Rangoon - Yangon where i almost got lost in a market and a bunch of locals almost gave me a lecture | Topiclo

so i landed in Rangoon - Yangon last night and honestly i barely made it through the first 24 hours without wanting to hike out of the city and live in a temple or something. i checked the weather and it's like 26 degrees and honestly i don't know why i even came here maybe it's too hot or maybe i just love sweating like a pig. the humidity is real and it's not like that cool mountain air i'm used to. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.

yangon is this place where you can't really plan anything because everything is a mess. i tried to take a bus to the shwedagon pagoda but it took like an hour and a half and then some guy on a motorcycle just cut me off like i was made of glass. the traffic here is wild. i swear every time i look outside there's another motorbike weaving through cars and buses and random doodads. it's like a human pinball machine but with more sweat. i tried to ask for directions and the guy just stared at me like i asked if they serve pizza here. i don't know if he was being rude or if he was just really tired. i'm pretty sure he was tired.

i checked unsplash for some images and found this one of people walking on a pedestrian lane during the day. wow, that's normal here. another one of a white high rise building near a green field. i guess yangon has those? and then there's this night time street scene. i wish i had a camera. i'd probably just take a picture of the wires overhead because that's the most interesting thing happening right now.

the shwedagon pagoda is this massive gold statue on a hill. i tried to go there at dusk like the guide said but i got lost in the market first. the market is this place where you can buy anything from spices to random stuff that might be illegal. i bought a bag of mangoes and a bottle of something that looked like soup. i asked if it was drinkable and the guy just nodded. i drank it. it was fine. i think. maybe. it tasted like grass and regret.

someone told me that the colonial buildings here are super old and look like they belong in a different century. i went to Sule Pagoda and it was this tiny thing in the middle of everything. i didn't get a good photo because i was too busy dodging motorbikes. i also saw this circular train thing and rode it for like 20 minutes. it was loud and had this weird smell. i thought it was a food truck but it wasn't. it was just people and sounds. a lot of sounds.

if you get bored, narsingi or even maybe a bit further out like maingywar are just a short drive away. i didn't go anywhere because my legs were sore from walking 5 miles in sandals. the locals here are super friendly but also confused. i asked for coffee and they brought me tea. i asked for tea and they brought me coffee. i think they just wanted me to leave.

i tried to find some local food and ended up at this street vendor selling mohinga. it's this rice noodle soup with fish. i ate it and it was okay. i think. i didn't get sick. i think. the taste was definitely there. there's also this thing called tea shops where you sit and drink tea with people. it's like a café but with more generic chairs and no name. i sat there for an hour and no one talked to me. i think that's normal.

the culture here is this weird mix of old and new. there are these huge pagodas next to buildings that look like they were built by humans who forgot how to use a ruler. the people are diverse, which is cool, but also chaotic. i saw a bunch of indian burmese people selling stuff and a group of karen people drinking something. i didn't ask what. i was too busy watching a dog chase a chicken.

the people here are okay. i mean, some are nice. others are just trying to survive. i also learned that the government here doesn't allow much media freedom. so if you try to record something bad, they might arrest you. or maybe they just don't care. i don't know. i didn't try.

i saw this place called Inya Lake and it's this big park with people running and dogs and weird art installations. i tried to take a photo but the lighting was bad. i think the sun was in my eyes. or maybe the camera was broken. i'm not sure. i also saw this shantytown area and it was just people living in makeshift houses. it's not pretty. it's a reminder that even in a city with so much wealth there are still people struggling.

a city street filled with lots of traffic next to tall buildings — Photo by Danny Mizo / Unsplash

i almost got into an accident with a bus once. i was walking and the bus driver didn't see me. i ducked and it missed me by inches. i still have that bruise on my arm. it's a small story but it felt huge. i also saw a protest sign in the street once. it was about something with Cyclone Nargis. i didn't ask what. i was too busy looking for a bathroom.

i're not sure why i thought yangon would be easy. i guess i wanted a quiet place to write. but it's just chaos. like everywhere is loud and busy. even the night markets are loud. there's music and people and the smell of food. i ate a lot of food. i think i ate more than usual. i might have a stomach ache tomorrow.

the weather is this constant heat. it's like the air is humid and heavy. i sweat a lot. i also realized that the air conditioners here don't work like they do back home. they just blow hot air and then you're done. it's not a vacation if you're hot all the time.

i'm leaving tomorrow and i'm not sure if i'll remember anything. maybe the pagoda. maybe the mohinga. maybe the day i almost got hit by a bus. it's all a blur. but i'll come back. probably. yangon is this place that sticks with you. even when it's messy and annoying. it's like a person who's always arguing but you can't help but love them.

i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.

Rangoon - Yangon where i almost got lost in a market and a bunch of locals almost gave me a lecture

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About the author: Grace Miller

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