Mingalabar (hello) from Yangon (Rangoon) - arrived here on Friday 13th! The travel company provides the following description of Burma: "Myanmar, a land of ancient kingdoms, jewelled temples and devout monks. To this day, this country remains one the most mysterious and undiscovered destinations in the world - a land of breathtaking beauty and charm only recently emerging into the modern world." At first glance this description may well be apt................
The days in Rangoon has been amazing, surprisingly (at least to me) it is a very clean, safe and relaxed city. That said, the roads, footpaths & other infrastructure are in poor condition - the biggest risk here appears to be the risk of falling into an open sewer drain (what a thought!!)
Among the amazing experiences are spectacular pagodas, much colonial architecture and of course the amazing Scott Markets which are a maze of market stalls selling all manner of things. They are 100 years old and used primarily by the locals. Today we also had the unexpected opportunity to visit a monastery where young monks & nuns are being educated!
A few glimpses of my days in Rangoon:
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| The amazing Shwedagon Pagoda (the most famous in Myanmar) it is believed to be 2,500 years old |
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| The "food hall" at the Scott Market!!! |
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| A woman using a Public Phone......... yes, a true story!!! |
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| A young girl selling post cards in the streets - the cream on her face is sun screen!! |
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| A young nun at the monastery................... |
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| Young monks lining up to go to lunch.............. |
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| Young monks in the dining room having lunch - their last meal of the day................. |
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| Another pagoda.................. |
We are off to Mandalay tomorrow - a very early 4.30am start! So must be off for an early night.
I can feel that trade wind in my sails, so until the next post. K.................
Wonderful posts...keep those winds in your sails...aah you're on the road to Mandalay
ReplyDelete"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
On the road to Mandalay ...
Rudyard Kipling
Greetings KM, Glad the trip has been such a glorious patch. Continue to enjoy Rangoon and squeeze every wonderful moment out of the next few days. See you at the airport.
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