Things to Do in Anaheim & Buena Park

The Chinatown in Yangon, also called Tayoke Tan, is, if possible, even busier than the rest of Yangon. The trick is to let yourself be carried along by the crowd through the typical vibrant Chinatown-ness you can find in Chinese neighborhoods across the world. Big signs with Chinese characters fight for attention above jewelry, gold, flower, fruit, medicine and apparel shops and a variety of restaurants and food stalls beckon visitors with inviting smells, sizzling sounds and persistent attendants. There are a few temples to be found as well, such as the Guang Dong Kwan Yin Temple, where all the major Chinese festivals and celebrations are held throughout the year. These clan temples belong to either one of the two communities living in Tayoke Tan, the Hokkien community who historically mainly resided on Strand and Anawratha Road or the Cantonese community located on Mana Bandoola Road. 

Especially 19th street has become a bit of a landmark and is known for the extensive barbecue stalls and the many restaurants with the small plastic chairs. The street is packed at all times of the day with locals and tourists alike. Menus are a rarity and if you don't want dumplings or pastries, you are instead expected to point at piles of whatever skewers of meat, tofu, chicken, garlic, vegetables and seafood you want. In true Chinese build-your-own-dinner style, these skewers are then tossed on the charcoal grills or into steaming hot pots and accompanied by a big mug of draft beer. Sit down where it's busiest, as the food there is bound to be the best.

Situated in Taipei County, the town of Yingge is well-known for its production (and celebration) of all things ceramic. It's true that pottery and ceramic fans will be in their element here, with several hundred pottery shops, an annual festival, and even a ceramics museum.

For the annual Yingge International Ceramics Festival, Jianshanpu Road is undoubtedly the main hub, and is in fact where the ceramics industry in the town all began. Despite being modernized, this road still features an old coal-fired kiln chimney along with a number of other ancient buildings. A pedestrianized section of Jianshanpu Road is known as Ceramics Old Street and is home to numerous ceramics shops, as well as the odd street performance.

To delve deeper into the history of the ceramics industry in Taiwan, head to the Yingge Ceramics Museum. Opened in 2000, the museum takes visitors on a complete journey through the history and development of pottery in Taiwan, as well as giving an insight into the production process.

Deep in the Roseau Valley, Wotten Waven is a small town where you'll find geothermal hot springs that have attracted travelers with their muscle-soothing minerals for centuries. These unique features can be found here because the town sits atop the Wotten Waven Caldera, one of nine active volcanoes on the island. Today the town has become something of a natural spa retreat, with a variety of establishments offering hot water and mud baths fueled by the natural hot springs. A day tour of the community includes a hike along the sulphur river, where the rocks are stained yellow from the mineral and vents steam and bubble with volcanic mud. After a local lunch you can take soak in one of the community pools and relax amid the peaceful rainforest backdrop.

Yangon City Hall is the seat of the various departments of the Yangon City Development Committee, the city's administrative body, the head of which is Yangon's mayor. As the place where the city's leaders meet, the building was also the point of many a demonstration protesting political decisions and situations. In 1964 for example, 200'000 people met here to support Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, an important leader of the peace movement. City Hall marks the center of Yangon and can be best viewed from the Maha Bandoola Garden right opposite the building. 

Construction of this building finished in 1936 and the city hall is now considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of combined British and Burmese architecture. It was designed by the prominent Burmese architect U Tin, who also planned Yangon's central train station. U Tin's style is well known for its fusion of the seemingly conflicting western and Myanmar's indigenous styles. Accordingly, the newly repainted bright white City Hall building features tiered roofs, intricate ornamentations on the pillars and arches, but also the solid but elegant colonial build.