Market Friday: Danyingon Market in Yangon, Myanmar

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I love the #marketfriday tag initiated by @dswigle: It is amazing for exploring different markets from around the world. It has been a while since my last #marketfriday post, but when I spent the whole day at the Danyingon market in rural Yangon yesterday, I knew that today's #marketfriday would be the perfect opportunity to show you around this amazing market.

Together with a French girl who I met at the airport two days ago, I boarded the Yangon circle train in the morning. The slow train is a popular way of transport for local commuters since it circles all the way around Yangon and its suburbs in three hours. A ticket costs no more than 200 Kyat (0.12€)!

After more than an hour on the train, we got off at Danyingon station. Making our way across the platform packed with vendors, the first raindrops hit and I started questioning my decision to get such a bulky new lens that it now is impossible to fit a raincoat in my camera bag. Just moments later my new lens turned out to be worth its weight in gold as the low light conditions in the market and the motives I wanted to capture perfectly fit the capabilities of my f1.8 lens.

Just minutes after entering the market, the raindrops turned into a heavy rain that started leaking through tarps spanning the stalls and the roof of the market shack. This couldn't stop me from hunting for shots:

Here in Myanmar, I am rediscovering my passion for street photography. On my recent travels, especially in Morocco, it has proven difficult to get the permission of locals to take their photo. Here in Myanmar this is not a problem at all - today, everyone was happy to have me take a photo of them and often they even pointed to their friends telling me to capture them as well! They loved seeing their portraits on my camera display. Here is a selection:

The variety of produce sold on the market was also fascinating:

For hours, the rain kept purring down and large parts of the market were underwater ankle-deep. At one point, we decided to make it back to the train station and that was when I really started to regret not bringing my rain coat. Luckily, the temperatures here are warm and I did bring a waterproof bag for my camera bag!

When we got to the station, we boarded the first train of the circle lane that came along and since it came from the opposite direction, we went back to Yangon the way we had come. With the wet and muddy landscape passing by outside and my soaked clothes inside, the rest of the circle would not have been particularly enjoyable anyway. However, a few stations before reaching Yangon central train station the train stopped, and when everybody excited the coach it became clear that the train would not move any further since the tracks were flooded. With my camera safely stored inside my waterproof bag, I was only able to capture a snap with my phone, but I hope that you can spot the flooded tracks in the background:

We walked towards the next street and after a snack at a BBQ restaurant that contrary to the market had a waterproof roof we took a taxi back to the hostel.

I have never seen so much rain coming down in one day before, but I knew that it was monsoon season when I planned my trip to Myanmar. It's about time for me to leave Yangon tomorrow evening and head further north, where the monsoon rain hits less heavy.

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