YANGON // Before arriving in Myanmar, I did what any lazy traveller does and queried Google for “things to do in Yangon”. The results were worrying: either I was going to be looking at a lot of pagodas, shrines and Buddhist temples or I was going to have to find new ways to know the city. Having exhausted two days wandering around the ancient ruins of Bagan, I knew which of the two options was for me -- and it didn’t involve temples. Fortunately, with the help of a Yangon-based Singaporean friend who works for an internet start-up called work.com.mm and who was hospitable enough to let me sleep on her sofa, I was able to learn some of the city's secrets. Here's the alternative guide. 1. Watch locals play 'Chinlone' I read a lengthy article on my flight about Myanmar and the traditional Burmese sport of chinlone, which is a mixture of hacky sack and football freestyling. It involves a ball made from bamboo cane, can be played by anybody and everybody, requires immense amounts of talent and there is no winner. For a demonstration by some guys who would put Cristiano Ronaldo to shame, try this. One of the best places to catch a local game is at the docks close to Bahatoung Pagoda. Head down just before sunset and you’ll witness everybody from monks to construction workers to Burmese businessmen hiking up their longyis and laying down some impressive skills. 2. Browse art at Pansodan Scene If you wander down the bustling Pansodan Street until you get close to Maha Bandula Road, you might just find one of the city’s most creative hubs. I say ‘might’ because, such is the lack of signage, the chances are you’ll walk right past. It’s upstairs at No144 and for the eagle-eyed, there is a small chalkboard on the street outside. Inside, when I visited at least, was a hive of activity with artworks, music and video production all going on simultaneously. Order a coffee, browse the walls and try not to blow your holiday budget with a spontaneous purchase. If you manage all three, you will have done better than me. 3. Eat Myanmar Hand-Noodles Anyone who knows me even a little will be aware that when it comes to sampling strange local dishes, I’m always game. Every morning in Yangon, the streets are peppered with weather-beaten women selling bowls of cold but spicy noodles. The women throw the noodles and a plethora of mystery powders and oils into a bowl and mix it all up using only their bare hands. No wooden spoons, no disposable plastic gloves, no health and safety measures. Once finished, she dips her hands into a bucket of murky water, dries them on an old rag and prepares her next bowl. It’s not pleasant to watch — but they are surprisingly pleasant to eat. And, incredibly, no after-effects. 4. Train 'Lethwei' at Thut Ti gym This place really deserves a blog post all of its own, or better yet a four-page spread in a magazine (Hey editors: contact me here). Located on a dark street on the outskirts of town and behind a corrugated iron fence sits Thut Ti gym — which is less of a gym and more of a rundown garden with a homemade boxing ring, some apparatus reminiscent of medieval torture and a swarm of mosquitoes. Here on the concrete, Lone Chaw — a legend of Burmese boxing — trains locals and clued-up foreigners in the art of lethwei, a combat sport similar to Muay Thai, but involving bare-knuckles and headbutts. Sign up for an hour-long session and prepare for pain. 5. Chew on a Betel Nut A controversial inclusion on this list, the mind-altering betel nut is omnipresent in Yangon. Made and sold on the street by independent vendors, it provides a quick high equivalent to six cups of coffee. It is also addictive, carcinogenic and ruins your teeth. First a betel leaf is painted with slaked lime, a white liquid that looks like icing sugar but is actually a bleaching powder most commonly found in plasters and cements. Next, some perfumed tobacco is sprinkled on and the chopped nut is added. Everything is then wrapped up in the leaf and chewed vigorously, but not swallowed. If you want to do as the locals do, you should then spit your blood-red saliva on the road, leaving an ugly stain on the pavement. 6. Slurp Mojitos in China Town Visit 19th Street on any given evening and you will find a narrow, smokey alley filled with local people sat in plastic seats enjoying cheap and cheerful food. All manner of meats, fish, noodles, tofu and vegetables are available and when I visited, every restaurant was thronging. There is one, however, that famously offers 800 kyat ($0.60) mojitos — although they deliver to any of the establishments on the street. If you’re feeling particularly brave, or have built up some mojito-infused Dutch courage, you could also try crunching on a fried grasshopper, a common snack among Yangon citizens. 7. Dance with the locals at Club Pioneer Wandering around Yangon is a bit like going back in time. The city is largely unpolluted by western consumerism, the people are still curious of foreigners, and everyone appears to be conservative, respectful and in bed by the time the country’s 11pm curfew arrives. In many ways it is the direct opposite of its Thai neighbour, Bangkok. At least that’s what I thought before I visited Club Pioneer. Attached to a hotel and thus immune to the curfew, the nightclub is a symbol for a modern Myanmar: Young men with spiky haircuts dance to blaring beats while local women in tiny skirts and high heels stand on the sides. A genuine eye-opener. 8. Visit Shwedagon Pagoda OK, so I said I wasn’t visiting any more temples or pagodas, but you cannot come to Yangon and not go to Shwedagon. The 110-metre golden stupa seems to be visible from almost anywhere in the city, which is probably courtesy of a governmental law forbidding nearby buildings from being taller than their most sacred structure. The pagoda itself is covered in hundreds of gold plates and the tip is encrusted with more than 4,000 diamonds. The main temple is also surrounded by hundreds of gold stupas and statues. Local citizens display impressive devotion by visiting regularly, although a cynic might suggest the lure of free-wifi is an additional incentive. ISWAS.
0 Comments
|
Gary MeenaghanSports scribbler. Pedant with prose. Alliteration addict. Omnivore. Archives
July 2016
Categories
All
|