April 13, 2019: I was in Myanmar at this point last year. I was there for Thingyan which is the Burmese version of New Years. It is a festival that lasts from April 13 to the 16th. Believe it or not, this was actually my 3rd New Years celebration in Southeast Asia that year.
At this point, I was running out of cash. I did not have a debit card due to a very eventful night in Vietnam with my brother (long story). I had only the money that my mother sent over via Western Union Transfer. She sent me $600 USD for a month in Myanmar. At the start of the trip, I had a bag full of cash, the largest bill was 10,000 Kyat which is only around $7.00 USD. I had about 85,000 Kyat, I felt like a drug dealer…
I reached Ngwesaung a few days before the festival started. I figured beach out before I went back to the city for the festival. It was a peaceful beach where I spent about 3 days walking around aimlessly. It was beautiful there and because of the festival, there was nobody there. It was practically a ghost town. The restaurants were empty and almost every Burmese restaurant owner would run out to me. I liked it there a lot. It was a nice rest period before going back to Yangon.
From the beach, I caught the last bus to Yangon. Once I got into town, I met a really cool crew. We had good conversations about feminism, philosophy, and culture. Nada was an animal on the guitar and we spent a few nights singing folk songs together. She and Ariadna were a feisty duo. I was running out of money at this time, so I decided to limit my expenses to rum and local food (the essentials). A big bottle of rum costs about 1300 Kyat which is less than a dollar.
For three days straight, I drank and partied with the locals. During the festival, they would spray you down with water nonstop. They loved to get tourists wet. I would carry around a squirt gun to protect myself. You’d never catch me in the streets without a weapon! When you go closer to the center of town, people set up stages where they had hoses that spray out at you. They would blast music and people would dance for hours. With a little rum in my system, I was quite the dancer. Many locals would say Happy New Year to me and give me a firm handshake or a hug. The Burmese people are special. I would definitely recommend tasting their culture if you ever get the chance. If you can stand the humidity, it is a pretty cool vacation spot.
In the center of town right by Inya Lake there was a massive stage with thousands of people dancing their hearts away. I was too experienced of a traveler to take an Uber to the event, so I hitchhiked.
Families would use their delivery trucks and drive around town spraying people. So naturally me and few friends, flagged a truck down and hopped on for the ride. The locals would have a 50 galloon jug of water to spray at people and a cooler filled with mixed drinks. They always offered and I always accepted. I hitchhiked quite a few times in that period of time. It actually saved me a lot of money in retrospect. What an experience! I washed off a lot of bad luck in those three days!
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