Yangon, Burma

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, shimmering with gold leaf

We arrived in Yangon yesterday morning, with 14 people in our group and the remnants of a big typhoon that's churning in the Sea of Bengal, on the west coast of Burma.  That storm several drenched us and the city yesterday, leaving streets flooded for a while and pedestrians knee deep in water.  We were visiting the huge Shwedagon Pagoda (the most important pagoda in Myanmar) last night when the second deluge started, so we squeezed ourselves under a small tent with about a hundred Burmese until the rain tapered off.

When you visit a pagoda, you have to go barefoot, regardless of what might be underfoot (dirt being the best option and animal poop being the worst), so the water didn't bother us.  Also pretty warm, so our clothes dried fast.

We're all pretty tired, after a 30 hour trip to Bangkok and a very short night there.  But, today, we head out for several meetings designed to help everyone understand more about Burma, its politics, culture and economy.  These include a man who advises foreign companies on making investments in Burma, the political and economic counselor at the US embassy, and the manager of a brand new Ford dealership that's a joint venture with a Burmese company.

Under the new regime of the last 3 years, so much has changed.  Cars that cost $100,000 two years ago now cost $20,000, so more people can buy them and have done so.  Traffic is very clogged.  There are lots of dealerships now, all brand new, so we'll learn more about how they are doing today.

Last year when we were here, there were no ATM's.  Now, they're everywhere.  We haven't tried them out yet to see if they work, but will do so today.  Where we saw almost no international brands a year ago, except for Chinese, now we're seeing more, particularly from SE Asia--Korean and Taiwanese brands, some Thai, even a few from Europe and the US.  Our guide tells us that McDonald's is looking at Yangon for a store--always a sign that a country has arrived.

Tomorrow we fly to Bagan at 6:30 a.m.  Flights around Burma leave very early from Yangon so that they can complete a circuit to other major towns and cities and return to Yangon by evening.  So, our departures will get later as our trip progresses.