Side Car
Side car is a slow vehicle widely used in Myanmar for transporting goods or passengers either in small towns or big towns for short distance. Even in Yangon, side-cars are running except in heart of the city. Side-car is a small vehicle attached with two extra seats and a wheel to the side of a bicycle. Side-cars are normally used by housewives to carry heavy stuffs like rice bag, charcoal bags and other food stuffs from market to their homes. Side-cars are widely used in areas which have no access to passenger buses. When a stranger visits an area which is not familiar he hires a side-car to find desired address.
For tourists taking side-car is good for orientation and sightseeing. It is delightful to take a side-car ride around China town in the late afternoon.
Bullock cart or Ox cart
Rural areas and in villages where there are no motor roads, transportation mainly depends on cattle driven carts. Oxen or buffaloes are used to pull the carts. The structure of the carts made of wood is very simple. Since these carts are used on the rough cart-tracks with heavy load, both the structure and material should be strong. Two bullocks or buffaloes pull the cart by means of a wooden yoke fixed across the necks of two animals. Two cart wheels are also made of strong teak wood with thick spokes and an iron rim. These wheels are connected with strong axle made from hard wood called ‘Pyingadoe’.
The hub of the wheels is specially made from a hard wood called Padauk. Light carts are also used in Myanmar villages by the rich people just for riding only.
Circular Train
A circular train route loops out north from Yangon to Insein, Mingaladon and North Okkalapa townships and then back into the city. There are actually two trains, one clockwise (left-bound) and one counter-clockwise (right-bound), and it takes three hours to complete the loop in either direction. A run around this loop will give you a cheap, but not particularly comfortable, look around; trains depart every 30 minutes between 6 am and 8 pm.
Horse Cart
Horse-carts driven by a single horse are still used in Myanmar for the transport of passengers and goods. They can be found in outskirts of the cities like Bago, Pyi, Moulmein and in rural area elsewhere in the country.In Bagan horse carts are widely used and riding horse cart is delightful for the tourists. Myanmar horse cart are made of wood. The structure is very simple with two large wheels and two long poles to be fasten with the horse. These poles are directly connected with the axle and the passenger cabin sits on poles. It’s for two passengers only.
The horse cart has a light roof made of bamboo mat covered with canvas.The horse carts of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo) are called Garry which means vehicle in Urdu language. These Garries are four wheeler and built properly with wood. It has an excellently structured doors and windows at both sides. Driver seat is on the roof at the front. At the back side is the baggage compartment. Garries are beautifully painted in different colors.