Morning:
Forgo the hotel breakfast and take a short ride to Myoma
Market, joining throngs of government workers as they savour their
mohinga
, the fish soup that is Myanmar’s national dish, as well as
excellent steamed buns and other Chinese and local morning bites.
Bustling, friendly, open air and unregimented, it’s as close as you’ll
get to the “real Myanmar’’ in this city. Feel free to browse through
the market stalls, though neither these nor the several air-conditioned
malls that have sprung up offer exceptional shopping.
Jewellery and cut stones can be purchased at the Nay Pyi Taw
Gems Museum. Myanmar is the source of the world’s finest jade,
rubies and sapphires, and all are on display here, including the
nation’s largest ruby (an amazing 21,450 carats) and the world’s
biggest natural pearl. The annual gems emporium is held next door at
the Mani Yadana Jade Hall, where a record US$2.4 billion changed
hands last year as an estimated 8,000 foreign and local merchants
flocked to the event.
Though a reform-minded, civilian government has come to power,
Myanmar’s military remains powerful and secretive. Photographing
the city’s military sites and personnel is strictly forbidden. A visit
to the Defense Services Museum, which opened in 2012 on a
240-hectare site, offers some insight into this key institution, or
at least how it wants to be perceived. Displayed in the museum’s
near-endless halls are ancient bronze cannons and modern armoured
vehicles, along with documents and artefacts charting the past and
present of the army, navy and air force. But Nay Pyi Taw’s most
dramatic military displays are the 10m-tall statues of the country’s
three great warrior kings, widely seen as an indication of the military
leaders’ identification with bygone royal rule. The area is not
currently open to the general public.
Lunch:
YKKO Restaurant on Thapyaygone Hill is part of a
successful, nationwide chain serving consistently good Chinese, Thai,
seafood and barbecue dishes.
Afternoon:
Golf, the favourite pastime of Myanmar’s generals, is big
in Nay Pyi Taw. Golfers may want to play a round at the Australian-
designed Royal Myanmar Golf Course, set on rolling terrain. It was
the site of the golf competition at last year’s 27th Southeast Asian
Games. Several impressive stadiums were built for the 11-nation
competition, which took place in December, and some may be open
to the public in the future.
Dinner:
For Western food – some say the best in the city – make a
return trip to Thapyaygone Hill and visit Santino Restaurant, which
is also home to a bar, café and excellent bakery.
Having logged some time in the new capital, you may be tempted
to ask: why the move? To this day, there are only theories. The
D A Y T W O
FAHTHAI
85
Myanmar is the source of the
world’s finest jade, rubies and
sapphires, andall are ondisplay
L O C A L L I F E
