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| One of many beautiful wildflowers dotting the roadside |
Coming from a country where everything is just around the corner, I decided to check out what was just 'around the corner' from where I was. What struck me most was the flora and fauna around, the wildflowers all around in various hues and shapes. I've always been a nature enthusiast and these intrigue me. Taking a walk out, I followed the road out to the main road walking past large KTVs. I had learnt that these had sprung up just recently.
Turning left, I followed the road down to see how far I could go. Walking by the roadside (as I soon learnt) meant dealing with lots of dust. The road users were relatively considerate, many giving way to me. There weren't any traffic crossings particularly for pedestrians and the few that existed seemed to be far and few. Wearing jeans, a tshirt and a blue drybag cross slung, I drew a number of stares and smiles. In all my interactions, I find local burmese very warm and kind and this would be consistent whether it was restaurants or street vendors selling snacks.
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| The very first street fare I tried |
Being a little cautious, I abstained from trying street snacks the first few times I had wandered around but curiosity got the better of me and I tried some pagora (as we call them among indians). The seller was a young mother who sat there with her baby and after passing her a few times, I got some, drawn in by her adorable child. At 500 khat, I got a pretty decent portion of pagora together with dried fried chilli. Due to indian influence, I would find out that many common indian 'fare' I had grown up with as a child could be found here but a little differently made.
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| The seating area by the bar |
The pagora was delicious and would be the onus to me trying out many more street fare. Though oily, I learnt that this was deliberate in order to keep the food lasting longer. Most oil used in burmese food is peanut oil though even good stuff used in excess is bad. Some oil tends to be reused and this has to be watched out for.
The lady selling pagora was my ending point for the day and I turned back, walking past shops selling electrical appliances, provision shops and i-mart which would prove extremely convenient for provisions such as eggs, bread and milk. Electrical appliances are relatively inexpensive and I got myself an electric kettle for 4000 khat (about 3 usd).
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| The drinks menu ! |
Heading back, I decided to visit Hotel Hazel, just opposite the school for a drink and to explore the hotel. Hotel Hazel I had learnt had just been recently built and had a nice warm atmosphere as I walked in. New to the country, I chatted with the concierge and learnt drinks were pretty decently priced here. The evening was spent enjoying a glass of wine staring at the pool at the bar.
What I like most so far is the silence I had experienced and the quiet vibe the surroundings presented. Perhaps its just me feeling the difference coming from busy Singapore I figured. I learnt that breakfast buffet was $10 at hotel Hazel and at another hotel further down 5000 khat.
I decided on trying the breakfast buffet there tomorrow, before heading back to the school to sleep.
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