Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yangon Highlights
Offer a slack-jawed prayer of wonder at the
Shwedagon Paya
(
Click here
), the
pyramid of gold that is the Burma of old
View grand colonial architecture on a
walking tour
(
Click here
)
of downtown Yan-
gon
Pick up some Burmese-style slippers or a
longyi
(sarong-style lower garment) at
Bogyoke Aung San Market
(
Click here
)
Be dazzled by the giant reclining Buddha at the
Chaukhtatgyi Paya
(
Click here
)
Take an early-morning or evening stroll on the boardwalk around
Kandawgyi
Lake
(
Click here
)
See Yangon's 'burbs from the rockin' and rollin' train on the
Yangon Circle Line
(
Click here
)
Witness the treasures of Myanmar's past at the poorly maintained but worthwhile
National Museum
(
Click here
)
Shuttle across the Yangon River on the
Dalah ferry
(
Click here
)
for a glimpse of
the workings of the city's port
YANGON
ELEVATION 46FT
Even though it is no longer the nation's official capital, Yangon remains Myanmar's
largest and most commercially important city. Its downtown skyline is dominated by the
'winking wonder' of Shwedagon Paya, a dazzling Buddhist temple that attracts pilgrims
from all over the world.
Since the 2010 elections, Yangon's fortunes have skyrocketed along with its land
prices, as both local and foreign investors scrambled to grab a foothold here. At the same
time, decades of economic stagnation are only too apparent in the city's slums, shanty
housing and creaking, frequently overwhelmed infrastructure - something you'll quickly
realise as you crawl into town in a taxi from the airport.
In December 2013 a masterplan for Yangon was unveiled. Funded by the Japanese
government's aid and development agency JICA, it proposed 103 priority projects cost-
ing over $5 billion - around 100 times the current budget of the Yangon City Develop-
ment Committee.
History
