[MANDALAY] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 13 June 2013

Shwe Mandalar Express (Yangon - Bagan) - 15,000.00
Stopover (Fried Rice & Coke) - 3,000.00
Mya Thida Hotel (1 Bunk in 4 Bed Dorm/3 Nights) - 45,000.00
Taxi (Nyaung U - New Bagan) - 10,000.00

MMK73,000.00

[YANGON] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 11 June 2013

Air Asia (Kuala Lumpur - Yangon) - 87.00
Air Asia (Milo Hot/Milo Cold) - 11.00

MYR98.00

Taxi (Yangon International - Hotel 63) - 10,000.00

Hotel 63 (Superior with Breakast/2 Nights) - 76,000.00

Hotel 63 (Fried Pork Meat Flat w/Rice & Coke) - 5,500.00

Taxi (Hotel 63 - Inya Lake) - 5,000.00

Inya Lake Resort (Tart) - 2,800.00

Taxi (Hotel 63 - Inya Lake) - 5,000.00
Hotel 63 (Chicken Fried Rice & Coke) - 4,000.00

MMK108,300.00

[YANGON] Shwedagon Pagoda

After getting stuck in traffic for most of the day yesterday, I have come to find Yangon a bit annoying. The people are very nice, among the friendliest on this side of Asia, but the place itself... I guess I am just not used to anything that is not up to date. Ouch. Wait. That might offend some people. Well, I am not saying that Yangon will stay this way forever. It will eventually catch up but until it does, it will always seem stuck in the 90’s, at least in the perspective of some tourists who got spoiled by other westernized cities nearby. Ahem, Bangkok, ahem. Some people would argue, though, that it is there where the charm of the city lies. That time warp kind of feel. In any case, I would just recommend a day or two in Yangon. Once you have seen the Shwedagon, you are so done.

[YANGON] Where Did Your Old Toyota Corolla Go

ANSWER: They are moonlighting as taxis in Rangoon, or Yangon, the former capital of Burma, or Myanmar. Pardon the alternative names. The country seems to suffer from some sort of undiagnosed schizophrenia. It is said that their flag has been changed thrice in the last few decades. Come to think of it, they had a flag that looked similar to that of Taiwan back then. Now they have a bright tri-color with a superimposed star. Oh, we were talking about them old Toyota Corolla’s? Yes, the taxis in Yangon are mostly those phased-out Toyota and Nissan models from the 90’s that remind you of a time when Cesar Montano’s comedy-action movies were popular and pagers still existed. What the hell are pagers? Exactly my point!