over from manchester. now, people live here. a half-century as a pariah state has left very few of these buildings in good repair. and there are divergent views on whether to preserve them. for many, a reminder of colonial subjugation. for others, a vestige of a golden time. these days in myanmar in the streets, on the docks, it s all about moving forward. in an economy ripe to explode if things continue trending in their current direction, the busy hustle and bustle of yangon s port appears even busier today as workers prepare for the oncoming holiday. philippe: hey, chef. anthony: hello. philippe: how are you doing? anthony: it figures, doesn t it? philippe: yeah, it does. welcome to myanmar. anthony: philippe lajaunie, owner/proprietor of my old restaurant, les halles.
philippe: or a baby, or anything. i mean, it s anthony: yeah. try pissing in the bathroom and find yourself launched straight up into the ceiling, bringing to a rude conclusion what was already an omnidirectional experience. it s smooth now. it s very relaxing. philippe: what kind of beer did he have? i want the same. raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens brown paper packages tied up with strings these are a few of my favorite things
tonight. philippe: full moon party, that s right. anthony: now, what that means, we have no idea. philippe: we don t know. there is only one way to find out, i suppose. well, it sounds like a party. anthony: oh, it gets crazy from now on. it s full moon day, a holiday marking the end of the rainy season. and today marks the beginning of three days of break out the crazy. giant speakers compete for attention, everybody cheerfully oblivious to the distortion. cotton candy, trinkets, tube socks, just like a new york street fair, but with infinitely better food. oh, are these the little birds? philippe: yeah. these guys are really good. was flying just a bit earlier this morning. anthony: i ll tell you, it s
girl: now, how much you pay? philippe: okay. anthony: what s that going to mean? how will the burmese react to all of the goods-good and evils that come with tourism? girl: okay, mister. what about you pay one, okay. philippe: perfect. boy: it s perfect, yeah. girl: excuse me. anthony: it s going to mean mobility. it s going to mean prosperity for some. will mean a lot of bad things, too, you know. it ll mean prostitution. it ll mean hustling. philippe: here you go. girl: okay, my booth. fine restaurant. boy: so. thank you very much. for your health, for the children. philippe: okay. and you, too. boy: yeah. philippe: you think so. girl: everybody is selling to you, you buy, you pay 20. anthony: we re told that kids are dropping out of school to do this, the double-edged sword of the service economy. girl: you want to buy postcard? for, uh, only $5. one, two, three, more, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. anthony: what i m amazed is how friendly
anthony: actually, funny you should mention that. people used to live here, but the government came along in the 80s, i believe, and relocated. it was a mass relocation project. philippe: right. anthony: so, any homes, anything, it was understood that this is a good you know, there s some tourist bucks here. they relocated the entire population. we re in one of the first mass waves of tourists. european tourists have been coming here in relatively small numbers for a long time. but the floodgates have certainly opened. they re building hotels like crazy around this area, what s called the tourist triangle. philippe: i really like this, too. woman: this is silk and cotton poly. philippe: and what-what is this here? oh, this this is a this is a nice cloth. anthony: as myanmar begins its shift towards accommodating increasing tourism and a service economy to go with it, there will be adjustments. there will be, of course, a downside.