Naypyitaw – The capital of Myanmar

Aditi Ghosh

Naypyitaw (NPT) is a unique city that became the capital of Myanmar in 2006. The scale of this surreal city is difficult to describe. Built from scratch in the middle of rice paddies and sugar-cane fields, Naypyidaw (often translated as “Seat of the King”) has streets up to 20 lanes and stretch as far as the eye can see (the rumour is these grandiose boulevards were built to enable aircraft to land on them in the event of any disturbance). Everything looks super-sized and endless, be it an office building or hotel. But its strange emptiness will surely make you curious!

However, as long as you have friends who sincerely take care of you, all you collect is good memories. The journey to NPT from Yangon (Rangoon) through green fields and softly rolling hills on superhighway (and hardly any traffic) makes the drive very enjoyable. The country with all its challenges is still very beautiful and a gift of nature like its precious gems( ruby & sapphire). Oh yes! tried squirrel meat the first time. Also ate tea leaves which taste nice with ginger and sesame seeds.

Aditi Ghosh is a development professional and a globe traveller