NYC to Yangon

This might be a long post as I try to cram the events of the past few days in so bear with me…

Instead of visiting the Empire State Building as I had suggested in my previous post, I opted instead for the much more cost-efficient activity of visiting Chinatown. My decision proved to be an excellent one, as one of my friends in the city took me to this dim sum place that was absolutely delicious. The restaurant looked unassuming from the exterior, but upon entering I immediately ascended an immense escalator into an equally spacious dining hall about two stories up. From there I was quickly bombarded with dining choices which I left up to my more savvy friends. I don’t eat ‘real’ Chinese food very often as I’m not a terribly adventurous eater when there are more traditional options available, but I was assured I’d enjoy it this time, which I did to the utmost.

After a satisfying meal I got a great deal on some teas in one of many similarly fashioned shops that dot the streets of Chinatown, and narrowly avoided dropping money on the expertly crafted knock-offs that are perpetually hawked to every passerby that looks even the slightest bit interested. I was sort of looking for a pair of Diesel sunglasses but I let it go. After leaving Chinatown I didn’t do much else notable in the city except make last minute preparations for my flight the next day. Though expensive, New York was definitely a cool way to spend my final days on American soil, and provided a nice contrast for what was to come.

On Tuesday by some miracle I was able muscle my unruly suitcases through the turnstiles of the subway, and in about an hour I made it to JFK to catch my flight. It was a good thing I got there about 5 hours in advance, because there were some complications with my Visa paperwork that needed to be sorted out, and given it was about 4am in Burma I didn’t actually find out if I would be allowed on the plane until half an hour before boarding. Luckily everything worked out, and in short order I was airborne.

As for my flights, there is really only one thing I’d like to express- Qatar Airways is the only way to fly. The staff was courteous and helpful, the meals were complimentary, frequent, and surprisingly good for airline food, and the entertainment was unmatched. Loads of movies, tv shows, music… they even had the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for Christ’s sake, it was great. Lucky coincidence I suppose that Qatar happened to be the cheapest option when I booked my flight months ago. I’d be more than happy to fly with them again. The layover in Qatar was brief and after that it was on to Yangon.

As we began our descent the Burmese countryside came into view, a patchwork of misshapen fields among crisscrossing irrigation canals, the occasional river providing a home for the immense amount of rainwater that falls on the country this time of year. Here and there were visible small towns and villages, little more than collections of corroded tin roofs from the sky, but many with a gleaming golden pagoda pushing out amongst the other nondescript structures. It was then that it really dawned on me that the months of waiting and hours of traveling were over, and I had finally arrived. It was beyond exciting.   

After landing I could gather that it was quite a gloomy day in Yangon- rainy, overcast, humid. The humidity really struck my when disembarking. It oozed like poison gas into the jetway and was barely vanquished by the air conditioning blasting from within the airport. After my passport was visa’ed and stamped I met Anna near baggage claim (bags had arrived a little worse for wear but generally ok) and we proceeded out to the car and to her house so that I could get settled in. The room I have is very nice and I couldn’t be more grateful to Anna and her family for housing me so. Sliding wooden and glass doors open onto a lovely balcony overlooking the lawn, the immense Hotel Yangon looming in the distance providing a rather romantic backdrop.

I didn’t do much the first day, however, we did go to this huge market in downtown Yangon to get some important supplies like new flip flops, some ‘Myanmar Beer’ for my sampling (so-long U.S. drinking laws), and a Burmese garment the name of which escapes me that looks rather like a long skirt, for when I visit the pagodas. I got to observe a good bit of Yangon during this excursion, and descriptions of a detailed nature will be forthcoming. Now though I believe the household will be waking up soon, so I’ll save my descriptions and thoughts of the city for another post.