Of the Iconic Myanmar Jeep

2 Behind the steering wheel: singer Aung La By Nuam Bawi and Aye Nyein Win When he was barely a happy that he drove it all teenager in 7th Standard, over the city. Aung La – the front man He never uses a driver, of the band The Reason - he said, even when he has learned how to drive. to travel to other cities - he “My first car was a 1986 prefers to be in the steering Honda Accord,” said Aung wheel. La, whose pop-rock album Aung La said he dreams “Mar Tih Kar” (Content) of owning many cars in the recently broke through. future or at least regularly “I bought that car changing models. according to how much I For the moment, he is could afford at the time, but satisfied with altering its the car was so worn out that interior and decorating the I had to keep taking it to a outside of his car. workshop,” he said. “I did the Photoshop “Although that design for this car myself disappointed me a lot, in and printed out the sticker the end I still made a profit for the shop,” he said. when I sold it.” “I do that once every six Sometimes, he said, he months … for now at least I even had to repair his car can ride this car with a new on the way to his own show. outfit,” he grinned. “The car would break Aung La’s preference is down in the middle of the for luxurious cars rather street and I had to repair it than sports cars. However, on my way to the concert.” his true dream car – and The car Aung La currently the one he feels best owns is a 2002 Toyota matches his personality Altezza, which he bought - is a Dodge Challenger, from his friend in 2011. mostly because of its big He chose it, he said, engine. because he could afford “I could even race it and because he wanted [that] car if I wanted to,” a car that stood out in he said. Yangon. “I think its design really When the car arrived, suits a rocker.” Aung La said he was so Aung La redesigns the outside of his car every six months. Pic: Thiri Lu A Myanmar Times WHEELS 2013 Special Report Editors: Photographers: Myo Lwin, Jessica Mudditt Kaung Htet, Ko Taik, Aung Htay Hlaing, Boothee, Maria Danmark, Thiri Lu Writers: Yu Yu Maw, Shwegu Thitsar, Aye Nyein Win, Shwe Yee Saw Myint, Myo Lwin, Jessica Mudditt, Douglas Long, Maria Cover & Layout Design: Danmark, Htar Htar Khin, Cherry Thein, Shwegu Thitsar, Nandar Tin Zaw Htway, Ko Pxyo Aung, Nuam Bawi, Myat Nyein Aye For enquiries and feedback: Cover photo: Ko Taik. [email protected] Model: Pyi Phyo [email protected] Our thanks go to the owner of the 1969 Holden Premier, Nyan Minn, who kindly lent us his car for the James Dean-inspired cover shoot. 3 Creating cute car nicknames substitute for lengthy Yangon under protest. explained U Nyein Chan. phapyouk (frog) for the popular cars, the Chery QQ, makes and models that Several dealers and Since the models began 2000 Toyota Corolla Mark-ii boasts the most nicknames, By can be difficult to read or brokers said that cars are arriving in Myanmar around or 1999 Mitsubishi Pajero with various models known Myo Lwin pronounce. given simple Myanmar 2005, they have been referred respectively, the glossary as the ah-loo (potato), set- The Myanmar words for names for the convenience to as “parrots” (Kyet-tu-yway). of names has expanded pya-khwat (soap dish), ja-poe gold fish, frog, cow, rat and of all involved in the multi- Although a taxi driver due to the influx of new (bug) or kywet (the rather elephant head are just a million dollar industry when called Tony Myo told The vehicles into Yangon after unflattering rat). THE arrival of tens of few of the creative names they roll off their shipping Myanmar Times that the the government announced Suzuki wagon cargo light thousands of imported cars that have originated from containers into the country, nicknames are not used by its replacement scheme for trucks are called Wat gaung hasn’t only given rise to more Hanthawaddy Car Trading with most coming from the general public but are outdated cars back in 2011. (pig heads) because they look traffic on Yangon’s streets. compound, Myanmar’s Japan. created by car salespeople Ko Min Min, who has like the head of a pig, said U A slew of new nicknames biggest car market which last “The head of [1998-1999 with weak skills in reading spent 20 years working in car Nyein Chan. have entered Myanmar’s car month was relocated to Min Toyota Caldinas] look like English, a car dealer said he yards, said there are at least Khway gaung (dog head) market lexicon, with brokers Ye Kyaw Swa compound in a bird perched on a tree,” recently heard a government 20 well-known nicknames for refers to 1988-1989 Toyota coming up with simplified minister using a nickname to imported cars. Coronas. They are not to be names as a refer to a car. The 2006 and 2007 Nissan confused with the 1992 and Along with shwe- Ad Van is known as nwar tha- 1995 Toyota Coronas known nga (goldfish) pauk (baby cow), while the as sin gaung (elephant or 2001 Toyota Caldina is set- head). yoke (robot). The 2000 Toyota Old model Volkswagens Town Ace light truck is have three names, depending a pa-zin gaung on the size of their rear lights (grasshopper). – there is the large sin-khwa One of (elephant foot), the mid-sized Yangon’s myin-Khwa (horse foot) and most the small sait-khwa (goat foot). But four cars that have recently become popular in Myanmar, the Toyota Vitz, Honda Fit, Toyota Belta and Suzuki Swift, have missed out on nicknames. Car dealers say that it is because the names are already simple The cow - a.k.a Nissan AD station wagon. Pic: Ko Taik enough themselves. 4 Beat on the street: Are Yangon’s By Shwegu Thitsar traffic jams driving you crazy? and Yu Yu Maw Ma Ohnmar May Maung, 18, resident of Thaketa township “I study chemistry at East Yangon University in Tarwa and it normally takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get there from home, and it takes three hours to get downtown from university. I face traffic jams everyday; mostly at Thanlyin Bridge because it is a very narrow road which allows just one car to pass at a time. If a car or bus breaks down on the bridge, passengers have to wait about 15 minutes to get past – and no one jumps out to help move the vehicles out of the way. I can’t understand it. I see these kinds of things everywhere in Yangon – it drives me crazy. Taking the train is also a waste of time. I don’t think there are enough bus lines or buses. On my way to and from school I feel so uncomfortable because the buses are so crowded and the roads are rough. I hope the government or private sector will increase the number of buses on the roads as well as introducing more comfortable buses.” U Mg Mg Htwe, 45, a taxi driver from Thingangyun township “I’ve been driving a taxi for 10 years and up until two years ago my business was really good because there weren’t huge traffic jams. Serious trouble for taxi drivers began in the middle of last year, particularly at Hledan, Shwe Gone Taing and Tamwe townships. Another bad place for traffic jams is Inya Road, because it’s affected by Hledan. Time is very important to taxi drivers – but we are wasting it at traffic jams. How can I make money as a taxi driver? I change my route to avoid Hledan, Shwe Gone Taing, which means covering a longer distance and I need to ask for a higher fare, which passengers dislike. In the downtown area, the lack of car parking creates traffic jams. Sometimes I can’t stop myself from shouting out in anger while driving around there. I know the municipal authorities are in the process of creating more space for parked cars, but there are still roadside stalls in car parking spaces. I think it’s disgusting! I hope the traffic jams will lessen after the Hledan overpass is finished - I just hope the traffic jams don’t move elsewhere. And I don’t know why the project at Shwe Gone Taing hasn’t started yet.” Daw Yin Yin Mon, 32, an accountant from Hlaing township “I’m amazed by how much road conditions have improved since last year. The change happened so quickly. But everyone, everywhere, faces traffic jams now. It takes me 90 minutes to travel from home to downtown. I want to cry out on the bus because it takes at least 20 minutes to pass through an intersection. Every morning, I see huge queues of buses and cars in Hledan, starting from Tadarphyu bus stop (which is three bus stops away from Hledan intersection). And sometimes I see girls and women getting dizzy and fainting because they can’t stand up on such crowded, hot buses for a long time. Buses are very crowded during peak hours. Even if I take a taxi, there’s no escaping the traffic jams. I try to keep my mind strong by talking and laughing, but the need to reach my office on time stresses me out.

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