Days 3 and 4 in Yangon were a bit more chill, with most of my "must sees" completed. Actually pretty much all the tourist sites for Yangon had been completed, and everyone at the hostel was pretty desperate to leave. I thought this city had more in store though, and I stuck around. Turns out that was a good decision. But still, I knew there wasn't much left, so I went to the train station to get my ticket. After that and a curry lunch, I started with Sein Yaung. A small temple that's just a footnote, its claim to fame is that the entire surface is mirrored. But, Myanmar is near the equator. And with the hot tropic sun that means Sein Yuang Temple is a giant heat beam of death and destruction. The walk up on hot pavement, no shoes of course, was piping hot and I rushed to get photos under much pain. So, you're welcome.

The next stop was also an odd one, the last emperor of India died in Yangon after he pissed of the British, and they sent him here. Now he is buried in a grand tomb befitting his greatness. Just kidding. He's in someone's back yard in a Yangon suburb. I swear that's true, it was hard to find the place nestled among the other houses. But he does have a proper temple, albeit small. And his body isn't behind some marble slab, nope. Just chilling in his coffin, go touch it if you want. Weird place.

Today was a bit brutal heat wise, topping out in the 40s (over 100F). But it didn't really bother me, I wasn't even sweating that much. I guess I am really used to this heat now. Regardless the next stop was the National Museum, a place I always like going to so I can find the moon rocks Nixon gave all the different countries. Also air conditioning.

The museum is massive, ugly building (not the one in the photo) containing some amazing artifacts in shitty cases. It's a shame, because spread over 5 floors, it kept me occupied for over 2 hours, and I travel fast. It could easily be a half day thing, and would be enjoyable if it didn't look like a high school from 1930. But it had some really amazing stuff, which you are not allowed to photograph. Sorry about that.Actually, not really. Seriously, this building exuded whatever the opposite of architectural beauty is.

After I went to Bogyoke market, but I ran into an Anglican Cathedral on the way. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was pretty, but closed. The market itself was too touristy for my tastes, flooded with Chinese tour groups. They were all eating at tourists restaurants where a Coke is $1 (normally 20 cents). I set out to find where the locals eat, and eventually found it. I had a feast for $1.20, and probably better food too. I was pretty tired and could tell I was starting to get heat stroke, so I went back to the hostel for the night.

The next day was a half one, since I had to catch a train in the afternoon. With 0 expectations, I decided to go to the other side of the river just, because. It turns out that was my favorite part of the trip. The boat was a giant ferry, and more of a literal floating market than a means of transport. These kids sold me seagull food for 100 kyat (10 cents), and man, the seagulls really came out of nowhere to eat it. On the other side, still with 0 tourists in sight, a bicycle taxi offered to take me around for 6000 kyat. It's kind of a ripoff, but I decided what the heck, it's 6 bucks. Turns out that was a good decision. He told me a lot about Myanmar, gave his blunt opinion on the government (bad), and his opinion on Buddhism (good). Mao Mao, or "Cat cat" in Chinese was a fun guy, carrying on about how he's going to marry Celine Dion and Rhianna. He took me to this village I definitely never would have found, basically poor people who live in bamboo huts by the river. After some hesitant stares, a bunch of kids ran up to me. Surprisingly not to sell me junk, but to touch my hair and arms. We just hung out playing with the kids and drinking tea, and it was a really nice day.

After lunch it was back to the train station for the 16 hour journey. I lucked out and shared a sleeper cabin with a Chinese American, so we had a lot to talk about. I had heard the train was an adventure, and they weren't kidding. British engineering at its finest, this was not a train. It was a rollercoaster. I initially had trouble sleeping because I became airborne several times, and would awake in midair. This led to thoughts I would never imagine having, such as "I wonder where I am going to land." and "It is possible the train has derailed." And honestly it doesn't seem that far fetched, after having to hold on because the train listed at a 45 degree angle. Regardless trains put me to sleep, and after wedging myself into a corner I managed to get a dusty 8 hours. While it was an unforgettable experience, I would not recommended it. The previously mentioned group from Yangon arrived just hours before me, despite leaving 24 hours earlier. Apparently their train kept losing cars, then having to go back for them. Then the engine car kept breaking down. Here I thought the Thai train system had issues - move over, Myanmar takes the cake.