Welcome to Myanmar.
So, I had quite an interesting two days trying
to get here actually, and I almost didn't make it at all because of a pretty big mess
up on my end. So in order to relive this wonderful story we've got to go all the way back to
Reno where it started.
That's going to be a long line.
I cannot believe
this happened. My visa is off by one day. So I was supposed to be going to Myanmar today,
and I will not be getting on the plane I was supposed to be on. So I frantically applied
for a new visa, booked a different flight, and hopefully, I'll get there.
Let's try this check-in business again.
Well, it's been an eventful... This is not how I
thought my first trip to South Korea would go. it's driving me crazy. It's been like
this all day. Anyway, I'll keep it brief because I'm never gonna have silence. I'm gonna get
on a flight, forward progress. I hope that visa comes through while I'm in air.
There it is. I'm getting on that bad boy soon.
Well, a very good morning to you. I've got about 12 hours to kill, but I was able to
change my ticket. So I originally booked one to Bangkok because they wouldn't let me board
if I had one to Yangon without the visa. But I landed here, my visa got approved. Even
though it's a weekend and a holiday, if you do the 24-hour visa, if you pay the 56 bucks
for it, they do get it to you no matter what.
So that's really cool. I'm going to finally get to Myanmar, really only 24 hours later
than I originally planned. Thank you, universe.
At least there are good lounges at this airport.
As I'm sure no one will find surprising, I need a shower, and they're free at this airport.
I'm stoked about that. And I like carry-on only, so I have all my toiletries. Thank you
universe and Seoul airport, you are a gem.
Okay, all right. Well, I'm about board my flight to Yangon. It was all a big surprise,
big exciting surprise. Oh, there goes my camera. All I wanted to say was that you should definitely
check your visa to make sure that your dates are correct so that you don't end up like
me, kids, and so next time I see you, it will be in Myanmar, hopefully.
Hello. That's really quite early in the morning. But I'm in Myanmar now. I arrived pretty late
last night, hopped in a cab and now I am close-ish to the big famous gold Pagoda Shwedagon.
I think watching the sunrise there will be amazing. So, can't wait to explore.
This place
is amazing. It's so beautiful. I don't see any other white people here. But a lot of
people are waving, it's cool. It's really beautiful. Sunrise soon.
Given that I don't have much time here,
I am trying to check out a couple more things, and I feel like walking, might die, though.
Oh, jeez, how am I gonna cross this?
Dang, that's interesting. It was terrifying. Maybe
walking is not a thing you do here. I just ducked into a temple because walking is scary,
but look how cool it is.
Now, that I've made it to the temple I was trying to get to, I will share some thoughts.
Definitely was not easy to get here, totally my fault, but I'm really glad that I did go
through the effort and spend the extra money because it has been so beautiful. Like, this
temple behind me is just one example of so many beautiful temples all over this city.
It's incredible how many there are, and I've heard that there are, like, I don't know,
millions in Myanmar. Maybe that's an exaggeration, maybe not. So I'm excited to see what else
the country has to offer. I also had a really good time seeing the sunrise this morning.
People were saying hello, monks were saying hello. And it was really cool to feel welcomed
on my first day here, and also to see the devotion, so many people showing up before
the sun rose to do their morning prayers.
And it was mostly actually locals rather than a bunch of tourists, which was cool to see.
So I hope that sets the tone for a less touristy country to visit in Southeast Asia. And some
initial observations are that it's a city. Yangon is a city, but it's also a really vibrant
one. People are really friendly despite it being a city. You don't always see that.
Maybe don't walk here, though. Never in my life I've been so happy to see a sidewalk.
Maybe that was probably a bad call. I've just been so cooped up. I couldn't help myself.
But, yeah, maybe don't walk here. I definitely see a lot of people wearing sort of a yellow
makeup here.
So I'm curious what that is. I don't know if it's religious or aesthetics. So I'm curious
to see that. Lots of people wearing the longyi, both men and women, it's a unisex garment.
It's, like, a skirt that you wrap around. So that's really cool, too. I've had fun wearing
it.
And finally, on my walk, I didn't feel like it was right to film it, but definitely a
lot of wealth disparity. You've got people who are, I think, the haves here. You see
BMW dealerships and all that, but definitely a lot of poverty. This is one of the least
developed countries in Southeast Asia.
So that's definitely something that I'm seeing here. But again, I didn't feel like it's right
to film people's homes and their lives like that. I'm really excited, though, to see what's
to come. Headed to Mandalay later today, and I can't wait.