Breakfast at Golden Guest Inn

It was our very first breakfast in Myanmar and we were in for a good meal! Of all the French toast I had so far, I've found my best in Golden Guest Inn. French toasts that I had are usually only coated on the outside and dry in the middle. This toast was entirely infused with the flavour and moist, very lovely. The only regret I had was leaving this place the second day without any breakfast.

Kamayaut Station (Nearby the guest inn)

Handwritten train tickets

We walked to the nearest Circular train station, Kamayaut and there we purchased our handwritten train tickets. I realised that this information isn't readily available online so I'll like to share this with you. The circular train goes bi-directional (2-ways) and you can pretty much buy your tickets at any station now. Timing of the trains are not accurate, so do buffer another 30 mins of waiting time on top of the time the station master tells you. Don't expect a seat immediately and depending on the time of the ride, it can be pretty packed. Journey time from Kamayaut to Yangon Central station was about an hour. During the one hour ride, we pretty much had a glimpse of how the locals live on a daily basis.

Inside the train

I thought the ride was rather soothing as it rocks a little from side to side when it moves. Accompanied with the slight breeze, it was comfortable enough for a short nap. We pretty much just enjoyed the slow ride and people watched. I was just observing this cute Burmese granny, who was sitting across me, just enjoying her ride. She pretty much just gazed out of the window peacefully with occasional fluttering of eyelids, trying to keep herself awake. I really enjoy seeing how the locals live their lives in what we could call the "kampong style".

Inside Shwedagon Pagoda

Upon alighting at Yangon Central Station, we walked out of the station and took a taxi down to Shwedagon Pagoda. I believe it was about a 15 minutes ride from the station. Be prepared for a long climb up to the temple (about 5 flights of stairs). Please wear pant/skirt that cover your knees, else they would want you to purchase a wrap around for 5USD each. Entrance fees has also risen up to 9USD per person. The area is quite huge and they would provide you with a map to walk around. They have unofficial tour guides too which you can try to bargain. One guy offered to take 3 of us at 10USD but due to the short time we have there, we turned him down and went on our own. We couldn't get a very good photo as there was some restoration work done while we were there. I would say the real gold coated buildings against the white paint is pretty impressive. Also, I liked a building that was covered entirely with small pieces of mirror, I can imagine it sparkling when the sun shines on it. As you walk around barefooted in the huge compound, you'll also be amazed that it has been well-kept. We left the area about an hour later and the rest of the evening was just hiding in our guest house due to a heavy downpour.