built within the original exterior walls.
However, the pavements are minefields of holes, broken concrete slabs and uneven or just downright missing surfaces. You cannot take your eyes off them for more than a few seconds. But at least motor bikes won’t get you!
It’s true by the way – motor bikes are indeed banned from the city of Yangon. Apparently, one of the ruling military generals felt seriously dis-respected by a bunch of young bikers one day in 2003. He decreed a ban the next day. (A number of alternative theories about the reason behind this exist – some more likely!) Now only police, government officials, posties and some selected electrical technicians are allowed motor bikes. However, we heard today that discussions are afoot to overturn the ban. The reasoning is that bikes have a smaller footprint and hence the change MIGHT reduce the traffic congestion. Just possibly!!!
On the subject of traffic, we’ve noticed that while they drive on the right, 99% of the cars are right-hand drive! The story here is that on Dec 5 1970, another general felt his life in danger driving on the left side of the road. Next day it was dictated that everyone had to switch sides! (To be fair, there are a number of other theories about the reason for this change as well!) Surprisingly, none of the car importers have noticed. They are still ordering right-hand drive cars! But a new law came into effect in 2017 which supposedly limited car imports to left-hand drive vehicles. Maybe – but there are still some road signs in Yangon facing the wrong way!
The passenger trains appear to have no doors, the buses are overloaded to the point of customer asphyxiation and the cross-river ferries appear to carry far too many passengers for safety – especially at rush hour.
This morning (Friday) we took one of these ferries across the Yangon River to Dala where we took tri-shaw rides to a recycling cottage industry where many things were woven out of reclaimed plastic and other stuff…
and also to a candle making “factory”…
… and, here we found the motor bike parks where commuters leave their personal transport before heading into town on the overcrowded ferries.
On the way back across the river we got a good view of our ship RV Samatha.
While we have some semblance of Wi-Fi, I’m going to send this… But before we go…
BEER GLASSES
An Englishman, an Aussie, and a Dutchman are in a bar one night having a beer. All of a sudden the Dutchman downs his beer, throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces and says:
“In The Netherlands we recycle so much glass our glasses are so cheap that we don’t need to drink from the same one twice.”
The Aussie, obviously impressed by this, drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun, and shoots the glass to pieces and says:
“Well, mate, in ‘Straaaaailia we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don’t need to drink out of the same glass twice either.”
The Englishman, cool as a cucumber, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun, shoots the Dutchman and the Australian and then says:
“In England we have so many bloody Dutchies and Aussies that we don’t need to drink with the same ones twice.”
Yangon is the only place where motorbikes are banned- everywhere else you will see plenty, with lots of kids riding them as well.