The next stop was at a tailor shop that V and T shop at. The shop looked rather small outside but was surprisingly large once inside. The main room was full of handmade dresses, shirts, pillows, and many other things, all elegant and beautiful. The second room was the workshop where the women made their creations and where they modified clothes for customers. The two women who work in the store were so amazing. They not only made beautiful creations, but were also amazing people. I bought several shirts for myself and several things for my family before we were all on our way to the Floating Pagoda.

The drive to the pagoda took us out of Yangon, over the Yangon river, past rickety roadside huts, old buildings, newly built apartments, and the odd cow. The villages were full of people on scooters buzzing about, old cars and trucks struggling onward to wherever they were going and held together with string and a prayer, people walking, and dogs milling about. We stopped for some water at a roadside store/shack that had Korean snacks for sale along with other international snacks. We noticed that small temporary stalls were being built all along the roadside and were being stock with water melons. Mr. Win Tin told us that these stalls were being built by vendors for an upcoming festival that was to be happening near by. We eventually arrived at a small waterside village that contained restaurants, gift shops, and shops that had nothing but dried fish parts for sale. The floating pagoda was a boat ride across from this village. We boarded the rickety boat, took off our shoes, and sat in a shade. After a short and bumpy boat ride, we disembarked from the boat and set foot on the floating pagoda.

The floating pagoda is not actually floating on the water at all but was built into the middle of the river. There were groups of people near the boats, throwing balls of puffed rice into the muddy and fast river for fish to eat. Mr. Win Tin bought me, V, and T all fish food, and we were soon throwing balls of rice into the river for the fish. The Yangon river is fast flowing and muddy, making it near impossible to see anything moving in the water. The only time you could catch a glimpse of the large catfish like fish was when it came up for food. Luckily the fish had huge appetites, giving me lots of chances to try and get a picture of them. Sadly, the picture below was the best picture I could get of the fish.

We then headed up to the Pagoda. Nothing I will write will really accurately describe how amazing the pagoda was, but I will try and do my best. The pagoda consisted of a series of buildings, each with a seemingly different purpose. Some were under construction and were covered with burlap while being worked on. The one room had a series of paintings, depicting famous Burmese myths/stories. I wonder how many of these paintings compare with stories from the Bible. In one of the main prayer chambers, there was an overly friendly cat milling about. It looked well fed compared to many of the animals I’ve seen in Myanmar. We walked around some more, coming across more beautiful paintings, decorations, and a stone tablet that contained a brief summary of Buddhism. We spent some more time walking around the pagoda ground before taking a boat back to the mainland. We hopped off the boat and went to a snack stall nearby for some fresh coconut. It was absolutely and refreshing. T and I then made our way to the fish head stores to take pictures. It is here where I will end this entry. I’ll write about the fish heads, giant Buddha, and other adventures that day. Stay tuned!

There were only three stuffed animals remaining, one on a pole, one in a ditch, and one tucked away beside a shed. This spot would be super creepy on a foggy or rainy day. I do hope to make it back on a foggy day to see and experience how eery it would be.

The waterside was underside construction with side walks were either torn up, non-existent, or being repaired. There were also large plots of land were flattened, had power lines being lain, and foundations constructed as well. Beside this there was a small market that had vendors selling a large assortment of fruits and vegetables. The smells were indescribable.  The smells were coming from the vendors and their varieties of food as well as the large pile of garbage that was nearby. So much was happening here all at once. There were people chatting, bartering over prices, wild dogs either laying down or running around, and kids kicking around a soccer ball. There was something about all the commotion that made me feel great. It was comforting and felt so welcoming.
Beyond the market and all the commotion was the waterside T told me about.The waterside was a place full of commotion. There were vendors selling goods, chatting people, people going to and from the waterside, wild dogs running around, and the constant drone of  engines. The boats at the waterside operate daily and move people from here to the other side of the river for a fee of 1000 Kyat (roughly one Dollar). I hung out around here to watch what was happening around me. The boat driver would fill the boat with as many people as it could safely hold before trying to make it across the river. The boats looked ancient and not safe at all. I wonder how many accidents happen with these boats a year.

I spent some more time watching the boats and people come and go before heading back to meet up with V and T. I made my way back through the market, taking in all the sights, sound, and smells that were around me. I eventually made it back to V and T’s work and waited around for them to finish what they needed to. We were heading to a temple for Lunar New Years, then go for some food and drink.

They finished and we hopped in a rickety taxi to make it to the temple. The taxi had holes in the floor, black smoke pouring out the muffler, and shook violently whenever the driver turned the steering wheel. The ride was short thankfully.

We reached the temple, a large temple lit up with neon and Christmas lights. Pretty tacky. In front of the building was a large courtyard that had a large dumpster like box that people were throwing money into to burn for good fortunes in the future. People on the inside were praying as well as preparing the yellow paper money to burn.

We stayed for another 15-20 minutes before walking to a nearby restaurant for some late dinner. We settled on an Indian restaurant that was outdoor seating only. Of the 15 tables that were set up outside, very few were empty. A good sign indeed. We eventually got a seat and decided to order goat curry, chicken, and lots of Myanmar beer. The people running the restaurant were absolutely amazing. They were constantly running, jumping, grabbing full and empty dishes, chatting, and cleaning tables, all at breakneck speed. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! The goat curry was amazing. I never tried goat before despite having goat on the farm as a child. The meat reminded me of mutton, a similar texture and flavor. The chicken was good but full of tiny bones. I stuck to goat and beer. It was so good I never thought of taking a picture of it until after it was all gone.

We stuffed our faces, left, and decided to go to Chinatown for one more beer. The walk there took us part fruit markets selling all sorts of amazing looking fruit. We bought some jackfruit and snowfruit for breakfast the next day before proceeding on our way to the final beer of the night. The tastes of the fruit, the noises, the smells, and all the commotions of the busy street were an amazing overload.

We sat down at an outside bar for one final beer before calling it a night. T and I were going to be taking the train from Yangon to the countryside the next morning and wanted to get some decent rest. The next entries will be about the train ride and everything that happened.

An older Burmese man was waiting at the doors, yellow piece of paper in hand with my name it, was waiting at the door for me. This man is Mr. Win Tin, taxi driver and friends of  V and T. He is a sweet man who enjoys driving foreigners. This is so because he always wanted to be a tour guide but never had the opportunity to. For him, driving foreigners and showing them sights of Burma/Myanmar is the next best thing for him. He took my luggage and put it in the trunk of his car. His car being a very used mid-eighties Toyota Corolla.

Vehicles in Myanmar range from old to new to should be crushed and junked. Many of the cars I believe were cast offs from Japan. There were many ancient Mazdas and Toyotas on the road that in any other country would have been turned into fridges long ago. The black fumes these cars, trucks, and buses put off were sickening to say the least. The buses were imported from Japan, Korea, and China and were all in very rough condition. Buses go to Myanmar to die.

Driving through Yangon at night showed me that the country was a hodge podge mixture of old and new buildings. I saw new apartments and other office buildings under construction and many houses and buildings beside them that should have been torn down long ago. Mr. Win Tin took me by the famous Shwedagon Pagoda on the way to see V and T. While the streets may have been dimly lit, the Pagoda was shining brightly for all passers by to see.

The drive lasted for ten more minutes before I reached V and T’s place of work. T was outside and quickly caught up. V was done work shortly later and we went for some amazing Nepalese food at the place they called the Cockroach Cafe. My friends took someone here to eat and while eating, a cockroach fell onto their arm.

Restaurants aren’t the cleanest in Myanmar. Seeing rats and mice in the establish are a common sight. But the food is amazing and I did not get sick at all. Yay for me.

We finished our meal and went to drop off my bags at V and T’s place. Mr. Win Tin went to his home for the night while V and T and I caught up over some beer and some cheroots. Myanmar beer is simply called Myanmar Beer and is pretty good. I’d compare it to some of the cheaper Canadian beers such as Lucky Lager in terms of taste. Cheap too. We continued to drink until two in the morning when we decided to call it a night.

Day two would include visiting a large market, exchanging money, eating amazing food, and wandering around Yangon.