39th and 40th Day Monday, February 2, 2015 Yangon

Mingalaba (Good evening) from Yangon / Myanmar,

from a new, palpably stagnant world, it seems at first glance. When I arrived at Yangon International Airport yesterday evening, I believed myself to be somewhere in the countryside and not in the former capital. This feeling intensified when I left the terminal and hit the road, which was around 9 pm local time. It was dark, really dark, with barely any street lights, and apart from taxis, there seemed to be hardly any cars here, which is something I'm used to from all the other Asian cities I've visited.

At the hotel, the feeling intensified even more. Apart from the hotel staff, there were no people in sight. This changed when I stepped out of the hotel this morning after breakfast, around 9 am.

Here it was bustling, honking, people everywhere. Suddenly, I felt like I was in a big city again. It was Asia as I know it, but not quite. It's different. You can sense that there is slow progress happening here, like waking up from a recently past Sleeping Beauty sleep.

There it is again, 'Coca Cola,' 'Honda,' 'Samsung,' yes, everyday life, but so different and somehow magically beautiful.

My first errand was going to the bank, which wasn't far, right next door to exchange some money. Unbelievable. I entered the bank 2 minutes after opening and saw an estimated 30 customers already. Half of them were sitting and waiting, while the rest were already being served. And mind you, each customer was attended to by at least 2-3 employees, with countless other employees bustling around, amidst piles, yes, piles (unimaginable, I've never seen anything like it) of money. And I had luck. My two $50 bills were valuable because they were new, without any folds or writing, and most importantly, they didn't have the dreaded letters CB in the serial number. All of these things can significantly decrease the value, i.e., the exchange rate. 'I got lucky.'

Now, I was ready to dive into the new world. Golden Yangon was waiting for me, radiating with all its smells and images, immediately presenting themselves to me. And after a 2.5-hour walk, it finally came into view. So golden, so beautiful, so enchantingly stunning, the 'Shwedagon Pagoda.' Everywhere, shimmering and golden as far as the eye could see.

But also the 'Sule Pagoda' and other great places and buildings. Yangon has a lot to offer, definitely a city worth seeing. Now, I'm very excited to explore other places here in Myanmar.

Kyej zu bae (Thank you) Thwalai´ba Ounmae (Goodbye)