Myanmar: safer in the monastery than on the street | Monks, junta

Myanmar is a nation trapped between two realities: shimmering golden pagodas adorned with diamonds and a brutal military junta controlling every street corner. I traveled to the mysterious ghost capital of Naypyidaw, where 20-lane highways stand completely empty while ordinary people live in slums built on water. From decaying British colonial palaces to tense back-alley filming, this is the reality of one of the world's most closed nations. What happens when expressing a single political opinion can put you in prison for ten years? Hey, have you tried an eSIM? Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo. Use code ILYA6216 when you sign up or apply it at checkout. https://vrlmv.com/lytmvr If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up, leave your comments and share this video on social networks! Hello! My name is Ilya, I am a Russian journalist and founder of various urban beautification projects in Moscow and around Russia. There is nothing in the world that I love more than traveling. On this channel, I will do my best to give you an objective overview of life in different parts of the globe. Subscribe to the channel so you don't miss my new videos! Support the channel on Patreon: https://vrlmv.com/GSE8ZF Support the channel with cryptocurrency: https://vrlmv.com/pv17HV Instagram: https://vrlmv.com/7Wj2vk Twitter: https://vrlmv.com/dMUXKA Facebook: https://vrlmv.com/IcK8GI TikTok: https://vrlmv.com/7zx551 Reddit: https://vrlmv.com/dlCbsm Chapters: 00:00 A country of two faces: golden pagodas vs. brutal military regime 01:14 Meeting Tou Kabota: sentenced to 10 years for a video 01:27 Strict rules for tourists: no ATMs and pristine dollar bills 03:00 “Don’t film the soldiers” - first warning on the street 03:54 The 2021 military coup and the scorched earth strategy 05:34 Entering the mysterious capital through military checkpoints 06:55 Naypyidaw: London’s size but completely empty 07:41 The absurd 20-lane highway designed for planes 09:56 Dystopian housing: green roofs for agriculture workers 13:12 Golf courses in the ghost town: where elites make deals 15:50 The dark reality of white elephants near the pagoda 16:20 Street food in a dead city: pork guts and intestines 17:10 Why the capital was built to prevent protests 21:14 Meeting the locals: life in a one-room wooden shack 26:07 The civil war next door: underground base rumors 28:35 Why everyone is terrified of talking about politics 31:37 Insane road safety: 9 people in a single motorbike sidecar 32:50 Old Japanese imports vs. generals’ luxury BMWs 35:31 A brief history of Burma and the 1989 name change 39:31 The symmetric central station and the sleepy general 42:14 Tou Kabota’s story: how a Japanese passport saved him from torture 47:21 Decaying British colonial palaces in the center of Yangon 50:51 Inside the Sofaer building: from luxury commercial hub to trash-filled slum 55:32 The five-star historic Strand Hotel 58:11 The mail bag system: why balconies have hanging baskets 58:50 Razor wire and fire points at the British Embassy 1:00:27 Shwedagon Pagoda: the golden heart covered in diamonds 1:04:04 Thingyan water festival: washing away sins with ice-cold water 1:06:21 Chewing betel leaves: the red-mouthed tradition 1:07:15 The black market of currency exchange: beautiful women with bags of cash 1:08:20 The pristine dollar rule: one fold means zero value 1:10:10 Massive generators on every sidewalk: power grid failures 1:12:13 Journey to Dala: the poorest neighborhood across the river 1:13:50 “We earn $5 a day if we are lucky” - the fishermen of Dala 1:21:40 The three lakes of Dala: bathing, washing, and drinking 1:24:15 Mandalay: daily rituals of 1,200 monks in one monastery 1:26:48 “We only eat twice a day” - talking to a young monk 1:30:12 Kuthodaw Pagoda: the world’s biggest book made of marble 1:33:59 Sticking solid gold on Buddha: the 15cm thick layer of wishes 1:36:15 Shwenandaw: the surviving wooden palace covered in carvings 1:38:30 U Bein Bridge: the longest teakwood bridge in the world 1:41:05 Selling wild owls to release them for good luck 1:45:15 Airport conclusions: how the junta controls information 1:48:40 Why the Burmese military loves Russian passports 1:50:03 The unspoken tragedy: the bombing of Pazigi village 1:51:38 Palace luxury vs. terrifying misery: my final thoughts