Rolling it in Rangoon

Visiting the former Myanmar capital today, in all its decaying glory, is like taking a trip back in time to the days of the British empire with the numerous magnificent colonial buildings, more than 200 in all, dotting the city’s often manic downtown core.
Adding to the experience are the old cars. With the numerous sanctions levied on the former Burma by the international community for its human rights record, this place is the Cuba of the East with eccentric vehicles galore—Mazda Range Rover knockoffs, US cars from the 1950s and 1960s, and the best and the worst of the early Japanese imports—navigating the often-bumpy roads.
Yet for all the criticisms of the country, the atmosphere in the former Rangoon is surprisingly relaxed and safe. Walking around the “Garden city of the East” is relatively easy with the city’s downtown area set up in a grid system along the Yangon River.
At nearly every turn, visitors will find outstanding examples of Edwardian and Victorian architecture. Among the many highlights are the city’s main hospital on Bogyoke Aung San Road, Yangon City Hall next to Sule Pagoda, and the Supreme Court just to the east. The bar and restaurant in the nearby Strand Hotel, an establishment patronized by Somerset Maugham, Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret, among others, over the years, provides a welcome retreat for those looking to escape the heat.
Further afield, the city’s suburbs are dotted with beautiful early 20th century mansions that formerly housed timber and mining barons and others who made their fortune in trading the country’s abundant resources worldwide. The Governor’s Residence, now a swank boutique hotel and restaurant, provides a good example as this near century-old preserved teak mansion is outstanding in its opulence and detail.
Inevitably a visitor will be out in the suburbs to take in the Shwedagon Pagoda, a spectacular 99-metre-tall shrine that looms large over the city. Built more than 2,500 years ago, it was erected to house eight hairs of Indian Prince Siddhartha who had just attained Buddhahood and the relics of three previous Buddhas.
When the British arrived in the late 19th century so did golf, a sport that is now entrenched in Myanmar society as there about 130 courses, many of them quaint nine-holers, around the country. The first course was built in 1887 in Thayetmyo, about 360 kilometres north of Yangon, and still exists today. In Yangon, the first club, Rangoon Golf Club, was founded in 1893, but is long gone from its initial site at what is now the People’s Park. As it is, the city now offers about 10 clubs, nearly all with public access.