Yangon, Part 2: Expat Friends, Burmese Puppetry, and the Jews of Myanmar

Our remaining two and a half days in Yangon were chock-full of top-quality sightseeing, eating, and socializing. On Sunday morning we brunched at the reputable Rangoon Tea House with our new Myanmar expat friends, Tim and Tahra May, who have lived in northern Yangon with their two daughters for almost five years. A mutual professional contact connected me and Tim via email months ago as I sought out opportunities to meet expats working in international development throughout our backpacking trip. Tim directs communications on a USAID-funded agricultural development program in Myanmar and coincidentally is also a William & Mary alumnus! The four of us indulged in rich, authentic Burmese noodle soups as we discussed Tim and Tahra’s lives in Myanmar, job opportunities in the development sector, and memories of college days in Williamsburg, VA. I sipped tea and ate a flavorful dish called mohinga, which is a traditional noodle soup made with a fish broth and garnished with lemongrass, garlic, onion, egg, and leafy greens. It was delicious! Matt and I were so grateful for the chance to befriend and learn from Americans living in Myanmar; it further reinforced our excitement about potentially relocating abroad after our trip concludes!

I ate a traditional mohinga for brunch at Rangoon Tea House.

With full bellies, Matt and I spent a couple of hours perusing the enormous National Museum of Myanmar which had been highly recommended in our guidebook. Despite the museum’s lackluster presentation and poor lighting, the historic and cultural content was fascinating. Exhibits dove into Myanmar’s natural history featuring fossilized animal and human teeth; cultural development with traditional clothing, furniture, and puppets; political dynamics with a golden ‘Lion Throne’ of the Burmese monarch; and artistic expression with paintings and sculptures from throughout the centuries. The museum offered a solid primer as we explore the country over the next two weeks.

National Museum of Myanmar houses the Lion Throne.

Outside the museum.

After playing a few rounds of gin rummy at a coffee shop, Matt and I proceeded to Yangon’s People’s Park, which is essentially the city’s equivalent of NYC’s Central Park. Public green spaces tend to be my favorite spots to visit when touring big cities; I love seeing local families and young people passing free hours playing, picnicking, and relaxing together! People’s Park was sprawling and diverse in its offerings, situated with an amazing view of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the distance. We strolled through “Lover’s Lane” which—as it is named—was packed with young couples holding hands and sitting closely together under the shade and privacy of large umbrellas. People’s Park also housed a full amusement park with dozens of rides including a carousal, bumper cars, swinging pirate’s ship, and more. We watched a load of kids screaming as they sped around a loop-the-loop on the big yellow and blue roller coaster. Food and drink vendors lined many of the walkways and ornate fountains and gardens were sprinkled throughout the park. There was even a swimming area with hundreds of kids in bathing suits enjoying the cool water as they floated around a lazy river! We loved People’s Park and could definitely see ourselves hanging out there if we lived in Yangon.

In front of the roller coaster at People's Park.

Elephant fountain at People's Park. You can see the Shwedagon Pagoda in the background.

Matt and I ended our evening at Htwe Oo Myanmar, a family-run puppet theater housed in a living-room apartment off a non-descript residential street in west Yangon. Again, the Lonely Planet guidebook had recommended attending one of the nightly 6pm shows for an authentic Burmese experience given the country’s cultural history of puppetry. Burmese marionette puppetry is called “Yoke thé” and originated around 1780 as a form of royal entertainment for the king. The marionets are complexly built with about 18 wires for each puppet. I emailed with the puppet theater owner earlier in the day to reserve two tickets for me and Matt, and we expected a full-fledged theater venue set-up so we were surprised when our cab dropped us off on a quiet street and a food vendor ushered us towards an apartment building with a small sign indicating that it was the site of the puppet show. Have we been tricked? – I wondered to myself as we ascended a narrow staircase and left our shoes at the door. We entered a small room with 18 blue plastic chairs lined up in front of a red, plush curtained-stage. Thankfully more tourists filed in behind us and the seats were full at showtime. A kindly man welcomed the group, asked where everyone was visiting from, and gave a thorough explanation of his family’s puppet theater company and their successes traveling across the region to compete in the creative art. He even de-robed one of the marionettes to show us the inner workings of the wooden doll and soft cloth joints. Burmese puppets are treated in an almost human-like way, and they are even made with distinct male and female anatomy! The charming one-hour show felt authentic, telling a 12-part story of the Buddha and complemented by traditional music.

Seated at the puppet theater before other guests arrived.

Pictured with the puppeteers and their marionettes!

We wrapped up our evening at the fancy yet sparsely-filled 50^th Street Bar and Grill to watch the Liverpool soccer game on a big screen, and were surprised to find a soulful, Irish-sounding group of friends indulging in musical jam session. After they finished playing, a few British men changed the TV channel to show the rugby game instead of soccer, so we left before Liverpool tied and headed home to our cozy 501 Merchant Bed & Breakfast.

I could go on for years about the rest of our time in Yangon, but this post is getting a bit lengthy and I am a few days behind on the blog! I’ll quickly note that we enjoyed a free, two-hour guided walking tour enabling us to learn a bit more from an English-speaking tour guide about the city’s history and culture. We also feasted on a delectable Thai meal at the Green Gallery, a small, stylishly-decorated restaurant started by a female Burmese entrepreneur who spent years in Thailand studying cuisine. Because of its popularity and limited seating, reservations were necessary so I messaged with the owner on Facebook a few days early to ensure that Matt and I could taste the famous curries. Our favorite part of the meal was dessert: a perfectly ripe mango drizzled with condensed milk and accompanied with sweet, sticky rice. My mouth is watering just remembering it!

We snuck in a quick visit to the Sule Pagoda—another golden, Buddhist stupa centrally-located in downtown Yangon—as well as only synagogue in Myanmar, Musmeah Yeshua. The synagogue’s design was reminiscent of those we visited in Kolkata just days before, and featured a small exhibit with photographs and documents telling the history of the Myanmar Jews. Similar to the situation in Kolkata, Jewish immigrants from Iraq escaped religious oppression in the mid-19^th century and congregated in Yangon. At its peak, there were 2,500 members of the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue. These Jews were very active in developing businesses and office buildings in the area, and we noticed many historic plaques around Yangon crediting Jewish immigrants with funding the construction of various key buildings to house their entrepreneurial endeavors. The vast majority of this Jewish population has since emigrated to Israel, with fewer than 45 remaining in Yangon.

Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon.

Inside the Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue.