Yangon – Farewell to Myanmar

I was initially very reluctant to risk a trip to Myanmar. I’d read too much in the news about the struggle for democracy, the brutal treatment of the hill tribes and a general bad vibe oozing out of the country. I’m glad I came, however, as it’s an incredible place.


Myanmar is another country where you can’t help but feel that the people are being held back by the people who govern them. Bad government in a prosperous country is bad enough, but when it’s keeping the population in poverty, it’s truly tragic.

Compared to other countries in South-East Asia, the people of Myanmar have it tough. When I went to Vietnam, I felt a real buzz. The people were slowly waking up after years of harsh rule. The government there has finally realized that their job should to be help their people, not control them. As a result, the economy is going crazy. People are getting on with their lives and looking to the future. You can’t say that in Yangon. You can really feel that people have their lives on pause. They’re waiting for things to get better, but are not that optimistic that it will happen too.

This is a real shame. Yangon has the potential to be an amazing place. It has such a great history. There’s the ancient Burmese kingdom, overlaid with British colonialism. This gives the city an amazing texture. The grand British buildings sit comfortably next to the pagodas. If they were all given a lick of paint, the streets repaved and a few nice shops opened, the international bright young things would be flocking here.

In some ways, Yangon could be seen as just another big dirty Asian city, but there’s definitely a distinct Burmese flavour. For a start, the guys all wear the sarong like longyi. The woman cover their faces with a distinctive yellow paste that resembles chalk. All this combines to give the place a unique charm. While I wouldn’t recommend visiting Yangon to everyone, if you’re up for a bit of culture shock, then it’s a great place to visit.