Day 3: A colonial building tour

Another pleasant morning - sunny, warm but not hot, no wind. Perfect day for another LP walking tour, this time of the colonial (late 19 early 20 century) buildings in our neighborhood (east downtown Yangon, on the Yangon River), the heart of the British colonial presence (their embassy is still here).

First, the City Hall...




a huge building with somewhat whimsical purple and lilac trim,
displaying some really neat Garudas...





and a cool peacock.





Next, a bank building that once was the Rowe and Co. Department store, the Selfridges of Burma.




Then, the Queen-Anne style High Court building.




Imagine being a Burmese colonial subject forced to go there to pursue your rights against the colonial government.

We continued on to Strand Road, which runs along the river. Among the highlights, the 1915 Customs House, still used for that purpose...





the 1900 Yangon Regional Court...




the Port Authority, with its grand tower to oversee the ships and wharfs...





and the Strand Hotel (on the right)...




once considered the most elegant lodging east of Suez, with a lobby that hosted tea for the likes of Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell, Lord Montbatten, and W. Sumerset Maugham. Even today you can find notables like Dana from The Dalles, Oregon.




Of note, the hotel, opened in 1901, but did not admit Burmese until 1945.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we opted to take in the Botataung Paya (Paya = pagoda, last reminder), one of Yangon's most revered, with its gorgeous bronze Buddha...




brilliant stupa...




and opulent gold leaf interior...



as well as a hair relic of the Buddha that we opted not to wait in line to view, partly because D had a little attack of Burma Belly that sent us back to the hotel.

More to follow...

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