We were a bit nervous about coming to Myanmar as we knew it would be much different from anywhere we had visited so far. There was no need, because as soon as we landed in Yangon we discovered how lovely the people of Myanmar are. We also discovered, throughout our drive to the guesthouse, that all the men wear Longis (man skirts!).
A quick nap was had before we headed out to explore Yangon. First stop was the market. It was so nice seeing so little westerners and so many locals at a big market! It was full of jewellery, skirts and vintage shops which makes a change from the usual tat.
Later in the afternoon we went to the impressive Shwedagon Pagoda where all you could hear were prayers and wind charms... It was such a nice atmosphere.
For dinner we hunted down a traditional little restaurant we had read about for our first taste of Myanmar food. The place was full of locals and the curry was incredible. Samuel enjoyed his first Myanmar beer too.

Whilst at the Pagoda the day before, a monk had asked us to go along to an English class in the morning to pass on our 'knowledge'. We decided this would be an experience so thought we would check it out. Not really knowing what to expect, we were quite overwhelmed when we were pushed into either sides of the class room and surrounded by students! Twenty minutes later we were put on stage with a microphone to answer questions from the students. Although a little overwhelming, it was a good experience as we also found out a lot about Myanmar. One of the best quotes from the morning (from a young girl) aimed at Samuel was 'Why do have such hairy arms? I wish I was that hairy!'
In the afternoon we explored a bit more of Yangon, ending up getting the boat across the river to Dala. The boat in itself was an experience. You pretty much had to run and jump to get on before it had even pulled in properly, in order to get a space. The boat was filled with all sorts including half dead chickens attached to bikes, that would suddenly get a wind of life every now and then.
Dala is much different from Yangon, even though it's only a ten minute boat ride away. There are no cars, only rickshaws, bikes and the odd scooter. We explored the area by rickshaws, passing through small villages full of little huts and children waving and shouting 'hello' at us. One of the most interesting sights we saw however, was a huge (and deadly) snake, which was pointed out to us by some local children. Luckily there was a big enough distance between us but the poor birds near it had no chance.

Just in those first two days we experienced much more culture than in any of the countries we have already visited, which is exactly what we hoped for.

Pictures probably won't be uploaded for a little while as the wifi here barely works x