Yangon (part 1)

Mingalaba
(traditional Burmese greeting which means auspicious to you)

Travel type: Solo
When: 2016 April 16 – 19 (4 days)
Weather: Hot!
Flight: Airasia (Penang-Yangon)
Currency: Kyat
Visa requirement: Yes. 50USD. Apply online

It was Thingyan, also known as the Burmese New Year Water Festival during my visit. The festival lasted for 4-5 days, normally in the mid-April, and declared as public holiday. If you are in Myanmar during Thingyan, prepare to get wet! People walk around with buckets of water or hose, spraying water on anyone passing by. There is no escaping for everyone on the street. This originates from the custom of washing away the bad luck of the previous year. Though there will be chaos and crowds on the street, most businesses close on Thingyan.

Day 1 

Reached the airport in the noon. Taxi fare was more expensive due to Thingyan.
My dorm room at YAMA Boutique Dormitory and Guest House. Staffs were  really nice. Good wifi at every floor. Decent & clean dorm. Comfortable lounge area. Free flow of coffee and tea the entire day. Free usage of washing machine & dryer, though no free detergent. Just remember to bring your own shampoo, soap, towel, well all your necessities. Overall I like this place. Recommended. The place was quiet due to Thingyan, and I have the 6 beds dorm all to myself 

Went out to see the water splashing crowds. Definitely no escape.

Day 2 

Botauhtang Pagoda
Entrance fee: 5 USD / 6000 Kyats
Walked to Botauhtang Pagoda after my simple breakfast provided by the dorm. Botahtaung Pagoda is one of the most revered temples here. Streets were crowded with people as it was the Burmese New Year, and people were heading to temples for worshipping. I didn’t go into the Pagoda. Just walking among the crowds and taking photos from the street.

  

Yangon Architectural Walk

You can read more on Yangon architectural from Architectural Guide Yangon 

Sule Pagoda
“Sule Pagoda is downtown Yangon’s geographic center. As an easily recognisable landmark it became the focal point of the street grid which Lieutenant Fraser of the Bengal Engineers devised for Rangoon after the Second Anglo-Burmese War ended in 1852. Unsurprisingly, the pagoda and the public space surrounding it occupy a prominent role in the urban history of Yangon.”
-Yangon Architecture

Maha Bandula Park
Maha Bandula Park is a public park, located in downtown. It was super crowded most likely because it was a public holiday. But weirdly, I felt peaceful there.

Day 3-4 : Kandawgyi Park, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon Railway Station