Overview
Yangon is complicated and Myanmar even more so. Years of kingdoms, invaders, conquest, colonization and isolation has left modern Myanmar a blend of everything that was, is and will be.
You have ancient culture, layered upon borrowed culture; imposed culture and modernity all within this lens of a globalized country. Through the thick and thin, the tough times, and what many can view as some of the strangest and most restrictive regimes in all of history, Myanmar is finally ready to embrace the world, with Yangon at the center of the change.
The bustling metropolis is gaining traction, adjusting to foreign money and peoples and becoming a place that you just have to visit in southeast Asia. It’s unadulterated, for now, exposing travellers to a time and place that we just can’t find anymore. No starbucks, no western advertising, nothing you’ve ever known or seen. It’s busy, crowded and overwhelming in every sense of the word, yet the Buddhist temples among the noisy streets seem like an oasis in the desert.
What you have to understand about Yangon to really ‘get’ it, is the cultural intricacies at play here. The city itself is split up between ethnic lines. There’s a mixture of Burmese (the largest ethnic group in Myanmar), Indian/Bangladeshi and Chinese roots. You can really see the city change walking through the streets. The chinese barbeque shops suddenly change to curry houses, the Buddhists to Hindus.
Yangon is on the “up and up” and it’s a place you’ve go to get to before the capitalism does!
Before we get into the rest of our normal article layout, we want to mention something about the visa process for American travelers. Myanmar is not as complicated as it used to be to enter and now you, as a tourist, can get a visa for 28 days of travel. This will cost you $50 and take around a few days to one week to process.
While many people say you can’t get a visa on the border, you can. The best way to get a visa, however, is to apply online before hand. All the government requires is a visa photo and a e payment along with some information. Upon arrival, you will receive your visa as you cross through customs.
Is it Cheap?
Yes, but not for southeastern Asia. Here’s the scoop: Myanmar is general has made things purposefully expensive for tourists in order to stimulate their economy. This being said, we wouldn’t categorize anything that happens in Myanmar as expensive, but compared to neighboring countries, it will cost you a pretty penny. If you are brave enough to sample the street food, you can eat for around 1-3 dollars. Most hostels are around 10-15 dollars a night.
Ancient Colonial Streets
Downtown Yangon
Shwedagon Pagoda
Colonial Style Townhall
What To Do
Yangon is truly a vibrant city, that requires a lot of exploring to get its full essence. While many people say they dislike Yangon, and prefer to head straight to the north of Myanmar, we beg to differ. Yangon is a true blending of worlds and you can find a bit of everything, you just have to look for it.
Night Street Food Market at Strand Road
This market is insane. Set just two major streets off the river, the market extends for about a good kilometer down Strand Street. If you are avidly trying to sample Burmese food, this is the best place to get everything that you want. From curries and fried fish to bugs and animal organs, it is an experience you can’t miss on your trip to Yangon. It also is a perfect place to capture the diversity of Burmese cuisine without traveling the whole country to do so. We recommend sitting down at one of the small stalls to try a soup or for the braver sort, the offal swimming in a bubbling pot of mystery liquid.
Shwedagon Pagoda
The quintessential tourist attraction and most photographed spot in Myanmar besides Bagan, Shwedagon Pagoda is a testament to Buddhist architecture. The entire area has an allure about it. Giant golden stupas, massive prayer houses and thousands of people create an atmosphere that is hard to describe as anything but alien to Westerners. Take off your shoes, pay the entrance fee and transport yourself to a human world you never knew existed.
Bogyoke Park
We love this park. It’s a calm and tranquil escape from the crowded and hot streets of Yangon. The park features a massive lake, cute little cafes to enjoy some of Myanmar’s favorite foods as well as a replica of an ancient imperial boat. The best part for us may be the rickety wooden bridge that circles the lake. Instead of fixing it, the government just slapped new planks on broken ones, making for the jankiest bridge that we have ever seen.
Barbecue Street
18th Street is known as barbeque street in Yangon, a dark alley known for its sizzling meats and back alley bars. It’s the perfect place to sit down, drink a Myanmar Beer and taste the local flavor until late into the night.
What to Eat and Drink
Myanmar cuisine is a bit complex, as it has really absorbed all the cultures around it. You can find a bit of Thai, of Indian, Chinese and British influence all tucked away in local ingredients. Burmese cuisine is the most present in Yangon because of their large population but it doesn’t mean you won’t see other ethnic dishes all around the city.
For the real adventurous eaters we recommend trying:
Mohinga: A rich squash based noodle soup topped with fried chickpeas and cut up samosas.
Shan Noodle Soup: A specialty of the northern region “Shan” in Myanmar. It features rice noodles in a spicy broth.
Chicken/Fish Curry: A Burmese interpretation of an Indian dish, it is normally flavored with ginger, garlic, red pepper and turmeric.
Tea Leaf Salad: The tea leaves are first washed, pickled and then dried. Upon rehydration in water and salt, the leaves are then mixed up with fried peanuts and other crispy bits. It might be considered the national dish depending on who you talk to.
Avocados: If you are an avocado fan, and you probably are, Myanmar has some of the best avocados in the world. You can get it in a salad but we would recommend getting it blended into a smoothie.
Sugar Cane Juice: You’ll hear an odd sound in markets, something that sounds like a hand wound engine clinking in the distance. That sound is coming from the machines that squeeze juice out of sugar cane stalks. Perfect with a bit of lime.
Myanmar Beer: You’ll find this light beer everywhere, typically served over ice.
Transportation
There are a few options when getting around in Yangon. The first would be taking the city bus. Not only is it absolutely insane, but one of the most interesting experiences you can have in the city. They are old, really old. Old as in nearly falling apart Chinese and Indian donated buses from years far gone.
They are loud and crowded, the doors don’t even shut. You are beckoned on by a man hanging out the side of it as he rushes you on. With no air conditioning and broken seats, the bus bumps through the streets of Yangon like a ship out of water, in the downtowns 95 degree heat. While this all sounds terrible, we affirm that it isn’t and can even be a bit fun.
If that experience sounds like something you want to avoid, we say take a cab. They are cheap, you can bargain with the drivers and sometimes quite nice. The funniest part about transport in Yangon is you never know what you are going to get.
There are very little traffic rules or vehicle rules for that matter, as imports and donations from various countries over the years have left Myanmar with cars which operate differently from each other. Cabbies driving on the right side of the vehicle in an Indian cars speed past Mercedes with a drivers on the left side. Often times cabs have a second person in the car to make sure they can see out of their blind spot.
Clubbing and Nightlife
This might be the most surprising section of this article but we attest that it is true. Yangon has a ruckus and amazing nightlife scene, but it is simply often hidden from tourists. If you really want to go out, have a local bring you to Brave Bar.
With head-pounding bass and crazy intense electronic music, the Burmese have decided reigns supreme in its capital. Not only is the music intense, the lights bright and the clubs full and open late, the service is incredible.
Bottle service is a necessity to the young Burmese and you will see lavish fruit plates, sparkler adorned bottles of whiskey and hookahs being whipped out of the backrooms at a rapid pace. People tend to stay at their tables and enjoy the night, dancing in main areas is not encouraged and many clubs actually have security that keeps men and women at a distance.
We do have a word of caution when going out in Yangon. Nightclubs and nightlife as it were in Yangon is heavily patrolled and at times illegal. If you are going out, make sure you know how to get home and have your passport with you at all times.
Also be aware that prostitution, just like many other southeastern Asian countries, is also rampant in the nightlife scene. Have fun but do it with people you trust!
My Travel Essentials For An Asian Backpacking Trip
Below you'll find a list of my must bring backpacking items. I have gotten this list down to my essentials through trial and error over 4 years of living in a backpack. I hope you'll find these items helpful on your journey!
►Main Backpacking Backpack: https://amzn.to/3vUHdik [Amazon]
►Great Front Facing Duffle-bag : https://amzn.to/3SjK6Ra [Amazon]
►Quick Dry Towel : https://amzn.to/3uarxH8 [Amazon]
►Multi Country Charger Adapter : https://amzn.to/3Ul37p0 [Amazon]
►Refillable Water Bottle : https://amzn.to/48SnG0n [Amazon]
►Padlock : https://amzn.to/3SdyYp7 [Amazon]
►Earplugs : https://amzn.to/498xTpl [Amazon]
►Power Bank : https://amzn.to/3SyXP8e [Amazon]
Travel Photography & Video Favorites
If you're interested in creating your own video content on your trip, these are some of my favorite items I've had. They work, they're effective and besides the Sony Aa7C, they aren't going to break the bank either!
►On the Go Video | Go Pro Hero 12 : https://amzn.to/3u38oHh [Amazon]
►Photography | Sony A7C : https://amzn.to/3u1Y6ap [Amazon]
►Portable Tripod | https://amzn.to/42ojHqc [Amazon]
►Lavalier Microphone | https://amzn.to/3SbL41U [Amazon]
►Drone | https://amzn.to/47TCwSY [Amazon]
►Portable Monitor | https://amzn.to/3Hzv2dg
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