Moving to Mandalay, Myanmar

Just off the plane and heading to school

Been awhile since I had a reason to travel and the opportunity to work in Myanmar came like a bolt out of the blue. I'd always been a traveller and enjoyed getting lost just for the sheer fun and thrill of it but this is my first experience working abroad therefore it felt really good to touch down in Yangon.

My first few glimpses of Yangon showed a fairly developed part of the country as we drove out to the Yangon branch of the school where I was to work. As my bus journey down was only in the evening, I had a number of hours to wait and I was to wait at the school.

 As we drove down to the school, ( about 45 minutes or so) it gave me time to take in the surroundings, the kind of architecture the buildings showed as well as the overall movement on the street.

Children walked by as we stopped at the traffic junctions, trying to sell small garlands of jasmine flowers knitted together. Amidst the large hotels and buildings, this was a reminder that poverty is still a very big part of the country.

The view I had reminded me of scenes I had seen in Nepal or India but a diluted version. Condominium concept housing with security appeared along the way and no doubt were the homes of wealthy individuals.

Back at the school in Yangon, I busied myself getting a local SIM card which was very affordable at a few dollars and had spicy chicken wings at a korean concept outlet. It was comfort food while I had to wait for long hours before the driver would bring me down to the bus station around 8.30 pm.


The ride down to Mandalay was an overnight trip and decently priced around 12-15 usd. Travelling via flight would be about 100 usd and I chose the bus to experience the country.

Most of the buses doing the overnight trips between Yangon and Mandalay tend to be the Scania buses and provide all the comforts needed for a good night's rest. Most have TV screens as well for those who would rather watch movies along the way. There are also VVIP options within the same bus, a series of seat that offer slightly more leg room.


The ride down was uneventful mostly because it was night with periodic stops for us to have a toilet break and to generally just stretch our legs. The thick blankets and adequate space allowed some degree of sleep typical of most long bus rides however I felt I should have worn a bit more as it WAS cold.

I had underestimated the nighttime temperature drop and when we got off for our last pit-stop, began shivering. My only solace was a dying bonfire and I quickly rushed back to the warmth of the bus.

A few more hours down and we reached the bus terminal at Mandalay where I learnt the school driver had been waiting since 4 am for me.

My first few views of Mandalay were amazing and what captivated me most was the mountainous line visible as the sun rose.

I had arrived at my destination !

First view of Mandalay