YANGON, Myanmar

Street fruit seller. Would u eat this??

Prior to my trip to Yangon in late Feb 2011, I'd expected it to be similar to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. What a shocker it was. It was far worse than HCMC. On hindsight, it was Malaysia's situation some 4 decades or more back. I thanked the one up there and the Malaysian government for their foresight to bring Malaysia to where it is today. Having said that, the cost of living in Yangon is too far fetched! 4 decades ago, we could get a decent meal for about RM 50sen but the same meal in Yangon costs USD3.50 (equivalent to RM11+ at that time of FOREX)!! To be fair, locals eat from stalls (picture below) for a steal.
Apart from the cost of living, I do like the people in Myanmar. Majority are Buddhists. They are honest, hard working people and very humble. Their honesty is contagious. A close friend of mine told me that her boyfriend of many years confessed that he has been a smoker for 8 years and not just a social smoker after his trip from Myanmar!! I take my hats off for the guy to be candid about it, it took loads of guts since this close friend is very against smokers!! In any case, the relationship is still intact :)

Roadside food stall

Cigarette Seller - common sights

Here are some pictures depicting normal lifestyles in Yangon. They do have shopping malls but selection of goods are limited. Despite the lack of modern technology and amenities, people here are contended and happy. 
Our mobiles are rendered useless as access is ZERO!! Our guide says they can only talk on the mobiles and nothing else,what 3 or 4G!! No SMS, MMS or surfing on the go - they're still on analog!! When he saw the iPhone 4, he was so awed he somewhat treated the phone as if it is a diamond studded Rolex and promptly return it to the owner lest he damages it!! To get a SIM card to activate your mobilephone costs USD300!! Our guide's phone was the 2nd analog generation I've ever had - phone and SIM card total cost? USD600!! I could easily get his type of phone in Malaysia for RM150 or so. We should all be blessed with what we have for we know not how / what others are deprived of, I do now more so after the trip.
Also, if or when you do go to Myanmar, key thing to remember is they only accept clean USD. Tattered, torn or marked notes are politely returned as their national banks will reject them. Be prepared to have a big wallet to hold their currency Kyat...millionaire in no time. Our exchange rate then was 84,000 kyat for 100USD!!
In this trip, I've learned humility and to appreciate more in life. Will I go back to Myanmar again? Maybe when they are more developed because we dare not eat anything other than those served in hotels' restaurants or larger restaurants hence limiting us to explore our taste buds. Overall, an eye opener trip for me.