Street Foods

On my walk this afternoon my destination is an Indian restaurant recommended for lunch by the staff at MGM Hotel. From the many culinary obstacles I am encountering along the streets, I am not sure I am going to make it to my original destination.

Interesting selections catch my eye at one food stand and I take a seat on the sidewalk. About fifteen minutes later I have a whole grilled fish in front of me. With a sweet and sour flavor and crispy bones that you can eat, my dish is picked a part like it is my last meal.

For less than US$4, along with a bowl of yellow noodle soup, I have one of the most delicious grilled fish meal that I can remember in a long long time.

Next it is a fresh guava for desert then a mystery I have seen here among quite a few young and old men is solved.

On many street corners there are vendors that take small green leaves, brush them with a white powder, add something then tightly roll individual leaves and put them in a plastic wrapper. Turns out this is a “local chew” of sorts. Interestingly, this chew causes the lips and mouth of the user to turn a bright red.

Unfortunately, over time significant staining then eventually the lost of teeth occurs. I think I will bypass trying this local delight although having a bright red mouth would be cool.

Heading towards Traders Hotel where I hope to meet up with some travelers I met earlier in the day, I don't have to go very far as by coincident I spot them in the distance walking in my direction.
Together we walk some other streets of Yangon sightseeing.

It is “Happy Hour” time and just down the street from The Strand Hotel we stop into a local restaurant. Three good size appetizer dishes and nine draft beers later, we shell out about US$9 for the whole deal.

At our next stop the beer is a little more expensive but worth it as we take in an elevated view of the city. The Shwedagon Pagoda is impressive lit up at night especially looking at it from the 20th floor of Sakura Tower.


Video:http://youtu.be/1mEZGb7UT_A

Shwedagon Pagoda

All that glitters may not be gold but if you want to have an “Awesome Golden” experience then a visit to Shwedagon Pagoda is a must in Yangon, Burma.

Having seen portions of it from the 20th floor of the Sakura Tower, I wish safe travels to some recently met fellow American travelers and take a night walk to Shwedagon. No doubt at night is the best time to experience the impressiveness of this temple.

With the heavenly emitter of golden light gone for the day, this earthly structure radiates beautifully into the night sky. Towering statues of all kinds and various Buddhas come together to make this an almost unbelievable sight to see.

It is almost closing time as I arrive at Shwedagon Pagoda and begin a long climb up a set of stairs to the main temple area. A US$5 entrance fee and walking around bare feet I definitely enjoy this awe-inspiring attraction.


Video:http://youtu.be/thZH1ZZlhwM

DMBTTraveller, Your tightly rolled leaves, white powder and "something" is betel nut and lime powder, which does turn the mouth red, and which then gets spat out onto the footpaths and roads in a red splatter.

In my experience through Asia, Burma and PNG are the worst places for betel nut chewing and spitting. It's like the old west in USA with tobacco chewing and spitting.

Betel nut chewing used to be very widespread in SEA, but states like Singapore and Malaysia outlawed it back in the 1960s, and it has never seemed to be a problem in Indonesia. Whatever, it's a filthy habit.

I'm enjoying your report. Would love to go, but my dh insists we wait for diplomatic relations to be established with the USA. Hope to see diplomat in place soon.

Looking forward to more. Maree, PNG?

Papua New Guinea

I'm not sure whether it is the lime or the actual betel nut, but there is a high incidence of mouth cancers in PNG.

"Would love to go, but my dh insists we wait for diplomatic relations to be established with the USA. Hope to see diplomat in place soon."

Huh? We've had an ambassador seated in Rangoon for a almost year now, the POTUS visited last year, and the Sec'y of State visited twice in 2012. And to my knowledge, the US Embassy in Rangoon and the Burmese Embassy in DC have been continuously operating through modern times.