Weird Myanmar (Yangon/Rangoon)

"Off the grid" was the impression I had of Myanmar before we arrived (see: little to no civilization from the plane shot above). I had only heard stories of how weird and disconnected the country was from the rest of the world. I heard tales of flat money, weird beer, dusty streets, and men dressed in skirts. These are the small but important things that set Burma/Myanmar apart.

Despite all that, I decided that if, and only if, Myanmar lacked Coca-Cola, would I officially deem it to be "off the grid" and untouched by evil western capitalist conglomerates (and civilization). We will get to the conclusion of this thought later.

When we arrived, the most shocking and apparent difference was, well, the skirts the men wear. They are called longyis. They wear them loud, they wear them proud, and frankly, I was kinda into it.

Jordan was even more into it. We bought about four of them, and would be happy to demonstrate for anyone that wants it. We also anticipate having longyi parties in our apartment back in NY. 

The second most shocking thing was the yellow paint that women wear on their faces. After some wikipediaing and asking around, we learned that the paint is both for beauty and sun protection! apparently it is a natural SPF. Nonetheless, the paint is prolific and noticeable. (please note that the photo below was taken at a tourist bridge, and we decided that the people with paint were most likely Chinese tourists trying to fit in. But regardless, the paint on the faces is real, though typically not used all over the face, just on both cheeks)

The women almost uniformly wore the face paint. It transcends people of all faiths (buddhists and muslims are the only real religions there, but I will get to that later).

The next bit of shock, and perhaps the most shocking and indicative of their dysfunction, is the fact that they drive on the right side of the road, but their steering wheels are ALSO on the right. While this is just odd in appearance, it is actually really dangerous in practice! This means they almost always need a person in the passenger seat to help them make left turns. After some questioning, we learned that they have pretty much done this to themselves. As a British colony, they drove on the left side of the road. Once the junta took over, they were having none of those shenanigans, and overnight they (literally) switched driving to the right hand side. This is when the habit started (1960s). It is continued to this day by the fact that, given the international sanctions, only three countries will do business with Myanmar - Japan, China, and Thailand. Japan sells Myanmar their second hand cars, and since they drive on the left, their drivers are on the right side of the car. Thus the problem continues.

And the most shocking thing about Myanmar is that they choose not to participate in the world of cell phones (unless you are somehow attached to the government and have access to their super-exclusive, primitive cell network). People there cannot afford cell phones or the plans they require. If you see someone with a cell phone, they are likely super well-off compared to other Burmese/Myanmar people, which also means the government "allows" them to have one. In our modern world, even Burmese people can't leave their house and be out of touch with the world. They need constant contact, just like us. Their solution to this problem is the "phone stand." This is exactly what it sounds like - a stand with analog, hard-wired telephones, staffed by an industrious girl sitting under an umbrella. These stands act as "mobile phones" and for a small fee (250 kyat or $0.25) people could make or receive calls. Evidence below.

Note the luxurious rubble pile behind this telephone stand, and the not-so-state-of-the-art bus passing in the background.

Another fun thing that makes Myanmar weird is that nearly all large-scale business is conducted in US Dollars. That's right, the country with the strictest, most restrictive, severe sanctions on the military junta government is the same country the locals put their faith in for economic stability. What's more, until recently, there was absolutely NO access to US dollars in the country, and if you didn't have any $, they would not do business with you. On top of that, they would ONLY accept unadultered, not-folded, completely smooth, large-quantity, brand new, dollar bills. I am talking $100's or $50's only (for a good rate). With this in mind, we had Jody bring $1000 in crisp, clean $100 bills. He did a great job - only one of them was rejected!

Apparently, starting in May, ATM's were introduced in Myanmar. Our efforts were unfortunately for naught, but we still had fun acting like high-rolling drug lords smuggling large sums of cash into a 3rd world country.

All the oddities aside, Yangon was a fascinating place, full of interesting things such as:

Streets like this (again, reminds me of Africa)

Giant Golden Stupas like this:

Children monks:

Big bunches of asparagus like this: 

Open air barbers:

Another odd and interesting thing about Myanmar is that nearly EVERYONE chews this seed/leaf concoction of betel leaf and areca nut called Paan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paan). The mixture is said to have stimulant properties, and comes from the biblical era. Regardless of its emotional/mental effect, it turns the teeth of anyone who chews it bright red (and it seemingly rots your teeth, leaving you with just nubs after excessive chewing). While wandering the streets of Yangon, an observant pedestrian that looks down at the broken sidewalk would see bright red spots resembling blood all over. These are the remnants of the Paan after its use. We tried this mixture, but were not really sold on it. 

Myanmar has historically been a unique place in the world where different cultures could coexist. Military junta ethnic cleansing aside, many varied cultures and ethnicities live side by side in the country. The country changed its name from Burma to Myanmar for this very reason (so we are told) - not everyone in Myanmar is Burmese, so why call it Burma?? Just walking around we saw some obvious variations in cultures. As an example, we saw many muslims walking around Yangon, and mosques abound! One of the most interesting tidbits of ethnic diversity is the Jewish temple in Yangon. Once a large community of Iraqi Jews granted asylum in Rangoon, there were 25,000 Jews in the city. Now, for various reasons, this population has diminished to just 25. Despite this, the temple in Yangon - Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue - is meticulously looked after by Moses Samuels. The temple was a charming reminder that we all can coexist, regardless of the oppressive forces in power. 

Despite being well-kept, the empty temple was a sad reminder that people still struggle to retain their culture and heritage. It also gave us hope that one man could sustain such a beautiful and treasured symbolic place. Way to go, Moses!! (he's mute, too! can you imagine??) 

That about sums up Myanmar. Astoundingly accommodating, but palpably oppressive. The Lonely Planet assures travelers to this corner of the world that, despite what you may think, at some point or another, the government will be watching you and noting your whereabouts. This place has a long way to go, but the spirit of the people reassures the world that they are present, and they are ready to participate (example: there were signs all over Yangon saying WARMLY WELCOME AND TAKE CARE OF TOURISTS). It is a fascinating place, full of dust, longyi skirts, old buildings, beautiful buddhist temples, varied religions, and a fascist government. As it opens up to tourists (which it only has been for the last few years), it will surely change. We saw evidence of this change while there through the newly furnished ATMs and the Mastercard signs plastered all over the airport - Mastercard was the first and is the only credit card accepted at VERY few places in Myanmar. 

And for those of you wondering, after asking around, we discovered that until two months prior to our visit (just missed it!), Coca-Cola was smuggled across the border from Thailand. It is now legal to import, making this quite possibly the last place to enter the 21st century. 

The only real mass-transit in Yangon was the bus, which were circa 1950. And apparently their doors don't close.