I stayed in the hotel this morning and did some heavy research on Burma. Looking for somewhere to stay tonight was proving a little hard. I had a couple of choices that were close together so I didn't spend a fortune on taxi looking all around. It started to rain just before the plane took off so I was glad to be leaving just in time. When I arrived in Yangon it is pissin down and hasn't stopped since I got here. I took my chances in monsoon season.
When we landed I came through customs pretty quick and when I was exiting the airport there was a guy with a sign from Ocean Pearl Hotel with someone's name on it. I went up to him and said "I want to go there can you take me?" He said "yes" so that saved me the $8 taxi ride. He said they have 2 hotels and I have to go to the second one but it is only $20/night and that is cheap in Yangon. It is the second floor of a high rise and is actually Aung si Guest house. The room is a bit smelly (musty) but I have my own bathroom and it is bigger than the one I had in Bangkok so it will do.
The taxi ride here was longer than the flight. We were picked up in a boonger of a Tarago with a broken window and it was on my side so I got wet coming here. I am definitely in a third world country.

This morning I headed out early after the complimentary breakfast. (bread and coffee, no power for the toaster) I was after train tickets to Thazi next week and bus tickets to Hpa-an. (in Burma you don't say the H so it is Pa an) It is still raining and has been all night. It alternating between ******* down and really ******* down. You think it is cold wet and miserable but it is not it is hot wet and miserable. The puddles down each side of the road are about 10 feet wide and about a foot deep. You cant avoid them so my shoes are full of water.
I had a great idea. To keep out of the rain I was going to take the 'circle train'. The Circle train is an iconic Yangon train trip that goes in a big circle around Yangon. The full circle is 3hour and cost $1. I started in A class but it was a bit sanitized for me so at one of the stations I got into fun class with the locals. That was a whole lotta fun.
This afternoon it stopped raining so I did a bit of a tour of the area and a few pagoda's Botataung and Sule. Botataung has a strand of Buddha's hair and a tooth. There is supposed to be 5 strands of Buddha's hair in Myanmar but I don't remember where they all are.

Tomorrow Im on the bus to Hpa an for 2 days and then back here for one night and then the night train to Thazi...arrives at 4am.

I nearly forgot to add this just for Aprille
Don't google the exchange rate cos it prolly wont be right here. I am changing all money on the black market (really just dark grey) and the rate is anywhere from 980 to 1100 kyat (they say CHAT, dunno why). So my 6hr bus ride tomorrow is 6000k or $6 but it will cost me 7000k to get taxi 1 1/2hr to bus station, go figure?