Myanmar can be a dangerous place. It has been fighting a civil war off and on since the country was founded in the 1940’s, and reports in the news don’t necessarily paint a positive picture of the current circumstances on the ground, which leads people to frequently ask me what I do with my free time in Myanmar. I think many, including my own colleagues imagine me hunkered down in a tiny apartment that I can never leave outside of trips to and from the Embassy. That simply isn’t my reality.
Despite obvious security constraints, much of Rangoon is available for us to visit, and the city itself is a bustling metro with many modern conveniences. Fine dining, street food, malls, bars, night clubs, movie theatres, lakes, swimming, kayaking, tennis, pickleball, bowling. Pretty much anything you can do at home is available here in Rangoon.
As I have also posted previously, some parts of Myanmar also remains safe for us to travel to, which I partake any chance I get. The whole country is entirely unmolested by tourists and has some of the best food and nicest people on the planet, so it makes for a wonderful experience.
My typical week probably isn’t too different from folks working a 9-5 back in the U.S. I go to work each day, most nights relax at home and watch netflix and make myself dinner. A couple of nights a week I might go out with friends for dinner or on a date. To keep active I play pickleball a couple of times a week. On weekends I might join friends at a bar, or if really compelled or celebrating, a night club (which are surprisingly excellent but still not my thing). If a good movie is playing, I’ll catch it in a nice movie theatre (though their popcorn sucks compared to the U.S.).
It’s all really…normal. The biggest difference is there are areas of the city I am restricted from travelling, military/police stands throughout the town, and more recently, the middle east situation has led to a fuel crisis in the country, making getting the local equivalent of uber harder and more expensive. It definitely doesn’t feel like back home, but day to day life isn’t too far off from what everyone else I know is doing, it just has IMHO a cooler backdrop. -Nick
