Let me count the ways......
There is not a lot to do for a family with small children. Don't get me wrong. If you're here for a week or two, you'll keep busy. A years worth of interesting things there is not.
There is a water park here, Water Boom. It's fairly new and a bit expensive. We went once. I don't know if it was an off week, but there was no one there. It was us 3 and 4 other patrons. It was creepy. I mean really really creepy. The equipment is showing signs that no one cares for it. It's rusting and there are sharp edges on all the equipment. The slides that are uncovered and exposed to the sun do not slide anymore. You have to physically push yourself down them.
There's is the Shwedagon Pagoda. It's mentioned in all the travel guides. It's a must see. No shorts or skimpy outfits allowed. It really is beautiful. There is a lot of history.
There are many other smaller pagodas and Buddhist sites to see all over the city and you're welcome to see them all. To a 6 year old all the pagodas start to look the same.
Every mall has an indoor play area. The play area in the Ocean in Botataung is only 1,000 Kyat, about .66 cents. Others are much more expensive. As I mentioned in a previous post, my son doesn't like the unwanted attention he gets from the staff, we we don't go much anymore.
Zoo. It's everything you'd expect from a poor country and it's sad. When we lived in Tacoma, WA, we lived just down the street from the Point Defiance Zoo. Big, beautiful, conservation oriented. We had a yearly pass and went about one a week. This one is depressing.
People's Park is worth a walk around. There is lots to see. Part of it is a bit like a carnival or fair with rides and food vendors. There is a small, but dirty and gross water park. We went once. People photographed my son like he was on exhibit. He also got very sick the next day. There are beautiful grounds to see and explore. Local parks. There are local parks around the city. There is one on the other side of the semi-truck parking long near our apartments. It's lovely and well maintained and on the water. Just don't look at the shore or you'll see all the trash washed up. The play equipment is metal and too hot to touch most of the time. The play equipment is usually too hot to touch in all the parks. Movies are a good way to enjoy some air conditioning. Some theaters are really loud. I mean deafening, ear splitting loud. Some have rats.
Some embassies have family activities. If you are not working with or as part of an embassy you kind of need to know someone because they are not well known about. Some are just for embassy staff or you must be invited by a staff member. Others you are just not welcome at even if you are a citizen of that country. We attended one at the Australian Embassy that was a really great event.
This brings me to my favorite thing to do in Yangon........BRUNCH!
It has been our favorite thing to do and I'm not sure we would have survived without it.
There are a few 5 star hotels in Yangon that offer brunch. Some offer brunch and then use of their pool. Others offer brunch and kids activities. They range in price, but most offer a great selection of food and service. A few of my favorites:
Rose Garden Hotel, brunch and pool, great food usually themed, free flow beer and the lowest price.
Novotel Hotel, brunch and pool. Amazing spread of food. Seafood, sushi, local food and food from all over.
Wyndham Hotel, brunch and pool, another expansive spread, but the pool can be cold.
Melia Yangon, no pool access, but the biggest and best brunch around. Also the most expensive. The have a play area for kids and a kids activity.
Honorable mention to Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire. At this time they don't offer the brunch specials, but sometimes offer staycation packages. Well worth it! The best service and the hotel is stunning.
There is the ferry ride across the river, but to be totally honest, I'm afraid of the ferry. I was told to hold onto my son so he doesn't slip through the railings. NOPE.
The train goes in a circle around the city. It takes about 3 hours and is very old and rickety. That's available if that's your thing.
There are things outside the city. A long bus ride outside the city. Nothing a 6 year old likes better then an 8 hour bus ride! There's more and
I'll explain later why I'm too chicken to go there.
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