Greetings from Yangon! The ship arrived to Myanmar/Burma’s largest city at 1100 on Monday, Feb. 20. Once known as Rangoon, Yangon is home to seven million people and is the country’s commercial hub. Yangon is filled with colonial-style architecture, a product of being under British imperial control from 1824, 1948. But its main attraction is the Shwedagon Paya, a shimmering gold pagoda that is the country’s most holy Buddhist temple.
Semester at Sea-ers have five days in Myanmar to venture through Yangon, visit an elephant conservation park in Kalaw, hot-air balloon in Bagan, and more! The weather will be hot and humid, with temperatures above 90°F. On-ship time is 1800 on Friday, February 24 and the ship will set sail at 1200 the following day for the four-day journey to India.
What are you most interested to experience in Myanmar/Burma?
“I’m interested in it all. What the people are like, how they behave, their way of life. Myanmar is fascinating to me. I also want to get a sense on the effect of the political situation on the population. I’m just very eager to experience this country.” , Ann Magennis, Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University
