Yangon & Around - Myanmar (Burma) - page 97

including the Lokanat Gallery Building , are in desperate need of love and at-
tention. This crumbing Italianate-style building, constructed by the Jewish-Bagh-
dadi trader Isaac A Sofaer, still has original features such as the floor tiles imported
from Manchester.
At the corner with Merchant St and north along 37th St are many streetside
bookstalls ; the area is known as Yangon's open-air library for obvious reasons.
Turn right at the junction of Mahabandoola Rd and head west until you reach the
corner occupied by the Ministers Office , a giant red-brick pile also known as
the Secretariat from when it was the nucleus of British power in the country.
Return to Sule Paya along Mahabandoola Rd, noting the Central Telegraph
Office ; during the 1950s close on 200,000 international cables a year passed
through this building.
West of Sule Paya continue down Maha-bandoola Rd through the chaotic Indian
and Chinese quarters. Several mosques are found here, including the 1918
Mogul Shiah Mosque and the Surti Sunni Jamah Mosque , Yangon's oldest
Muslim place of worship dating to the 1860s. End the walking tour with a well-
earned cuppa at

Golden Tea .

Activities
Apart from the swimming pools listed here, nonguests can use the pools at the following
hotels: Savoy and Chatrium ($10); Parkroyal ($20 including the gym); and Governor's
Residence (free as long as you eat at the restaurant).

Kokine Swimming Club SWIMMING
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(23 Sayar San Rd, Bahan; admission K2000; 6am-8pm, closed 10am-3pm Mon) Offering two
well-maintained 30m outdoor pools, this club for serious swimmers has been going since
1904.

Kandawgyi Swimming Pool SWIMMING
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(Bahan St, Bahan; admission K4000; 7am-noon, 3-8pm) Near Kandawgyi Lake, this pool is
well patronised but not as nice as Kokine; there's also a paddling pool for toddlers.

Keinnayi Souvenir Shop BICYCLE RENTAL
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