Throw Momma From The (Yangon) Train

When else could I work this 1980s movie title into a blog post? 🙂

While in Yangon we decided we wanted to see more of the city, which our legs couldn’t get us to alone. After doing some quick research it was obvious the best and cheapest way to get around was to jump on the circle train.

The Yangon circle train is what the locals use to get to different areas of town as it literally circles the entire city with many stops along the way. We hopped on at the main railway station and planned on riding the entire loop back to the station. It took around three hours and was well worth it, especially for a total cost of 800 Kyat or $0.77 USD for two people.

It was incredible the different sights you can see when you get out of the downtown portion of Yangon. The scenery was beautiful at times, but also heartbreaking to see the poverty throughout most of the city. Fields of green and pagodas can be seen for a time with farmers working hard, but it can quickly turn into tiny huts and piles of trash. I’m not sure what the city can do about the trash problem, but it will certainly become a larger problem over time as packaged goods continue to make their way into the hands of the local population.

One stop along the route was Danyingon, which is well-known for having a great market. This is a popular stop for tourists who ride the train, although there really are not many non-locals riding. The market was full of food sellers and other handmade goods, which looked good. If we weren’t traveling long-term with limited space in our packs, we would have bought some goodies to take home. I guess we’ll have to come back.

We are always looking for different ways to see cities and this was a perfect way to experience Yangon and get out of the downtown for a few hours. From a sightseeing standpoint it was a great fit for our budget travel lifestyle.