Three days in Yangon with kids, Burma

I had a sudden insight into life as a celebrity’s assistant. From almost every corner of the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Burma*, people were brandishing their cameras – not to capture the astonishing gold stupa at its heart, or the monks processing along the white marble.

No, they wanted a photo with my daughter. Or of my daughter. Burma – or Myanmar – is a hugely child-friendly place to visit, but with her blonde hair and blue eyes, my three-year-old was the centre of attention and nowhere more so than Yangon’s main attraction.

She, meanwhile, was having none of it. Announcing the floor was too hot to walk on, she insisted on being carried (bet even A-listers don’t ask their PAs to do that in tropical heat) as I slightly desperately tried to capture the scene.

It was our final night in Burma’s biggest city and if you’re visiting Yangon with kids, it’s unmissable. We’d timed our visit for just before sunset to try to see the pagoda in daylight and then lit up at night – and to avoid some of the worst of the heat.

In bare feet, I think I’d have struggled with the sun beating down.

The most sacred Buddhist pagoda in the country, the 325ft tall golden stupa is said to contain eight hairs of the Buddha among other relics, decorated with almost 9,000 precious gems topped with a 76-carat diamond.

According to legend, there has been a stupa here for over 2,500 years, and according to archaeologists, the Mon people built one between the 6th and 10th centuries.

There’s certainly a brick inscribed 1485 in the eastern stairway to the current site, which remains despite being damaged repeatedly by earthquakes.

Four entrances lead up to the pagoda, including one flanked by two half-lion, half-dragon statues – the ‘Chinthe’ as they’re called, are 30ft high themselves and their gold sparkles in the light if you drive past the southern entrance.

I had expected to be wowed. What I hadn’t expected was quite how much more there was to see, and how very far this was from being a tourist attraction.

For me, that was the best part: we saw families wandering round together, another group bringing their sons to be novices amid much ceremonial celebration, monks going about their daily business and a busy trade of flowers for offerings.

Even better, I was visiting with my sister-in-law, who’s from Burma, so I could see what people really do on a visit (and bombard her with questions in between).

For starters, there are the crocodiles… Stretching along the northern entrance stairs, two long carved bannisters end in crocodile heads – Minnie, as usual, was taking no chances of it being a real crocodile in disguise, even after my nephew happily posed for photos by one clawed foot.

Nearby, stalls full of offerings and toys line the steps.

Back in the centre, I could barely take in the different gilded temples, the decoration and detail here and on the statues – let alone find the 15th century sandstone slabs telling how the sacred hairs were brought to the country or see the photo gallery.

Overwhelmed, I only realised we’d finished a full clockwise circuit when we returned to one of the posts marking the days of the week.

These planetary posts stand at different spots around the stupa, some days with more than one, all with a Buddha statue at the base of the post.

You choose the spot matching the day of your birth and pour water over the Buddha for a blessing, once for each year of your life plus one.

By now, the sticky heat was starting to feel oppressive and after a short lesson to Minnie and her 18-month-old cousin in how to ring the huge bells, we found a quieter spot on some temple steps, away from the keen photographers.

Waiting for the sun to set, the humidity suddenly broke with a downpour transforming the smooth marble into a slick sheet. The rain over almost as soon as it had begun, I held Minnie’s hands tight as she ‘ice skated’ back to the exit, giggling gleefully the whole way.

It seemed to sum up my three days in Yangon with kids: nothing here was quite as I’d expected. I’d deliberately kept our itinerary light as I knew we’d be getting over jetlag and acclimatising to the heat but that still gave us time to explore some of the city.

Even driving in from the airport, contradictions abounded – gleaming car dealerships sat a stone’s throw from crumbling apartment blocks, the paint long peeled away, while golden stupas shone in between.

Most places still have two almost interchangeable names, with unexpected British versions still appearing, however apparently inappropriate – Windermere Road might be on the way to Inya Lake but could hardly be further from the dramatic green scenery of its English namesake.

Staying at a hotel on Kandawgyi Lake, we were only a short journey from much of the centre including Bogyoke Market (or Scott Market) where I had changed my dollars for kyat and bought a parasol for Minnie to shelter under.

A three-year-old isn’t the best companion for leisurely browsing, so we headed off for lunch at the nearby Sakura Tower where the Sky Bistro has views out over the city.

Then a drive through Yangon’s colonial past. Lonely Planet has a great walking route in its guide to Myanmar which takes you past many of the key buildings but with temperatures in the high 30s, I was all about the aircon car.

From the blue and white City Hall opposite lush green lawns and the Sule Pagoda, we passed the Strand Hotel – Yangon’s equivalent of Raffles – as well as the British Embassy, a rather magnificent post office and Port Authority building, moments from the Ayeyarwady river where ferries cruised across the water.

Outside the old general hospital, stray dogs panted in the dust and razor wire surrounded the red brick building which couldn’t have looked more Victorian if Queen Victoria had been standing out front.

A group of boys waved as I took photos, calling out ‘hello! hello!’ The city has already changed so much in a few years, I was glad to be seeing it before it altered much further.

Tracing Yangon’s history back further – and the history of the country long before the British set foot – we made a pitstop at the National Museum. Set over several floors, there are fascinating exhibits and artefacts but sadly not a lot of explanation about them.

There are English signs, but unless you know the context, it’s a bit baffling – the equivalent of marking a ceremonial costume as King Henry III’s if you didn’t know your English history (or hadn’t done any research in advance).

Despite that, it’s worth seeing – those ceremonial costumes are astonishing, how anyone wore them in the heat is mind-boggling. But along with religious statues and gilded coaches, sections on language and prehistoric finds, the unmissable sight is the Golden Lion Throne.

Taking up an entire room, gilded and surrounded by smaller statues, it’s far more impressive than my photos could capture.

The same goes for the huge reclining Buddha at the Chaukhtatgyi Paya, stretching 65m from head to decorated toes.

Another place that’s visited by locals rather than merely a tourist attraction, we discovered smaller animal-decorated shrines around the back and even more excitingly – for Minnie – a playful litter of kittens, flexing their claws on a carpet, play fighting and generally being so tempting that she didn’t want to leave.

But leave we had to. Because after finding our feet and getting our first taste of Burma, it was time to head to Bagan and let the real exploring begin.

Need to know: Yangon with kids

Shwedagon Pagoda

You should dress respectfully before entering the pagoda, with long skirts or trousers and no vest tops. Short-sleeved and sleeveless tops seemed fine as long as they weren’t spaghetti straps but if in doubt, cover up. These rules don’t apply to children but everyone needs to remove their shoes.

The Southern entrance is the most popular as it is closest to the city centre, and there is also a lift from the ticket desk. The northern entrance has a lift as well, while the western entrance has escalators. All four have stairs.

Entrance costs $8 for adults and the pagoda is open from 4am to 10pm, with last admission at 9.45pm. Foreign tourists may not be admitted before 6am – we didn’t try, but if you’d like to be there to see the sunrise, it’s worth doublechecking.

The National Museum

You’re not allowed to take larger cameras or bags inside the museum, but there are lockers provided. Phones are fine, as is using your camera in most places: a couple of exhibits have signs to show no photos are allowed.

Entry costs 5,000 kyat (around £3/$3.50) and it’s open from around 10am to 4pm. There are fans inside, so it’s a slightly cooler option for midday too.

Other sights in Yangon with kids

Entrance to the Chaukhtatgyi Paya to see the reclining Buddha is free, open 6am to 8pm daily.

Bogyoke (Scott) market is open from around 10am (or later) to 4.30pm.

You can walk around Kandawgyi Lake, and across the wooden boardwalk – entrance was around $1 or $2, depending who you talked to (or you’ll get great views from some of the lakeside hotels too).

PIN FOR LATER: YANGON WITH KIDS

*My sister-in-law, who comes from the country, calls it Burma so for simplicity, so do I.

Images copyright MummyTravels

LIKED THIS? SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER