C. Lee McKenzie

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AtoZBlogChallenge:Y is for Yangon

April 29, 2015 By C. Lee McKenzie 35 Comments

Join in the fun! 
It only takes a minute to visit more AtoZers on the Linky.

My theme this year is Burma AKA Myanmar. I used to live in Laos, so I looked forward to returning to Southeast Asia. I spent a little over three weeks exploring this country, learning a bit about its culture: its history, religion, and language. I thought others might enjoy some of what I learned and see some of what I saw.

Yangon is a city of beautiful contrasts. Markets flourish along the crowded sidewalks, but they do have sidewalks, so that’s a huge improvement from Mandalay where every step could plunge you into a sewer or oncoming traffic.

Everything from Shoes. . .
to Dessert is for Sale on the Streets of Yangon
View from a Pedestrian Over Crossing
View from the Other Direction
Some Buildings from the Colonial Period

I’m not a city person, but I do enjoy the kinetic excitement once in a while. Yangon didn’t disappoint.

Question: What do you know about the xylophone in the Strand Hotel?

T  Authors such as Maugham, Kipling and Orwell were entertained by the music from the xylophone in the Strand lobby. (The Strand opened in 1901, and has hosted these notables along with hundred of others. I’m buying this history, so I can know more about one of the most famous hotels in the world.)

Collector Item

NOW what do you know about Yangon?

T/F 1. The Mons were the earliest inhabitants of the area now called Yangon.

T/F 2. In the eighteen hundreds, the Burmese fought the British and won the battle of Yangon

Answers tomorrow.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Arlee Bird, AtoZChallenge2015, Letter Y

Comments

  1. Hilary Melton-Butcher says

    May 2, 2015 at 11:35 am

    Hi Lee – it must be wonderful to visit .. and looks like a slightly out of the way place, that was once of great importance. Love the market atmosphere .. the foods and the shoes …

    Mons were the peoples of Yangon and the Brits defeated the Burmese in that first war .. it's been a wonderful series .. cheers Hilary

    Reply
  2. blogoratti says

    April 30, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    Nice ad colourful all the way!

    Reply
  3. TBM says

    April 30, 2015 at 10:49 am

    I do love all the colors. Says a lot about a place. And I can't believe it's Y already. Where did April go?

    Reply
  4. Natasha Duncan-Drake says

    April 30, 2015 at 10:45 am

    I do not like the sound of Mandalay without sidewalks! I would definitely end up in a sewer 🙂 Those are very colourful shoes.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

    Reply
  5. Empty Nest Insider says

    April 30, 2015 at 8:47 am

    I agree with Michelle! This might be the most vibrant visit on your A to Z tour.

    Julie

    Reply
  6. Michelle Wallace says

    April 30, 2015 at 7:30 am

    I love anything multi-colored… the shoe display is a visual feast!

    Reply
  7. Clarabelle Rant says

    April 30, 2015 at 7:24 am

    I love all the colors in the market, but the dessert looks a little scary…

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

    Reply
  8. klahanie says

    April 30, 2015 at 2:56 am

    Hi superstar, celebrity author and well cool storyteller, Lee aka the Lee with the hat and sunglasses, Lee,

    Great post! Thanks for sharing! Following!

    Thanks for this. Yangon a minute, I forgot what else I was going to type. Probably something really awesome. Never mind.

    Thanks, Lee.

    Gary 🙂

    Reply
  9. J.H. Moncrieff says

    April 30, 2015 at 2:14 am

    Gorgeous photos. I love Asian markets! What on earth was in those big pots that they were serving for dessert?

    Reply
  10. Yvonne Ventresca says

    April 30, 2015 at 1:56 am

    So colorful! Thanks for sharing the photos.

    Yvonne

    Reply
  11. Patricia Lynne says

    April 30, 2015 at 12:25 am

    That would be a cool place to go exploring in.

    Reply
  12. Christine Rains says

    April 30, 2015 at 12:05 am

    How cool is that! A famous xylophone.

    Reply
  13. DMS says

    April 29, 2015 at 11:15 pm

    Looks like a great city! I love the different views and the bright colors. 🙂
    ~Jess

    Reply
  14. Karen Mortensen says

    April 29, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    What a great city.

    Reply
  15. Stephanie Faris says

    April 29, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    Those shoes look so cool. I want every single pair!

    Reply
  16. C. Lee McKenzie says

    April 29, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    I can't believe this is Y! Just like I can't believe I was ever in Yangon. It was only last November, but it seems a lifetime ago.

    Reply
  17. Nick Wilford says

    April 29, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    I really hope the Burmese won that. It would have put our noses out of joint because we thought we were better than everyone else.

    Reply
  18. Elizabeth Mueller says

    April 29, 2015 at 9:15 pm

    I don't know about walking through a big city where anything can happen…

    Elizabeth Mueller
    AtoZ 2015
    My Little Pony

    Reply
  19. Arlee Bird says

    April 29, 2015 at 8:21 pm

    I wonder about the sanitation of those big vats of desserts. I like seeing the big cities, but I also find them intimidating on occasion.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    A Faraway View

    Reply
  20. Stephen Tremp says

    April 29, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    Yay Yangon! And yay one more day.

    Reply
  21. Julie Flanders says

    April 29, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    The markets look so fun. I'm not even a big shopper but I just love those colors.

    Reply
  22. Courtney Turner says

    April 29, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    Great post! So are the desserts tapioca pudding, which is popular in Thailand and also sold in little dessert cups at a fast food Vietnamese chain in Hawaii?? I noticed the pic of "shoes" which are also the preferred footwear in Hawaii – we call em "slippahs" and we have many different styles of them! Even for weddings!
    Maui Jungalow

    Reply
  23. Tyrean Martinson says

    April 29, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    Although I'm not into living in a big city, they are fun to visit for a day or two. Yangon looks like an energetic, colorful place!

    Reply
  24. Kern Windwraith says

    April 29, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    I'm not a big shopper, but those markets look so enticing. Maybe it's the fact that they're right out in the open air, or maybe it's all the bright colours and the mish-mash of offerings, I don't know, but they are SO much more inviting than malls.

    Reply
  25. Bish Denham says

    April 29, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    Are those spices and foods in that first picture? Smells delicious. (I don't do cities very well either.)

    Reply
  26. Susan Gourley/Kelley says

    April 29, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    I really don't like the noise and crowds of cities though I might enjoy walking through that market. Both true today.

    Reply
  27. Annalisa Crawford says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    The colonial building in the last picture is very imposing.

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

    Reply
  28. Joanne says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a city. Yangon looks lovely and colorful. I'll buy a dessert on the street.

    Reply
  29. Catherine Stine says

    April 29, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    Wow, the colors are so amazing!!!

    Reply
  30. Elizabeth Varadan, Author says

    April 29, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    What struck me most was all the color! What a dazzling place.

    Reply
  31. Chrys Fey says

    April 29, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    I love all of the colors there. I wish more places were as colorful as Burma.

    Reply
  32. Beverly Stowe McClure says

    April 29, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Look at all those shoes. I love shoes. And desserts – yummy. More fabulous pictures. Looks like a great place to visit.

    Reply
  33. Jeremy Hawkins says

    April 29, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    the environment is very inviting… so much culture in one place.

    Reply
  34. Shirley Corder says

    April 29, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Great photos. As Alex said, it looks very colourful.
    Participating in
    Out of Africa – Topics from A to Z

    Reply
  35. Alex J. Cavanaugh says

    April 29, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    It looks like a great blend of old and new. And very colorful.

    Reply

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