Sep 25 and Oct 2, 2018

Mundo Lingo Yangon at 50th Street Cafe

Meet-up: Tuesdays at 7pm
Location: 50th Street Cafe, Yangon, Myanmar
Admission: FREE
Facebook Page: Mundo Lingo Yangon

Instant Communities
As a lone traveler in a new place, I immerse myself into an instant community in various ways - Vipassana sangha, Couch Surfing, meetup.com or Facebook Events.

A Really Smart Phone
Upon arrival in Yangon, my smart phone notified me about events happening in Yangon. Huh? My phone knows I'm already in Yangon? I checked, and one of the events was a language meetup among travelers, expats and locals at the popular 50th Street Cafe. Whoa! I signed up for it! The owner of the hotel whom I've become instant friends with, Tin, was curious and wanted to come as well...and his son too! I'm only 24 hours into Yangon and I'm taking 2 locals with me. How cool is that?

with Tin and his son, Khant, who came with me to Mundo Lingo

Mundo Lingo Yangon
Mundo Lingo is a global social event where travelers, expats and locals mingle for a highly interactive social experience. In Yangon, this club is only 4 months old but getting bigger. They meet every Tuesday at 7pm at the popular 50th Street Cafe. Socials go on until whenever. The gathering packs an energy all its own.

with Htet, Myat, Ashley and....

50th Street Cafe
50th Street Cafe is such an ideal venue for the event. It has an old world charm with high ceilings and ballroom expanse. The patina on the decor and furniture evoke an ambience from a bygone era when the world was a little more innocent and playful. The atmosphere lends itself to conversation and interaction.

Socials
As the crowd gathered, people moved from circle to circle finding resonance. I didn't get to meet everyone but I managed to engage some locals who were willing to share experience, ideals and insight. It was refreshing to be with them. I got a sense they are in the social upper crust and have a sense of duty to what lays ahead. They were young, vibrant, optimistic and grounded.

with Htet, Violit, Myat, Kyao and....

Ending Thoughts
In Yangon where minds are opening up and ready for full-on expansion, Mundo Lingo Yangon is a brilliant idea and a pioneering initiative. With my interaction with the locals, I am left with a few powerful impressions - they are upwardly mobile, forward-thinking, out to make a difference and lastly, they have love of country. While they talk about leveraging from emergent technologies, it's not about accumulating wealth and living life on Easy Street. No. They talk about moving the country forward. They take ownership of their roles in the nation building process. They realize how much needs to be done to catch up with global trends and they have this sense of urgency to do their part. With these young and forward-moving people at the helm, optimism is high and the future looks bright.

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Reader Comments:

Pann Thitsar
(Sep 30, 2018) Didn't get a chance to meet you last week 🙂. We did though actually this time 🙂 I was the girl delivering the flags? Thank you for supporting us.

TheLoneRider
(Oct 11, 2018) Yes! But I wish we talked even for a short while. Now in Bangkok...say Hi if you're in the area 🙂

Kyaw Soe Htet
(Sep 30, 2018) It was my pleasure sir

TheLoneRider
(Sep 30, 2018) next time you call me sir, I'll shave my head to remove the gray....LOL 🙂

Jim Ward
(Sep 30, 2018) Gigit, ALWAYS have to deal with the SIR lssue too. Sigh.

Htet Pyae Lwin
(Sep 30) Special words I got from you Gigit Sulit. Wanna see you on Tuesday again

Yangon (city), Myanmar

IMPORTANT PLACES

Yangon International Airport

HOTEL

Beautyland Hotel II - central location, backpacker friendly, affordable, breakfast & laundry included

RESTAURANT

The Social House - Kitchen & Tap - international food, cold beer, chill vibe, fun crowd

CONDO RENTAL-SALE

2 Ward, Mayangone Township - REDUCED !!!, 1950 ft², 2 master bedrooms, full kitchen

USEFUL INFORMATION

How to Get to Downtown Yangon from the Yangon International Airport (RGN)

take the shuttle bus from Airport to Downtown Yangon, it costs MMK 500. It passes through the main artery of Yangon.

Yangon Travel Tips

useful site: Wiki Travel Yangon

USEFUL INFORMATION

(as of Jan 2020)

Myanmar FYI / Travel Tips

accommodation - not all destinations in Myanmar can accommodate foreign travelers. Walk-in hotel guests could be refused. Better make an online booking, or make sure the hotel you wish to stay, at is listed in the online booking sites (Agoda, Booking.com, etc.)
local time - adjust time 30 mins behind from Thailand (if arriving from Thailand)
Burmese people - Burmese people are new to what's happening to Myanmar - being opened-up to the rest of the world. They remain friendly, helpful and curious. Tourism being new, the culture is not yet corrupted by it.

General Travel Tips

arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!

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