15 JUNE 2013 - YANGON, MYANMAR: A betel vendor, left, jokes with a customer on the Yangon Circular Train. Many Burmese chew betel, a mildly stimulating leaf which stains the teeth red. The Yangon Circular Railway is the local commuter rail network that serves the Yangon metropolitan area. Operated by Myanmar Railways, the 45.9-kilometre (28.5 mi) 39-station loop system connects satellite towns and suburban areas to the city. The railway has about 200 coaches, runs 20 times and sells 100,000 to 150,000 tickets daily. The loop, which takes about three hours to complete, is a popular for tourists to see a cross section of life in Yangon. The trains from 3:45 am to 10:15 pm daily. The cost of a ticket for a distance of 15 miles is ten kyats (~nine US cents), and that for over 15 miles is twenty kyats (~18 US cents). Foreigners pay 1 USD (Kyat not accepted), regardless of the length of the journey. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ