Today, as the political climate improves, tourists are flocking to Yangon (formerly Rangoon) to savour several extraordinary sights, and also to start excursions to the interior. There, a luxury cruise on the Ayeyarwady River is an ideal way to view stupa-packed Bagan, and rural villages with bustling, intriguing marketplaces.
Bordered by Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand, Myanmar receives no trans-Pacific flights from North America. Since a prior stop is mandatory, Thailand offers the best collection of hour-long, non-stop flights to Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital.
Starting from there, a recent six-day visit was split between three days in Yangon and three aboard Orient Express’s Road to Mandalay, 82-passenger vessel.
Centrally located Traders Hotel, a Shangri La property, was a great Yangon base. In the midst of a vibrant neighbourhood, just blocks away is the Beyoke Ang San Market, also called Scotts Market, the city’s largest.
Here, clothes, jewelry, antiques, fabrics, wallets, lacquerware and silks fill hundreds of stands. Bargaining is expected.
Also, right before Scots, there’s a MIDB Bank’s money changing centre. Hassle-, line-free and air-conditioned, this is a great place to quickly acquire the “kyat” (local currency) you’ll need to get around and see the sights.
Make sure the bills you want to exchange are new, unmarked and unfolded, however. Otherwise they’ll likely not be accepted.
Of all of Yangon’s, indeed Myanmar’s attractions, the Shwedagon Pagoda is the one you definitely cannot miss. Standing 326 feet tall this golden stupa is Myanmar’s symbol, and one of Asia’s greatest sights. It is said to be 2,500 years old, and was to have been built to house eight strands of hair that Buddha himself gave to two merchants.
Today the main, gleaming stupa dominates a plaza, surrounded by other stupas and eight temples. Indeed there’s one temple for each day between Tuesday and Thursday, plus separate temples for Wednesday morning and afternoon. Since all visitors must remove their shoes and socks before entering, plan your visit for early morning or later afternoon. Then, chances of encountering intense heat or burned feet are minimized.
Allow at least two hours to calmly observe and photograph this extraordinary gold monument that’s worth some $700 million and is re-gilded every year. You’ll also want to savour views of the main and subsidiary stupas, as well as the seemingly perpetual communal gatherings that crowd the Shwedagon day and night.
On another morning, walk through Yangon’s jam-packed streets where sidewalks are often just extensions of nearby stores or stalls. Seek out the octagon-shaped Sule Pagoda in central Yangon, the ornate, Victorian city hall, and the Botatung Pagoda with a hollow interior where — unlike virtually all other pagodas — visitors can enter.
Cruising the Ayeyarwady River on The Road to Mandalay is a fascinating counterpoint to navigating Yangon’s urban wonders.
Its three-, four- and seven-day trips - primarily wending between Mandalay and Bagan - are a comfortable and practical means to experience world-class attractions that would otherwise be difficult for independent travellers to reach and explore.
An early-morning, hour-long Yangon-Mandalay flight — with hotel transfers and passage built into the package — started our January trip. When too-shallow drafts prevented our sailing immediately from Mandalay, we were more than compensated by a fascinating tour of Myanmar’s former royal kingdom capital. Highlights included the wooden Shwenandaw Monastary, festooned with exquisite teak carvings.
It’s the only remaining piece of a massive 19th-century royal palace complex that was moved following the death of its builder, King Mindon. That meant it was not in the line of fire when Japanese bombing during the Second World War destroyed the rest of the complex.
King Mindon also created Kuthodaw Pagoda and the surrounding “world’s largest book.”
This is actually 729 marble tablets, engraved on both sides, containing what was assumed to be all of Buddha’s writings.
But the star of the cruise was Bagan, where - from 1044 to 1287 - Burmese kings built thousands of temples and pagodas. Many of the stone structures still stand, dotting the dusty fields in an absolutely surreal display of manic religiosity.
It truly has to be seen to be believed.
Along with the chance to explore and learn about Bagan, Mandalay and river market towns, the ship’s comfortable accommodations, excellent food, fascinating lectures and savvy guides are a definite plus. And, even while sailing along the Ayeyarwady nothing special seems to be happening, it’s likely a great view or picture is just a moment away.
