Awesome Myanmar (Part 3): Kandawgyi Lake and the Yangon Train!

The majestic Shwedagon viewed from Kandawgyi Lake

The 1.5 hour difference between Manila and Yangon made me wake up very early on Day 2 of my Myanmar trip. Breakfast was to be served at 7:30 so I had a good hour to do a morning walk around the block where my hotel is. I was hoping to see the monks in their maroon robes walking in a single file and beg for alms-food, but I was disappointed, I think they went even earlier than I thought. But still, it was nice to see Bahan township wake up. Like I said in my previous post, my hotel was located in an upper-middle class neighbourhood, just around the block is the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore, a mini-mall and a primary school. On my way back to the hotel I bought a sampling of Myanmar street food, they were Myanma-versions of turon, lumpia and empanada. 

I was still tired from the previous day's tour of the Swedagon and People's park that I decided to stay in the hotel until check-out. But by 10-am, the now infamous Yangon black-outs began. Yes, Myanmar faces power outages even more frequently than the Philippines. They still do not have reliable sources of energy so black-outs are part of daily life in Yangon. So with the black-out, I got myself moving and packed my bag because that day I was leaving for Bagan.

Kandawgyi Lake

After checking out, I went to Kandawgyi Lake. This lake provides a stunning view of the Shwedagon Pagoda and is also home to the Karaweik Palace, an iconic landmark of Myanmar. The Karaweik is in fact the main element of the label on Myanmar Beer. This landmark is a concrete structure but was patterned after the Pyigyimon Royal Barge, a boat that was exclusively for the Kings of Myanmar.

Benches with the Karaweik Palace in the background.

Entrance to the Karaweik Palace.

The Karaweik Palace, a national icon of Myanmar.

A label of Myanmar Beer. photo courtesy: http://rangoon-birma.de/

The Karaweik now is a restaurant and around it are other smaller restaurants and a small playground. Entry into this are costs 300 Kyats. Do note that this part of the Kandawgyi Lake where the Karaweik Palace can be found is separate from the bigger Kandawgyi Nature Park. I came to know this distinction because I attempted to go the Nature Park but to no avail, they are separated by the lake itself and one needs a boat to cross them. In my last day in Myanmar I returned to Kandawgyi Lake this time entering the Nature Park, but that would be for another post.

A little off the lake, about 10-min walk is Mingalar Zay, a dry goods market. This was not in my itinerary, but I was happy to have found the place which was Divisoria-ish. I thought I would come back here in my last day to look and shop for pasalubong.

Yangon Central Station and the Circular Train

After going around the vicinity of the market, I took a cab and went downtown to Yangon Central Station. This was the main attraction for the day. Yangon Central Station is the central station of Myanmar's railway line. It was built during the British Raj and it's a huge complex. One could easily get lost inside. Two railway lines operate circling the city of Yangon, one going clockwise and the other anti-clockwise, these services are generally called the Yangon Circular Train. Due to reviews of tourists in TripAdvisor, these two lines are gaining popularity as a tourist attraction on its own. The trip which begins and ends in platform 6 or 7 of the Central Station takes 2.5 to 3-hrs. and passes through 39 stations. Being Yangon's single most extensive commuter train, it offers a wonderful glimpse of daily life in Yangon both from the outside and from the inside of the train. Before, tourists were asked to pay 1 USD for the ride, but beginning 1 April 2014 locals and foreigners alike pay the same 300 Kyats.

Yangon Central Station

Platform 6 where the Yangon Circular Train parks.

Market scenery in one of the stops of the Circular Train.

Men and Women alike in Myanmar wear their traditional longyi.The "make-up" on the girls wearing red in front is called Thanaka.

Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary

My train left central station at about 13:39 so it went back at around 16:10. After alighting from the train, I went out of Yangon Central Station and walked through downtown Yangon until suddenly I saw a bell tower. So I followed it and whoa, I found St. Mary's Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral of Yangon. It had a very outstanding facade and interior. For a country that's anything but Catholic, this church was grand.

St. Mary's Cathedral, Yangon, Myanmar

The interior of the church.

After my brief stop at the church, I took the cab to Aung Mingalar Bus Station. It was a good thing I hailed a cab early, I didn't expect the trip to take 1-hr due to the crazy traffic jam within Yangon.

My taxi driver took time also looking for the gate of JJ Bus Express at Aung Mingalar. But eventually he found it. After paying for my reserved ticket, I went out to look for a restaurant, it was only then that I realized I haven't had food since the breakfast in the hotel.

About 30-min more and I boarded my VIP Bus bound for Bagan, it was a 9-hr sleeper-ride from Yangon. The bus, filled practically with tourists, slowly began its journey and thus ended my second day in Myanmar.