Yangon’s property market is the most expensive in the country and
beyond the reach of most Yangonites. Most rent outside downtown and few
can afford to rent downtown area apartments. (In 2008, rents for a
typical 650-to-750-square-foot (60 to 70 m) apartments in downtown and
vicinity range between K70,000 and K150,000 and those for high end
condos between K200,000 and K500,000.)
Most men of all ages (and some women) spend their time at ubiquitous
tea-shops, found in any corner or street of the city. Watching European
football (mostly English
Premier League with occasional
La Liga,
Serie A,
Bundesliga)
matches while sipping tea is a popular pastime among many Yangonites,
rich and poor alike. The average person stays close to his or her
neighbourhood haunts. The well-to-do tend to visit shopping malls and
parks on weekends. Some leave the city on weekends for
Chaungtha and
Ngwesaung beach resorts in
Ayeyarwady Division.
Hindu temple procession cart
Yangon is also home to many
paya pwes (pagoda festivals), held
during dry-season months (November – March). The most famous of all,
the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in March, attracts thousands of pilgrims
from around the country.
Yangon's museums are the domain of tourists and rarely visited by the locals.
Most of Yangon's larger hotels offer some kind of nightlife
entertainment, geared towards tourists and the well-to-do Burmese. Some
hotels offer traditional Burmese performing arts shows complete with a
traditional Burmese orchestra. The pub scene in larger hotels is more or
less the same as elsewhere in Asia. Other options include karaoke bars
and pub restaurants in Yangon
Chinatown.
Due to the problems of high inflation, the lack of high denomination
notes, and the fact that many of the population do not have access to
checks, or credit or debit cards, it is common to see citizens carrying a
considerable amount of cash. (The highest denomination of Burmese
currency
kyat is 5000 (~US$5.)) Credit cards are only rarely used in the city, chiefly in the more lavish hotels.
