Mr.CurryBadger's Corner: Mingaladon Bazaar Station @ Yangon

Advertised on blogs as the cheapest and easiest way to see how real Yangonian's live, The Circular Train takes you from Yangon Central Railway Station all the way up and around the international airport and back. I hopped on with little knowledge about my sight seeing options along the way, and by the time I actually found a map that listed the stop names, we had already passed the few I recognized.

Yangon Central Train Station

Everyone had to switch platforms

Salesman

The Fish Market?

With it being almost as far away as you can get from downtown Yangon and the name hinting at some sort of local market, "Mingaladon Bazaar Station" stood out to me from the other options on the map. As we finally got there I hesitated to get out, but by the time we got to the next station I made up my mind and jumped off the train.

I grabbed a beer, and as I walked around the streets I tried to smile and wave at each person I saw, throwing in an occasion "Mingalaba" (Hi) made some of the people burst into laughter. After walking on the train tracks back to the Bazaar stop and then across the rice patty into a maze of local houses and shops, I finally stumbled across the bazaar. Most of the places were closing down for the day, but I still got to see some of the shops in operation, and the swarm of bikes and scooters weaving in and out of the market to do business. Due to the fact that I had to catch the next train I could only spend a limited time here, however I think it was a valuable glimpse into the strange energy that drives this local economy.