678 YANGON8YANGONINFORMATION& 38th St; h5-9pm) is held every evening near
the Methodist Telugu Church.
Bogyoke Aung San Market MARKET
(Map p 46 ; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h10am-5pm Tue-
Sun) Half a day could easily be spent wan-
dering around this 70-year-old sprawling
market (sometimes called by its old British
name, Scott Market). Besides the fact that it
has over 2000 shops and the largest selection
of Myanmar handicrafts you’ll fi nd under
several roofs, the market is a fantastic oppor-
tunity to smile, laugh and haggle alongside
local shoppers. You’ll fi nd a whole variety of
interesting souvenirs, from lacquerware and
Shan shoulder bags to T-shirts and puppets.
Pick up some nice slippers here, convenient
for all the on-and-off demanded by paya pro-
tocol. Gems and jewellery are also on hand.
Shops worth seeking out include Yo Ya May
(1st fl ), specialising in hill tribe textiles, partic-
ularly those from Chin State, and Heritage
Gallery (1st fl ), which has a good selection of
reproduction and authentic antiques with an
emphasis on lacquerware.
Theingyi Zei MARKET
(Map p 46 ; Shwedagon Pagoda Rd) The biggest
market in central Yangon, this is especially
good for locals, who fi nd Bogyoke Aung San
Market a little too pricey. Most of the mer-
chandise is ordinary housewares and textiles,
but the market is renowned for its large selec-
tion of traditional herbs and medicines, which
can be found on the ground fl oor of the east-
ernmost building. Traditional herbal sham-
poo, made by boiling the bark of the Tayaw
shrub with big black kin pun (acacia pods), is
sold in small plastic bags; this is the secret of
Myanmar women’s smooth, glossy hair.
Mingala Zei MARKET
(Map p 48 ; cnr Ban Yar Da La St & Set Yone Rd) A
little southeast of Kandawgyi, this market
proff ers textiles, clothes, electrical appli-
ances, plasticware, preserved and tinned
foodstuff s, modern medicines, and even cos-
metics from China, Thailand and Singapore.
Amazingly, at night a section of this market
transforms into a nightclub, JJ City (p 65 ).
Tailor s
Yangon isn’t a place you’d usually think
of for tailor-made clothes, but prices are
among the lowest in Southeast Asia.
Tip-Top Tailors TAILOR
(Map p 42 ; cnr Mahabandoola Rd & 43rd St) A
friendly tailor shop, which is open ‘everyday,
except some of the days when we are shut’.
Some of the days when it is most likely to be
shut are Fridays and Sundays.Globe Tailoring TAILOR
(Map p 46 ; 367 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Well re-
garded by local expats for women’s and
men’s tailoring.8 Information
Cultural Centres & Libraries
At Shwedagon Paya (p 71 ), you can visit the
Library & Archives of Buddhism, located in the
western arch. There is no public library system
in the country.
Alliance Française (Map p 48 ; %536 900;
http://afrangoun.org; 340 Pyay Rd; h9.30am-
12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm
& 2-6pm Sat) French culture, reading material
and various French-language evening courses.
American Center (Map p 46 ; %223 140; 14
Taw Win St; h9am-4pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon
Thu) Behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It
also has a collection of books and magazines,
including a good Burma section. American films
are shown here Tuesday to Saturday at 1pm.
British Council Library (Map p 42 ; %254 658;
http://www.britishcouncil.org/burma; 78 Strand Rd;
h8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 9am-1pm
Sun) A very modern and plush facility connected
to the British embassy. It has a small library of
English-language magazines, books and videos
and one of the most complete collections of
English-language history books on Myanmar. Emergency
Your home embassy (see p 362 ) may be able to
assist with advice during emergencies or serious
problems. It’s a good idea to register with your
embassy upon arrival or, if possible, register
online before you arrive, so that embassy staff
will know where to reach you in case of an emer-
gency at home.
There isn’t always an English-speaking opera-
tor on the following numbers; you may have to
enlist the aid of a Burmese speaker.
Ambulance (%192)
Fire department (%191)
Police (%199)
Red Cross (%383 680) Internet Access
Most top-end hotels and many midrange ones
off er wi-fi access, as do a steadily growing num-
ber of small hotels and cyber cafés (see boxed
text, p 68 ). Rates are by the hour – usually pro
rata if under an hour – and most of the central
cyber cafés (as well as many hotels) know how to
outwit the censors, meaning that you can nor-
mally log onto pretty much any website. Server