Yangon: welcome Mr. Oil

For: Mayte Touch (text and photos)
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Yangon, commercial capital Myanmar, old Burma, lies limp along the Andaman Sea, Facing the Indian Ocean. Yangon is a city struggling to forget a sad and tragic past and now trying to open up to the world with dropper. But the fate of Myanmar is about to take a big twist. In the surrounding waters are oil, much oil. Behind the discovery of this coveted treasure a couple of years ago, the Bahía de Bengali is the divide and raffle and most powerful oil companies in the world. This city is changing at breakneck speed. The first to arrive were the Chinese, building luxury homes in Yangon for your employees, popping the housing market. Renting a house in this city today costs about Third 5.000 EUR.

The city center, bordering the river south, structure still keeps straight roads left by the British during colonization, a great avenue, a luxury hotel chipped walls and many colonial buildings surrounded by lush gardens that passed through abandoned by the military during the dictatorship.

Behind the discovery of this coveted treasure a couple of years ago, la bahía de Bengali se la dividen y rifan ya las compañías petroleras

Were many long years of a harsh dictatorship that began in 1964.
Aung San Suu Kyi, enigmatic and courageous woman, ahead of its time, daughter of a leader of the movement against the British occupation killed in 1947, returned home after spending several years in England. Returning, was imprisoned in her own home by the military junta. She remained under house arrest over 16 years. Inspired by the peaceful example Gandhi and Buddhist faith, propugnó una «revolución del espíritu que se manifiesta mediante el reconocimiento de la necesidad del diálogo y la compasión por los más humildes».

Se ven muchos edificios coloniales rodeados de frondosos jardines medio abandonados que pasaron a manos del ejército durante la dictadura

And 1991 was given the Nobel Peace Prize. He was allowed to leave home for the first time as recently as two years ago. Keep in romantic and peaceful struggle in Yangon to save the country he loves. In his revealing and intimate book "Letters from Burma" can understand a lot about truth in Myanmar.

I have come in the rainy season, the monsoon. I find the streets flooded and overcast. I have only one week to be in this country and I want to use. No one in this city speaks a word of English, and taxi drivers. You notice that the outside contact has been nil in the last 40 years. I decide to go to National Museum. A feeling of sadness and desolation come upon me when I enter the afflicted and excessive building. After paying the four euro entrance, I have to show my ticket to three women in military uniform look, Biting my ticket carefully despite being the only visitors throughout the museum.

No one in this city speaks a word of English, and taxi drivers. You notice that the outside contact has been nil in the last 40 years

With umbrella in hand and a tremendous heat 30 degrees, I go out to explore this city, without a surrender by the noisy storms. Rain gives some respite and head to the most emblematic of Yangon, Shwedagon Pagoda. Activity in this spectacular Buddhist temple before the watchful eyes of the local people. It is the world's largest pagoda, a place of prayer, and is completely covered with gold. Around, in circle, lots of miniature pagodas and small temples where people from Yangon rest and pray to Buddha. The air smells of incense and a rain. The murmur of prayers mixed with the drops on the marble. Groups of faithful Buddhists, dressed in colorful robes, dan an aire colorido to lugar.

The streets south of the great pagoda are a coming and going of people, food stalls and exotic fruits. Strange fish they roast in homemade barbecues, There are big plates of roasted insects, eels and frogs, dulces durians, mangos y hair. Yangon People eat at all hours. As in many Asian countries, is normal to eat about five to six times a day. As night falls, the streets are full of people eating at low tables at candlelight. No foreign. The wide variety of fruits and vegetables that gives the earth makes the cuisine is exquisite.

The air smells of incense and a rain. The murmur of prayers mixed with the drops on the marble

This country is about to change, to give a spin of 90 degrees. It's what makes the money. Some say that in less than ten years will be as Malaysia, Yangon's streets will be filled with high-rises and luxury hotels like Singapore. Who knows. We look forward to observe the change and hope it is peaceful.

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Comments (2)

  • Albena Neyra

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    A very entertaining and informative account!
    Thanks

    Answer

  • marcelo

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    Things in Asia are simply spontaneous!

    Answer

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