RANGOON — Just around the corner from the heavily trafficked eastern entrance of glittering Shwedagon Pagoda is another vibrant place: Bahan Market, a traditional street bazaar in Rangoon that is open seven days a week. Around the old building that houses the market are dozens of vendors tending shops that sell pocket-size to towering Buddha statues, ropes, candles, umbrellas, sweets, wooden handicrafts and more.
But the real visual feast is playing out inside, where fresh seafood, meat, herbs and innumerable vegetables and fruits are traded. Customers stroll through the small alleys that crisscross the market, carrying bags laden with purchases.
Those who are not in a hurry stop for a short while to drink a cup of sweet tea or slurp up a bowl of hot noodle soup in one of the small food stalls that are interspersed among the bustling hub of commerce.
