THEGUIDE
yangon
146
FAHTHAI
1 _
WHAT WE
RECOMMEND
Yangon grinds to a halt for
the annual water festival in
the days leading up to the
New Year on 17 April. If
you’re not up for dancing,
drinking and getting
soaked, then you should
plan your visit around this
yearly ritual.
2 _
KNOW THE
NUMBER
76 – the mass in carats
of the diamond that tops
Yangon’s Shwedagon
Pagoda.
3 _
SERI BEAUTY
AND HEALTH
Don’t want to blow your
budget on massages at
hotels or luxury spas?
Seri offers very affordable
treatments ranging from
traditional massages and
reflexology to facials and
other beauty treatments.
(103 Dhammazedi Rd,
Bahan)
COUNTRY
CODE
+95
EXCHANGE
RATE
MMK970 = US$1
FREQUENCY
4 flights per day
GOLDEN
TEMPLE
Gleaming Sule
Pagoda occupies
the city centre
C I T Y S C A P E
Top 3
insider
travel tips
Rest Your Head
ALAMANDA INN
If you’re on the hunt for serenity
in the heart of Yangon, look
no further than Alamanda.
Located in the exclusive Golden
Valley neighbourhood near Inya
Lake, this hotel in a renovated
mansion has just a handful of
rooms. The adjoining restaurant
offers a range of reasonably
priced French dishes and has
become a cultural hub for
the French expat community,
with regular unplugged shows
and film screenings.
(hotel-
alamanda.com/overview.php)
Top Tables
WATER LIBRARY
Hailed as one of Thailand’s
top restaurants, Water Library
has opened a sister eatery
in Yangon, which is located
in a painstakingly renovated,
century-old colonial mansion.
By aspiring to meet the high
standards of its Bangkok
counterpart, Yangon’s Water
Library has raised the bar for
fine dining here in Myanmar.
(mywaterlibrary.com)
Bottoms Up
VISTA
This new watering hole could
get by on its location alone: its
rooftop terrace looks out over
Shwedagon Pagoda. Happily,
it also boasts a wide range of
drinks, a wonderful ambience
and is one of the few places in
Yangon where you can share
a shisha with friends. Get in
early though as the few tables
normally fill up quick.
(facebook.
com/vistabaryangon)
Stop
to Shop
SHAYI
Ethnic Kachin designer Sann
Bawk Rar has created a
unique collection of women’s
outfits that fuse traditional
elements – particularly natural
materials and adornments –
with international-style cuts.
Her talents are such that she
designed the outfits for the
opening ceremony of the
Southeast Asian Games and
takes part in many fashion
shows.
(45B Yadashe Rd)
Yangon
TEXT: THOMAS KEAN
