we were in yangon for four days before baba and i headed north for bagan and mandalay. and then we were back again for two days at the end of the trip. we stayed at the parajuli paradise... a wonderful experience with the company of bijayadidi, kalpana, bisowbabu and their three kids, kabu, muna and arun.. great company, great place, great food, great outings.. the works!
a tour of her class left me thinking.. if my kg class had been anything like that i would not have cried my way to school!
yangon was pretty colourful... this pile of cotton and silk material in the bojo marketplace
the christmas decorations...
and flowers...
trees.. huge trees were all over the city.. although it seems the cyclone nargis in 2008 uprooted many trees (many of which were then turned into special sculptures)
between the trees in the town are kolkota-like buildings...
pagodas getting a fresh coat of golden tapak
...hindu temples
... as well as churches...
we saw shops selling gem pictures
and stacks and stacks of slippers.. part of the national dress along with the longyi (lungi)
street vendors seemed to be whipping up yummy treats...
the 'giving' nature of myammari people apparent in the drinking water booths in the roadsides...
... talking of streets.. the roads in yangon seemed green and clean...
... and totally devoid of motorbikes.. turns out they are banned in the city, for security reasons....
the riksha there is a unique side car one...
and vintage vehicles, dating from the great war, could be seen running side by side with sleeker and newer vehicles...
the same south asian-like rush in public vehicles..
the main attraction of yangon was the trip to the schwedagon pagoda.. said to be built 2500 years ago.. and also said to enshrine the hairs taken from the then alive lord buddha.. at the entrance of the pagoda is the pipal (bodhi) tree grown from a cutting of the bodhi tree in bodh-gaya
when we went there the sky was still blue.. when we left.. it was black!!
rows of buddhas offered by people in memory of their dead loved ones
it was so peaceful at the pagoda... and also so clean...
us in front of the golden pagoda
from various places one could see gems (probably the 76 carat diamond??) on top of the pagoda umbrella twinkling in the light...
at eight corners there were watering spots for devotees to pour water on the deity/animal of their birth days... here i am pouring on the thursday watering place... (my sign, the rat, at the bottom!)
ornate filigree work on teak wood...
dada meditating along with the other buddhas
baba's been there, and seen that...
we saw pictures of what the top of the pagoda looks like.. the jewel encrusted bud at the top of the spire...
and the rows of precious stones offered by devotees. the guide told us that when nargis struck the city in 2008, it also blew away many of these stones...
it was really peaceful... devotees squatted on the marble around the pagoda and prayed in silence...
eelum inside the mahaganda bell, which the myammari people recovered from the bottom of the yangon river where it had fallen while the british were trying to ship it to kolkota! it seems the locals used bamboo and wood to make the 23 ton bell float!
baba pours water on the tuesday corner before we head out...
it was interesting to see men pulling up their longyis after work and playing chinlon (cane ball) using thier feet and head, and moving round and round...
in yangon we also saw bits that seemed to be like hawaiian oases!! this golfing resort & spa...
... i called it oasis. because just outside the gates this is what the scenery looks like!!
while leaving yangon .. looking at this beautiful mural at the airport...
a tour of her class left me thinking.. if my kg class had been anything like that i would not have cried my way to school!
yangon was pretty colourful... this pile of cotton and silk material in the bojo marketplace
the christmas decorations...
and flowers...
trees.. huge trees were all over the city.. although it seems the cyclone nargis in 2008 uprooted many trees (many of which were then turned into special sculptures)
between the trees in the town are kolkota-like buildings...
pagodas getting a fresh coat of golden tapak
...hindu temples
... as well as churches...
we saw shops selling gem pictures
and stacks and stacks of slippers.. part of the national dress along with the longyi (lungi)
street vendors seemed to be whipping up yummy treats...
the 'giving' nature of myammari people apparent in the drinking water booths in the roadsides...
... talking of streets.. the roads in yangon seemed green and clean...
... and totally devoid of motorbikes.. turns out they are banned in the city, for security reasons....
the riksha there is a unique side car one...
and vintage vehicles, dating from the great war, could be seen running side by side with sleeker and newer vehicles...
the same south asian-like rush in public vehicles..
the main attraction of yangon was the trip to the schwedagon pagoda.. said to be built 2500 years ago.. and also said to enshrine the hairs taken from the then alive lord buddha.. at the entrance of the pagoda is the pipal (bodhi) tree grown from a cutting of the bodhi tree in bodh-gaya
when we went there the sky was still blue.. when we left.. it was black!!
rows of buddhas offered by people in memory of their dead loved ones
it was so peaceful at the pagoda... and also so clean...
us in front of the golden pagoda
from various places one could see gems (probably the 76 carat diamond??) on top of the pagoda umbrella twinkling in the light...
at eight corners there were watering spots for devotees to pour water on the deity/animal of their birth days... here i am pouring on the thursday watering place... (my sign, the rat, at the bottom!)
ornate filigree work on teak wood...
dada meditating along with the other buddhas
baba's been there, and seen that...
we saw pictures of what the top of the pagoda looks like.. the jewel encrusted bud at the top of the spire...
and the rows of precious stones offered by devotees. the guide told us that when nargis struck the city in 2008, it also blew away many of these stones...
it was really peaceful... devotees squatted on the marble around the pagoda and prayed in silence...
eelum inside the mahaganda bell, which the myammari people recovered from the bottom of the yangon river where it had fallen while the british were trying to ship it to kolkota! it seems the locals used bamboo and wood to make the 23 ton bell float!
baba pours water on the tuesday corner before we head out...
it was interesting to see men pulling up their longyis after work and playing chinlon (cane ball) using thier feet and head, and moving round and round...
in yangon we also saw bits that seemed to be like hawaiian oases!! this golfing resort & spa...
... i called it oasis. because just outside the gates this is what the scenery looks like!!
while leaving yangon .. looking at this beautiful mural at the airport...
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