Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Taking a look around from a cab in Yangon, there are moments when you have to remind yourself that you are not in India.  The traffic flows and roadside food stalls are reminiscent (though not nearly as crowded) as are the remnants of the British colonial era. 

Like the "Strand Hotel" which is a nice place to go for a cool drink,
even if the rooms are too far out of range of one's travel budget

The street-side food and tea stalls have miniature plastic tables and chairs.  

Probably the site that is most worth visiting in the city is Shwedagon Pagoda which is no doubt as magnificent at night as in the daytime...IF it weren't under scaffolding.
That was awfully disappointing for us.  We hear that usually it is just about impossible to walk around the complex without sunglasses on a bright day like the one we had for our visit.

so much gold!!

[roar]

Some monks on their day off showed us around the Pagoda, and then we visited over lunch later

BR really got into the map thing.  

he took charge and led the way

Later we found this park (also a remnant of the days of British rule) which offers a beautiful sunset view of the Pagoda across a lake.

floating pagoda at Kandawgyi Lake

just how old is this bus, do you think??

The Cathedral in Yangon was revving up for a "500 year Jubilee celebration."  The building itself was built in the early 1900's so presumably it was 500 years of Christian presence in Myanmar that were being celebrated (though they claim that there are frescoes of crosses in Bagan from the 12th or 13th century and so the legacy is perhaps even longer). 

St. Mary's Cathedral

They didn't allow photography inside the church which is a shame: the colored brick pattern was uniquely eye-popping and unlike any I have ever seen.  They used forest green, orange, turquoise, yellow and white!

____

We took the kids to a little amusement park one afternoon.  At first I thought this was a spelling error and they meant "drink" house, but nope...it was one of the attractions:

glow-in-the-dark spiral patterns, sloping floors and just plain odd decor
 seemed to be the uniting theme of the Drunk House

(Obama might have shown up in the drunk house,
but Jesus was in their "house of horrors.")