Photos: John Henebry Photo: Brett Atkinson
Yangon is a city of contrasts, where democracy struggles to bloom and traditional piety exists beside modern consumerism. The mix makes for a fascinating visitor experience.
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downtown New Delhi, Dhaka or Bangkok and see how long you last. With more than 2,000 stalls selling everything from local handicrafts to uniquely Burmese spirulina-flavoured beer, the city’s commercial hub is the sprawling Bogyoke Aung San Market. Still called Scott Market by the city’s older Anglophile residents, the commercial labyrinth has dozens of stalls owned by descendants of Indian families introduced to the city by the British during the 19th century. Bring along your negotiation A-game to secure some of Asia’s best-value gems, silver and gold. There’s no shortage of gold illuminating Yangon’s astonishing Shwedagon Paya. Local knowledge claims Myanmar’s holiest Buddhist site has more gold plastered on its graceful and elegant sides than is in all the vaults of the Bank of England. Add the value of the diamonds, rubies and emeralds studding the peaks and spires of Shwedagon’s gleaming man-made mountains and you’ve got one of Asia’s most remarkable sights. Shwedagon’s 100-metre-high golden stupa certainly impressed Rudyard Kipling when he visited in 1889. “A golden mystery upheaved itself on the horizon,” he wrote, “… a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun.” In Yangon’s sprawling low-rise cityscape, Shwedagon Paya is always visible and is a favourite focal point for local visitors. At sunset the spacious grounds are packed with Burmese families