Yangon, Myanmar is a city overflowing with excitement.
Crossing the street is one of the biggest challenges, but if you can get to the other side, what awaits you is a cultural buffet of colors, vendors, markets, and friendly people.
Walking around downtown Yangon is never going to be calm or peaceful, but the action, fathom of colors, chaos, and overall flow of the city, is what makes it so interesting and beautiful.
Here are a series of 41 photos I took of my most recent trip to Yangon, a little mix of everything, and some delicious food towards the bottom (so keep on scrolling and reading).
1. All roads lead to Sule Pagoda
In downtown Yangon, one of the central landmarks is the Sule Pagoda, and it seems like all buses and roads eventually lead to it.
The downtown area is nicely laid out, in a near perfect grid of main roads and side streets, all perpendicular and parallel to each other, making the downtown area quite easy to navigate (despite the traffic and pedestrians).
2. Life in Yangon
One of the best ways to see and experience Yangon is to just explore on foot.
The city is full of life, people going about their daily lives, eating, going places, and selling things. This photo was taken about 4 pm, when many kids had just finished school.
3. Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Pagoda is probably the most sacred and most important religious site in Yangon, if not all of Myanmar.
Even on the cloudy day that I visited, there was enough gold at the pagoda to make me squint. It’s definitely a place you should visit when you’re in Yangon.
4. Little India and the Shri Kali Temple
In downtown Yangon one of the most prominent Hindu temples is Shri Kali Temple, located in a busy area of downtown also referred to as Little India.
The temple is located on Anawratha Roaad, across the street from 26th Street.
5. Beautifully decaying buildings
One of the things I always love about walking around Yangon is looking up at the beautiful decaying old buildings.
Yangon has a huge collection of colonial buildings, some of the best in Southeast Asia, and paired with the hot and humid tropical climate and lack of maintenance, many have turned into museums of their own.
6. Transportation by train
Train remains one of the most important ways to get into the center of Yangon from the outer edges of the city, or from other destinations throughout Myanmar.
7. Yangon circular railway
One day, Ying and I had some time to take the Yangon Circular Railway, a circle route that stops at 39 stations and does a loop around greater Yangon.
It goes really slow, and stops many times, but it offers a nice opportunity to see some of the outskirts, and even a little countryside, around Yangon.
8. Train station
While waiting to catch our train, there were plenty of things to observe, including many food vendors carrying snacks on their heads – probably to sell at the station, or to bring into downtown Yangon to sell.
9. Buses
One of the main modes of transportation throughout Yangon are buses, and unlike most of SE Asia where motorbikes flourish, they are banned from central Yangon.
Buses are rowdy and always have the right of way – they won’t stop for you!
10. Bus stops
Bus stations in Yangon are usually haphazardly located in the first lane of the road. But surrounding bus stops you’ll find all sorts of vendors selling all things imaginable.
11. Bicycle ride through Yangon
Due to the not so kind driving conditions in Yangon, I’m not so sure I’d want to personally ride a bicycle through the streets. But that being said, those were did ride, were calmly pedaling as massive buses zoomed past, with merely inches to spare.
This guy was riding pretty confidently.
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12. Looking around Yangon
While we were walking down a side street, I noticed this little guy enjoying the sites of Yangon. He seemed to be taking in all the beauty of the city, the action, and the diversity, all while securely in his mothers arms.
13. Walking through Yangon
One of the quickest ways to get through downtown Yangon is to just walk.
The side streets are usually quite calm and quiet, with the exception of occasional cars, but the main roads are always busy and chaotic.
14. Market sprawl
In downtown Yangon there are markets all over the place, especially in the mornings or in the evenings when fresh produce vendors spill into the streets and take up the first few lanes of some of the main roads.
There’s so much action, that’s why I really love Yangon.
15. Bananas
Bananas are sold all over Yangon, often from big baskets connected to bamboo carrying poles of bicycles.
The man on the side of the bicycle, I’m not sure what he was doing, but happened to be a random picture of him looking like he was about to fight – but he really wasn’t luckily!
16. Guavas on a bamboo carrier
Throughout the streets of Yangon, one of the most common methods of transporting produce is by a double basket bamboo pole carrier.
That way, one can balance their load, and set down, or re-located, at just a moments notice.
17. Watering fruit
This man is giving his guavas a quick sprinkle to make them shine and look nice and fresh.
18. Mango taste test
This mango vendor was offering a sample of her mangoes to a potential buyer.
Yangon is just overflowing with fruit, baskets of mango, guava, durian, pineapple, watermelon, apples, grapes… the list goest on. There’s an abundance of fruit – especially during the time of year I visited (July / August).
19. 26th Street Market
Although you’ll find produce being sold randomly at nearly every corner or street throughout downtown Yangon, there are some streets which are actually market streets.
26th Street, across the main road from Little India, is a great market street where you’ll find all sorts of produce, seafood, and meat.
20. Fresh fish
Fish plays an important part in the diets of many – especially in the coastal regions of Myanmar – and Yangon is close to the coast. Tilapia, small pomfrets, and numerous other small fish were available in abundance.
Notice the cat food tarp used to display the fish… no, these fish are not cat food!
21. Weighing the catch
The fish vending in the markets in Yangon quite reminded me of scenes I saw at markets in Kolkata, where many vendors used hand scales to weigh fish.
22. Fish vendor at Thein Gyi Market
This fish vendor at the market had a nice selection of large and fresh looking fish.
23. Fish in the evening
Not only did I see fish being sold at the market in the morning, but in the afternoon and evening you’ll find random fresh fish stalls set up all over town.
Buy some fish, and make a nice curry at home – that sounds delicious.
24. Bitter melon in a basket
One of my personal favorite vegetables, both the way it tastes and the way it looks, is bitter melon, or bitter gourd.
In Myanmar, I saw some of the most beautiful looking bitter gourds ever, they were nice shades of green, and had crazy looking bumps.
This bitter melon vendor had just finished her last bite of noodles when I took the shot.
25. Squeezing through
When you’re walking around Yangon, you’ll undoubtedly need to squeeze through some tight spots. Sometimes through people, sometimes through cars, or chickens.
This lady attempted to squeeze between a parked truck and some chicken, hoping not to get any chicken juice on her shirt (I squeezed past just a minute before her… and I got a little chicken juice on my shirt!).
26. Railroad market
I mentioned above that one day while we were in Yangon, we took the circular railroad route.
Many of the stations were quiet with not much going on, but at Danyingon station, all of a sudden we stopped right in the middle of a massive produce market, full of vegetables, people, and a rainbow of colors and life.
27. Posters and books
One my previous visit to Myanmar back in 2011, I thought it was quite interesting how I passed numerous Justin Bieber posters along the roadside.
Such is still the case, there are many shops lined with posters of babies, celebrities, and other random things.
28. Areca nut, betel leaf
Chewing areca nut is wildly popular in Myanmar, and on the streets of Yangon, you can’t go more than a few meters without seeing a dealer.
29. Tea stalls
Of all the things that are important and beloved in Myanmar culture, tea and socializing (which go hand in hand) is pretty high on the list.
I think one of the joys of visiting Yangon is sitting on one of the miniature plastic tables and stools, and drinking tea with friends and family.
30. Street tea and snacks
Pictured above is one of the most common sites that I remember while spending time in Yangon.
Everywhere you go, you’ll find tiny plastic tables and chairs, often in a bright purple or red color, ready to be used as a table for tea and snacks.
31. Laphet thoke – tea leaf salad
One of the most widely available and popular Myanmar salads is laphet thoke, made from pickled tea leaves.
Tea originates in northern Myanmar, and people are not only obsessed with drinking it, but also eating it… and it’s incredibly delicious.
32. Quick street food snacks
You’ll find street food in abundance scattered throughout Yangon. Just grab a plastic stool, order what looks good, and in just moments it will be ready.
Many people grab multiple quick street food snacks on the go in Yangon.
33. Tofu thoke – Tofu salad
When you see that yellow block of what looks like a wheel of cheese, it’s actually probably tofu made from chickpea flour.
Order a dish called “tofu thoke” or tofu salad – that includes creamy slices of tofu mixed with kaffir lime leaves and fried shallots in a light dressing.
34. Mohinga
Considered the national dish of Myanmar, mohinga is a bowl of rice noodles covered in a fish broth that’s somewhere between a soup and a curry.
The flavors of mohinga are wonderful, and it’s a dish you have to eat when you’re in Myanmar. Mohinga is available at both street food stalls and restaurants, and I got this particular bowl in a parking lot near Sule Pagoda.
35. Other street food snacks
The list of street food in Yangon could go on and on, there are not only many things to try, but there’s an abundance of street food available everywhere you look.
This version of a Myanmar dosa was a a thin rice crepe topped with vegetables and peas and served on a colored piece of newspaper (not sure how healthy colored newspaper is, too bad they didn’t have leaves).
36. Yangon, Chinatown
Chinatown, located from 24th – 19th streets in downtown Yangon, is one of the many places in Yangon that’s famous for street food.
During the evening you’ll find lots of restaurants and street food stalls for a bite or feast to eat.
37. 19th Street Barbecue
Known as the barbecue street, 19th Street in downtown Chinatown Yangon, is a side street that’s lined with restaurants serving barbecue and beer.
38. Myanmar curry
Among the many things to eat in Myanmar, a few feasts of curry are always in order.
Burmese curries tend to be a bit on the oily side, with a layer of oil often on top, but the flavors are fantastic.
39. Myanmar curry feast
I had quite a few Burmese curry feasts on my latest trip to Yangon, but probably the biggest meal was at Feel Restaurant, one of the most famous in the city (more to come).
40. Goat curry
In Thailand it’s not always easy to find goat.
There are a few restaurants that have it, mostly Halal restaurants, but other than that it’s challenging to find. So in Myanmar I tried to get my fill of goat curries.
This goat curry at Feel Restaurant tasted quite similar to that marvelous goat curry at Yusup Pochana in Bangkok.
41. Rakhine food
On my last meal in Yangon, seriously on my way to the airport, I stopped at Minn Lann Seafood restaurant, a place that many had recommended to me.
Minn Lann specializes in food from the Rhakine state of Myanmar, and mostly seafood dishes.
This pomfret, curried in Rhakine style, was excellent.
Bonus
There’s nothing quite like walking down the street and being startled by a warm splatter down the top of your forehead.
There are lots of pigeons in Yangon, and it’s always possible to get lucky!
Conclusion
Yangon is an exciting city to explore, with such an abundance of street life and unpredictable experiences waiting to be had.
When you visit Yangon, make sure you keep a flexible schedule, a positive attitude, use care crossing the streets, and have a great time exploring this wonderful, colorful, and multicultural city.
(Many more food stories and videos to come from my recent trip)
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Mary Dunning
7 months ago
I loved reading this. I am not physically able to travel anymore, but do my best to travel vicariously. Thank you for this.
Maung Fate
3 years ago
Hello Mark, I am a watercolor artist from yangon,I just doing research for my urban skectch and found out this amazing photos about my city ,I would like to request you to use some of your photos as reference in my works.Hope you will allow me 🙂
High Rated Gabru
3 years ago
Awesome writing skills. Thanks!!
Lei Camera
7 years ago
Came here to work in 2013 for 2 years then went to Hong Kong and Kanchanaburi for 2 years.
Now I’m back working in Yangon and loving it.
Richard
7 years ago
Nice to meet u
Mike Wexler
7 years ago
Currently on a plane from New York to Yangon right now (after a few stopovers), this guide surely got me excited for my trip! I’ve been fascinated in Burmese culture for years, so I’m excited to finally see this place for myself. Thanks for all the great photos and advice!
john sinclair
7 years ago
Love Yangon going back Jan 2017 before the europeans stuff it up
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Great to hear that John, hope you have a nice upcoming trip.
Winston
8 years ago
Just discovered your site. Fantastic photos. Evoked childhood memories. Rangoon is the city
where time had stood still, well at least until two years ago. The scenes look pretty much like
when I left the country for the UK in 1977.
Mark Wiens
8 years ago
Thank you very much Winston, glad this brought back memories!
April Buela
8 years ago
i enjoyed reading your blog it feels that I already been to Yangon Myanmar. Nice pictures and explanation to that. I am excited everyday of whats new in your blog and youtube videos. 🙂
Mark Wiens
8 years ago
Thank you April!
Olivia Palana
8 years ago
I live in the USA & my daughter lives in Rome, Italy. Her husband works for the United Nations & she was a professor at the American University Of Rome. They have two boys ages 4 & 6 years old. They will be moving to Yangon, Myanmar in the next few months. I am so worried about this move with the children. Can you give us any piece of mind and what can be helpful in anyway. I want to know any advice you can give me for them.
Ace
8 years ago
Great post! As a Burmese, im proud to say that you have captured the essense of what living there is like from the food (le phat thoke,mohinga) to the guys chewing betel nuts. This takes alot of research n time to really experience the culture. Would recommend you to visit when it is in Thadingyut (festival of lights) to really soak in the atmosphere to the food on ur next trip!
Mark Wiens
8 years ago
Thank you very much Ace, really appreciate it. Thank you for the recommendation as well!
Malcolm Surgenor
8 years ago
we’re booked to go to Yangon and then on to three or four other towns and cities in Myanmar in January and our decision, in part, was helped by reading this and the other Myanmar entries here and watching your YouTube videos. Can’t wait.
Mark Wiens
8 years ago
Hi Malcolm, great to hear from you and glad that you’ll be visiting Myanamar soon. Thank you for your support!
brad
9 years ago
I’m loving your YouTube films. Burma is my dad’s birthplace and my grandfather was mayor of Rangoon. Keep the videos coming!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hi Brad, really appreciate it. Have you gone back to visit?
Lydia
9 years ago
Actually I’m from Myanmar but I’m not go back in Myanmar almost 5 years over. When I look at this picture I really miss my country and the foods. Thanks for take pictures ????????????
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Thank you for sharing Lydia!
Shami shaligram
9 years ago
You are awesome Mark! I felt like I am in the middle of those streets!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Great to hear that, thanks for reading Shami!
Pascal
9 years ago
Thanks for your tips! I ‘m sure I ‘m going to follow them .
I stay there for a week , so I’ll one day by boat to the village Twantay (near the city).
Do you get off the train in some places (Danyingon station) or other places?
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
You’re welcome Pascal, glad this is helpful. I didn’t get off the train when I went, but you definitely could to be able to explore the areas better.
Duong
9 years ago
Hi, after checking through different travelling major websites and seeing the same things (temples and temples), I finally found something really makes me want to visit Yangon. I’m a photographer and I love to see people and things in the streets of the city. Thank you for your sharing!
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hey Duong, thank you very much for checking this post out, so glad to hear that. I think if you love street photography you’ll love Yangon.
Peter Tran
9 years ago
Dear Mark
I love how you document everything in Yangon. This is such a great resources for my future trip if I ever cross Yangon. I am wondering if transportation is difficult (in term of transfer from 1 city to another and the language of native speaking), accommodation seem to be expensive in Myanmar. I am wondering those two problems that I been researched are true. I believed that people are friendly everywhere in Myanmar right? Do you know if they are somewhat speaking English or completely a “No No”
Thank you
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hi Peter, I’ve been to Myanmar twice now, but both times I’ve just had time to stay in Yangon, so unfortunately I haven’t yet explored other parts of the country. Accommodation is higher than expected in Myanmar at the moment due to the boom in tourism, with not enough supply of hotels. Buses and trains are pretty common, though may not be all that comfortable, so for bigger cities I think it’s pretty easy to get a flight. Hope you can visit Myanmar in the future!
Laura
9 years ago
Lovely pictures bringing back great memories of our trip to Myanmar last year. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Yangon (lots of other spots though!) so it’s nice to see what we missed there! We just loved the people of Myanmar, so warm and sweet. Hope you had a wonderful trip.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hi Laura, glad this brought back some memories – I agree with you, so many incredibly warm and friendly people.
Lu Lu
9 years ago
How I wish I met you while you are in Yangon. Most of the places you went around the city was where I grown up. Especially your no. 5, That was in 29th Street (lowest block)… I used to live in that street. The decaying brick from that building has fallen down and killed a pedestrian woman. Government has ordered to torn down the building and rebuild it instead of properly restoring it. But the residents there refused to moved despised the danger they are facing by living there. It’s complicated case. (I think I am being long-winded here… haha)
I have been following your youtube channel, facebook and blog ever since 2011 since your first trip to Myanmar.
I think next time you should take your time and explore other parts of Myanmar. There are a lot of amazing difference foods in each part of Myanmar.
I watched your video last night again and I quickly go and made Laphat thoke at home… LOL…
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hello Lu Lu, thank you very much for sharing. That’s a sad story, but hopefully things will begin to improve, and cleaned up or renovated for safety.
Thank you for following along, and you are very right, I really hope to explore more parts of Myanmar on my next trip. Have you been able to travel all around Myanmar?
Barani
9 years ago
Thanks for sharing beauty and highlights of Yangon! You did an awesome job! Try to visit Bagan (land of temples), Inle (houses in water), Mandalay (old temple, but nothing compare to China’s Forbidden City) and beaches. See if natives still wear cloths in water at the beaches.
Mark Wiens
9 years ago
Hi Barani, good to hear from you, thank you for checking out these photos of Yangon and glad you enjoyed them. On my next trip to Yangon I really hope to travel around the beautiful country.
Ken
10 years ago
Excellent travelogue! Thanks.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Ken
David Law
10 years ago
Ko Mark,
Kyay Zu Tin Bar Dair for all these lovely photographs of my home town which I’ve visited only once before in the past 30 years. I hope to go back there for college and high school reunions this winter. I hope you will visit other places in Burma, too. Buy a lottery ticket because getting a bird dropping on your head is considered very lucky.
David <[email protected].
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey David, you’re welcome, thank you for reading. Hope you can go back to visit soon. Haha, should have bought one!
Arti
10 years ago
This looks so much like India – the streets, the houses, the traffic!! Amazing photo post Mark 🙂
SHORTY
10 years ago
Amazing, can’t wait to visit. Great post!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you!
john obrien
10 years ago
hi mark.
can you suggest a comfortable place to stay in yangon? budget would be good if under $ 50 per night for 2.we will be there october.thank you.can’t wait to try those foods you sourced here.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi John, good to hear from you. I didn’t get to research too many places, but I stayed at the Hotel K Yangon, I think I paid about $60 for a double room – but it was really nice, and a great location.
Rachel @Vagabond Baker
10 years ago
Incredible pictures, they brought back so many wonderful memories of my few days there earlier this year. I loved Yangon, colourful and vibrant with so many great old buildings and the people are so beautiful.
Thank you!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you very much Rachel
Spencer Peet
10 years ago
Great post, Mark. It’s definitely on my ‘Places to Visit’ list. I love visiting temples and will surely include a trip to the Golden Shwedagon Pagoda – looks amazing!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you very much Spencer, I think you’ll enjoy your visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda, it really is amazing to see.
Ivana
10 years ago
Wow, this looks such a vibrant city! We were pondering about going there when we were staying in Chiang Mai but chose Laos instead.
Is definitely on our list, though. Thanks for sharing these shots, Mark!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Ivana, great to hear from you. Laos is a beautiful place too, so many amazing places to visit. Hope you can visit Myanmar in the future.
Rahul
10 years ago
Looks like you really enjoyed yourself Mark. The buildings and streets seem like a mix of parts of Kolkata & Mumbai. I think I must try 19th street. Nothing like a good beer :).
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Rahul, thank you very much, yes had a great time, my kind of a city for walking around.
otto
10 years ago
Since you are half chinese, why not lead us to one of the most food-passionate land on the earth………
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Otto, I visited China a few years ago and loved it. Hopefully can go back again to explore more.
Kyaw
10 years ago
Hi,
No. 41 ‘Rakhine’ food is misspelled (not Rhakine).
Rakhine dishes are the most popular in Myanmar.
You all should try ‘Minn Lann’ Restaurants for a variety of dishes including fresh seafood and great dessert.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Kyaw, thank you for catching that, I just fixed it. Yes I agree, everyone should try Minn Lann, great restaurant.
Chanaka
10 years ago
this is good…. please upload some videos.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Chanaka, videos coming soon.
Chanaka
10 years ago
It is very cool…….. they are culture and food more smiler to Sri Lanka. Good photographs. I like to travel there.
Stephen
10 years ago
It seems that most travelers are rushing out of Yangon to other parts of the country as soon as possibel. When I arrived in Yangon I was quite tired from traveling and I lingered there unintentionally for a few days. I really enjoyed exploring the city, eating, and discovering the busy life of Myanmar’s biggest city. I would recommend other travelers to stay in Yangon for a few days as well.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Stephen, thanks for checking this out. I fully agree with you, and to further prove your point, even though there has been such a huge rise in tourism in Myanmar in the last year, walking around the streets in Yangon, I rarely came across any other tourists. Glad that you stayed a few extra days and enjoyed the city as well.
Carol
10 years ago
We have enjoyed your videos for a while now, thanks for all the interesting posts. I was wondering, though, what is on the cheeks of quite a few people in the pictures?? I have my theories, but I just am not sure!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Carol, great to hear from you, thank you for following. The gold powder on the cheeks is called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanaka – It is used for both sun protection and as a sign of beauty in Myanmar.
Dwight
10 years ago
Best photo hands down is the little girl hanging out the train, beautiful!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Dwight, it was really a lucky shot (or right place right time), I just happen to be hanging out the window when she popped her head out.
Suvro
10 years ago
Reminds me of the local markets in Kolkata where I grew up. However, it also reminded me what I disliked so much about the wet markets – they were never clean, especially the fish stalls, the chicken stalls, and the goat meat stalls. Often rain would leave a thick layer of mud on the floors, and it would always smell bad.
At least the major markets in Europe are much cleaner and inviting.
The variety of produce is similar to what we get in Bengal, and has some additional ingredients that are more used in Burmese and Thai cuisine like kaffir lime. Bengal has a cousin of that called the Gandharaj (literally perfume-king), but it is always the lime that is used, rarely the leaves.
Another interesting contrast is that the use of noodles stops on the Bangladesh/India borders with Burma. There are some noodles like seviyan, but not the way noodles are used so frequently in Southeast Asian cuisines all the way east to Japan!
While Burmese, Thai cuisines use potatoes heavily, most Chinese dishes don’t. I wonder why that difference exists.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Suvro, thank you for reading. Actually, when I was walking through the markets, I did get some flashback to Kolkata as well, especially the way fish was sold. Thanks for your interesting input on ingredients. Are you living in Europe now? How often do you go back to visit Kolkata?
Suvro
10 years ago
Mark,
I am in Pasadena, CA.
Going to Italy in 2 weeks.
I have a Kolkata market picture set on Picasa that you might enjoy.
I can send a link to your email.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Suvro, great to hear from you, hope you have a nice trip to Italy. Yes, that would be great, would love to see your photos: [email protected]
Maril E
10 years ago
Thanks for sending the pictures and it brought back many great memories. I was there in March, 2013 and visited Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay for a week. The people there were so friendly and the food was amazingly good. This will always be on the top of best places I visited and so glad I went before the infrastructure changes in the near future so I recommend that people go there very soon. The loop train ride in Yangon was so fascinating especially watching people getting on and off the train with their fresh produce.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Maril, fantastic, thank you for sharing about your experiences, and glad you have such great memories of your visit to Myanmar. It’s such a beautiful country with so many amazing people.
Win Myint
10 years ago
G’Day Mark!
The post is very nice with amazing photos. Beauty, you did a great job, good on you, mate!
Glad to see that you had an awesome time in Yangon. Did you have a chance to see around Mandalay (second largest city) and other areas?
These photos remind me of my days in Yangon, especially food hey. Thank you for bringing about Rangoon to people’s attention.
There are also a few beaches for someone who wants to get away from city life. I can’t wait to go back. Look forward to see you more colorful and yummy food photos from you!
Thanks again for your hard work. Take it easy, mate!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Win, thank you very much. We had a great time wandering around Yangon, but unfortunately, on this trip I didn’t have time to go to Mandalay or other areas of the country – I would love to in the future. Do you have plans to go back soon?
Nick B
10 years ago
Hey Mark !
So glad you posted these photos ! I have always wanted to visit Burma, now I am convinced !
Thanks for bringing the world that much closer !! Always enjoy your food blogs ! Stay safe !
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Nick, you’re welcome, thank you for reading, and hope you can visit Burma in the future.
Jae Oh
10 years ago
Great photos! My first trip to Myanmar was around 4 years ago before they really started to open up to tourism. No atms, no mobile calls and barely any internet. I loved it and Myanmar quickly became my favorite spot in Southeast Asia to recommend to my friends.
I took a trip back to Yangon a few months ago to see how things might have changed, as it’s really opened up to the world. Now, atms are much more common, mobile calls & internet companies are online, though internet is still excruciatingly slow.
I took the circular train- your train and street photos make me reminisce, and I miss eating the goat curry. I must go back!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Jae, thank you very much. I also visited a while back, maybe 3.5 years ago prior to this visit, and yes, no atms, and I think I tried to get online for 2 weeks and had zero luck at all. Things have definitely changed and opened up since back then, but it’s still the same beautiful place. Glad you took that train rice and also love goat curry too!
Max neumegen
10 years ago
Has anything changed?
I was there 1977.
They never tooted horns or drove with lights on in case it wore out the batteries .
Did you try to meet “the sherif of Rangoon”?
I told u about him some time ago.
If he is still alive. He was the biggest precious stone dealer back then. And wore a ten gallon USA hat.
Now that would be a great interview.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Max, great to hear from you. Haha, I’m sure it’s changed a bit since then, but probably not as drastically as a city like Bangkok has changed since the 1970’s… but I’m sure there will be some big changes in Yangon in the next 10 years.
Nelson Mochilero
10 years ago
Great photoessay Mark !
As alway your food photos looks particularly colourful, fresh and delicious.
Coming from you, would be interesting a video talking about street travel+hygiene; you know, there are many travellers wondering about what can eat or not, what is fresh or not, what is safe or not. Maybe you can have interesting insights about it.
Keep up the good work!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Nelson, thank you very much. That’s a great idea for a video, I will try to do that soon. Thanks, and hope you are doing well.
Jeff Schneider
10 years ago
Awesome pics! I was also in Yangon last month and loved the vibe of the city. Myanmar is def the place to go in 2014.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Jeff, thank you, great to hear you were in Myanmar too. Just check out your post about Yangon, amazing photos.
Jan Ricasio
10 years ago
Very nice photos! Your post actually proved that visitors are very welcome in Myanmar now. They are starting to open their doors to the outside world! Gone are the days when visiting the said country is out of the question because of their political landscape / turmoil.
Honestly I was skeptical before if Myanmar is a tourist-friendly place because it is not frequented by tourists AKA not a ‘mainstream’ part of a typical Southeast-Asian backpacker’s trail, but it is one of the places in the world that I badly want to see. Thanks to your post, you actually proved that travelling in Myanmar is (as simple as it sounds) doable.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Jan, great to hear from you. In the past year or so, Myanmar has really opened up and has changed quite a bit. I can tell you for sure that many of the people, once you’re in Myanmar, are extremely friendly, and very kind. I hope you can explore Myanmar in the future.
David Kemp
10 years ago
Great photos Mark! I have been following your posts for some time now and always enjoy them. My wife & I have been to Phuket & Krabi (wonderful place) in the past and are traveling to Penang, Chiang Mai & finishing up in Bangkok during October, this year. We find that your videos, ebooks and posts give us a great head start to our travels…thank you very much for your efforts.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi David, huge thank you for following, and for your kind words, glad they have been helpful. Hope you have a great upcoming trip trip.
Robin Christopher Tunheim
10 years ago
Great post Mark!!! Amazing photos… big inspiration 🙂
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Robin
Mal Milligan
10 years ago
Great photos Mark !! I went to the Myanmar Embassy in Washington DC 4 times over the last couple years and the consulate in NYC a couple times. I was trying to give them a free WordPress custom website to replace the embassy site they have that looks like it was made by a 13 year old in the 1990’s. The embassies and the consulates are afraid to do anything without being ordered to do it from the home office. I got nowhere. Oh well, I tried. The place reminds me of Vietnam in the early 1990’s but they have a lot of cars and trucks where Vietnam had a lot of motorcycles. Can’t wait to visit… especially after seeing your super pics !!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thanks Mal, and good job for trying, it seems like immigration and embassy websites are the last to ever update their sites. Hope you can visit in the future.
Khin Win
10 years ago
Great post with great pictures! It’s awesome that you went to all these local places!! To help with the questions above, Burmese people are so kind to tourists doesn’t matter the religion or color. People treat the same to all visitors. And on the comment about black people, I’ve never heard of anything like that before. I’m pretty much surprised to see the comment myself. For what it’s worth, Burmese people love Mr. Obama!!! His first visit to Burma in 2012 was such a proud history to Burmese people.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Khin, thank you very much, and thank you for your valuable input on these questions. I can vouch that the people I came across and interacted with in Yangon were very friendly and kind.
jamal shanade
10 years ago
Thank you khin appreciated after all we travellers are not into the internal affairs of a country .i am just for the good time and away of the rutine daylige live where i came from.
Aung
10 years ago
Born in Myeik and grew up in Yangon. Thank you for the amazing photos.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Aung, great to hear that, thank you for reading this.
Col. Dan
10 years ago
Great Pictures-My wife and I have tried for the last two years to go there from Thailand. We will make it for sure as we travel to Ubon Ratchathanee, Thailand
from 12 Oct 2014-11 Mar 2015. Hope to see you there! 😉
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Col. Dan, great to hear from you. Yes, I will definitely let you know if I make it up to Ubon. Hope you can make it to Myanmar as well.
Rich
10 years ago
Hi Mark, love this post. Fantastic pictures as usual – this really does make me want to make the trip, might be a while before I make it that way though!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Rich, hope you can visit in the future.
palajaya
10 years ago
WOW! This is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing
jamal shanade
10 years ago
Nice pictures and food but ,i am wondering is it safe for a muslim to visit rangon? Becouse of the fighting between the budist and the muslim minority.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Jamal, thank you very much. I’ve heard a bit about the situation, but I’m honestly not too familiar with the current details, so sorry I can’t fully answer your question. Do you have plans to visit?
Saw
9 years ago
Hello … Jamal , You don’t need to mention that you are Muslim and be frightened about it. Everyone is welcome in our Country.
There maybe conflicts between Buddhist and Muslim things but Everything is okay and normal go as our daily lives unless you are shouting out or priding that you are Muslim. We only don’t like our Military Government. Peace .
Glenn
10 years ago
Great photos Mark and Ying especially the food. Have not been back to Burma (Myanmar) since my parents migrating in 1971. Planning to go back in a few months. Going to be a great trip for me since I can still remember my child hood days in Rangoon (Yangon) and Mandalay.
Burmese curries do have a unique taste being a mixture of Indian and Thai spices and especially their unique snacks such as Laphet thoke, Jin thoke, all the deep cried puffs, Tofu thoke. Makes my mouth water.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Glenn, great to hear from you. Yes, I agree, that mix of flavors in Burmese curries is delicious. Hope you have a wonderful trip back to Yangon soon.
Michèle Walther
10 years ago
Great report. Great pictures. I loved it!
Cheers,
Michèle
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you very much Michèle
John
10 years ago
Mark,
Thank you for your pictures and description of Yangon, Myanmar for an on the street assessment of the place.
I am sure that you would agree, that there is no comparison to Bangkok.
Bangkok has such a vast selection of food; Bangkok appears to be well advanced compared to Yangon in respect of hygen and the women appear much more fashionable as well as pretty in Thailand compared to Myanmar.
I know that Myanmar has only recently been a kind of open place but the high prices of property and assets are not justifiable for what the place has to offer now or in the future.
Thailand – Bangkok wins hands down and I cannot see that changing in the next 20 years.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi John, thank you very much. To me, it’s so interesting how Yangon is a city that’s very close to Bangkok (I think it might even be closer than Chiang Mai), yet it’s SO incredibly different from Bangkok – from food to culture to infrastructure. Myanmar definitely has some work to do, by way of infrastructure and development, but I think they are moving forward.
Camilla
10 years ago
I would love to go there next year,. I’m a black woman and I hear that black people are mistreated there. Do you know of any instances of mistreatment of black people from the USA?
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Camilla, thank you very much, and glad that you’re thinking about going to Myanmar. I’m sorry, I guess I honestly don’t have information (or experience about that). But what I can tell you is that people are extremely friendly, and the culture is very respectful.
D Dee
10 years ago
Hi,. I am sure that nobody will mistreat you because of your ethnicity or color. Its Buddhist country , they won’t oppose your looks & religion at all. In fact, they are very happy to see people from other countries. Just respect people & people will respect you.
Barani
9 years ago
To Camilla, Burmese will just stare at you or any foreigners, regardless of color, even to Asians. They perceived me as other Asian foreigner instead of Burmese-speaking gal who was born in Yangon (Rangoon), since I’ve been living in CA. Very few Africans/American Africans visit there compare to other Westerners. I only saw a couple African soccer players in Yangon during the most celebrated water festival in mid-April of 2010, and none in Yangon or other cities (Bagan, Mandalay, Inle, Taungyi) on my two other visits (2000 & 2002). Now that visa is easier, things may change slowly. Buddhists, Hindis or not, Burmese are friendly or hospitable in general. Do expect that they will rip off foreigners. Food is cheap and excellent, esp if you love Thai. Public transportation sucks, which is either too crowded or slow.
Nash
10 years ago
Hi Mark I see you really enjoyed Yangon, and I am sorry to see you got lucky. Yangon is a great city. Did you manage to go and visit the Massive reclining Buddha?
Best regards
Nash
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Nash, thank you very much, I’m alright getting lucky! Yes I did visit the reclining Buddha, will probably write more about that soon. Thanks.
Ken Kai
10 years ago
Mmm. Street food. Could use some right now.. But I guess it isn’t so bad as Bali will be in less than 10 days. I’m going to get sick of nasi goreng really quickly I think!
A great bunch of photos there Mark!
Cheers,
Ken
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Ken, thank you very much for checking this out. Are you in Bali now? Hope you’re enjoying that babi guling.
Bruce Richardson
10 years ago
Mark:
As always great shots. What kind of camera are you using? Very vivid colors!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Bruce. I’m using a Canon 70d, but touching them up with Lightroom, which really helps.
Paco
10 years ago
Yep, definitely, now I am tempted to visit Yangon, thanks again
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Paco
Manohar Vaniya
10 years ago
Mark
It’s great that you have given all the details of Yangoon/Myanmar
Make me feel to Visit The country
I love those foods that are sold in Yangoon streets
MV
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi MV, great to hear from you, thank you for checking this out.
bill cummins
10 years ago
hi mark, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. you are an inspiration. I live in mexico and two guys are walking under the trees as one of
the birds does his job on the head of one of the guys. he says to his friend “que tengo EN la cabeza” what do I have IN MY HEAD.
the friend replies “mierda”=shit ! then the one with the poop says “no on the outside.” in Spanish “en” can mean “in” or “on”
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Bill, great to hear from you. Haha, thanks for sharing that joke. In the US, I do have a lot of Spanish speaking friends, and I do remember some of my buddies interchanging in and on.
neale
10 years ago
Really nice post thank’s! We don’t get see a lot of pictures coming out of Myanmar and these appear to show it as it is, a lot like other major cities in SE Asia but different. Now they have relaxed the visa rules, we may just give em a visit in the near future. Been based in Mae Sai “Thailand” on the Burmese border, Myanmar has always been a place I want to go explore, trekking down to Bangkok to fly back to just a few kilometers from where we came on the other side just did not make sense with so many other countries to visit, which we visited, flying down to Bangkok and exiting in Mae Sai makes it feasible. The curries look good………… so close and I can’t get a decent one within 200k
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Neale, thank you very much. Yangon is quite close to Bangkok, but it just has a totally different feel to it. How long have you been living in Mae Sai? Hope you can visit Myanmar in the near future. This trip I only had time to visit Yangon, but I would love to explore more of the country in the future as well.
Steve
10 years ago
Hey Mark now you are surpassing yourself………..
This is the type of information have been waiting from you for the last few years.
Your photographs are “great” insomuch it shows the “real”Myanmar,the feel of the country and the people of the country going about everyday life,for me this is what travelling Asia is all about !!!!
Could go on and on how much I enjoy you and your “wife” experiences of different foods and countries you both have visited .
Thank you both so much………………..
Always take care and stay safe.
Steve………..
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Steve, huge thank you for your kind words and support, really appreciate it.
Shanda naidoo
10 years ago
Wow…amazing. Thank you for taking me on a journey.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Shanda, thank you for reading.
Cam
10 years ago
Looks like an interesting city. It’s been 5 years since our last visit to Asia… I’m getting that itch again… 🙂
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Cam, hope you come to Asia again soon. If you come to Thailand, let me know.
Barbara
10 years ago
So nice to see these photos! I was there just a month ago and yes, saw the majority of these photos myself! So refreshing to see them again! Yes, love these colors and people! The best trip!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hi Barbara, great to hear you were recently in Yangon, glad you enjoyed it too.
Ashley
10 years ago
I would love to visit Myanmar! Love these pics- especially the food photos!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Ashley, hope you can visit in the future.
fernando
10 years ago
Hahaha you got a premium in the head! Very nice pics!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Fernando, haha yes, it wasn’t my first time either!
Mark
10 years ago
Very interesting place. Pity that the pictures are so poor.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you Mark
Jon
10 years ago
In December I’ll be in Thailand but have a 4 day period set aside for something different – I may have just found my 4 day adventure! Thank you Mark!!
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Jon, yah that would be a great idea. There are so many flights available for good rates from Bangkok to Yangon. Hope you have a wonderful upcoming trip to Thailand.
Juan – Myanmar Travel & Food
10 years ago
Great post Mark!!! Amazing photos, specially the food ones!!! I love Myanmar Food!!! 🙂
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey Juan, thank you very much.