Yangon, the capital city, is the main gateway to Myanmar.  Evergreen and cool with lush tropical trees, shady parks and beautiful lakes, Yangon has earned the name of "The Garden City of the East".  Yangon was founded by King Alaungpaya on the site of a small settlement called Dagon when he conquered Lower Myanmar in 1755.  The name Yangon means "End of Strife" which was anglicized as Rangoon by the British.  The present day Yangon covers 500 sq km and is in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Lower Myanmar.  An urban area with a vast population (5 million), its weather is just comfortable and nothing to boast about.  In the rainy season it rains heavily sometimes, but mostly for an hour or two only.  Rains days on end seem to have become things of the past, maybe due to climate change occurring all over the globe.

Brief History of Yangon

         Yangon had been a small Mon village by the name of Dagon until the middle of the 18th century . Dagon had never been the center of a realm of any significant extent. Nevertheless, even in the earliest times of Burmese history the place was of considerable importance, because Dagon was home to the Shwedagon Pagoda, which has not only for centuries, but for millennia, been an important religious location.

          In 1755 Dagon was conquered by King Alaungpaya, who renamed the town to Yangon, which translates "The End of Stirfe".  In 1824, during the first Anglo-Myanmar war, Yangon was shortly occupied by the British, but was cleared again soon after.  In 1841, the town burned down to the fundaments of the city walls, but was on orders of King Tharrawaddy rebuilt anew.  In 1852, during the second Anglo-Myanmar war, the small town of Yangon was again conquered by the British, who this time did not withdraw, but on the contrary turned the town into the administrative center of southern Myanmar, which at that time was under their control. They also renamed Yangon to Rangoon.  In 1855, after the British had won the third Anglo-Myanmar war and had conquered northern Myanmar, Yangon became the capital of the Myanmar part of the crown colony India, to which it had initially been added.  The British rebuilt the town completely anew and used a square pattern for their city planning, which until today makes orientation in the center of town comparatively easy.

Around Yangon

Bago (Pegu)
          Bago, ancient capital of the Mon Kings of the 14th to 16th century and of second Myanmar Empire created by King Bayintnaung, is located only 80 km (one and a half hour drive) from Yangon.  The Shwemawdaw Pagoda, Kalyani Thein (Ordination Hall), the 55-metre long Shwethalyaung Reclining Buddha, the four giant Buddha images of Kyaikpun Pagoda and the reconstructed Kamboza-thadi Palace of King Bayintnaung are some of the highlights.  On the way to Bago near Htaukkyant is the War Memorial for 27,000 Allied soldiers who fell in the Second World War.

Thanlyin (Syriam)
          Only 30 minutes drive from Yangon across the Bago River, Thanlyin was a major port from the 14th to the century, until it was displaced by Yangon in 1755, and was briefly controlled by the Portuguese adventurer de Brito at the beginning of the 17th century.  The ruins of a Catholic Church built by an Italian Barnabite missionary in the 18th century can still be seen in Thanlyin.  Kyaikkhauk Pagoda in Thanlyin and Yelepaya (a pagoda on a small island) at Kyauktan are some of the places of interest.

Twan-te
          Twan-te, a small town on Twan-te Canal is two hours (24 km) away by boat from Yangon.  The boat trip provides a view of life along the canal while Twan-te itself provides interest as a centre of pottery and hand-woven cotton cloth.

Allied War Memorial Cemetery
          The cemetery is located at Htaukkyant, 32 km from Yangon on the road to Bago.  Its beautifully kept grounds has 27,000 graves of Allied soldiers who died in Myanmar during World War II.

Let-khok-kone Beach
          Located 30 km from Yangon, Let-khok-kone is the nearest beach and a popular weekend picnic site.  It is reached by a ferry boat ride to Dallah followed by a 3 hours drive.