Joe Louis eats street food
The room went dark. I felt my way to the door and managed across the hallway to the front desk of the inn where some LED lights serving as a beacon to guide confused guests. “It’s just blackout. Power may be back in 30 minutes or hour.” The manager’s voice was nonplussed. This was a common occurrence in Yangon.
I decided to go outside and walk around the city instead of remaining in the darkened motel den. Street vendors were still out and the concentrated glow of LED lights above each stall created an intimate setting for each booth. I looked over nuts and vegetables and even the remaining chicken flesh being sold. Sure there was no central power, but people keep getting on. We adapt. That’s what we do.
The next day I mentioned the power outages to a cab driver. This was the first time I heard any form dissent opined by a local. He mentioned how people were frustrated with the military over issues like that, but he stopped short of saying anything should be done in response. While Myanmar is newly opened to tourists, it is still finding its way as a developing country.
See what other sites are saying about Yangon:
“About 75 per cent of Myanmar’s 60 million people are without regular electricity, according to the Asian Development Bank. Power cuts are a daily occurrence even in Yangon.”
–Al Jazeera
“I loved the chaotic energy, all the delicious food, the bright colors, the old crumbling colonial buildings, and the long pieces of string with clips on their ends dangling from apartment windows so that inhabitants don’t have to walk down several flights of stairs to pick up their packages or food deliveries.”
–Heart My Backpack
