“Yangon Central Station”
Yangon, Myanmar. November 2019 (12 photos)
This is Part 15 of my posts about Myanmar, and Part 19 of my posts about my near month-long visit to Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore in November 2019.
Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is the largest city in Myanmar with a population of over 7 million. The name Yangon is derived from the combination of the Burmese words ‘yan’ and ‘koun’, which mean ‘enemies’ and ‘run out of’, respectively. This word combination is commonly translated as ‘End of Strife’. It’s rather ironic given the history of Yangon and Myanmar. Anyway, here are some more photos from my walks in Yangon: Scenes from the end of strife, particularly taken on my visits to Yangon Central Railway Station.
“At the ticket office”
In Burmese script, words are not separated by spaces or punctuation. Seeing signs written in Burmese was mostly very perplexing and intimidating. I walked to the ticket counter in trepidation. Eventually I worked out I was at the wrong ticket counter for the train I wanted to ride.
“Waiting hall”
Yangon Central Railway Station was first built in 1877 by the British. The building was designed in the British Victorian style and the access roads were bordered by grassy lawns. The beauty of the property prompted locals to praise the new structure as the Fairy Station.
“From above”
In Myanmar, it seemed to be normal for people to walk across and along railway tracks even as trains approach (bottom right in photo above).
“Platform life”
The station became a favourite target for Japanese bombers during World War II. In 1943 it was destroyed by British forces retreating to India from the advancing Japanese army.
“Monk at the station”
I took the photo above on my first day in Myanmar, because seeing a monk at the station seemed like a novelty. Little did I realise that I would see hundreds more monks during my visit to Myanmar.
“Little red engine”
The station was rebuilt following the war according to a design drawn by engineer Hla Thwin and based on Burmese traditional architectural styles, making prominent use of indigenous tiered roofs called pyatthat. The opening ceremony of the new Yangon Central Railway Station was held on 5 June 1954.
“Maintenance”
Most trains in Myanmar are very old retired trains from Japan Rail. Watching these guys tinkering about, I kind of had second thoughts about taking the train.
“Bird on a train”
“Woman with a sack on her head”
“Carry on”
I just sat for a while on a bench. People passed by regularly carrying goods on their heads.
“Passing by”
A slow moving train passing by.
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This is Part 15 of my posts about Myanmar, and Part 19 of my posts about my near month-long visit to Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore in November 2019.
Great and informative photos as usual for you!
Thank you very much.
I really like the photo with the bird on the train. But I also like the others…
Thanks. The bird was an unusual sight. It definitely caught my eye. 🙂
So nice to see a post from you again, Draco-san. Fantastic work, as always. Something so nostalgic about railway stations. Hope you are well!
Thanks, Julie. I’m well and hope you are too. This is one of those stations and cities with a lot of character and heritage. I was able to wander around the platforms and get on and off trains freely without looking suspicious. Even walked along the tracks like a local. Didn’t carry anything on my head though. 🙂
Fabulous. A Buddhist monk on a mobile phone? What hope is there for the rest of us?! 😁
Thanks. Not to mention the monk I saw at an ATM. 🙂
Shocking! 😁
🙂
Such wonderful and exotic pictures! And so many large and small differences to the train stations here in Europe…
Thank you. It truly felt like another world and time.
Lovely to see your work again and how it takes me into a world so different than my own. Travel takes us into cultures that educate us about the total world we inhabit. Thanks.
Thanks so much, Sally. The world will be a very changed place when we’re allowed to travel freely again. I’m grateful for experiencing what I did before 2020.
I always look forward to your posts, Lignum, just cool stuff!
Thank you. So different to the life I know.
🙂 🙂
🙂
Thank you for your wonderful guided tour! My favorite is “Yangon Central Station.”
Thank you very much.
Great photos, Draco. Enjoyed being drawn along the lines and into the vanishing points! M
Thank you very much, Meg. I hadn’t intended to spend so much time there but it was a fascinating place for photography and people watching.
It’s interesting how these photos seem both modern and from another era at the same time, it’s a curious tension.
Indeed, Myanmar was isolated from the West and tourism for quite a while, so it does seem to be in a time warp to us.
Loved the geometry and the interplay between lines, geometrical figures and people!
Thank you. It was a great place to observe and photograph life, so different to home.
Well look who’s back! Good to hear from you, Lignum. I love the way people are sitting in little chairs between the trains having a meal. I had to take a second look for the bird as my attention was drawn to the designs on the train. As for carrying things on my head, I could carry somethings, but that sack looks pretty heavy. I guess if you grow up doing that, it’s not a big deal.
Hope all’s well with you and yours,
janet
Thanks, Janet. It’s a very market oriented society. Those people with stools were vendors who come to the platform then hop onto trains to sell their food. They bring everything with them! A guy stopped to rest near me. I asked if I could see how heavy his bag was and I was very impressed by his neck strength.
I know some train buffs who’d have great fun with these, Draco 🙂 🙂
Those trains are well pass their use-by dates but they keep running. Kind of like what I saw in Cuba.
I so enjoy your photos. They take me to the place, to that station and I can just sit there and watch all the people, the characters passing by. Real life in another realm.
Thank you. That’s exactly how I felt and why I went back a second time to the station.
So many wonderful images. I love Bird on a Train, Carry On and Passing By.
Thank you very much. It’s another world away.
Your photos capture mood and life so well. I love the header photo – of the train station. You are quite the craftsman.
Thank you. It was possible to walk anywhere in the station, and along the rail lines without a ticket or being bothered by security. I took advantage of that for my photos. So different to the life we know in Australia.
I’ve always wondered about the origin of people carrying bags/sacks on their heads. We often see it in this part of the world, as well as Africa.
Loved the shots. Very picturesque, like always. I love trains.
Thank you vey much. That the technique of carrying things on one’s head has developed on different continents over time is interesting. I don’t know the reasoning.
I’m always amazed at the stuff some folks can carry on their heads. They must have perfect posture, necks of granite, and backbones of steel.
Yeah, I’d have no chance to carry what they do in any safe manner. It’s very interesting to watch, and I never saw anything fall.
Great series of photos, and a perfect subject with the railway station. I think this is the perfect place to learn more about the culture and life of the people ~ and it makes for such great photography as well. Cheers ~
Thanks. Indeed, it’s a great way to observe life and people watch, particularly in SE Asia.
Beautiful images! There is something wistful and romantic about railway stations. Did you spot any fairies? The green asbestos roofs have a mossy feel.
Thanks. No fairies that day I’m afraid.
I absolutely love this series of photographs. They say so much.
Thanks, Jolandi. It was a fascinating observation of daily life.
The station looked very familiar to me. There is, of course, a functional sameness to all train stations, but this familiarity seemed more than that. It seems that colonial Britain perfected its experiments in India before exporting them to Burma. The round concrete seats around pillars, for example, are things you can still see in India. The Burmese detailing is a nice touch, but it is more visible from outside the station.
For sure, the British influence is easy to see throughout their former colonies. The culture and architecture was fascinating.
Loving “bird on a train” – such beautiful composition.
Thank you.
A plethora of scenes from the Yangon train station, Draco, and each one is a story. I love the first one, espec. the ornamental tiered roof architecture; can’t imagine what it must’ve taken to find a raised spot to shoot this. The eating scenes, the bird, head-carrying scenes, all so astute. My favorite photo is the last one, the slow-moving car passing by with the three men on the steps, all the men inside the car, and the bright-colored paint-chipping car. Your gifts are great, my friend.
I seem to be attracted to places like this, which act as a microcosm for daily life. Honestly I would have been happy to stay there for longer, but there was so much to see there, including riding the trains. What an experience it was. Thanks so much, Jet.
Great observation of trains and train stations in Yangon. It’s so different compared to our transport system here. Agree with your use of the word novelty – the trains there seem like classics. Interesting to hear the trains still run these days given they were retired trains. Sometimes it is what it is. Great shots as usual.
Thank you. Life is so different there. Their normal is so far different to our normal. What we take for granted (technology and safety) is something they don’t always have.