Myanmar got a new capital in 2008 in the middle of nowhere, called Naypyidaw. It has 12 lane highways, but almost no soul on the streets. It is the weirdest city I have ever been. Next month it is supposed to be the buzzing centre of South East Asia, when it is hosting the SEA Games.

It is said that General Than Shwe got scared, after an astrologist told him ‘soon foreign powers will attack the capital (Yangon) from the sea’. So he decided to move the entire administration and armed forces 320 kilometers north. The official explanation for moving the capital though, is that Yangon had become too congested with little room for future expansion of government offices. That doesn't explain why it had to be done so suddenly, so far and mostly in secret. Especially taking into account how poor most Burmese are..the only explanation is insanity; this city is literally the most concrete evidence for that.

The construction started in 2005 and is expected to be finished this year, with almost a million people living in brand new houses. Most residents are civil servants or militaries, normal citizens are not welcome. The roofs of the buildings are color-coded by the jobs of their residents; the Ministry of Health employees live in houses with blue roofs, colleagues from Agriculture have green rooftops.

The ghost capital is extremely boring, even though it has two golf courses, the countries best zoo and an exact replica of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon (completed in 2009). It has no soul, because nobody is here out of free will.

It is pretty special I am here now; only since two years foreigners are allowed to enter. I’m here with a DVB crew to do a ‘ground test‘, since next month the South East Asia Games -a regional version of Olympic games- are expected to generate lots of news. Athletes and fans from ten countries are going for gold in 33 different sports. Not only enormous stadiums have been built, but also 348 hotels to house the spectators.

Naypyidaw is the only city in Burma where electricity is available 24 hours a day and the internet is fast too. DVB will be able to do the job well. So let the weird games begin!

Earlier Burma Impressions:
20: Lost in Transition
19: Hospitality
18: Early Noodles
17: Brain Power
16: Thanks Buddha
15: Bad Impression
14: Blazing Bagan
13: Forgive and forget?
12: Real men wear skirts
11: 3, 2, 1 .. action!
10: Bangkok vs Yangon
9: Red Teeth
8: Why Poverty?
7: Kick Off
6: Good Morning Yangon
5: Qatar Mobile Deal Sparks Intolerance
4: A Day at my Yangon Office
3: Colonial Traitors
2: House Hunt
1: Yangon Calling