Teaching amongst Temples
While visiting breathtaking Bagan, an otherworldly place of some 2,000 historic temples dotting the landscape, we discovered a highly-rated restaurant, Sanon, that caught our eye for more than what was offered on the menu. For this is a ‘training restaurant for marginalized youth’ with the noble mission of changing lives and building a future for Myanmar. In a country with a troubled political past, economic opportunity and empowerment are just starting to become a reality for many oppressed by years of isolationism.
Since 1992, tourism has been slowly permitted and encouraged as a means of economic development, and since 2011, with the transition of power from military to civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who endured decades of house arrest, tourism has seen marked growth. With entire regions of the country still ‘off-limits’ for tourists, there is still much progress and transparency of government needed, but as we witnessed firsthand, in many areas of the country, including Bagan, the fast-growing tourism sector demands an educated and empowered workforce.
Sanon was founded by three Australian businessmen as a non-profit center to help offer just this sort of opportunity for the youth of the Bagan region, providing them the skills and resources needed to launch a career in hospitality. We had the chef’s special of the night, Indian Lentil Curry with Squash, and a Burmese favorite, Shan Khauk Swe, or spicy rice noodle - both were absolutely delicious and the service from our young student from the neighboring village was A+.
Sanon Restaurant
Open every day
11am - 10pm
(kitchen closes at 9.30pm)
E: contact@sanon-restaurant.org
Ph: 959451951950
Pyu Saw Hti Street | Next to Thante Hotel, Bagan