Monday—Thursday January 27—30, 2014
Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is about 425 km southwest of Inle Lake. Yangon is a city of five million with fierce traffic conditions. Interestingly, motor bikes are banned in the central area.
Here is a map of the area. We arrived around lunch time, and after went to a large, reclining Buddha (pink pin on the map).
We went out late in the afternoon to see the Buddha statue at Chaukhtatgyi. The statue is over 200 feet (65 meters) in length. Here is a video.
Our next and last stop for the day was the Shwedagon Pagoda (yellow colored pin on the map).
The structure is 325 feet (99 meters) high.
Have you noticed how much gold
is on the temples
here?
It is large and shiny enough that it is easy to spot with satellite view on the map.
Here is a representative sample of structures at the site.
There is a lot of art surrounding the central pagoda.
Around the pagoda are areas dedicated to people born on a specific day of the week. Here is the spot for people born on a Tuesday.
Above is the spot for people born on Wednesday morning.
There are several rooms where large bells are suspended.
This is our guide striking the bell. Note her technique.
Not far away, we came upon women singing together.
One last look at the pagoda. Can you spot the monks walking on it?
Tomorrow morning, we’re off to Bangkok.
Next—Hua Hin, a 3 hour drive south of Bangkok.
We flew from Inle Lake to Yangon for an overnight stay.
Postscript: We visited Myanmar during that period when it appeared the country was on the right track. Unfortunately, since our visit, it has proved to be the case that Aung San Suu Kyi was not the hero made out to be and the military was not really inclined toward democracy. So Myanmar is again one of those places one might not choose to visit.