I took over 1200 pictures this last time and so am showing only very few here. Sue, Hector and I had a cloud/sunset photo contest on the way back from the river village. The sky was spectacular with Monumental cloud formations. The camera just cannot show what it is like to be there.
I do have a few hotel/restaurant pictures to show. We stayed at the Winner Inn this time. It was fine: a clean large room with air and hot shower. The staff was friendly and we found we could order, get served and finish an American style breakfast within fifteen minutes if necessary. Normally if I am staying in Yangon I like the Park Royal, shown in the second and third pictures. It is even more downtown than the Winner, large and reasonably luxurious for $55 per night at the moment. I would compare it to hotels in Bangkok in the 150 to 200 dollar range. Meals at its buffet were always good, even for someone as picky as me. I stayed there for a week on my previous visit.
Thant took us to a number of really nice restaurants. Again, in Myanmar you will find prices sharply lower than Bangkok or other Asian cities, but the quality and variety of these Yangon restaurants could not be beat.
We ate lunch at the Feel restaurant our first day back from Bogalay. Everything was good, with a very wide selection as you can see. You pick several vegtable/salad/side dishes and hand them to the staff. You also can pick from the various food trays at the main counter. The first picture in the second row shows what our table looked like when we started. We tried all kinds of Myanmar food here, all very good. Later, we picked Myanmar style deserts from the trays outside in front.
There had to be a shopping expedition to the Bogyoke Aung San market, a five to ten minute walk from the Park Royal. It has over 1600 shops. Hector got some jewelry for his wife in the second picture. The driver’s seatback was held up by wire wound between the headrest stem and the upper seatbelt stay in the cab we took to the market. Note the end of the door in the cab Sue and I took to a laquerware shop later - no latch. I discovered this as I was riding in the front seat. Nearly all cars, cabs or private, are quite old (see video) in Myanmar. On the balance, I still think its safer to be in a car in Myanmar than in Thailand. Nearly all the cars were built before air bags had been invented, but driving is slower and traffic is much less.
