Between Two Capitals: Hitchhiking from Naypyitaw to Yangon

Events narrated in this article happened on Tuesday the 14th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from the new capital city Naypyitaw to the old one named Yangon. CONTENT WARNING: there are vivid descriptions of vomiting in here. Emetophobics might want to sit this one out. Early Wake-Up The breakfast time in Vegas Hotel Naypyitaw started at 6:30. That was the time we chose to wake up. I didn’t feel very great, but I soldiered on and dragged myself to breakfast. We’d already packed the night before, so the only thing that was stopping us from hitchhiking the 360Continue reading

Naypyitaw: A Surreal Planned City for Lovers of Motorcycles, Concrete, and Serenity

We were in Naypyitaw from the 10th till the 14th of January 2020. We worked from our hotel, took a taxi, and rented a motorbike for one day of exploration. Contents1 A Brief History of Naypyitaw – a Planned City2 Day 1: Orienting Ourselves2.1 Naypyitaw’s Hotel Zone2.2 A Lesson in Walkability3 Day 2: Searching for Life3.1 Naypyitaw City Hall3.2 Eating at Thapyagone Night Market4 Day 3: Working from the Vegas Hotel5 Day 4: Renting a Motorbike and Driving it About5.1 Our Semi-Automatic Motorbike on Empty Streets5.2 Uppatasanti Pagoda5.3 20-Lane Highway/Runway5.4 The Hluttaw5.5 Myoma Market5.6 Naypyitaw’s Diplomatic Housing Estate5.7 Handing Back ourContinue reading

Hitchhiking from Nyaung-U (Old Bagan) to Naypyitaw

This happened on the 10th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Nyaung-U – the town near the famous ruins of Old Bagan – to Myanmar’s new capital city Naypyitaw. This was our first attempt at hitchhiking in Myanmar. We covered 260 kilometers by hitchhiking. Here you can find a price comparison of our hitchhiking journey versus taking the bus and here’s the map of our route and points of interest. Preparations to Hitchhike in Myanmar I’d been preparing for hitchhiking in Myanmar for literal weeks. Back when Jonas and I were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I made the first hitchhiking signContinue reading