China Town in Yangon was exactly how I expected it to be, busy, bustling and vibrant. The area is characterized by the fact that every side street has a number which makes it easy to navigate even for those whose second name is not “good orientation”. The most interesting stuff happens from 18th to 32nd street and I would say that it’s like being in a big open air super market. Every backstreet its specialized in something different, from bbq spots, to clothing, stationery, stamps, legal documents, printing services, cables, paints and basically whatever comes to your mind.
The 26th street is dedicated to the grocery shopping. It is the busiest fresh market in downtown Yangon, a good way the experience the local life and see from where the dinner you will have at 19th street comes from ;).
I will remember it for two main reasons:
- the sweetest one had a close encounter with a rat who was happily running around and considered his feet as a good spot to jump on.
- I was wearing my most destroyed jeans (it was hot huh) and there was a massive and unanimous chain reaction. Everyone burst out laughing the moment they saw me, were point at my pants, telling me something that I didn’t understand. I aksed them if they wanted to buy my pants but they seemed quite satisfied with their own. Little they know that in the Western world ripped jeans cost more than the regular ones 😀
Here is the visual part of my visits to the market.
Tip: Don’t wear destroyed jeans in Myanmar unless you want people to laugh at you.
