Myanmar in 8 Days: Part 1 – Yangon
Day 1 Yangon, Myanmar
From Singapore, we arrived in Yangon International Airport via Jetsar Airways. Just 30 minutes away from the airport, we managed to check in at Hotel Lavender, a stone’s throw away from Shwedagon Pagoda, the main cultural attraction of Yangon. More than just a monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda gave us a glimpse of the beliefs of its people. We were amazed to see how their traditional ways of life are found tucked amid the increasingly modern city.
The 2,000 year old Shwedagon Pagoda at breaking dawn
Our first sunrise in Myanmar
East Gate Entrance of the Shwedagon Pagoda
Day 2 Yangon, Myanmar
On our second day, we went to Kalaywa Monastery. We visited this place during the morning meal time as most blogs suggested this was the best time to visit. It was about 30-minute taxi ride from our hotel but so worthwhile.
Hundreds of Buddhist monks about to eat the food donated by locals
Young Buddhist monk walking around the monastery
In the afternoon, we made use of our free time randomly walking around. We’ve been told that one of the best ways to explore Yangon is on foot with no plans at all and let the city flow around you and we couldn’t agree more!
Pilgrims praying at Shwedagon Pagoda
With only 48 hours to explore Yangon, it was never enough but it was time for us to go to our next stop. To minimize our travel time and to save on hotel costs, we opted for an overnight bus from Yangon to Bagan. We took the 8:00 PM trip so we left the hotel before dusk.
ONE IMPORTANT REMINDER: there are no decent restaurants at the bus station, so make sure to buy a takeout dinner prior. Since the trip to Bagan will take 9 hours, we pre-booked our bus tickets via https://jjexpress.net as this was the most popular choice for travelers. And boy, it did not disappoint! The VIP bus has enormous leather seats, it’s very comfortable we slept the entire trip!
The bus terminal in Yangon is huge, so make sure to ask your taxi driver to drop you exactly in front of JJ Express bus terminal to avoid getting lost
First class bus of JJ Express with reclinable seats
Our first refreshment stop. We’d definitely recommend going for a toilet break as buses do not have restrooms on board
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