If you are going to visit Yangon for the first time and want a quick introduction of the city without any tour or local guides, you could simply hop on the Yangon Circular Train for a nostalgic journey around the city, where you can get a close up on the daily life of the Myanmar people and also capture some beautiful images of the changing landscapes.
The Yangon Circular Railway was built by the British during the colonial times back in 1954. The railway track loop consists of 39 stations and it covers a distance of 45.9km; the slow moving train that runs through urban, suburban and rural areas takes about 3 hours to complete a single circuit journey. Today, the railway has about 200 coaches, and it runs 20 times a day with up to 150,000 tickets sold daily. The circular railway is the cheapest way to travel around Yangon and it is mainly used by the lower income passengers to get from one place to another along the course. In recent years, taking a train ride on the Yangon Circular Railway has become one of the top things to do in Yangon.
We started our journey at the Yangon Central Railway Station and we bought our tickets from a small ticket office on platform 7. The foreigner ticket used to cost US$1 for one complete loop, but now the ticket costs 200 Kyats for both local and foreigner. The first train departs at 6:10am and the last train at 5:10pm daily. If you decided to go for a complete loop, then you don't have to worry whether to travel clockwise or anticlockwise, because after 3 hours you will be back to where you have begun.
Check out what we saw during our three hours train journey around Yangon City:
1. The Train
The ordinary train is non air-conditioned but comes with ceiling fans. The train ride is free seating, therefore you can walk freely from one carriage to another to check out the everyday life of the people in Yangon.
2. The Passengers
The passengers living a slow paced lifestyle without any hurry, munching on the snacks and looking out of the window to keep themselves entertained.
3. Good Sleep
Knowing that the journey will be slow and long, the people made themselves comfortable and have a good nap.
4. Greenery Landscape
As the train reached the outskirt of the city, the landscape turned into lush green forests and farmland. It's time to take a breath of fresh air.
5. The Interaction
They were curious of us as much as how we curious about them. The children saw us taking photos of them, and they also started to take photos of us with their mobile phone.
6. The Monks & The Nuns
Myanmar is one of the most religious Buddhist countries in the world. It is very common to see the monks and the nuns on the street or public transports.
7. The Myanmar Longyi
One of the most unique things that I have noticed was most of the men in Yangon or Myanmar are wearing Longyi in their daily lives. The Longyi is a type of skirt-like garment widely worn by the men and women in Myanmar. The Longyis worn by men are called Paso, while those worn by women are called Htamain.
8. Thanaka
The most unique feature of Burma's culture is the yellowish white paste on the faces of the Myanmar people. This yellowish white paste is known as Thanaka; it is used as a cosmetic to beautify skin and also to give a cooling sensation to the skin and protection from the sun.
9. Street Vendors
The street vendors are almost everywhere along the circular railway. They run their businesses from the train to the platform of the stations.
10. Danyingon Station
The Danyingon Station is the busiest station along the circular railway. Every day, the locals will crowd around the platforms or even the railway tracks to do their trading activities. If you plan to hop off the train at one of the stations, this should be one of your top choices.
11. Track Crossing
The track might be an obstacle for the people, but their lives go on, just need extra effort and care.
The passengers living a slow paced lifestyle without any hurry, munching on the snacks and looking out of the window to keep themselves entertained.
3. Good Sleep
Knowing that the journey will be slow and long, the people made themselves comfortable and have a good nap.
4. Greenery Landscape
As the train reached the outskirt of the city, the landscape turned into lush green forests and farmland. It's time to take a breath of fresh air.
5. The Interaction
They were curious of us as much as how we curious about them. The children saw us taking photos of them, and they also started to take photos of us with their mobile phone.
6. The Monks & The Nuns
Myanmar is one of the most religious Buddhist countries in the world. It is very common to see the monks and the nuns on the street or public transports.
7. The Myanmar Longyi
One of the most unique things that I have noticed was most of the men in Yangon or Myanmar are wearing Longyi in their daily lives. The Longyi is a type of skirt-like garment widely worn by the men and women in Myanmar. The Longyis worn by men are called Paso, while those worn by women are called Htamain.
8. Thanaka
The most unique feature of Burma's culture is the yellowish white paste on the faces of the Myanmar people. This yellowish white paste is known as Thanaka; it is used as a cosmetic to beautify skin and also to give a cooling sensation to the skin and protection from the sun.
9. Street Vendors
The street vendors are almost everywhere along the circular railway. They run their businesses from the train to the platform of the stations.
10. Danyingon Station
The Danyingon Station is the busiest station along the circular railway. Every day, the locals will crowd around the platforms or even the railway tracks to do their trading activities. If you plan to hop off the train at one of the stations, this should be one of your top choices.
11. Track Crossing
The track might be an obstacle for the people, but their lives go on, just need extra effort and care.
12. Hanging Out
The railway platform and tracks have become their favourite place to hang out.
13. Play A Game
The young men and children making use the great setting of the railway platform and tracks to play a game.
14. Carrying On Head
Using head to carry things is a common practice in some parts of the world, and Myanmar is one of them.
15. Follow The Railway Tracks
The railway tracks that cut through the vegetation will guide the people to their desired destination without getting lost.
Despite the long and slow journey, the Yangon Circular Train ride was quite an enjoyable one after all. Not only it allowed us to take a quick look into the local life in Yangon, it also gives us a great opportunity to mingle with the friendly locals. Travel is not always about the destination, sometime it is the journey that brings you the beautiful memories.
<< Yangon Central Railway Station >>
Location: Click Here For Map
Year Visited: 2014 June
Written by: Q.J.
Photography by: Q.J. & K.K.