Another great weekend started with taking it easy and watching E & H so Sharon and Steven could have a night out. Saturday morning we met up with the four of them to go for a ride on the Circular Train. The Circular Train is a slow-moving train that makes a loop around Yangon over a three hour time period. 

On the way back I managed to gu-estimate which stop to get off to be closest to the Shan noodle place that we love so it was only a very short walk before we were seated in front of some noodles and dumplings. Yum! Here is a video of the awesomness (don’t mind how incredibly hot and sweaty we were, three hours on an open-air train in the tropics will do that to you):

Still very hot, we tried to find some ice cream but ended up with this creation called a caterpillar that was so overly sweet and artificial. It was not good. Not good at all. 

I had always admired the concept of couchsurfing, letting a fellow traveler crash on your couch (or spare bed or even floor) for a short time as they are passing though. Unlike airbnb or similar sites where you can rent out your spare room to visitors, couchsurfing is completely free for both the host and the guest. The only thing I expect to gain is meeting new friends and fellow travelers that can share their stories and advice, plus some good karma and hopefully some invites to other’s homes across the world. Seeing as we lived in the middle of Maine, we didn’t get a whole lot of travelers wondering though our neck of the woods; but here in Myanmar, the backpackers are flocking in now that the country is open to foreigners with the hopes to see this unknown land before it gets run over with modernization. With few foreigners that live here and even fewer ones that have extra space to offer guests, as soon as I signed up with couchsurfing.org I began receiving requests to stay. 

This weekend we accepted our first couchsufers, two young backpackers from China, Rachel & Jo’di. We invited them out to join us for our Sunday tradition of dimsum and it was just as delicious as ever. Then we wandered around the mall area and found a $1.80 store where Jo’di explained this contraption to me that was designed to make your face slimmer. I also found a “lame mirror,” as well as a phone store that sounds like they take really good care of their customers.

As we continued wandering the streets we stumbled on the very last thing I would expect on a random back road of Yangon – an Amusement Park. It was the creepiest, funniest, most strange find ever. As it was almost 9pm we expected it to be closed but the happily let us in to wander around and I could only think of one thing – that this would be the PERFECT place for a creepy serial killer movie. Let me set the scene for you.

Firstly it is pitch dark, the only lights coming from the off-colored bulbs on the rides that are almost all standing perfectly still except for the occasional merry-go-round which is spinning without anyone riding on it. In fact there is not one person there at all, visitor or worker. As you hesitantly walk around the plastic characters intended to entertain the children look anything but cute as their creepy eyes seem to follow you wherever you go. I continued to glance behind us to make sure we weren’t being followed by a man wielding a giant machete or something. When I turn back around a man appears out of the shadows motioning to an old, peeling sign that says “haunted house.” Always up for an adventure, the group decides to take him up for it and we hand him $700 kyat ($0.70 usd). With a low, menicing laugh he directs us to a dark doorway that I am unable to make anything out beyond the door frame and waves us a slow goodbye. That was the last time anyone every heard from Alisa, Kim, and their couchsurfers. 

Hehehe, obviously not – but that is seriously what it felt like at this place. The haunted house was actually really good. It was just the right amount of scary/creepy and poorly constructed making it funny.  This is my favorite kind of adventure, when we wander around and stumble upon crazy random awesome things. 

Monday started off another school week, in the afternoon I joined a group for the first yoga lesson offered by another teacher (and yoga instructor) in one of the classrooms. I am so glad to have a yoga class again! On Tuesday I began my first meeting of Photo Club. The idea is to get a group of photographers (students, teachers, staff, ect) together to learn some new techniques and practice together. It was a small but interested group that joined, hopefully I will be able to have a great time in the club this year.

Wednesday, Shelly and I decided to go grab some dinner after school. I took the bus over to her apartment and we grabbed a taxi downtown. We didn’t have a real destination but decided to just wander around and see if we could find something tasty to eat. A short while after getting in the taxi we were stuck in the ever growing Yangon traffic – one of the most frustrating and most unavoidable parts of living in a city (especially one with no city planning). After sitting at a light for a good 15 minutes we decided to just get out and walk around that area to see if we could find something to eat. Of course as soon as we got out of the taxi the light turned green and it speed off. That’s okay, not a big deal, but looking around we realized that we were in the wrong part of town to find food because there were no restaurants –not even any stores- in sight. We did the only thing we could do, started walking. I kid you not, after only ten steps or so the skies opened and it started pouring. Now, of course it was not just sprinkling or raining a bit, oh no, it was one of the normal Myanmar monsoon rains that feels like buckets of water being dumped on you.

Shelly was smart enough to have a small folding umbrella with her but I hadn’t picked up the habit yet. Although she tried sharing, her attempt was in vain due to the miniature size of the umbrella and the massive amounts of rain. Since there was no where to duck into we did the only thing we could – kept walking. It looked like we were in the area of Vista Bar where I had gone over the weekend so I gave my best estimate at how to get there and we trudged on.

After taking a wrong turn we found ourselves at one of the entrances to the famous Shwedegon Pagoda. This entrance is unique in the way that it is split halfway through so a road could run through it. We turned left to take a shortcut through the other half of the entrance to reach the road below. As we were almost out of the entrance hall we were stopped by a middle-aged local lady who pointed to our shoes and said “no.” I realized that we hadn’t taken off our shoes when we came through the entrance because we were going backwards. Normally I try to be very respectful of the traditions and customs of the locals but we were literally only 10 feet from the street so we skirted around her saying “sorry” and pointing to the outside.

Normally I would have loved to take the time to curiously wander through the shops we found at the foot of the entrance but by now we were soaked, hungry, still unsure of how to get where we were going, and grumpy from being yelled at. So we hurried along and after another 20 or so minutes of walking finally, FINALLY, found ourselves at vista where we gladly welcomed some tasty drinks and happily munched on some western food as we watched Shwedegon’s lights turn on. 

I don't think I'll ever get sick of this view, ah, Shwedegon

Saturday. Our adventure day. Kim was pretty set on not going to see more Buddha statues, “I’ve seen one so I’ve seen them all” which made for quite the challenge of finding an adventure for us to go on that didn’t involve Pagodas, there are quite a lot of them here. After searching a few websites, I came across a giant man built cave that sounded very promising so off we went.  

It didn’t look too far on our little map, and it was right on our road, so we took off on foot. Kim has spent a good amount of time walking around the neighborhood making it a fun time of her pointing out things that she has noticed and places she has visited. Eventually we walked out of the range of her journeys and continued on down the busy road that we were following. We walked for a while along Inya lake which was a nice break from the buildings and cars. 

In the park we found what looked to be a playground but upon closer investigation it was actually a "workout station" including directions on how to use each piece of "equipment" to get fit. 

After we left the pagoda we were getting hungry but Kim was determined to (still) not eat on the street. Being a chef she was very concerned about the sanitary of the food environments of the street stalls – I really can’t blame her. So we found a small indoor restaurant to grab a bite at. I ordered a strawberry milkshake which was quite tasty. They told us that they had “one chicken” left so we went for it and ordered that. It came as a heaping dish of fried rice with a large chicken leg on top. As is the norm here, we also received a slew of unknown side dishes. I believe these are used to mix with your main dish to make it taste more individualized – either more spice or more sour, etc. You also almost always receive a bowl of clear-broth soup with green vegetables. 

Refueled, we decided it was time to figure out the local transportation system. Although I certainly do not understand the buses here (there are no bus maps or bus schedules), we were informed that there was one main bus line that ran down our road all the way to downtown. Since we were actually still on our main road we thought we would give it a try. Looking up and down the street we found a group of people standing together and assumed that they were waiting for the bus. After only a minute or two, sure enough, a bus came rolling through. Lots of people got on and off but we decided to pass this one up because it was PACKED. This is the norm here because so many people ride the local “Ferry” as it is called.  We waited for the next one to come along only a few minutes later and flagged it down. I’m pretty sure the bus did not actually come to a full stop, instead it slowed down and the man that was hanging out of the makeshift door reached out and pulled us each up and in. As soon as my second foot left the pavement, we were zooming down the road. The man pushed us up in the bus and I stumbled as the locals scooted over to give us room to sit. I practically fell on a man sitting on the bench I was going for but managed to get situated. 

The buses themselves are ancient creatures that are certainly from a by-gone era. Almost all of the cars/trucks in the city are on the newer side. I was told that this is because the government wanted to clean up the city so they told everyone that if they had a vehicle over 20 years old they would have to turn it in, but in return they would receive a voucher for so many dollars off a new vehicle. This happened just a year or two ago when they changed the import regulations. So if you have read any stories of visitors riding in cabs with wooden floorboards, holes in the ceiling, non-working windows or doors, etc. I will gladly tell you that this is no longer the case (at least not in Yangon). The busses however are a different story. These are very old and designed for different environments. The doors on most of these are on the left side of the bus, meaning that one would have to exit in the middle of traffic (since we drive on the right here). Luckily most have chosen to create their own right-sided doors – solving at least that situation. 

Each bus has at least three people working on it at any given time: the driver, the doorman, and the money collector.  After we got settled we noticed a guy who was holding a stack of money and others who just got on also, were handing him a payment for the ride. As he came over to our area I asked how much and he said 100. I dug a 200 note out to pay for me and Kim. That means that the entire ride was a whole $0.10 a person. Yes TEN CENCE. We will defiantly be riding the bus more often. 

The ride was speedy and got us downtown in only about 20 minutes. Although their method of getting on and off was a bit hectic, it provided for a much quicker ride. Happily they actually came to a complete stop to let practically the entire bus off at a main bus stop just short of Sule Pagoda, the center point of down town. Since we had only gotten a bit to eat at the last restaurant, we were still hungry so we thought we would try out one of the places in the Lonely Planet (aka the bible for anyone traveling through Myanmar). 

Just a street or two over from the bus stop we tracked down 999, a tiny shan noodle house that would have been easy to pass by if we weren’t looking for it. Shan Noodles are a Myanmar dish developed in the north of the country in Shan state. Similar to true ramen noodles it is carefully made in a flavorful broth that holds a handful of long, thin noodles. These are topped with some red, paste stuff and include some green vegetables that Kim says is napa cabbage. We were both served quickly and enjoyed our warm bowls of soup. While eating we saw many other foreigners come in. It was probably the most foreigners I have seen in one place (besides people that I work with) since we have been here. All in all, 999 is a tasty place but I defiantly prefer the other shan noodles that we got when we were on the walking tour of downtown. 

Leaving 999 we decided to go in search of cheese. On the walking tour of downtown we found this ah-maZe-inggg frying cheese that was sold to us from one of the street stalls that we passed along the way. However, in our 5 hours of walking we must of passed hundreds of street stalls. Luckily I have a fantastic spacial memory and had an idea of the area of town that we found it in. Map in hand we began to meander along the crazy streets of downtown. Retracing our footsteps from our walking tour was similar to a scavenger hunt of sorts where we were on constant look out for things we might have previously seen to tell us we were on the right track. 

Eventually we found a corner that I knew we had turned down, shortly after we saw the JDoughnuts that I was certain we had passed, and finally we came to the street with THE CHEESE! Although the cheese lady that we had originally purchased from was not there that day, we did find a similar looking cheese in the same area – woohoo!!! Here is me, triumphant with our much-sought-after cheese. 

After a busy day we were happy to find our way back to the bus stop so we could get a lift home. We waited for the right bus a jumped on as it passed by. There was no sitting room as the entire bus was so full of people so we held onto the bars above our head tightly as we swerved through traffic. When the money collector guy made it to us I handed him a 200 note. He took this and asked for one from Kim. I told him no, that it was for the both of us. He said that 200 was for just one of us. I responded that we had just ridden the bus and it was 100 for one person. We continued to argue as he began telling us that it was a special price because it was a special bus. Well it didn’t look all that special to me. I know it was only $0.20 but it was more about the point that they were trying to scam us because we were foreigners – which does happen here fairly often. Eventually he stopped arguing with me and we gladly got off at the stop near our building. Later I did find out that the buses will charge different rates based on the bus, the time of day, and just about anything they feel like. Ooops. 

Sunday we did our usual routine of lazy morning followed by grocery shopping. For dinner we decided to go out and find some Dimsum (super tasty chinese dumplings). Kim had seen a Dimsum restaurant when she had visited a shopping mall earlier in the week with Sharon, so we went back to Dagon Center to try it out. Dagon Center was the first shopping mall I have been to here in Myanmar and it was truly a different world. You enter from the dirty streets that are bustling with street stalls and vendors of all sorts to a clean, white, florescent lit, sterile environment. There were 6 floors, plus the ground level, making 7 floors of shops at Dagon Center. Rather than the wide open expanse of shopping space that I am used to from the States, here they build up so the actual area of each level is fairly small but they still manage to cram a lot into the space. There were all sorts of shops including clothing, shoes, handbags, cell phones, stationary, gadgets, and restaurants. The very top level hosts a children’s play area similar to that of Chuckie Cheese as well as a movie theater (we will have to check this out sometime).

On the fourth floor we found the Dimsum restaurant. This seemed certainly like a chain place but ended up being quite tasty. I’m sure people who have had “real” chinese Dimsum might not agree but we found it delicious. We ordered 6 or 7 different dishes to share that included everything from red pork rice dumplings to ramen rapped dumplings. After we devowered those we asked for the menu again and ordered another 5 or so dishes and continued to munch. Each dumpling was fresh, hot, flavorful, and just yummy. We even tried some fried dumplings and some sweet cream filled ones. It was a delicious meal that we are certain to enjoy again! The best part being that we can since the check for the two of us only came to $11. Oh happy day!

Afterwards we popped over to the ice cream parlor next door called Swensen’s. We had seen this restaurant around town and wanted to try it out. We decided to share a sundae together and it was so rich with hot fudge, caramel, and dense ice cream that between the two of us we couldn’t finish it. It was unusual having such flavors after not tasting anything like it for so long. It was a great treat but at a high price of $5.60 for just the sundae. I hope we can return here again also maybe next time just a cone will do. I will say that the ice cream is pretty amazing, just like home – which is saying something because so far we have not had good ice cream experiences here. 

Monday quickly came and began my second week of school. I’m working on getting to know my kids names, the class schedule, planning for classes, and just getting into a basic routine. Developing material for a whole new curriculum is quite exhausting. I’m still in survival mode right now, just getting enough planned and prepped for the next class or day. I’m looking forward to when things begin settling in and I have some long-term plans set. Until then, wish me luck.

It was a very exciting day on Wednesday when we decided to finally go get some kitchen equipment. I have been amazed at what Kim can do with only a 2 burner hot pot and a rice cooker, but to make our lives a little easier and better we knew we would need a bit more. We set off in search of a toaster oven and blender. Heading to the “new Ocean,” since that was most recommended for household goods like these. This is another large department store similar to Walmart in the way that it has everything from fresh fish and food goods to clothing to electronics and everything else you could need. We had only one option for a toaster oven so that was an easy choice. For the blender we got one that doubles as a food processor as well as a juicer (supposedly). I know it doesn’t sound like much but we were ecstatic bringing home our new kitchen toys. 

A week of so ago Kim began looking for job opportunities. This proved quite difficult because a lot of job positions here are filled by word of mouth. Kim knew she didn’t want to work in one of the big hotel restaurants opening up but those are also the ones that would be able to pay her what her experience is worth. The positions available are slim to none but she did respond to one add in particular looking for a chef for a new western restaurant opening soon. We hadn’t thought about it much until she actually got a response asking for an interview this week. Yippie!! So Kim went off to a café to meet up with one of the investors of the restaurant. They instantly hit it off as Kim explained her cooking experience and philosophy (no microwaves and no oily food). Obviously Alex, the part owner of the restaurant absolutely loved her – who could blame him? But there was a problem, they were only prepared to pay a small salary to who they hire. Kim stood her ground, knowing that she was worth much more than that, and said that she needed to be compensated accurately. She left the meeting with good vibes but no position.

About an hour after the meeting Kim received an email from Alex saying that he couldn’t think of anyone better to fit the position and he wanted Kim no matter what. He offered her the salary that she had asked for along with some perks if she would take the job.

That is how Kim became the Head Chef and Kitchen Manager of Smoothie Foodie, a western smoothie parlor and café. She will be focusing on making good western food with – wait for it – no rice! And no noodles! And no oily foods! The restaurant is still under construction currently but they are hoping to open by the end of September or early October. Yay!

To celebrate we went to see the restaurant space on Friday night where we met the other owner Austin. Austin is a local Myanmar, but lived in Toronto for 7 years so he is fond of the western way of life and western food. He returned to Myanmar not too long ago and began importing vehicles for the high class along with making some very strategic (and very profitable) real estate choices. They all sat down and talked about menu options, general food questions, and what kind of equipment and supplies Kim wants. After listening to Kim talk about food for an hour we all got very hungry! Kim can do that to people.

Austin decided to take us to Sharkies – a very nice western restaurant that we had heard about from a bunch of different people. The specialize in making their own ingredients like cheese, pasta, and sauces. They serve amazing handmade pizza and pastas. It was a delicious evening.

As Austin was dropping us back at our apartment I mentioned that he should take us out and show us the night life at some point (since he was fairly young and obviously knew what there is to know about the area). His response was “Okay, I’ll pick you up in an hour.” We were super tired but honored by his generosity and always up for a good adventure so we agreed. So began an evening that I would have never imagined to happen – let along in Yangon, Myanmar.

Austin and Alex picked us up in his fancy car after a quick shower and change and swooped us off into the night. Speeding down the road he asked if we would like to have a pre-drink. Sure, why not? He jacked the wheel and did a u-turn in the middle of the busy street and slid into a spot in front of a place called Cask 81. We were immediately greeted by men opening our doors and holding umbrellas for us on the short walk to the entrance. When we came through the doors it was as if we were stepping into a completely different world separate from the dirt, rain, and poverty that was right outside. This place was nowhere like I had seen here, nowhere like I had ever been. It made me think of a smoking parlor that would have been on the Titanic, minus the smoking. The lights were dim; the interior design was Asian fusion; the servers looked fancier than I could any day. We were led to an area with plush true leather seats surrounding glass coffee/side tables. I was so glad that I decided to dress up a bit! They handed us menus of all drinks served only by the bottle – to clarify they were almost all whisky. This was a top of the line whisky place. All of my assumptions of this place were made true in the dollar amounts of the menu items. The only things that were cheaper than $200 were the mixers that were about $5 for a can of soda. At least it was easy to decide what I was going to have since that was obviously the only thing we were going to be able to afford.

Austin spoke easily to the server in Myanmar and he returned with a tasting glass for him, which he sipped and nodded as the man scurried off again. This time he came back with a bottle of whisky – but not any old whisky, a bottle of 18-year-old Glenlivet. They poured a glass for each of us and asked if we wanted a mixer. I ordered sour mix (whisky sours are my absolute favorites) and they gave me the best sour mix I have ever tasted – hands down. We lounged there sipping the amazingness and gabbing about our interests, histories, and restaurant plans. The Glenlivet was the smooth, silky, and beyond delicious. That is what you get with a price tag of $400 for the bottle. Nothing will ever taste the same after that.

Reluctantly I peeled myself out of the comfy state I had settled in as we set off to our next destination. It wasn’t a long car ride before we pulled into a driveway lined with all sorts of fancy cars. Even though it was dark, it was easy to find where we were going due to the blaring music. Stepping through a pair of Porsches we weaved through the people outside smoking and found the way to the door. I followed closely behind our group past the security and into a nightclub. Who would have known they had a place like this here. All of the lights were off and the foggy air (that must have been created with dry ice) was sliced with flashing neon lights. The music was ear-pounding loud and some sort of techno-dance style. Austin quickly found someone to assist him as he must have asked for a table. They quickly escorted us to a very nice high table in a peak area of the room. Shortly another bottle of whisky arrived, this time it was a Johnny Walker Gold Label. I happily accepted a glass. Unfortunately after drinking the spectacular Glenlivet, this tasted like well whisky in comparison. I later found out that they hold the rest of the bottle (that we didn’t finish) at the bar under Austin’s name for when he returns – The Glenlivet they delivered to his house the following day. The night continued with dancing, munching on crunchy snacks provided by the bar, laughing at the actions of the crowd, trying to hold conversations over the music, and generally fun festivities.

I so wish I had pictures of this whole evening but I didn’t want to look tourist-y so I left all of my cameras at home but hopefully my written description gave you a view into the epic evening that it was. It was a night that felt more like a dream the next day – it was so unexpected, so out of place, and so unbelievable. 

We started the weekend off by adventuring up to visit the Pagoda that our street we live on is named after; Kaba Aye Pagoda (also known as Kabaye Paya or a combination of the two). Directly next to the Pagoda stands what sounded like a very cool cave. Mahapasana Cave was completely man made for the Sixth Buddhist Synod that was held in 1954, this was a huge celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment. Both of these are found above Inya Lake, about 30-45 minutes above downtown. 

The cave entrance was marked like many special places here - by a tall archway, glinting with gold and swirls. There was no cave in sight as we meandered down a small road lined with grassy spans, but soon, in between the trees we saw an epic entrance. The 30” doorway was dwarfed by the extension of the entrance that spread at least another 50” in the air. We paid the taxi driver and took a moment to stand and admire the immaculate stonework in the entranceway. Leaving our shoes at the small archway we passed a giant bell surrounded by the lion/gargoyle creature that accompany almost any special place. Anticipation grew as we walked the distance to get to the entry way and when we finally walked through the doors . . . we were very disappointed. What lay in front of us was an expansive space not unlike that of an auditorium where concerts and sports games are held. On each side of the open area were rows of chairs leading up to a platform with small golden Buddha statues lining most of the hall. At the front of the room there was a stage area with some fancy chairs and a retro Buddha. That was about it. Besides being massive, it was mostly unimpressive. Perhaps we would have appreciated it more it we would have known a bit more about it but it was hard not to be disappointed. 

Walking back out to retrieve our shoes I noticed an interesting looking building across the street. Heading in to investigate, a kind, English speaking lady informed me that it was a place of teaching – a university of sorts I believe. 

We continued on down a dirt road and shortly found ourselves at the back entrance of Kaba Aye Pagoda. Taking off our shoes again we carried them inside with us as we began our way around the small circle interior.  There was a main room in the middle that was fairly small yet large enough for a good 20 or so people to kneel and worship at. It of course had a lovely golden Buddha figure presented at an alter. Outside the room there were 4 or so large Buddha statues that people were also worshiping at. 

After circling around a time or two we stepped out into the white floored open area trying to get our bearings on which way we should exit – there were 4 or 5 exit areas. We chose the exit that looked the busiest, assuming that it would most likely lead us out to the main road. The exit was enclosed and packed with all sorts of goods for sale, most relating to worship but some just random (like a toy dog that walks and barks). I was impressed by some of the salesmen who were carving their goods by hand right in front of us (most of these being small wooden Buddha statues).  

All in all it was a fun adventure and a nice way to spend a weekend morning however I don't think I would return here as there is not much more to see or do besides the above. 

On Saturday Zoe (the middle school principle), along with a few other returning staff, led our group of new teachers on a walking tour of downtown Yangon. We spent five hours traipsing around the busy streets of the largest city area in Myanmar. We started at what used to be Trader’s Hotel, one of the highest end hotels in the country, we walked down for a view of Sule Pagoda which is in the center of the city in the middle of a round-about. Turning down another road, Zoe pointed out many of the government buildings and important places including the independence monument (a symbol of Myanmar’s independence from the British).

With the country just recently opened, it is under constant construction on every corner. Literally everywhere you look there is something under construction. Here is one site we came across. 

It was such a fascinating walk with so much to see around ever corner. 

We came across a few stalls that were selling books which seemed kind of strange. Zoe explained that when the country was closed there was strict control over reading material of all sorts. Now that it is open and the regulations are majorly loosened, the people love to read. It is a privilege to them. So they copy books and prints hundreds of more of them (they certainly don't follow copyright laws here) then sell them at low rates so everyone can afford to read. 

There were so many fantastic buildings, bunches of them left over from the time of the British rule of the country. All of them crumbling, peeling, cracking, and covered with vines and/or mold from the tropical climate. 

We passed many embassies on the way to The Strand Hotel, another high-class establishment, where we rested our feet and viewed the fabulous art gallery. 

Crossing several busy lanes of traffic we passed through a small wet market on our way to the riverside. Zoe showed us where we can take the ferry over to another town across the river.

Only staying near the river for a few minutes we continued through the busy Yangon. There was so much to see! At one point we saw a group of men playing some sort of game on the street. After I had snapped a photo they asked others to please not take any photos so I am lucky to have this one. 

We also saw a couple "pay phones." If people want to make calls but don't have a phone they can find one of these stalls where the ladies will let you make a call for a price. These are regular house hold phones that are attached to landlines that run all the way from the street to a nearby building. 

There were plenty of stalls selling all sorts of things to eat. From snacks in the form of bagged chips and what not to fried food to meat on sticks that you put in boiling broth to cook. 

 We meandered through the streets for quite a long while more until we came to the Indian Spice Market (I believe the true name for this is Theingyi Zay Market). It had many tiny entrances all along the walls between stalls selling all sorts of goods, I wouldn’t have even noticed how to get in if they hadn’t pointed it out. The inside of this market was pure madness. It was so cramped and had so many people in it I have no idea how people manage their way around. I barley made my way in before turning back around to come out. Kim had a similar experience went into find the spices with Sharon. It is very overwhelming being around so many people. 

I had been carrying around little K who is about two years old and it is amazing how much the locals just LOVED him! Almost everyone we walked by, especially women, would gawk and smile at him. He was given many small gifts, a banana, a flower, a fruit, along with multiple people asking to hold him. Whenever we passed someone who was close enough, which was all the time, they would touch him or squeeze his cheeks. We even got our picture taken. It was a strange experience and I was very glad that he didn’t mind it because otherwise it could have been awful for him. We enjoyed looking at the produce and other foods for sale outside of the market.

After the Indian Spice Market we traveled another twenty minutes or so to Bogyoke Aung San Market. This is probably the second biggest tourist attraction in Yangon (second only to Shwedegon Pagoda). It is a huge exotic place that sprawls over a couple levels and a large area of land. Defiantly designed for tourists it has a huge expanse of shops that include high-end jewelry stores, many shops to buy fabric to be made into clothing, and so many souvenir shops including lacquer ware, shoulder bags, puppets, slippers, gems, and t-shirts. We probably won’t be returning to this market anytime soon because it had a strong commercial feel to it. Plus there were more touts here than anywhere else we had seen in the city (a tout is someone who persistently tries to get you to buy their product – they many follow you around pushing their merchandise in your face for a long period of time and are very annoying).  

Right around the corner from Bogyoke we found a phenomenal Shan Noodle shop where we both had a bowl of Shan Noodles that were amazing! We also shared some dumplings that were simply to die for along with some fresh mango juice and fried tofu (that Kim especially enjoyed)! Here, drool over some pictures of the deliciousness: 

We were very thankful for Zoe and the others to show us around town but it was an exhausting and over-stimulating experience. I’m glad we kind of have the lay of the land down and we will defiantly go downtown another weekend soon so we can have a (hopefully) more relaxed time getting to know the area. 

We arrived in Yangon on a warm dark night. It didn't take us long to make it through customs and find our bags. To welcome us was the school’s director, Almber, my principal (of the High School), Randy, the middle school principal, Chloe, and the elementary school principal, Zoe. We piled into an ISM bus with all of our luggage and were off to our new apartment. Also in our building at Pearl lives Almber and Zoe (along with a number of other ISM employees). The two of them personally escorted us up to our new apartment to make sure we were happy and had everything we needed before leaving us for the night. They provided us with $100,000 kyats (about $100 USD) and a welcome basket that included:

-Tissues
-Toilet Paper
-Milk
-2 apples
-2 oranges
-2 bananas
-Tea
-Sugar
-Instant coffee
-Oreos
-Croissants
-Bread

To see our new apartment take a look at this post: Our Apartment. 

Our first full day in Myanmar was quite busy and really great! After a shower and unpacking just a few things we went downstairs to find something to eat. The first two floors of our condo are filled with businesses, mostly restaurants and stores. When we got to the bottom floor we ran into Almber who showed us around a bit. He brought us across the street to a little market called Asian Light which has a fair selection of groceries as well as household items. We poked around for a bit then went back to the condo to eat at the bakery. The Yangon Bakehouse is a social restaurant who’s mission is to help battered and beaten women get on their feet by teaching them how to cook/bake and work in a restaurant. We ordered a sandwich and some small quiche. It was quite a pricy place (our bill came to about $9 usd) but it was great food and for a great cause. 

Shortly after we finished we met up on the ground floor of the condo with the rest of the new teachers and the welcome staff. We took some time to change money at the money exchange on the ground level then wandered around in Pearl for a bit longer before boarding the bus. The ISM PTA was so kind to bring us all out to lunch at a lovely local restaurant. A few of the parents met us there to welcome us and show their support. It was a buffet style lunch in an old British house and included shrimp and fish skewers with sweet chili sauce, fried rice, thai chicken and vegetables, pork salad, cold sliced beef with tar tar sauce, and a green salad with cheese sauce. For dessert we were served mango mousse and a fruit salad. Lunch was excellent! We were surprised that there weren’t any Burmese dishes and are looking forward to trying true Burmese cuisine.  We enjoyed walking around the grounds of the estate and running back to the porch when it began down pouring. It is monsoon season here (May to October) which means that the sky is almost always overcast and it often lets out enormous amounts of water suddenly that floods the streets and everything else. 

Kim began talking with one of the PTA mothers who, after finding out Kim was a chef, mentioned that her sister just opened up what sounded like a café of sorts that served coffee and pastries. She said that her sister might be looking into expanding to include a wider menu and asked if she could contact Kim. Although this specific opportunity might not amount to anything, we are very excited to be right in our assumption that Kim will be able to find prospective jobs by just meeting different people. 

Back on the busses we were taken to get some household items. We went to Ocean View which is a type of department store with a variety of  household goods and groceries. We were told just to get the essentials and that we would have plenty of time to come back and get other goods. There we purchased:

-surge protector strip
-mop
-broom
-mop bucket
-dish soap
-laundry soap
-floor cleaner
-disinfectant 
-all purpose cleaner
-dish towels
-dish scrubby
-wall hanger for shower
-hangers
-lamp
-toilet paper
-trash bags
-silverware holder
-storage container

All of this came to $58,000 kyats (~$60 usd). The store itself was extremely busy and they only gave us an hour to grab things so it was very hectic and a bit stressful., but it was a good first trip all in all. This is a picture of Kim on the conveyer thing in the store. It is brilliant because it locks the shopping cart wheels so it doesn't roll.

When we got back to our apartment one of the workers from Eco (the business who service and maintains the apartments) came by with an inventory list. We had to go through the list item by item to say what was in the apartment and make sure that everything was in good shape. Our hosts warned us not to sign unless we checked every item. We are missing a few things like a bureau for Kim, a dish drainer, another garbage bin, etc. so hopefully they will bring those by in the next couple days. 

At this point we were still exhausted but we really wanted to try and stay awake so we could sleep through the night. We decided to go find some groceries and headed across the street to the Korean grocery store. This was an interesting experience. As soon as we walked in all six cashiers turned to us and bowed while saying what I assume was ‘welcome’ or ‘hello’ in Korean. As we began to wander around the store there were many more workers standing around who seemed to be only there to greet us (again with a bow). Everything was in Korean and there were many strange items. All of the products were very expensive (as it was a very nice store that was very clean and well lit) but we didn’t want to leave empty handed so I got a box of moon-pie like cakes that I had tried a sample of and Kim got a thing of soda. 

There are no crosswalks so we almost died multiple times crossing the street back. But Zoe said that the locals would get in A LOT of trouble if they were to hit a foreigner, so they might come very close but they would never actually hit you. It kind of reminded me of a game of frogger where you had to try and get to the next line on the road. 

So we went back to Asia Light to grab some things to eat. We grabbed:
-apple juice (~$2.00 usd)
-mandarin orange juice (~$2.00 usd)
-yogurt (~$0.70 usd)
-crackers (~$0.85 usd)
-chips (~$0.50 usd)
-milk (~$2.00 usd)
-chocolate cake snack (~$0.35 usd)
-creamhorn like snack (~$0.35 usd)
-clock (~$2.60 usd)
-2 adapter plugs (~$0.65 and $0.20 usd) 

When we returned we finally were able to get online! Yay! The internet is not quite as slow as I expected, it does take an extra few seconds to completely load a page but it is defiantly better than what I was prepared for. We took some time to Skype with Robin, Sonny, and Stan (and by we I mean me because Kim feel asleep while I was getting it set up. So that was our eventful first day in Myanmar. I am so happy that everything has been going smoothly and that ISM is so welcoming. 

Sunday began with our first trip to the wet market. There are many, many wet markets all around, Zoe led us to the one closest to our building. It was about a half a mile away. As we walked there Zoe shared little tidbits about the neighborhood and life in general. One thing she mentioned was about how they changed the import regulations for vehicles a year or two ago so now there are an extraordinary amount of cars and trucks on the roads making it difficult because the city was not designed for them. Another thing she mentioned was how they tried to fix up the city a bit when they hosted the South East Asian Games back in December. They made the sidewalks a bit nicer but you still have to be careful when you walk around to be sure you don’t step off into a crack or hole. 

We will be making a post all about the wet market very soon!

For lunch it was getting a tad muggy out so we decided to get take out and eat in our very cold air conditioned apartment. I went down to one of the restaurants in the Pearl complex (in the building next door) and ordered from a little shop there. I got two types of fried noodle dishes, one with larger noodles and one with small rice type noodles. Only one of the dishes was supposed to have seafood but they both ended up having an array of shrimp, squid, and fish in them. Although I will eat seafood every now and again I’m not a big fan so that was a little disappointing. We also got a chicken soup dish that was very tasty. I was surprised that there was no chicken in it but rather it was made with chicken broth that was thickened and creamy and served with the thin rice-type noodles. Lastly I grabbed some tea leaf salad. This was something we had read a lot about and was excited to try because it is one of the main dishes of Myanmar. It was a cold salad that had a mixture of things in it including pickled tea leafs, nuts, and seasonings. Each noodle dish was $2.00 usd, the soup was $0.50 usd, and the salad $0.85 usd. So we ate lunch (and had leftovers) for about $5.35 usd.

We met up with the rest of the new teachers and our hosts (the principals and director) to board the bus headed to Shwedagon Pagoda. See our whole Shwedagon experience on this post: Shwedagon Pagoda | The temple of all Myanmar temples

After the visit to Shwedagon everyone stopped at a hotpot place for dinner. Hotpot is where you have a large container of broth in the middle of the table to share with the group. Everyone goes to pick out ingredients to add to the broth, this ranges from seafood to tofu, from noodles to eggs, from vegetables to greens, and so much more. After letting the ingredients stew in the broth for a bit everyone enjoys a big bowl. It was a fun event for sure, the food was good and more filling than I had thought. Kim got a little stressed out when everyone began throwing random ingredients in that didn’t normally go together, perhaps next time we will set up a game plan first.

What a weekend! I can’t believe how much information we have received so far and how much we have learned in just this little time here. I am so glad that we are here for so much longer which will hopefully be enough time to see and do all the amazing things that Myanmar has to offer! But for now, bed, it is orientation first thing in the morning. 

First thing Monday morning I hopped on the ISM bus to school where I finally got to see where I would be teaching for the next two years. The High School has two buildings (one of which used to be the middle school) with a small outdoor space in between. We have one large art room that will be shared between me and the other new art teacher. I will also be teaching out of one of the computer labs for my digital media/ 2d design class. We have quite a bit of work to get the room ready for students next week. The tables and stools were recently purchased from the west and really make the art room. There is a range of supplies that need to be sorted and organized. There are also preparing a small adjoining room for us to use as well. This room needs to have carpets removed and furniture moved in as well as other projects done to ready it for the students.  I’m not sure how we are going to work everything exactly but we will know more when we see our schedules later in the week. (I'll do a post soon all about my school, with lots of photos I promise)

After a tour and a new teacher meeting we went over to the middle school where they hosted lunch for all of us. They prepared a variety of Myanmar dishes most of which were meat and/or vegetables in either a broth, sauce, or curry. They were served with rice and a clear-broth soup. Everything tasted very good and most were not spicy. 

We then had our first Myanmar culture lesson. Zoe started by showing us various maps of Myanmar and Yangon, explaining the different regions and ethnicities who live in each. We talked about different restaurants to go to, transportation, sites around the town, and other various city related advice. Auntie Amy then joined us to talk about Myanmar traditions; she showed us the traditional dress, explained Myanmar customs, and shared with us some Myanmar snacks.  She was so sweet to give us small gifts to go away with. We received one pair of owls figurines – a symbol of good luck in the Myanmar culture. She also gave us these two small dolls always land heads up no matter how you throw them – they are given to people who are down on their luck to show them that no matter what happens in life you can always get back on your feet. 

After school Regi, the other art teacher, and I joined Zoe to go meet Gail, the previous art teacher. She had invited us to her apartment so we could greet each other before she left for her retirement in Texas. Over a glass of wine she shared with us the Yangon art scene and all of the progress she has made with the art program over the years. It was lovely to be able to absorb some of the knowledge that she has about art at ISM and in Myanmar. 

Kim has been keeping busy this week organizing the household and finding her way around our neighborhood. Our new friends Steven and Sharon live right downstairs with their kids H & K; Steven is a Social Studies teacher with me at the high school. On Monday Sharon and Kim went to the wet market to get some groceries. She got 20 quail eggs for 600 kyat ($0.60 usd) unfortunately only about a dozen of them made it home. Pork was also purchased from a meat vendor which turned out to be very fatty and expensive, 8000 kyat for 1 kg ($8.00 usd for 2 lbs).  Being a foreigner that they don’t know they tend to jack up the prices of everything. We are working on developing our bartering skills. It was amazing to come home to all of the suitcases unpacked and the house in order! I am so lucky to have a wonderful partner!!

Although it was fairly late when I returned home I wanted to talk with my family because I hadn’t gotten the chance yet. Luckily I was able to Skype with Andrea, Sam, Zane, Dad, Drew, and Autumn, all at the same time! It was so nice to see everyone and get to share with them a bit of the adventure that I have had so far. Before long I had to say goodbye because I was so very tired! Long and exciting days!

Another orientation day started with the director of the school addressing the entire ISM faculty. He shared with us all about the school’s mission, the school’s directive plan, his philosophy, and what we were to expect in the next few months. Afterwards we headed back to the high school to have a school only meeting. For lunch some of the returning teachers took us out into the neighborhood to show us some good places to eat. Oddly enough many of the usual places were closed (we later found out there was some sort of holiday), so we all hopped in the bus and headed to a restaurant down town. There was a big group of us and unfortunately they only had two English menus, needless to say it took us quite a long time for everyone to order. After which we ended up waiting a while for our food to start arriving, when it did become coming it took about 45 minutes from the first plate to the last plate. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but we quickly realized here that the concept of one person ordering their individual plate is very strange to them. In Myanmar culture (and many others) they eat by getting a variety of plates to share and all eat a bit of everything at the same time. For this reason they do not wait to serve everyone at once, rather they bring dishes out when they are ready. This happens very sporadically. It is strange and defiantly something we will need to get used to.  After lunch we returned to school where I only had a very short amount of time in my classroom before grabbing the bus back to Pearl.

Kim had been very busy during the day and I walked into an amazing smelling apartment. Kim had found her way to CityMart which is a more high end grocery store for the area that has a larger selection of goods with a variety of meats, frozen foods, cheeses, and a few aisles of dry goods. For dinner she made a delicious soup of carrots, eggplant, onion, pork, baby potatoes, with a chicken curry base.  We invited another new teacher over to enjoy the meal and Li Qi made great company.

The rest of the week continued with about the same routine; I went to school from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm returning home about 4:45 pm after days of meetings and getting my classroom prepared. It became pretty stressful and overwhelming with the amount of information I was presented with and the short amount of time I had to get ready for teaching the following week. But I made it through. I ate out at the stalls near school a couple times usually having a rice dish with a bit of protein and some veggies. Here is where I ate on Thursday:

Kim spent the rest of the week going on adventures with Sharon, H & K. They found the park to go for a walk in, went downtown for an indoor playground, tracked down the stationary store, and did lots of laundry. We have shared washing and drying machines in the building that only hold a very small amount of clothes at one time. Most people find easier to hand their clothes up in their house to dry. There are some very helpful housekeepers who have been hired to do laundry for other people in the building who have switched over our laundry on more than one occasion. They do it just to be kind and don’t expect anything in return. 

It was an intense first week. Everything of course still feels very foreign and new but mostly in an exciting, adventurous kind of way. It feels nice to be unpacked and getting to know the area. I'm looking forward to feeling more settled and for school to start on Monday. Here's to a weekend of rest and of course more adventuring.