REAL Life in Yangon MYANMAR's MALLS and Cafes! (it's not all Wet Markets)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host explores the modern side of Myanmar, challenging stereotypes by showcasing bustling shopping malls and trendy cafes. They visit various malls, including Times Mall and Junction City, highlighting popular local and international brands, and discuss the convenience of electric vehicles. The host also offers tips on the best times to visit, the importance of paying in cash due to unfavorable exchange rates, and the significance of supporting local businesses. The tour concludes with a visit to a 'Myanmar Ikea' and a local coffee shop, emphasizing the country's hidden treasures and the need for accurate representation.
Takeaways
- 🛍️ Myanmar has a lot of modern shopping malls, which often surprises tourists who only see wet markets and street vendors.
- 🎥 The video aims to provide an insider's view of life in Myanmar, countering stereotypes and misconceptions.
- 🚶♂️ The video tour includes five top malls in Myanmar, highlighting their amenities and popularity, especially among young people on weekends.
- ☕ While Myanmar doesn't have Starbucks, it has other popular coffee chains like Gloria Jeans and Amazon cafes.
- 🛣️ Times Mall and Junction Square are connected, creating a busy and vibrant shopping area.
- 💡 The best time to visit Myanmar is during the monsoon season or the Myanmar winter (December) to avoid the extreme heat.
- 💳 It's recommended to use cash in Myanmar due to poor exchange rates for credit cards, and to keep small notes for street children selling goods.
- 🚗 Myanmar has many electric vehicles, mainly imported from China, thanks to less restrictive tariffs compared to the US and Europe.
- 🏢 Myanmar's malls feature many international brands, showcasing a modern and comfortable lifestyle.
- 🌧️ Despite misconceptions, Myanmar has modern amenities and services, as well as a vibrant local culture and community.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to provide an insider's view of life in Myanmar, specifically showcasing the modern conveniences and shopping malls available, and to dispel stereotypes that tourists may have about the country.
Why does the YouTuber want to show shopping malls in Myanmar?
-The YouTuber wants to show shopping malls in Myanmar to counteract the stereotypes that portray the country as lacking modern amenities, and to highlight that life in Myanmar is comfortable with many shopping options similar to those in other countries.
Which shopping malls are mentioned in the video?
-The shopping malls mentioned in the video include Times Mall, Junction Square, Junction City, and Myanmar Plaza. The video also references other malls like Time City, although it notes that the names can be confusing.
What are some popular coffee shops and cafes highlighted in the video?
-Some popular coffee shops and cafes highlighted in the video include BreadTalk, Rio Cafe, Gloria Jean's Coffees, and WhatsUp Cafe. The YouTuber notes that these places offer good coffee and have nice views.
What tips does the YouTuber offer for visitors to Myanmar?
-The YouTuber suggests visiting during the monsoon season or Myanmar winter (December) when the weather is more pleasant. They also advise using cash instead of credit cards due to unfavorable exchange rates and keeping small notes to give to street children.
What misconceptions about Myanmar does the YouTuber address?
-The YouTuber addresses misconceptions that Myanmar is technologically behind and lacking modern infrastructure. They emphasize that the country has many modern shopping malls and amenities and that life is comfortable for locals.
How does the YouTuber describe the YouTube content about Myanmar by drop-in, dropout YouTubers?
-The YouTuber criticizes drop-in, dropout YouTubers for creating sensationalist content that does not accurately represent life in Myanmar. They argue that these creators often perpetuate stereotypes and do not provide a truthful depiction of the country's modern conveniences.
What does the YouTuber say about electric vehicles in Myanmar?
-The YouTuber notes that there are many electric vehicles in Myanmar, primarily from China, due to less restrictive tariffs compared to the United States and Europe. They mention that electric vehicles are becoming more common and are used by services like Grab Taxi.
What is the YouTuber's perspective on local food and supermarkets in Myanmar?
-The YouTuber encourages visitors to explore local supermarkets to discover Burmese goods, such as fried beans, fermented tea salad, and dried shrimp. They suggest that trying local produce is a great way to experience the local culture and cuisine.
What does the YouTuber highlight about Myanmar's colonial history?
-The YouTuber highlights the British colonial history by pointing out landmarks like the Sule Pagoda, a mosque, the former Town Hall (now the Development Corporation), and the old fire brigade. They show that Myanmar has a rich history and diverse cultural influences.
Outlines
🏬 Exploring Myanmar's Modern Malls and Misconceptions
The speaker provides an insider's view of Myanmar's urban life, dispelling stereotypes by showcasing the modern amenities available in the country. They take the audience on a tour of various malls, emphasizing the bustling activity, especially during weekends, and the presence of international brands like Gloria Jeans and Amazon cafes. The speaker also highlights the confusion caused by similar mall names and shares personal preferences for coffee shops with nice views. Mentioning the monsoon season, they explain that it's an ideal time to visit due to less extreme heat.
⚡ Electric Vehicles and Local Tips in Myanmar
The script discusses the prevalence of electric vehicles in Myanmar, largely due to China's production and the absence of restrictive tariffs. The speaker advises against using credit cards due to poor exchange rates, recommending cash payments instead. They also suggest keeping small notes for street children selling items at traffic lights to support those in tough circumstances. The speaker provides a local's perspective on shopping centers, mentioning brands like Sketchers, under armour, Nike, and Chinese brands that may be unfamiliar to Westerners, emphasizing the variety and accessibility of goods in Myanmar.
🍽 Discovering Local Cuisine and Respectful Tourism
The speaker takes viewers through a local supermarket, highlighting the variety of local produce and recommending trying local food for an authentic experience. They express frustration with 'drop-in' YouTubers who may misrepresent the reality of Myanmar and encourage respectful behavior from tourists. The video script includes a visit to various food outlets, including Indian tadka and a local cafe, showcasing the diverse culinary scene. The speaker also shares personal experiences of filming in the country and the importance of understanding local life.
🏙️ Downtown Heritage and Modern Conveniences
The script describes a visit to Junction City, a downtown shopping area with a mix of British colonial architecture and modern amenities. The speaker points out historical landmarks, such as a church and the old fire brigade, and recommends Rio Cafe for its beautiful view and good menu selection. They also mention the importance of supporting local businesses and the convenience of having a variety of international and local brands in shopping malls, challenging misconceptions about the country's development.
🛍️ Sweetie Home: Myanmar's Answer to IKEA
The speaker introduces Sweetie Home, a newly opened living mall that resembles IKEA, offering a wide range of home furnishings and essentials. They discuss the variety of levels and products available, from traditional to contemporary styles, and the convenience of having such a store in Myanmar. The video script emphasizes the country's ability to meet various needs without having to travel abroad, suggesting that Myanmar is a hidden treasure with many misconceptions that need to be corrected.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Malls
💡Monsoon Season
💡Stereotypes
💡Insider View
💡Coffee Shops
💡Electric Vehicles
💡Exchange Rate
💡Local Produce
💡British Colonial History
💡Drop-in YouTubers
💡Sweetie Home
Highlights
The video aims to dispel stereotypes about Myanmar, showcasing modern malls and facilities.
Introduction to the series highlighting the modern conveniences in Myanmar contrary to common tourist perceptions.
The narrator offers an insider's view on life in Myanmar, challenging the common tourist's perspective.
Monsoon season in Myanmar is highlighted as a good time to visit due to less heat compared to other seasons.
Shopping complexes in Myanmar are bustling, especially on weekends, attracting many young people.
The presence of international brands like Sketchers, Nike, and Body Shop in Myanmar malls.
Local coffee culture is featured with recommendations for Bread Talk and Rangoon Tea House.
Harry's Bar is mentioned as a place with an atmosphere reminiscent of Singapore.
The video emphasizes the availability of modern amenities like electric charging stations in Myanmar.
A caution against using credit cards in Myanmar due to poor exchange rates is given.
The video points out the importance of paying in cash and carrying small notes to support street vendors.
Junction City is introduced as a downtown area rich in British colonial history.
The video showcases a variety of local and international food options available in Myanmar.
Criticisms of 'drop-in' YouTubers who misrepresent the realities of life in Myanmar are discussed.
The presence of Chinese brands and the impact of Chinese electric vehicles in Myanmar are highlighted.
Recommendations for experiencing local life, such as visiting supermarkets and trying fermented tea, are given.
The video concludes by emphasizing the hidden treasures of Myanmar and correcting misconceptions.
Transcripts
so as I said we've got a lot of malls
here it's just that this one I don't
particularly come to but uh I wanted to
make a this series today because people
seem to be really surprised that we have
all of the mod cons here and that's
because a lot of tourists tend to just
film the wet markets or people have
these stereotypes and Impressions
there's a lot of drop in Dropout
YouTubers and you don't really have
people that live and work here so I'm
kind of I guess uh me and YouTuber so I
can give you an Insider view on life
[Music]
here only and down we go to where all
the little stores are today I'll show
you five of the top malls in here and
I'm even going to work in some coffee
shops for you so come on let's go
welcome to monsoon season in
Myanmar so a lot of scenery you will
recognize from a previous video that
I've made on here so what I can tell you
about this shopping complex is that it's
super busy especially on the weekends
cuz a lot of young people like to come
down here so here and across the road
the two shopping complexes are actually
joined and uh it's absolutely teaming
here on the weekend so I tend not to go
so that's where we just were was
upstairs in times Mall in Myanmar we
don't have Starbucks but we've got glor
jeans and we also have Amazon
cafes Time Square and Junction mall are
all kind of joined
together so over there is Junction
Square and where I'm standing is Time
Square and it's even more confusing
because there's a Time City downtown as
well and even us locals we confuse the
names the road and go across to Junction
Square
it made it safely
across so one of the places that I like
to drink coffee at when I come here is
bread talk because it's got a nice view
out over the square sure there's a small
chain of rangon tea house here but uh I
actually like this place a little bit
more here you go bread torque the Coffee
Bean and Tea Leaf I believe there's
branches of this in Vietnam from memory
and straight ahead you've seen all of
this footage in previous videos if you
went ahead that's where the rangon tea
house is I just spin around and on this
fine wet Monsoon day that's Junction
Square in front of us and that's Harry's
Bar over there and my burmes friend and
colleague who's lived and worked in
Singapore for a lot of years said when
you sit in the Harry's Bar there it
feels to her a lot like uh Singapore so
this is one of the areas you can come
down and check out I know that young
British couple that looked at my content
Bank they found this place because of
that so I'm happy to support other
YouTubers but give a shout out sometimes
about where you actually got your
content from guys that' be nice through
rangon tea house again because you can
see it in the original video that I
made okay here's Harry's Bar but it's
not even 10:00 in the morning yet and
behind me that's the entrance to the
mall here yes we have all your regular
Sho shops we're not over here banging
two rocks together like uh some people
think that was why YouTubers when they
came and they saw my content bank and
they found these places were like oh my
god do you have shopping malls yeah we
do a lot of them life is pretty
comfortable here there's kids and us
which is some kind of English school and
I just want to show you what's around
here and point out a couple of places he
that's a lot of ear up there because
there's a lot of Koreans in here so this
is Wall Street English that's also one
of us it's owned by my girls group hello
mini so is here I know those from
mainland
China and here we have a Gong CH I know
them from China looks like mall is open
now let's go take a
look just all your normal mly stuff but
the other thing is if you're wondering
when's the best time to come to Myanmar
I would say actually in this monsoon
season time or in the Myanmar winter
time which is in December because of the
rest of the time it's just way too hot
to be here so you can see that as a
YouTuber I'm out filming just a few
moments ago you saw that it was teeming
rain and now it's only light like
drizzle so I think that uh rainy season
or winter is best doing the local thing
I got the name wrong again time City
it's not actually Time Square see how
confusing the names
are oh all right so I'm going to stop
here and have a coffee now because a
good days filming deserves a cup of
coffee
right so here's the prices on the board
here can you give me is latte please is
latte yeah great one drink here
great so this cost
$125 us for this and so my
recommendation is if you're a visitor
here rangon tea house it's not the best
one the best one is the big original one
in Golden Valley this is just a small
Branch here but for locals we like the
bread talk here because when the weather
is fine you can sit further up and we've
got a nice view out over
here um
so one of the things that you'll notice
here is the electric charging stations
and if you're using the grab taxi act
now there's a lot of electric vehicles
here in Myanmar because China's
producing so many electric vehicles and
unlike America and Europe which have got
highly restrictive tariffs here all of
those vehicles are coming into Myanmar
so it's just another interesting fact
about here that I guess only the locals
we can tell you this stuff woo coming
down now check it
out and another local tip for you as
well don't use credit cards here cuz
you're going to get a really bad
exchange rate So currently it's about
4,400 that's a time of filming for this
and so that's why in myar we're paying
for cash with everything so pay the
brothers in cash and also if just keep
some small notes on you because always
at the lights there's Street children
selling things so I just give them some
money out it's just a little bit that
will help them cuz times are very tough
here for the
people
oh like I said just keep some small
notes on you because um yeah life is
really tough for some people let's see
if I get the name right now so this is
Junction City we're going
onto okay here we are oh
do and my glasses have all fogged up
can't see a thing okay so here we are at
Junction City and with the British
colonial history there's a church from
that period across the
road so Junction city is in the heart of
downtown um I don't live in downtown and
I've got no reason to be here but a lot
of foreigners when they come they like
to stay downtown so this will be very
convenient to you this mall Sketchers
under arour
Nike many westerners may not be familiar
but Gilly is a big brand from China as I
mentioned the China is going to be
bringing a lot of electric vehicles here
into Myanmar okay body shop over there
este order yeah just heaps of your
commercial Western Brands told you we
have a lot of stuff here these are the
things that you didn't expect right
litan even at my 6.5 local supermarket
there's a litan here is
mango pmer so I'm not going to pull out
every brand for you I'll just give you a
little bit of a walk and a look around
to change your idea and your
preconceived perceptions about what's
life like when we live and work here in
Myanmar and would you believe we have
all of this stuff I don't even use it
because uh I just go to my local 6.5
shopping mall anyway I'll take you
upstairs and point out a couple of more
things Lo Sports is another cheap really
cheap brand from China okay so behind me
is a city Mark I always just go to my
local 6.5 because that's the most
convenient but we'll go through and take
a look so that you can actually see what
the chain shopping malls look like
here right fresh fruit and veg
[Music]
section sters here's all of your
wine all your standard toiletry stuff
and for my Asian friends here you can
check out all of the local Burmese Goods
as well this is beautiful these are
fried beans lots of protein very healthy
and this is me and my tea they make a
fermented tea salad so you're getting
all the goodness of fermented product
this is dried shrimp mymar has a lot of
dried shrimp dried fish so I think one
of the things if you want to try the
local food come to your local
supermarket and just check out all of
the local produce that's available here
and in front of me is Indian tadka this
place does fantastic Indian food I'm
ordering from them all the time on food
Panda and so
so the other thing that really peeves me
about these drop in Dropout YouTubers
one of them recently made a video saying
that uh he was scared to film in the
street what utter rubbish for a year
I've been here filming around and I tell
you what if you carry a great big camera
and stick it in my face I don't want you
to film me either so some of these
YouTubers they're sensationalist they
don't say the truth and they're just
down annoying so because I live and work
here I want to show you how things
really are here so as in every country
please conduct yourself with respect and
as I said just be aware of you know how
life is for the ordinary me andar person
here but if you've been following my
channel you already know that right
you're good people right let's go up to
the last level which is kind of the clex
and uh restaurants
level so I'm just going to do a spin gar
and show you what I can see around me a
manora Lotteria yakona toast the
Cineplex is in front of me SP Bakery
which is a big chain here bre the tiger
looks like a really nice coffee shop but
I've got somewhere special to take you
to next and uh yeah so you can see we're
not in the stone ede and it's not like
those drop in Dropout YouTubers tell you
Black Canyon coffee so this is another
one of the big chains here so sure we
don't have a Starbucks but uh maybe from
my snobby Italian background I don't
think that that's any great
loss so hopefully I've smashed some of
your misconceptions about Myanmar so
let's go on downtown I'm going to take
you to Rio coffee shop and show you some
really special things about the colonial
history here I'll do your standard
YouTube spin around because this is the
best view in town
in front of me is the famous suly Pagoda
I've also done a video on this next to
it there's a moss because that's Myanmar
we have all of the religions and that
big white building is now the
development commission Corporation but
it used to be the Town Hall in the
British times and this beautiful
building in front of me is the uh old
fire brigade still in use
and this fire station they actually do
tours through here for our school
children so they're a very nice group of
brothers here as well so you should
check it
out okay and right next to this fire
brigade is a very nice Cafe Rio Cafe so
I'm going to take you to have a look
there now so it's just up there so let's
go check out Rio don't mind the
generator
right up we go Rio
Cafe let's do
it and so what's special about Rio Cafe
let me show you okay so there's Town
Hall in front of me more British
colonial buildings and
suod all right so I'm going to go for a
Machel
lat oh this shashanka looks nice and
they've got uh chiir so if you're
downtown this has got quite a nice menu
selection for you here's my shashanka
this one cost me
$2.15 9,500
CH I
need and I found it there in your
arm is too hard to
believe we're in
heaven no no I see
I baby I
baby I guess I'm doing my own carpol
karaoke with this brother now so cool
one of the ways to bring joy into
people's hearts to share a song hey stop
here brother you're beautiful so are
you beautiful it's true thank you so
much
brother your face by by in a crowded
space and I and I don't know what to
do here am I at Myanmar Plaza so I'm
going to take you through here let's go
standard commercial Brands through here
like unwittingly I'm doing a cars thing
as well here's another Chinese brand
coming in Neta um because I lived in
China so long a lot more aware of all of
this stuff that's happening than a lot
of westerners are so these are all the
Chinese cars that are coming into me
andar because Europe's got a lot more
tariffs on them and so the best clothing
for Myanmar is going to be sportsare
because you're either going to be
dealing with rain or humidity so uh the
most comfortable thing that I found is
really cool sports
where all right so you get the general
picture of what's here we'll go upstairs
for a
bit sketches another big rest and
brand and there a lot of things that uh
maybe if you've lived in Asia for a long
time you'll be familiar
with I ain't never seen that one before
very nice looking book store in here I
didn't know that this was here so nice
[Music]
salons are on this
floor unique beauty ooh 5 minute hair
salon we've got really nice coffee shops
I don't know this one and this is in a
big shopping mall but uh just everywhere
we have great coffee shops here let's
check out the
prices remember it's $4,400 chats to $1
us B four War Hot Pot uh
bonon tra and there's also this other
Chinese Tea Store here
gona so you can see we pretty much have
everything and to my right there's a KFC
there more tea shops and uh yeah we're
not really lacking for good good
Services aha I'm just going to cut
through Gloria Jeans Cafe and I'm going
to take you on to a very cool local
cafe okay I'm going to take us to whats
up Cafe you can see it's stupidly close
here so after you finished shopping you
can go to this
Cafe and if you're going to do the The
Jerk thing like I just did short trip
I'm going to give this guy 5,000 chats
it's only 3 and a half but it's a short
trip and it's nothing to us oh so cute
he's wearing a traditional Burmese hat
they're really popular here they're not
just a touristy
thing okay so the taxi is going to drop
you here and you're going to be lost and
you'll see this K PPK dent it's really
not easy to find this Euro King
Exchange see Golden City is opposite and
if you look down this R
laneway it's tucked down here I always
try and help my viewers cuz some things
in Myanmar is not easy to find even for
us local people so hopefully that will
save who that will save you a bit of
pain bit rainy so I've just skipped in
some
mud oh so gorgeous
[Music]
wow oh I like this it's worth the pain
of the
HT so cute M it smells great as well oh
and look we're on the water here isn't
that
lovely so beautiful I like it
H let's go in and check it out oh my
gosh their coffee smells
fantastic
oh hi so
nice a lot of places here they roast
their own coffee as well
[Music]
oh just like Korea I saw this in
Korea oh cool
see
[Music]
okay just ordered myself a pomegranate
espresso that was $88,500 chats Which is
less than $2
[Music]
crazy Monsoon weather now it's raining
with the Sun
out as I'm looking at whatsapp CA in
front of me gcbc is exactly behind me I
hope this helps you guys to find
it but I'm now at uh sweetie home this
is the living mall that just opened and
we refer to this as mear Ikea let's
check it out oh my gosh several levels
here it's
enormous so sweetie home is one of the
places when you move to me andmar as a
teacher that your school will probably
send you along to get all the stuff for
your apartment to get it set up so I'm
out here it's a bit of a Treck out from
the center of town but there's sweetie
home stores everywhere dotted around me
m so uh in your local BBS your local
we will be able to find something so uh
this is just the big New Living mall I
haven't been here so I wanted to have a
look and show you just looks like Ikea
doesn't it our mear Ikea
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
so we have several more malls that I
haven't taken you to like the hon Center
and that's near the university area but
I think you're getting the picture that
uh we don't want for much here in
Myanmar it's one of the Hidden Treasures
that people have so many wrong ideas and
so many misconceptions about and some of
these drop in YouTubers don't help with
all of these misconceptions either so uh
yeah I think that through watching my
videos you'll get a true idea of how
life really is here in Myanmar oh my
gosh so many levels it just goes on
forever on the third floor now and I've
still got another level to go up I've
only been to the sweaty home in my local
area in play but as I said there's sweey
homes everywhere here so
gorgeous it's so huge I'm heading up to
the fourth floor and I can see that
there's six levels to here it's
crazy ooh fancy schmancy furniture this
just looks like what my grandma would
like all of this heavy
Furniture oh my God Italian
isimo they on Italian grandparent
Furniture okay a lot more more
contemporary up here that's more like
it as I said there's a few more shopping
malls that I could also show you but I
think you're getting the general picture
now that uh we've got uh pretty much
everything you could want and if it's
still not good enough then you can
always pop across the border to Bangkok
and it's only about $50 for a flight so
we're regularly going there I've just
came back last week from Bangkok so uh
without any further Ado got no nice
coffee shops to show you around here
it's out from Miss Le young and I'll
catch you in the next one couldn't
resista I'm the queen
here please me when I say I'm
[Music]
sorry this is so cute make another
it'sing me to see that look on your face
some remorse
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
10 Things to Know BEFORE You Visit ICELAND! | Ultimate Iceland Travel Tips 2024 🇮🇸
COMO É UM MERCADÃO NOS ESTADOS UNIDOS / PROVANDO SANDUÍCHE FAMOSO - Vale a pena?
Mau Atasi Stress? ...Baca Description Video ini
6 Nights 7 Days Meghalaya Tour Plan | North East India Tour | Shillong Cherrapunji Tour Plan
436 Pesos Jollibee Meal: Did It Satisfy Us? 🇵🇭
바르셀로나 여행지 TOP 10
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)