The Ride to Work

Well, I've been wanting to do this for a while: Take my camera with me on the ride to work. I think it makes a perfect first blog.... welcome to my world!

The first thing I see on the ride to work is Mr Win Tin's smiling eyes in the rearview mirror.

 Perhaps the days of Yangon's sidewalks being the worst in Asia are coming to an end?

 A blurry (taken out the cab window) shot of the lake I pass on the way to work -- about 2 blocks from my house.

 Enjoy Life... Most of the buses in Yangon should have been put out to pasture when they completed their stints in Malaysia, China, Korea... instead, they end up here!

 Selling cigarettes, newspapers, betel, flowers, even flowers!... at almost every major intersection, there are dozens of people walking beside the stopped cars.

 Flower sellers -- I didn't notice that they were looking at an iPod until after I took the photo.

 Random apartment blocks

 I will never ever ever ever learn to read or write Burmese

 Nicer houses are hidden behind high walls...

 Shwedagon Paya -- photos do not do justice!

 Near downtown Yangon, the covered structure to the right of the photo is a water station -- clay pots of water, often with Buddha images around -- which can be found almost everywhere in the city.

 Fixing the sidewalks is a labour of, well, labour. Here, workers are sorting by hand the pebbles that they will use to build the sidewalks .

 Lots of rock and punk shows here... we're still trying to figure out where this one might be happening.

At 30 cents a cup, instant coffee mixes are a mark of status that only a fraction of the population can afford.

 Where I lived when I first got here -- the Traders Hotel is one of the few tall buildings in the whole city.

 The 2,000 year old Sule Paya -- also a major traffic roundabout!

 On the famous Strand road, a lady walks to the market.

 The market across from the BC.

 Our teashop lady, we call her Chimma. Every time she sees one of us after a few days, she says (in broken English), "I remember you!" -- the word for 'remember' and 'miss' is the same in Burmese.

 Chimma's mildly crazy son.... or at least I hope that's who he is, and I didn't ask some random guy to take off his shirt. Many Burmese, including monks, are tattooed all over their arms and legs - generally with significant (i.e. religious) markings.

 Yogurt! On sale just outside the doors of the BC.