Page 88 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

86 Yangon and around GETTING AROUND • INFORMATION
1 BY TRAIN the information office at the station itself (daily
Yangon Central Railway Station is just north of 9.30am–4pm; turn right as you go in through the main
downtown. The entrance is on the north side of the station, entrance) and work out which train you want before
although there’s a short cut entering via the back of the heading to the booking office.
station next to platforms 6 and 7 (for the Circle Line) from Destinations Bagan (1 daily; 17hr); Bago (3 daily; 2hr);
the flyover at the top of Pansodan St. Dawei (1 daily; 23hr); Kyaikhto, for Kyaiktiyo (3 daily; 4hr
Tickets and information Advance tickets can’t be 30min); Mandalay (3 daily; 15hr); Mawlamyine (3 daily;
bought at the station itself but must be booked at the 9hr); Naypyitaw (3 daily; 10hr); Pyay (1 daily; 8hr 30min);
antiquated (and easily missed) Myanma Railways Shwenyaung (1 daily; 27hr); Taungoo (3 daily; 6hr 30min);
Booking Office on Bogyoke Rd (daily 7am–3pm). Staff Thanbyuzayat (1 daily; 12hr 15min); Thaton (3 daily;
here don’t speak much English, however, and 7–8hr); Thazi (3 daily; 12hr).
information is hard to obtain, so you might want to visit
gETTIng around
Despite its size, Yangon is reasonably easy to get around. Downtown is relatively compact, making it possible
to walk between most of the major sights, although narrow pavements and dense crowds can make for painfully
slow going in the very centre. Outside the centre, distances between attractions are significantly longer,
although there are plenty of inexpensive taxis available. Note that motorbikes and tuk-tuks have been
banned from the city centre, meaning that traffic in the city, while often dense, is relatively orderly by
Burmese standards.

By taxi The easiest way to get around Yangon is by worth taking just for the fun of the ride, and also offers a
catching one of the city’s plentiful taxis (mostly white cheap and convenient way of reaching Insein (see p.82).
Toyota Corollas; all clearly identified by the “TAXI” sign By bus Yangon’s bus service has recently been given a
on their roofs). None are metered, so you’ll have to agree major upgrade, with some new vehicles added to the
a fare before setting off – most drivers speak at least a network – although services are still numbered and
little English. Count on around K1500–2000 for short signed using Burmese numerals only, so it’s best to do a
trips, rising to K3000–5000 for longer journeys bit of homework before trying to catch one. There’s a
between downtown and northern parts of the city, complete route network map at Wygnbuses.com
and K6000/8000 to the airport and bus stations (Burmese only).
respectively. It’s usually straightforward to flag a cab By cycle rickshaw Cycle rickshaws are still fairly common
down on the street, or get your guesthouse to order one throughout the city and, although not particularly fast,
(although you might pay over the odds for this). Note offer a pleasant respite from slogging along crowded
that most cabbies won’t turn on their vehicle’s air- downtown streets as well as the chance to experience a
conditioning unless you ask them to, and you might be quintessential but rapidly vanishing slice of old Asian life.
charged extra for it. Count on around K1000–1500 for a short journey around
By train The city’s famous Circle Line (see box, p.83) is downtown.
InForMaTIon
Tourist office The official Directorate of Hotels & Tourism Online Wyangonite.com, Wyangonlife.com.mm and
office (daily 8.30am–5.30pm; T01 252859) is on the Wmyanmore.com/yangon all have good listings of upcoming
eastern side of Mahabandoola Gardens at 122 events around the city, plus plenty of reviews, articles and
Mahabandoola Rd. Staff here are helpful and informative, other info, while the excellent Wgo-myanmar.com website
and can also help book bus tickets. also has plenty of general information about the city.

CABBIES OF CONSCIENCE
For an interesting alternative to your average Yangon taxi, consider hiring one of the cabs run
by the Golden Harp Taxi Service (T09 450 019 186), established in 2010 by three former
political prisoners – Shell, Bobo and Talky (their prison nicknames) – looking to earn a living
after regaining their freedom. The taxi service now offers former prisoners of conscience the
micro-finance needed to establish themselves as city cab drivers, while visitors using their
services get the opportunity to meet some of those involved at the sharp end of the
pro-democracy struggles of recent years.

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