Let me skip the boring part, the working part. On our first day of working there, we were very lucky that it took only half a day. It might be kind of unprofessional but, when our local contact mentioned that the agenda of that day was only until noon, I was very happy. It meant that we would have all afternoon to ourselves. After work, we got back to our hotel to drop our stuff off and right away we left for our sightseeing trip, without thinking about the heat at that hour. We first walked around the hotel to explore a bit of its exterior which otherwise, we wouldn't see.
One thing that I like about this hotel was its greenery. Despite the sun, the garden of the hotel was very green and looked very relaxing. But, we were not there to hang out in the hotel.
One thing that we forgot to think about was the distance from our hotel to our first destination; Shwedagon Pagoda. Our local contact drove us back, pass the pagoda and we thought that oh it wasn't too far at all. So, we refused our hotel staff offered of getting taxi and left the hotel on foot. Not a good idea at all. I think I was sweating badly even before we got half way there. It was around 1PM and the sun was shining brightly and directly at our heads. Another thing is that, Myanmar people (not only women) would be using umbrella to shield themselves from the sun but, we were to lazy to carry anything and bravely faced the sun.
One thing that we forgot to think about was the distance from our hotel to our first destination; Shwedagon Pagoda. Our local contact drove us back, pass the pagoda and we thought that oh it wasn't too far at all. So, we refused our hotel staff offered of getting taxi and left the hotel on foot. Not a good idea at all. I think I was sweating badly even before we got half way there. It was around 1PM and the sun was shining brightly and directly at our heads. Another thing is that, Myanmar people (not only women) would be using umbrella to shield themselves from the sun but, we were to lazy to carry anything and bravely faced the sun.
When we came down one level from the pagoda, we found that there was a road that leads up to this level and there was even taxis. We didn't have to walk up at all!! Next time, we have learnt our lesson. We took the taxi back to our hotel and for much needed lunch. We had a simple food that was closer to home. Though, it didn't look exactly like chicken rice we have at home but, it would do.
I think we were doing the hopping and getting to see half of the pagoda when the rain stopped. It gave us opportunity to take even more pictures. They said that Schwedagon at sunset is beautiful. Well, they were right, it was very nice. It's also pretty at night with golden pagoda and a dark blue sky.
I would like to caution anyone who might get a chance to encounter rain at Shwedagon. Please watch where you step. The pagoda floor was laid with marble and tile. Avoid stepping on the tile when the floor is wet. We have learnt a hard way. The marble may look slipperier but, it's actually harmless.
After completed the round, we decided that we ha enough of this pagoda and had enough pictures of it. It was almost 8PM already but because we had late lunch, we weren't hungry. So, we decided to head back to the hotel. Most of the attraction here close so early. We were roused again (or actually I was) because of the hunger. Tonight, we went for the hotel Chinese restaurant. We didn't want a heavy meal so, my friend ordered a hot appetizer platter (medium size) to be shared among us and soup. I ordered scallop fried rice. We didn't anticipate it to become a major meal but, it did. My friend's soup was a normal size. Then, came my friend rice.
It might not look like much but, that little mound could feed 2 - 3 people easily. At least it tasted very good and they put a lot of fresh scallop in. The last to come was actually the dish that should come first, the appetizer. Once we saw it, we knew that we were in trouble. This one could feed a big party. The appetizer platter included jelly fish salad, roasted pork and crispy skinned chicken.
It was huge! Our small meal has become a major meal. It took us quite a long time to try to finish it and we really tried. However, it was just way to much for 2 person and so, we gave up. Actually, the leftover (fried rice and appetizer) was enough to be our breakfast.
We got a chance to walk inside the main hall, they were all closing as well. We found one sandal shop which was closing but, when we approached, the owner was kind enough to give us a try. We ended up each with his sandals.
After that, we were walking around a bit, to the front side as well as across the street. The streets were lined with street vendors selling anything from vegetables, souvenir, antique and even DVDs...Korean DVDs.
We would have walked longer if the rain wasn't coming. With a quick thinking, my friend suggest us to go to a cafe right next to Scott Market. We remembered yesterday at the pagoda and thought that we would just hang out, have some drinks and wait for the rain to pass. Well, the rain came as expected but, what we didn't expect was that it was a long hard rain. We thought that we would be at that cafe for maybe 30 mins top then, we would go to a restaurant. We actually were there for an hour and half and it wasn't just a drizzle. It was pouring. There was no chance for us to get a taxi. Nothing we could do but, wait.
After an hour and a half of chatting and playing games, the rain finally became just a drizzle, we decided to move. A traditional Myanmar food was our target and we went for a restaurant that is both recommended on the internet and by hotel map. The restaurant is called "Pandonmar" (http://www.myanmar-restaurantpadonmar.com/). It's located in the more residential and official/embassy area. Our cab driver was an old man and it took him a few trials to find this restaurant. It was like taking a chance with him but, eventually, he found the place and we (including the driver) were very thrill. From what I read about this restaurant, it has many rooms with different style of decor. We were put in a small room close to the restaurant entrance which was decorated in gold.
Everything was painted gold including the air conditioner. I was a new experience but, I thought that it was a little too much. The waiter wasn't very helpful especially, when we weren't sure what to order. He understand very little English so, we thought that we would have to help ourselves. We each ordered a soup, hot an sour soup for my friend which tasted like a sour curry in Thailand and lentil soup for me.
We also ordered curries to be shared. I ordered a chicken ball curry which was kind of similar to Thai mussamun curry (มัสมั่น) and my friend ordered fish curry. This one was different from what I had on the first day. This was curried with fried mango fish, I had no idea what kind of fish it is. It turned out that it was small fish that was fried till crispy and topped with curry sauce. I would say that they both tasted very good.
After the savory food, we got a complimentary dessert of fried banana with syrup. It was very aromatic and tasty, too bad that they only gave one each.
This restaurant, though was quite touristy, was very reasonable with regards to the price. After dinner, we just took taxi back to our hotel. The next morning was more or less the same routine. For lunch that day, our contacts took us to a local restaurant, called Feel. It was roughly in the same neighborhood as our Myanmar restaurant. I think we could call it fast food as all the foods were already made. It looked kind of like a cafeteria style where we can choose the dishes on display but, here the waiter bring the food to our table instead of us doing the work.
I really like this meal. It was very simple and localized. The curry and stir fried tasted great. However, I actually love their chilli paste and side dishes. The dark chilli paste with boiled vegetable was very similar to what we have in Thailand, chilli paste with fermented fish or น้ำพริกปลาร้า but, it wasn't as strong as ours, I think. The dark red chilli paste (next to the rice) was also very nice. I think, just mix it with hot steam rice is enough. They also provide a soup which can be refilled, same as rice. I really enjoyed this meal.
After lunch, we had long rest I should say until almost 6PM. When we got up, we thought that it should be nice an cool now and some people have told me to go during that time because it would be beautiful watching sunset there. When we left the hotel (around 6PM), not only we almost escape from the sun but, we also were going to face the rain. Nothing's perfect. There is a saying in Thai "หนีเสือปะจรเข้" or escape from tiger only to face a crocodile. This was just what I felt. The taxi ride took only a short 5 mins from hotel and it was already starting to rain. There are entrances at all 4 sides of the pagoda and we only knew now that there are entrances with elevator!! The taxi took us to the Southern entrance. When we arrived, it was raining pretty badly so, we had to wait until the rain died down. I think we waited around 15 mins till it was becoming a drizzle. Then, we decided to take our chances with umbrella in one hand and camera in another. There were several shaded area for people to pray around the pagoda and we used them to hob around.
The next day, we weren't that lucky like yesterday and had to work till mid afternoon. After that, we headed to Scott Market for some shopping. It was already almost 5PM when we left the hotel but, we did some online research and it said that Scott Market closes around 6PM. So, we thought that we would be alright. Well, we were wrong. By the time we arrived (the taxi ride was nay around 10 mins from hotel), many shops were already closed.
There were so many dishes to choose from. Our translator asked us what we would like to eat but, we just couldn't decide, part of it because we did not know their food and another part, there were just too many. At the end, we chose stir fried squid, river prawn curry and some vegetable. We took a table outside, in an open air area which is much nicer than the crowded interior. Well, we thought those we all we would have. We were wrong. Apart from the dishes we picked, they also brought so many side dishes of chilli paste and local style salads.
On our way out, we got to see the various kind of local sweets and snacks that they offer. I would love to try some but, we were so full already.
We finished work around 3PM. It was going to be a pagoda day. We started our sightseeing with Sule Pagoda which is located in the downtown area. One thing that we learnt about taxi there, though they do not use meter, they seem to offer same standard fee. If the destination is within 10 mins, it would always be 2,000 MMK. If we want to go further, it could be 3,000 MMK and airport is 8,000 MMK.
Sule Pagoda is in the middle of a rotary, I don't know which came first, pagoda or rotary. It is much smaller than Schwedagon but, was built in the same manner (or so I think). The entrance fee is cheaper (2,000 MMK) than that of Schwedagon probably followed the popularity. I didn't see as many tourists here. Most of the people were local who came to pray and meditate.
While walking around, we started to see dark cloud and we knew that we didn't want to get stuck in the rain like yesterday. So, we had better moved on to the next stop which was Botataung pagoda. It's in the lower part of the downtown area. It took us around 10 mins to get there and of course, the taxi fee was 2,000 MMK again. This pagoda was very crowded with lots of locals. The entrance fee is 3,000 MMK and, I would say that it was worth it. It was very beautiful and there was a lot to see inside along with the supposedly the hair of Buddha.
To the left of the pagoda (if facing the entrance) is a turtle pond. I have no idea why turtle but, there are quite a number of them in there including two very large soft shell turtles. There is also a small vendor selling turtle food. I think that's an attraction for kids. At the end of the turtle pond is where people go to make a wish for a supposedly an instant wish.
But it wasn't our time to make a wish yet. My friend said that anyone who would like to make a wish, need to pay respect to Buddha first, kind of hierarchy thing. So, we left it for now and walked around the pagoda. Many local came to pray and seemed like they were hanging out on the pagoda ground. One thing thing that I noticed while visiting different pagoda here was that local people here come to pagoda not only for praying and meditating, some of them looked like they were just hanging out, killing time and some were actually eating lunch or snack on the pagoda ground. It was as if they treated it like a public park apart from the sacred place.
On another side of the pagoda, that 's where the statue of Buddha is. The building is a more simpler looking one. Inside is a spacious hall with a statue of Buddha on the left side and area for people to sit and pray. It was quite an eye blinding sight as the statue is all in gold and is surrounded by sparkling walls.
Then, it was time to go inside the pagoda to see the hair of Buddha. The interior of the pagoda is covered with gold as well as the outside. All the carving or even the steel bars are covered in gold. It was quite overwhelming. There are some artifacts on show but, unfortunately, there is no description (none that we could read at least) so, we could only guess. At the center is where the hair of Buddha is. I didn't really see it though.
Then, my friend went to make an instant wish. The strange thing was that not only she had to present an offering of flowers, she was told by the staff that while making a wish, she had to stick money into the God's hand…sounds kind of like corruption in my country. Anyway, that was done. Whether it would come true or not, we will see. That was the end of our sightseeing for this trip. We went outside to look for a taxi to take us to a restaurant. In front of the pagoda, there is a row of street vendors selling offering to the Gods. One thing that caught our attention was an offering of coconut and not just a normal looking coconut, they were painted in gold and silver.
For this evening, we decided to have seafood. We asked our hotel staff to recommend restaurant and they mentioned that we would need to go for Chinese restaurant for seafood. It was about 15 mins ride to get to the restaurant. On the way, we passed the colonial area which still have the building from that era. We didn't stop for it but, I managed to take some pictures from the taxi when we stopped at traffic light. Some of them have the look of a haunted manner especially at night.
The place is called Lin Feng (or Lin Fong). It seemed like the right place as it has fish tank out front. We were led inside where surprisingly, there were very little customers. We kind of had a second thought but, could not turn back. Not so far from us was a dinner table for the owners' family.
The waiter was of little help to our decision because he could speak only a little English. So, we chose the dishes on our own. We decided to have garlic shrimp, black pepper crab and fish head hot pot. After we placed our order a waiter came with a tray of appetizer for us to choose. This reminded me of dim sum restaurant where waiter bring variety of food for us to choose at our table. I also have seen this in Turkey where we could choose Meze at our table. We chose two dishes; jelly fish salad and fried tofu. They also brought us a small dish of pickled vegetable and peanut.
Then the shrimp and crab came. The crab looked much different from what we expected. It was supposed to be Black pepper crab but, it hardly had any speck of black. In fact, it looked very similar to the garlic shrimp. However, because of the language barrier, we didn't think it would do us any good arguing with the waiter.
At least they were tasty, that was all that matter. We were slowly eating the crab and shrimp to wait for our hot pot. However, our hot pot didn't come and we started to wonder if it really took this long time to prepare fish head or the waiter failed to order for us. I remembered that I pointed at the menu and he actually read it out 'hot pot'. Finally, we just asked the waiter and found out that he didn't write it down. So, we asked them to quickly bring it. It didn't take long time at all for them to bring our hot pot.
It looked kind of scary when it came though with the head sticking upward. Then, the waiter came and quickly broke it down for us. Actually the head itself wasn't much but, the vegetable was a lot of work, all kinds of vegetables. Our waiter was doing a great job at feeding us. He (or she) kept filling up our bowl with soup and veggies. I think we only finished half of it including all the fish. I have to say (honestly without bias) that seafood in our country is much better or maybe there might be other and better places. That was our last night.
The next day, we went to work as usual and we scheduled to leave in the evening. The hotel gave us late check out till 2PM which was enough for us to come back from work and change before check out. Once that was done, we had late lunch and went to airport.
Here are some pictures that I took when we went out to the suburban area with our local contact.
