Yangon, Myanmar Report of what it's like to live there - 03/05/17
Personal Experiences from Yangon, Myanmar
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No; my husband and I were previously posted to the US embassy in Beijing for 3 years.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
We currently live in the Washington DC area. The most convenient trip from DC to Rangoon requires one stop in either Tokyo or Seoul, with total travel time at about 22 hours at best (about 14 hours to Seoul/Tokyo, then about 6 to Rangoon, plus layover time). Less convenient itineraries might require an additional stop elsewhere (Dallas, Seattle, Bangkok, Hong Kong) and therefore require more time.
3. How long have you lived here?
About 2.5 years.
4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
My husband is posted to the US embassy in Rangoon.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We live in a free-standing single family home with a small yard. Many families here with a dog or multiple kids end up in houses; we have a dog, which is why we ended up in a house. Our house is moderately sized--plenty for two people and a dog, with room to host houseguests as needed. The house is one of the further north properties in the city, putting us farther away from the downtown area, but ultimately not far from the embassy.
Our commute times are not always consistent. More recently, the commute to work has been made inconvenient by the city's decision to erect concrete barriers running up the middle of the road we take to work; we now can't turn left out of our road and instead have to travel almost an additional 1 mile each way to get turned in the right direction, which has added 10-15 minutes to the morning commute. The evening commute can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Grocery availability fluctuates significantly here. A core group of products is consistently available, but many things vary from week to week. A good example is Florida's Natural orange juice (about $8/carton when available). This used to appear at the most popular expat grocery store about once every 6 months; each shipment would last until supplies ran out, which was about 2 weeks. Then, for a brief period of time, it seemed to be regularly stocked for about 4-6 weeks, and we thought maybe they'd found a regular supplier. Then it disappeared again, and hasn't been seen since then.
The cost of items also varies quite a bit, mostly depending on whether or not they were imported. Local or regional produce is very cheap; imported items are more expensive, sometimes by a lot (imported American asparagus for $7 a bunch). The alcohol selection is poor as well; the best imported beer readily available at the store is Corona, and good-quality wine and liquor are irregularly available and more expensive, due to either import tax or having been brought over via duty free.
In terms of household supplies, we brought most of our own items, particularly cleaning supplies, with us, because we'd been warned local quality wasn't as good, or was more expensive if it was imported. One thing I wish we'd brought was a product like Bug Barrier--ants periodically get into the house, and Bug Barrier does a good job keeping them out. The embassy commissary used to sell this regularly, but they don't anymore, and it isn't available locally, nor can it readily be mailed.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Aside from the aforementioned Bug Barrier, I think we did a good job prioritizing the right things--some canned goods we particularly like, a lot of cleaning products, a consumables shipment focused on alcohol we can't get here, etc. Most everything else was either available locally or could be ordered and mailed.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
The delivery service YangonD2D is expanding and improving its services, which is a real boon when traffic is bad and you don't want to battle it all the way downtown. The restaurant scene in Rangoon is expanding, though still limited. Nevertheless, there are some worthy options: a good pizza place, Korean barbecue, casual American, a French restaurant training school, Mexican, sushi, Asian fusion, upscale Burmese, Vietnamese, Indian, and even a German restaurant (there was a surprisingly good Russian restaurant, but it closed). There are also a couple of really good hotel brunches that are very popular.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
It's common for free-standing houses to experience insect infestations from time to time. For us, this never came in the form of anything worse than sugar ants (mostly in the hot season), and could mostly be managed with seasonal applications of Bug Barrier.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
We get all our mail through the embassy's mail services (APO/DPO and pouch), as local mail services are presumed to be unreliable and slow.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Household help, while somewhat more difficult to find than it was in Beijing, is readily available if you're willing to look for it a bit. People here employ a range of staff; most common are housekeepers, from a few days a week at a few hours a visit, to five days a week for full work days. People also employ nannies, guards, gardeners and drivers. We found our housekeeper via YEC (Yangon Expat Connection), a Gmail group; she in turn introduced us to our guard/gardener. When our housekeeper started with us, we payed her a fairly high rate for circa 40-hour work weeks: about $300/month. We paid the gardener half that for slightly fewer hours and fewer overall responsibilities. We've given them both annual raises of about 10% each year they've been with us.
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
I never used any of the local gyms, though my husband did for a while. They're slowly increasing in number, but generally remain expensive (relatively speaking) and crowded. I made the most use of a yoga studio, Yangon Yoga House, which has expanded to two branches and has an ever-increasing offering of classes (several styles of yoga, Pilates, barre-based classes). Class passes can be bought for 5 or 10 classes; a 10-class pass is good for 6 months and currently costs US $100; 5-class passes or single-class drop-ins are a bit more per class. The studio also holds workshops, like 2- or 3-hour sessions on headstands or meditation, and organizes retreats around the region.
4. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards are slowly becoming more accepted, but this is still largely a cash-based economy. Large hotels, stores oriented toward expats and some other places that sell expensive items (gems, art, etc) are more likely to take credit cards. ATMs are also becoming more common, but often malfunction: either they're broken, out of cash or experience some error partway through, and hopefully you get your card back. If you can easily access a money changer, like at the embassy, this is a more reliable option.
5. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
You can get around with next to no Burmese language, as English is many people's second language, but I found it useful to know some phrases, particularly for taxis. Since the number of foreigners speaking more than a few phrases of Burmese is still very low, you may run into a scenario in which you demonstrate some Burmese language capability, and then the locals start speaking it to you like you're fluent, even though you're very much not. Classeas and tutors are available; I took classes through the embassy, but there are other alternatives.
6. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes, very much so. The sidewalks can be treacherous even for the able-bodied: uneven, missing in places (sometimes with the hole leading down into the open sewer underneath), prone to ending abruptly. At night, most of the city is poorly lit, and you have to be very careful where you step. Street intersections are not accompanied by pedestrian-specific traffic lights; crosswalks may not be at intersections but rather at random places and unaccompanied by any warnings to oncoming traffic; older buildings (ie, most of them) weren't required to have elevators unless they were taller than 8 stories, etc. I imagine a disabled person might readily find themselves receiving assistance from friendly locals, but I wouldn't want to have to rely on that.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
The embassy recommends we don't take buses or kyat trucks, due to safety concerns; many buses are old, overcrowded and badly driven, though they are affordable. Taxis are also affordable and about as safe as you'll find in this city. The quality of the vehicles can vary wildly, and drivers are generally aggressive, but they're your best bet for public transit.
2. What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
We recommend a small SUV or something else that's sturdy and has some clearance. Roads can be rough and flash floods are common in parts of the city during rainy season. Since many Burmese cars are second-hand imports from Japan, a Japanese-brand car will be easiest to find replacement parts for (less so with Nissan and Subaru, more so with Toyota and Honda). You don't want a car that's too big, because roads and parking spaces can be narrow, or one that's too small, because of uneven roads and flash floods.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
We currently pay US $125 per month for 2 Mbps, which is the second-fastest option available. Installation time can be unpredictable--when we arrived in late October 2014, the city had decided to stop installing internet access for the rest of the year; since our house didn't already have a hook-up when we arrived, we had to wait until January for a fiber line to be strung out to our house. This also involved drilling a hole in the side of the house, which was a bit unnerving. The internet company has very poor communication skills--they send one bill per month once, and if you miss the deadline, they simply shut off your account with no further remarks. Also, we've had a few instances where our line has been damaged by activity out on our road--which we can't control because it's a public road--and the company tries to charge us for the replacement line. This usually results in us telling them to talk to the embassy, and they fight it out.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
We brought unlocked iPhones from the US and got local MPT SIM cards. Other options are Ooredoo and Telenor; some work better in other parts of the country than the other companies, but service is roughly comparable. Data is very cheap and can be added as you need it.
Pets:
1. Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
There are no kennel services available that I'm aware of. Qualified vets are few and far between, though some of them make house calls, which is convenient. As diplomats, we didn't have to quarantine our dog upon arrival. This is a tough place to have a dog at times: a lot of people are still scared of dogs (though that can be a good home security measure), so you have to be sure your household staff are comfortable with them; there are no dog parks in the city; there are lots of aggressive stray dogs; the city sometimes still culls the local stray population by leaving out poisoned meat, so you have to watch for that on walks; vet services are patchy, so you really don't want to find yourself in a situation where you need emergency care. If your dog isn't generally healthy, I wouldn't recommend bringing them here.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
The embassy has a reasonably formal dress code, but full suits are not usually required for guys unless there's a particular reason to dress up, like a visiting delegation; most times, guys wear nice pants and button-up shirts, and keep a blazer and tie handy just in case. Women can get away with a wider variety, but suits are similarly not required. Many American women at the embassy have clothes made out of local fabrics; it's normal to see people wearing things like sheath dresses and pencil skirts made of local fabric.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
In terms of personal security, this city is quite safe; even as a woman, you can walk alone at night downtown and feel secure. Common sense shouldn't be ignored; there have been a few stories of cabbies trying to take advantage of women traveling alone late at night, and you should watch your belongings in crowded areas. Still, crime is low, and you're much more likely to fall into a hole in the sidewalk than get mugged.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
This is a bad city in which to live if you have any significant health concerns. In addition to poor-quality medical care (ill-equipped ambulances; poorly-supplied hospitals; undertrained doctors), a variety of illnesses are common here, like malaria and dengue. The embassy is happy to help arrange appointments to address just about anything over in Bangkok. Food poisoning is also a fact of life--just about everyone gets it at least twice in their first 6 months, and hopefully less from then on out, but it's still common to have a bout of it a couple times a year, even if you're eating at higher-quality establishments. Visitors should absolutely bring something like Immodium or Pepto-Bismol and be leery of street food.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
We're coming from Beijing, so just about anything feels better. Rangoon's air quality is not great, but it's mostly manageable. During the dry season (November-February), locals burn dry vegetation, so that adds significantly to the haze. Dry season is when the air quality is most likely to have an effect on health.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
I had only mild seasonal allergies and don't have food allergies, but I think this would be a difficult place to come with a particular food allergy. Waitstaff, even at foreigner-oriented restaurants, may be attentive but lacking in the English skills and familiarization with allergy issues to reliably communicate special requests to the kitchen.
5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
It's hot all the time. Dry season (October/November-February) is the best, with highs around 85-90 and lows around 70-75 at night, and low humidity. Hot season (March-May) is the worst, in my opinion, with highs hitting 105-110, high humidity, and often blazing sunshine. Rainy season (June-September) sees highs around 85-90 with heavy daily rainstorms, particularly around July and August.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
The Western expat community is still small; it's growing, but slowly. There are more Australians than Americans. For other expats, there are of course a good number of regional neighbors represented--China and India have significant expat communities, for example. Due to the fairly small number of both expats and places that cater to them, you often end up seeing each other repeatedly, even if you don't intend to. Overall morale seems good--as a friend once said, "Since it's still so hard to get a work visa here, you can't end up here by accident, so everyone you meet is doing something cool and interesting." Also, it takes a certain personality type to end up here, so most people are generally happy with life, and, if you have an "Oh, Burma!" day or moment, everyone else can sympathize.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
As previously mentioned, it's easy to run into other expats at a variety of events, since there aren't very many of either (expats or events). Some recent events have included concerts, an innovative art exhibit (German artist at the historic Secretariat building), events hosted by particular communities/entities (shops and food stalls at the Institut Francais; a meet-the-artist event at the store Hla Day), visiting chefs at a couple of restaurants, etc. Events like art exhibits at some of the city's galleries might be one of the better places to meet both locals and expats--the city's art scene is surprisingly good, and attracts a wide swath of people calling Rangoon home.
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
This isn't a good city for singles, according to a few single friends. The expat community, as previously mentioned, is small, and there are still some cultural gaps that might make it trickier to date locals. Also, since there aren't a lot of options for things to do, it would probably get lonely some weekends. It's better to be here as a couple or as a family, so you can entertain each other.
4. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
This country is majority Theravada Buddhists, and many of them are prejudiced against Muslims, so that could be problematic. Gender equality is also an issue, though more among the local populace than in its treatment of Western women. Burmese women are still largely viewed as the weaker sex, and are expected to be compliant, agreeable and deferential to men, and this can be difficult to watch. However, many Burmese men are deferential/accommodating toward Westerners, both male and female, so it's a less obvious dynamic as an expat.
5. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
In Rangoon, we've enjoyed befriending and periodically checking in on the owner of Nawaday Tharlar Gallery on Yawmingyi Street. He's friendly as can be, always happy to see people, and has an ever-growing, ever-changing stash of paintings of all styles in the upstairs portion of the gallery. In-country trips have all been great and memorable: Bagan (hot air balloon ride on Christmas morning over the temples), Inle Lake (motoring downriver to abandoned temple ruins), Pyin Oo Lwin (strolling through botanical gardens designed by the Brits). Most recent and most memorable was a 6-day ride on a catamaran around the Mergui archipelago in far southern Burma, with Burma Boating. This isn't a cheap trip, but it was glorious--6 days of cliche-perfect isolated islands with white sand beaches and turquoise water.
This is a cool time to be here: infrastructure may be lacking in places, but this country is just becoming recognized as a worthwhile place to travel, and it's fun to say you were here before the crowds found it.
6. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Art exhibits and swinging by the galleries that host them is always fun; this country is photogenic and lends itself to fun artwork. For tourist attractions a bit off the beaten path, I like the Sitting and Reclining Buddhas, which are in temples across the road from each other. Karaweik Palace at sunset is beautiful. A couple of bars in the city are rooftop, with views of Shwedagon Pagoda; those are worth seeking out for the view. Also, not a hidden gem, but massages are cheap and enjoyable. Hair washes, which can be had at salons, are 20-40-minute shampoos with scalp and neck massages, and should not be missed.
7. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Yes, there's a lot to buy here! Teak furniture can be had for much less than in the US, and it can be custom-made from recycled/second-hand teak. Art, particularly paintings, are colorful and unique, making it hard to buy just one. Semiprecious and precious gems are readily available for reasonable prices. Textiles are abundant--fabrics to be turned into clothes or pillowcases; table runners; woven blankets; scarves, etc. Stores like Hla Day offer lots of handicrafts sold from small groups that might not otherwise have a chance--disabled people, ethnic minorities, etc--and are priced to sell. Bagan specializes in lacquerware, which can either be used as intended or simply as decoration. It's very easy to end up with a lot of cool local stuff!
8. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
There's a certain atmosphere here that is really interesting--the feeling of being in a city that's still opening up to the outside world, that's becoming accustomed to the democratic process, that's in a time of real change. It's this feeling that is the most interesting or advantageous part of living here, and makes up for the poor infrastructure, bad traffic or hot temperatures. It's also a good place to save some money; it's hard to spend a lot here, so your savings account may grow faster here than in other places.
Words of Wisdom:
1. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
Yes, I would.
2. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Cold-weather clothes.
3. But don't forget your:
Linen clothes, sturdy shoes, good-quality sunscreen, sunglasses.
4. Do you recommend any books or movies about this city/country for those who are interested in learning more?
Anthony Bourdain's show, "Parts Unknown," did an episode here in 2011, right when the country was opening up. Some of the city has changed, but not a lot; it's probably still a good starting point. The British version of "Top Gear" also did a Christmas special here in 2012 or 2013, which involved them driving overland from Rangoon to Naypyitaw into Shan State and across the border into Thailand; this is worth watching, too, for a look at the country. "Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know," by David Steinberg, is a good overview of the country's history.
