Dala / Yangon (Myanmar)

Dala / Yangon:

We came back into Yangon for a few days with three very specific, non-negotiable objectives:

1. Cross the river to check out Dala Township.

2. Catch the sunset and evening ceremonies at the Shwedagon Pagoda.

3. Chow down a final round of Shan Noodles at 999 Shan Noodle Shop.

The Wacky Ferry to Dala

If you ever find yourself in Yangon, Dala is an absolute must-see.  It’s a complete throwback city sitting directly across the Yangon River.  Honestly, just taking the local ferry over is a trip in itself.

The onboard commerce is wild.  Locals are loudly hawking their wares left and right, and you’ve got women balancing massive, heavy trays of watermelon and pineapple perfectly on their heads. Barbie bought some bird food to feed the flocks drafting alongside the ferry, while I just sat back, took it all in, and enjoyed the beautiful chaos of the scene.

When Cyclone Nargis hit in 2008, it virtually destroyed Dala.  Today, it remains the poorest pocket of Yangon, with most families living in simple wooden shacks.  Stepping off the boat feels like stepping into a completely different country with a vastly slower pace of life.  There are zero cars here—just bicycles and scooters.

We hooked up with an excellent local trishaw guide named Sankee, who turned out to be a totally righteous dude.  He pedaled us through the narrow alleys and dusty village paths while we sweated our asses off.  The sun out there was burning atomic hot—even the shade was scorching.

And you know what?  I loved every second of it.  Nothing beats the early morning air and sweating your ass off while observing such a calm, simple way of life.

Perspective in the Bamboo Village

On this journey, my favorite day trips always seem to involve visiting local villages to see how people actually live.  Our stop at Dala’s incredibly poor Bamboo Village was a massive eye-opener.

Despite having next to nothing, the sheer amount of genuine smiles on the faces of both the adults and the kids was nice to see.  They have clearly accepted a lifestyle with very limited resources, yet they just carry on and live their lives in a fun, present way without worrying about all the extraneous bullshit that clogs up the first world.

Because Barbie and I were the only westerners in the village, we were the main event—they got a total charge out of us.

Going “Anonymous” (Sort Of)

Barbie and I took a real liking to the people there, so we decided to donate a full pallet of rice to help feed the village.  I’ve always had this lingering desire to be that “anonymous charity guy.”  I guess I officially disqualified myself from being anonymous by opening my big mouth on this blog, but hey, I pulled it off for a few days.

Right now, any tourist dollars going directly to the locals rather than the government is a massive win, so we tried to spend as much cash in Dala as possible.

My main takeaway from the day?  Be happy and content with what you have.  You really don’t need 90% of the crap you own.  I hope that makes sense.

The Yangon Food 

The Restaurant Lineup:

• Junior Duck

• 999 Shan Noodle Shop (A legendary triple-header)

• Rose Garden Hotel

LOOSE STOOLS INDEX: 7

The index slipped a bit, and I know exactly why.  We left Ngapali Beach—the undisputed seafood capital of Myanmar—where I was consuming my weight in freshly caught Red Snapper.  By straying from my high Omega-3 fish oil diet and migrating back to the sticky, glorious carb-loading of the Shan Noodle diet in the big city, my digestive index took a direct hit.  No regrets.

Through the Binocs:

As we wander the globe on this journey, we often find ourselves staying in high-end, business-oriented hotels and eating in places where corporate types congregate to network.

Sitting there, I constantly overhear these people having meetings, and let’s be honest—it’s mostly a whole lot of calculated bullshit.  Understandably, everyone is just trying to climb the career ladder with the ultimate goal of making as much cash as possible so they can buy more stuff.

But looking through the binoculars, a lot of thoughts and observations come to light.  I can’t help but think that when we are finally on our deathbeds, all this intense business chatter, corporate pressure, and the drive to accumulate things becomes totally meaningless.

It feels damn good to stand completely outside that circle right now, looking in as a simple observer.  I’ve come to realize that in the grand scheme of things, all that corporate noise doesn’t matter.

Basically, the numbers all add up to nothing.