At the beginning of November, we had our first Swiss visitor. We were able to show her the Yangon we know as we know it, as well as see and do things we hadn’t done before, such as taking the train downtown. What an experience!
The train arrived, already full and our colleague got on. I was sure we wouldn’t be able to… Inside, there was no air-conditioning, several windows were open and people were very close to each other with one hand up to hold on to the handles. I thought we were already packed enough but suddenly, we heard a loud voice: « tché ou tchiaoutlone taongnaya », which means « £ 1,00 for 6 eggs ». There, through the packed car, an egg seller was making his way through the people with his big basket of eggs (fortunately cooked ;-)). Then it was the apple and papaya seller’s turns. We were constantly pushed against each other as we tried to let them go through. We finally arrived downtown and we had to jump down from the train because there were no steps, only a very steep ladder.
It is a very cheap way to travel and also a good way to discover how people live in Yangon. Overall, it was a great experience, but we might not use it every time.
We also went to Taunggyi, in the eastern part of the country, a little north and in the mountainous region (1600 m) where we hope, as you know, to start our business.
Because of our partner there, we were able to visit some houses and hope to be able to rent one mid-December.
We happened to be there just as the balloon festival was taking place, which is a very famous festival in this town. It was quite impressive: They prepare giant animals made of canvas which they attach to a metal structure previously dipped in kerosene and then light it so that the balloon can fly. On the ground, the people who prepared it are dancing and singing for good luck, so that the balloon doesn’t catch on fire. At night, the festival goes on, and now there are hot-air balloons that are sent up into the air. They have a circle of small candles that are lit one by one by hand as well as a structure at the bottom full of fireworks which starts firing as the balloon goes into the air and flies over the crowd. This is beautiful but also very dangerous and unfortunately, every year there are accidents.
