Ride, Anyone??

We have traveled in a variety of cars and trucks while here in Myanmar, and have seen some unusual ones. We were in a nice air-conditioned car in May Mio, where we traveled to a wheelchair donation ceremony last month, but saw some interesting taxi's there.

Looks like another century, doesn't it. We've seen pony carts in other areas, but his was the first covered carriage.

On the day we traveled from Yangon to Mandalay during the Neo-natal training, we had a sight-seeing day. We went by boat up river from Mandalay about an hour and visited an unfinished pagoda, damaged by earthquakes during the last century. We chose to walk (accompanied by very persistent women trying to sell us something, but could have taken this taxi!

And this is the taxi we took from where we stayed in a very nice hotel to the home where we attend a sacrament meeting on the Sundays we stay in Mandalay. We climbed into the back after the driver had to jump start the battery to get it started.

Most of the time in Yangon we travel in a small Toyota car, about 25 years old but very well cared for by aa driver that we depend on for a lot. Usually the are four large people in the car with him. (That's two couples!) Occasionally we do have to take a taxi, and have ridden is quite a variety. Some of them have doors that no longer open from the inside, many of them drive without lights at night (on the theory that they are conserving their battery) unless they really need to have them on. In Mandalay the majority of people get about on motor bikes or bicycles, and there's lots of honking as cars or trucks pass. Here in Yangon, both motor bikes and bicycles are outlawed in the city, as well as honking. So we see lots of buses, some of which were abandoned at the end of WWII but are still being used in the outskirts of the city. Many small trucks also serve as buses with as many as seven seated on each side with that number standing in the middle and another five to seven standing on the back hanging on.

There are many nice cars also here, but we haven't met many people who own them. There is a young couple here who drive a fairly new Toyota van. He works for the US Embassy. Some of us occasionally get a ride home from church with them. And in the garage downstairs there are many nice cars, belonging to UN or diplomatic services, or workers on the new US embassy being built.
Just thought I'd share these pictures and give you an idea about life here.