C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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AtoZBlogChallenge:Y is for Yangon

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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.

Comments

  1. 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

  3. 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?

  8. 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 🙂

  22. 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

  24. 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.