Destination Myanmar

Yangon

Yangon, a city of five million friendly, smiling people is newly emerged from Myanmar’s time warp. The ghost of the British Empire is still strong, and its turn-of-the-century colonial architecture unmistakable. Whilst sightseeing you will pass mansions that were once home to administrators and planters born in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. The colonial blueprint on the design of hospitals, Customs House and Government Offices is instantly recognizable.

The jewel of Yangon is the impressive Shwedagon Pagoda. This magnificent structure can be seen from miles around the city, no building dare to be higher than its Golden Spire. Believed to be 2,500 years old and enshrining seven of Lord Buddha’s hairs, the Shwedagon Pagoda is revered as one of the most holy sites by Buddhists throughout the world.

The Golden Dragon, as it is known to the locals, rises over 300 feet in height and is a celebration of the beauty mankind can create. At the crown (and it’s just as well that this is out of reach!), bells of gold and silver are topped by a vane studded with 1,100 diamonds totaling 178 carats plus 1,383 other precious stones. The piece de resistance is a hollow, golden sphere, mounted with a single 76-carat diamond and encrusted with 4,351 additional diamonds weighing 1800 carats.

The exotic beauty of the Shwedagon Pagoda is enough to take one’s breath away. If you had travelled to Burma from the other end of the earth and had seen nothing but this structure, it would be worth the whole trip.”

Client testimonial, 2008

Yangon will enchant you with a kaleidoscope of impressions: from shaven-headed monks in chocolate or burgundy robes to tiny blue taxis overflowing with life; to the vibrant colors of fresh fruit and vegetables that pervade the sense in the downtown markets. An emerging, dynamic city retaining a degree of innocent charm this is Yangon today and now is the time to see Yangon.