Myanmar's mysterious new capital

Over the weekend I finally got to go to Naypyidaw. My desire to go so badly is pretty unique among foreign visitors to Burma. It isn't a tourist destination, and for good reason- there's nothing there for tourists to see really. The ability to say I had been to the mysterious new capital was a strong force behind my visit, and of course there were a few sites of particular interest to me as opposed to most other people, which I'll get to. For a quick background on the city refer to my post titled 'Journey to the North'. 

Anna feeding a tiger

We took a late night bus so as to arrive in Naypyidaw from Yangon early in the morning and leave late that night. One thing that I was determined to see was a statue of three ancient warriors that is part of the complex where the military holds troop reviews once a year. We drove for about half an hour to the  national monument garden, where we thought the statues were, but this proved to be the wrong place so we slated the statues for later in the day and headed to the zoo instead. There were two options in regards to the animals: a safari ride and a traditional walk/ride-through zoo. We opted first for the Safari and then to walk around. I assumed that a Burmese zoo would operate a bit differently than zoos in the states, but I definitely underestimated how fun it would be. Not only did I get to stand inches away from lions and tigers while feeding them slabs of meet though a fence, but I also realized my longtime dream of riding an elephant, after which we watched them do various tricks including playing a soccer match. Far better in my book than trying to spot tigers sleeping from 50 feet away at zoos in the US, although I'm not sure the zoo we visited would exactly conform to US law...

After finishing up at the Zoo it was back to the business of these statues, and this is where it starts to get really interesting. The Burmese government loves to build these large, swooping, brightly colored entryways to significant places. We drove up to one such gate that guarded the grounds where the statues were located, and were told by the guards there to drive to the other gate. There, we were greeted by a civilian guardsman. I waited in the car while Anna and our drivers spoke with this man. They talked for quite a while, then Anna walked back to the car looking frustrated, and informed me that we would not be allowed in. They only opened the grounds for military parades once a year apparently, and even then no civilians were allowed within. This made sense because the only pictures I had seen of the statues online were taken amidst military pomp, and by professional journalists. 

I had just begun to accept the fact that I would never be allowed in when the conversation with the guard was rekindled. Talking, more talking, and then a phone call. An actual military guy then showed up, more talking, another phone call, the showing of IDs, and before I knew it the gate was being opened and one of the guards was climbing into our car to direct us where to go. I could hardly believe my luck. No civilians were ever allowed in this place we'd been told, and here I am, citizen of the United States of America, having a drive in. No questions were asked about me. I was not acknowledged by the guard in the car nor those at the gate at any point. We drove up to the statues and were told we weren't allowed to take any pictures... so I rolled down the window, pulled out my camera and, with only the pretense of being covert, snapped a few photos. Nothing was said. We drove back, dropped off the guard, and that was that. I'm still kind of at a loss as to what happened exactly, other than the fact that I'm now probably one of very few foreign civilians to lay eyes on this particular corner of Burma. Anna said that she was just really persistent in asking to see the statues, and simply made it happen. If anything, I suppose its proof of a more relaxed atmosphere in the country since the transition to civilian government a few years ago. The statues themselves were smaller than I had expected, but still rather impressive. I saw no obvious reason to keep the grounds closed off. It was just a thirty second drive from the gates to the large tarmac leading up to the statues, and that's all there was; no buildings, vehicles, or anything other than concrete and vegetation. 

The money shot

The outcome of the statue situation put me in a really good mood for the ride to our next destination, the Uppatasanti Pagoda. We stopped at a roadside restaurant on the way, giving me a chance to mull over the layout of Naypyidaw. The entire city, if you can really call it that, was planned out by the military government before the transition of power. I'm not terribly familiar with the design of other planned cities, but I'm going to venture a guess and say that Naypyidaw is fairly unique. It seems to me that the city was designed with solely strategic interests in mind. Case in point- you would expect to see a 20-lane highway in LA maybe... but low and behold there is one in Naypyidaw, wide enough to land a military aircraft, that leads up to the entrance of the parliament complex.  Other wide highways with palm tree-decorated medians stretch to connect a series of large roundabouts. The only significant buildings are hotels, many still under construction, to house the scores of MPs that live in the city when Parliament is in session (to go along with at least 5 golf courses in the outlying areas). One of my first thoughts upon seeing how deserted these miles of highway were was that if given a sports car, I could easily keep myself occupied for a couple of days. On the weekends at least, the roads are hauntingly devoid of other vehicles. It'd be like playing Gran Tourism on time trial mode.

Zoom zoom

Despite Naypyidaw sporting a population of nearly a million people according to the latest numbers, residential areas were few and far between so I can only imagine what preposterous square mileage is considered part of the 'city'. The way everything is designed, I really don't think the government had any intention of Naypyidaw becoming anything resembling a conventional type of city, at least not near the government buildings. The roadways are far more conducive to troop movements and strategic blockades than to apartments and businesses. Still, who knows what could happen now that the military is not strictly controlling policy. 

Roundabout

After lunch we went to check out the aforementioned pagoda. Completed just a few years ago, it is a slightly smaller replica of the Shwdagon (quite on purpose) built onto an impressive hill that gives it an added dose of grandeur. After seeing slightly under a billion pagodas in Burma, I was on the verge of concluding than once you've seen one up-close, you've seen them all. The Uppatasanti, however, surprised me with a really unique and impressive vaunted chamber on the inside, supported by massive columns (unusual for large pagodas, you normally aren't allowed inside). The pagoda's name means 'protection against calamity', some symbolism that parallels the city's practical purpose as a safer more strategic seat of government. There were very few people visiting the pagoda.  

The last thing I saw in Naypyidaw was probaby the most important- Parliament. built onto a slight plateau surrounding by heavy brush and connected to the 20-lane superhighway by two large suspension bridges, the parliament complex is a marvel of subtle defensive design. It being a weekend, I couldn't even gain access to the 'island', despite my connections, as the bridges were closed off. I settled instead for driving around snapping some pictures from a distance at various angles. The whole assortment looks very Xanadu-esque from a distance, with the pointy spires and columns being the most prominent architectural features.  I would have liked to have gone inside and had a look around but it just wan't feasible, so I settled for these shots and we called it a day. 

After running around Naypyidaw, I had the pleasure of talking with Anna's grandfather, who is a member of the upper house of parliament (Amyotha Hluttaw) and the chairman of the International Relations Committee, among other posts. We spoke at length about Myanmar's economic and defense strategy within the framework of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as its relationship with neighbor China and of course the U.S., followed by a more general conversation about present global issues. It was a fantastic opportunity discussing IR with someone who actually makes and influences policy in a country such as this, and I learned some useful information about how the government here works. 

We had a little time before our bus back to Yangon, so we stopped at a fountain park before making our way to the bus depot. The buses we traveled on were much the same as the ones I've used in the U.S., but for their insistence to pipe loud Burmese music videos over the loudspeaker the entire time (the other passengers evidently enjoying this entertainment.) Every video was the same- a couple, wondering around in a park, maybe an argument, a reconciliation, more aimless wondering, bad lip syncing, etc. The bus took six hours to get back to Yangon, and once home I slept like a rock.