Yangon (Rangoon) is located in the fertile Ayeyarwady River delta region of southern Myanmar, approximately 30km from the Andaman Sea.  The city was founded on the site of a small, ancient fishing village in the mid-18th century, and became the capital of the country in 1885, when the British completed their conquest of Mandalay and Upper Myanmar.   

Although Yangon has a population of over 4 million inhabitants, the city feels less congested and hectic than many other large Asian cities.  The British established an orderly grid system of wide streets in the city center, and the downtown area has a very Victorian and Edwardian era colonial feel about it (although unfortunately many of the old buildings are in need of repairs).  There are many parks, gardens, trees and lakes, giving the impression of a very green and open city.  Adding to the laid-back environment, there are many small teashops downtown where local residents relax, chat, drink tea, and eat snacks. 

Dominating the landscape of Yangon are the glimmering towers of the Shwedagon Paya.  This shrine is the most important Buddhist shrine in the country and is a major highlight of any visit to Myanmar.  Shwedagon Paya is on a high hill in the northern reaches of Yangon.  The main stupa (zedi) is a great bell-shaped dome 98 meters high, covered in almost 60 metric tonnes of gold leaf and is capped by a crown (hti) topped with an orb covered with over 1800 carats in diamonds.  The central zedi is surrounded along the base by many smaller golden spires, 4 large shrines for the principal Buddhas, and 8 small shrines representing the signs in the Burmese zodiac.  Many other shrines and gold-covered towers surround the zedi, and the entire complex can be seen from miles away.  Sunrise and sunset are optimal visit times, as many Burmese come to Shwedagon Paya at these times to pray, and the darkened skies accentuate the glittering of the golden spires in the sunlight.

Other temples worth visiting in Yangon are the Sule Paya, located in the center of a major downtown crossroads;  the Botataung Paya, unusual in that the central zedi is hollow; and the Chaukhtatgyi Paya, which has an enormous reclining Buddha.  Yangon has several gardens and lake areas - two which are particularly pleasant are the Mahabandoola Garden (downtown, near the Sule Paya) and the Kandawgyi Lake area (near the Shwedagon Paya, north of the center).

The downtown Bogyoke Aung San Market (also known as Scott Market) is a good place to go shopping and bargaining for Burmese handicrafts.    Other things to see and do downtown are walking around to see the old British colonial buildings, and relaxing as the Burmese do at a good local teashop for inexpensive tea and snacks.

Click on the images below for views from my tour of  Yangon: