FOR FOREIGNERS, IT IS EASIER TO SAY SCOTT MARKET BUT THESE DAYS THE OFFICIAL NAME IS BOGYOKE MARKET BUT PRONOUNCED AS 'BOCHOK' AS I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PRONOUNCE BURMESE WORDS ACCORDING TO SPELLING!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BOGYOKE OR SCOTT MARKET IS A HUGE COLONIAL BUILDING IN THE HEART OF YANGON AND 6 MINUTES WALK FROM SULE SHANGRI-LA, THE BEST 5-STAR HOTEL IN YANGON.
YOU WILL NEED 2 HOURS TO SAUNTER AND EXPLORE THE SPRAWLING INDOOR BAZAAR. IT CAN BE PRETTY WARM TOO AND SOME STALLS WILL OFFER THE EXTRA SERVICE OF FANNING YOU WITH BAMBOO FAN AS YOU CHECK OUT THEIR WARES!
SINCE LAST YEAR, TOURISTS CAN FINALLY USE CREDIT CARDS!
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PRIOR TO MIDDLE OF 2014 ALL PURCHASES HAVE TO BE PAID IN CASH AND IN US DOLLARS! THIS IS FINE AS MOST TOURISTS CARRIED MAYBE US$ 500 CASH BUT FOR JEWELS COSTING US$ 8,000 IT WAS A BUMMER AS WHICH TOURIST CARRIED US$8,000 IN CASH IN HIS WALLET?
MYANMAR OR BURMA IS OPENING UP AND LIFE AND SHOPPING ARE EASIER! FLASH YOUR CARD AND SIGN!
BUT PRICES FOR HIGHER END ITEMS ARE NOT CHEAP. THEY OPEN AT 50% HIGHER SO YOU CAN HAGGLE FREELY. A SANDLEWOOD STATUE OF BUDDHA I LIKED WAS QUOTEDC AT US$200 WHICH I THOUGHT WAS SCANDALOUS SO I WALKED AWAY INDIGNANTLY. A NECKLACE HAD A PRICE TAG OF US$4,000 BUT I WAS OFFERED US$ 3,000 AND FINALLY US$1,500.
OF COURSE IF YOU WERE TO BUY SIMILAR ITEMS IN A POSH, AIRCON STORE, YOU WOULD BE HAPPY TO PAY BUT THIS IS SCOTT MARKET SO BARGAIN TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!
SCOTT MARKET USED TO BE A MAJOR CENTRE FOR CURRENCY EXCHANGE BUT NOT NOW. TWENTY YEARS AGO US DOLLARS CASH WAS OFFICIALLY NOT ALLOWED AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO CHANGE THEM AT GOVERNMENT BANKS AT 6 KYATS TO ONE DOLLAR BUT GO TO ANY CURRENCY EXCHANGE TRADER AND HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU 240 KYATS FOR 1 DOLLAR! AT THE AIRPORT TOURISTS HAD TO CHANGE US DOLLARS INTO MYANMAR CURRENCY NOTES CALLED F.E.C OR FOREIGN EXCHANGE CURRENCY IN US DOLLARS WHICH ARE WORTHLESS OUTSIDE MYANMAR BUT YOU COULD CHANGE THEM BACK TO US DOLLARS WHEN DEPARTING. BUT NOW SHOPPING IN MYANMAR IS LIKE SHOPPING IN MALAYSIA!
TRAVELLING OUTSIDE BURMA FOR LOCALS IS A MAJOR LUXURY SO THEY ASSUME ALL TOURISTS IN YANGON MUST BE WEALTHY!
THE MARKET WAS BUILT IN 1926 WHEN BURMA WAS A BRITISH COLONY AND IS NAMED AFTER GAVIN SCOTT, THE MUNICIPALITY COMMISSIONER THOUGH SOME SAY IT WAS IN HONOUR OF JAMES GEORGE SCOTT WHO INTRODUCED FOOTBALL INTO BURMA!
AFTER INDEPENDENCE IN 1948 SCOTT MARKET WAS RENAMED BOGYOKE AUNG SAN THE NATIONAL HERO.
THE MARKET IS WELL MAINTAINED (SO ARE THE TOILETS THANK GOD) AND CLEAN AND HAS NO AWFUL SMELL SO WANDERING AROUND IS FUN. BEST BUYS ARE CHEAP CLOTHES AND JEWELS AS MYANMAR HAS WORLD FAMOUS MINES FOR RUBIES AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES BUT EXPECT ONLY SMALL, CHEAP RUBIES HERE AS ALL THE BEST PIGEON-BLOOD RUBIES ARE BOOKED BY CARTIER, GRAFF, CHOPARD AND THE BIG BOYS.
I SPENT 3 HOURS HERE AS I LIKE TO SEE ALMOST EVERY SHOP AND STALL!
Get some advice how to make photos none of this pics were made after thinking at least a bit.
ReplyDelete