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Articles in Myanmar

VIDEO: The Secret Relic Room at Botataung Pagoda – Yangon, Myanmar

June 23, 2019 – 6:23 pm
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With some illnesses and a failing computer, I have been off the Internet for a while and just enjoying life in Yangon. On this day, however, I decided to take my camera with me as I went to visit one of the most famous pagodas in the city.
The Botataung Pagoda is unique in that the main structure is not sealed. It is open and has …

VIDEO: Coffee, Donuts, and a Local Newspaper

May 17, 2019 – 6:08 pm
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The intense heat and the blackouts continued in Yangon. My guest house didn’t have a working generator, so when the power went out, so did the A/C and the fan. And so I went in search of a coffee shop with air conditioning. Along the way, I picked up a local newspaper to see what is going on in the country of Myanmar in general.

VIDEO: Streetside Repairs in Yangon

May 16, 2019 – 6:04 pm
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One of my favorite aspects to living and traveling in Asia is that it is often far easier (and cheaper) to accomplish daily tasks. In Taiwan, for example, getting a new muffler on your scooter can take thirty minutes. You simply drive up to the shop, they remove the old muffler and put on the new one right away, and they generally don’t charge for …

VIDEO: Lunch in Yangon, and a Hostel Tour

April 26, 2019 – 5:59 pm
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This video was shot before I got sick in Yangon. I just never had the chance to upload it at the time because the Internet cut out mid-upload constantly (with all the power blackouts), and I gave up. I wasn’t going to upload it at all, but I figured I might as well. In fact, it was after this meal that I got really sick. …

VIDEO: Slow Ride in Myanmar! On the Circular Train in Yangon

April 24, 2019 – 5:54 pm
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I’d heard about the circular train in Yangon from a number of people, and it seemed like something that was right up my alley – a chance to just sit back on a 3-hour train ride to nowhere and watch the world pass by. That it was in Yangon, Myanmar, made it even better.
Much of the information I had about the train seemed to be …

Yangon River Crossing – Big Boats and Little Boats in Myanmar (Burma)

April 23, 2019 – 5:50 pm
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It was another hot day, but I took to the streets to walk down to the Yangon River. I didn’t know what was down there, and I wanted to find out. Was it an industrial wasteland? Was the shoreline dotted with fishing villages and fishing boats? Could I even reach the river? Could I then cross it? What is on the other side?
A lot of …

Near Heat Stroke at Stunning Shwedagon Pagoda (Yangon, Myanmar)

April 17, 2019 – 5:45 pm
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Heat stroke might be overstating things a bit, but perhaps not. The heat was intense on my trip to the beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda, and the sunlight bouncing off the white stone tiles was so bright that it was difficult to even keep my eyes open at times. The stone was raised to such a temperature that it burned my feet, and it was difficult …

Myanmar Water Festival | Thingyan 2019 | Burmese New Year Day 3: Happiness Level Extreme!

April 16, 2019 – 5:41 pm
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On Day 3 of the Water Festival, I knew a bit more what to expect. Thinking back, I probably should have gone to a different part of Yangon, but I didn’t know where else to go. So I stayed in my own neighborhood near City Hall and Sule Pagoda. I was glad I did.
The pandals (water stations) were still in full swing, and, as I …