Rangoon Burma
Burma, when I think of Burma it is in its historical context and its recent and long closure to the outside world.
Burma colonised by the British in 1886 was
only fully freed in 1948 from both Japanese and British occupation and rule.
What should have presented a golden opportunity under the leadership of Aung
Sang quickly turned to a period of chaos and uncertainty with his assassination,
followed by ten years of unsteady rule, culminating in military takeover over
and dictatorship which lasts even to this present day. Slowly this situation is
changing with the release from house arrest of the figurehead for democracy and
freedom from military dictatorship and oppression, Aung Sang Suu Kyi.
Rangoon formerly the capital of Burma is
today a melting pot of peoples and cultures, all joined together in this
chaotic, colorful, busy city, and seemingly living peacefully side by side. It
is also a city of great neglect and poverty. It has the look of a crumbling
worn out place that is slowly falling to the ground. That’s still part of it
charm for the visitor but chain for the indigenous population. It is fast opening
up to visitors and overseas investment is starting to flow into the city and
the country. Perhaps in time these pictures will form a small part of a record
of a city and people on the cusp of change. Unusually many looked straight into
the cameras lenses with a mixture of question but also curiosity. For a country
closed to the outside world the sudden influx of visitors must surely seem
strange. How long I wonder before it feels like an intrusion.
Whilst wandering around the city one morning I chanced upon a Hindu
festival so the pictures of this form the first part of the post. Part 2 is a picture essay of the people and
place as it goes about its daily and bustling business. Part 3 is a few pictures
from the famous indoor market and 3 a couple of pictures of the fading façade of
the city.
Rangoon Hindu Festival 2015
Rangoon People & Place
Theingyi Market
The Crumbling Facade
This post its contents and pictures is the copyrighted property of David Keegan 2015 ©
All pictures taken large format 320 DPI Picture quality is reduced to preserve copyrights
Also the only place i will be recommending for food in Rangoon. It doesn't have a website but is located on main road. Look it up on trip advisor for directions. It run by a wonderfully warm Burmese man who lived and trained in Tokyo for 8 years before returning to Rangoon to open his restaurant. I returned many times on my multiple visits to Rangoon and was never disappointed.Its also ridiculously cheap!!
ToMo Sushi
702 Mahabandoola Street | Latha, Yangon (Rangoon),Myanmar
Trip Advisor ToMo Sushi
Further Reading
Click the titles below for the link
Saving Rangoon and article in the Guardian newspaper UK
Canadian Friends of Burma
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