Myanmar - Bogyoke Market

So, back to my Myanmar trip.

After my visit to Bogyoke Aung San Museum, I took a taxi to the next destination, Bogyoke Market. Also known as Scott Market, this bazaar is located in city centre, inside Pabedan township and is the place to go for souvenirs such as gems, art paintings, clothes, et cetera. This is also the place to go to for black market money changer, where you can exchange your dollar for the local currency at the best rate.

Bogyoke Market aka Scott Market

Some street food found inside the market

The appeal of this Bogyoke Market is not only the gems and antiques being sold but also the colonial construction of the building. The importance of this market can be attested to with the market being inscribed into Yangon City Heritage List, a list of national landmarks to be preserved for future generations.

Food court, where I have my lunch

After having my lunch here, I went to explore the market. There are two stories in this market and both floors is mostly dominated by shops selling souvenir materials like cloths, paintings, old banknotes, et cetera, as well as Burmese gems. I didn’t buy anything from the market as I didn’t feel like carrying extra weights throughout my trip.

Gems and jewelleries are aplenty in the market

Traditional garments up for sale

I continued to walk aimlessly around the city centre after my visit to the market, taking in the sight and sound the city has to offer. It is easy to navigate around the city even without a map as all you have to do is just to put Yule Pagoda as your central point. When you make too many turns and you are not sure where you are, as long as you can see the temple, you can move back to your starting point.

Unique colonial buildings in the city

One of the few mosques I saw in Yangon

Typical neighbourhood in the city

When it was about late afternoon, I boarded the local bus no. 43 to Aung Mingalar bus terminal for my night bus to Bagan. It was in this bus terminal that I met a friendly Taiwanese chap, Boris, who became my travel partner for the rest of the trip.

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

If you want to buy some Burmese gems as souvenirs, be careful so that you would not ended up with fake jewelleries. To be sure, when you are buying one, ask for the gemstones certificates to authenticate its quality. Only gemstones with certificates are allowed to be brought out of the country. There are strict rules when it comes to carrying gemstones out of the country such as how many gems and jewelleries you can bring back to your country, so before you make any purchases, you should find out more information on this matter first.