The golden Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon – Wow!

Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar

Waking up Monday morning to a dusty sunrise, we make our way to the same lovely terrace where we had dinner last night. It’s the standard “English” breakfast that is so prevalent on many of these tours – eggs, bacon, waffles, toast, campfire coffee. Actually, it is pretty darn good! This hotel is remarkable, especially considering it is what we might call “in the middle of nowhere.” On the way out, we notice a little owl peering out of a knothole in an oak tree. “Hi! I’m an owl!”

This has been a wonderful break from the boat – though the beds were hard as plywood. But the view of the Ayeyarwady River, being in a largish room and having a full shower plus the other amenities is refreshing.

By the way, before we leave for the plane, let me mention that last night, during dinner, there was a marionette puppet show that was very unusual and skillful. You can view the quick video below to get an idea.

So we are on the plane back to Yangon. Once back in Yangon, we have a bit of morning site-seeing to do before heading back to the ship. Our morning stop is the awe-inspiring golden Shwedagon Pagoda, with its 99-meter high stupa that is covered in genuine gold plates, donated by ordinary Myanmar people from all over the country. According to some, it is 2,600 years old, making it the oldest pagoda in the world (still a matter of debate). Various reconstructions over the 14^th and 15^th centuries brought it more or less to its appearance today. Over more recent years, it has been used as a sanctuary by British soldiers during British colonization and the Anglo-Burmese war. Fortunately looting was prevented, and we have this fine temple in its splendor to this day.

Crowning the top is the “The Crown of Burma” which contains over 7,000 diamonds, rubies and sapphires, with a massive emerald positioned to reflect the last rays of the setting sun. Followers of the Buddha make a pilgrimage to the Shwedagon like Muslims visit Mecca.

The pagoda is said to contain eight hairs of the Buddha. Thousands of pilgrims flock here, and there are many, many flower and book stalls that do a brisk trade during the Shwedagon’s long hours of opening. We still have not bought any postcards, 10 for a dollar!

Let me take a moment here to mention a bit about the political situation in Myanmar. Many of you will be familiar with Aung San Suu Kyi and her peaceful resistance to the authoritarian government which has held power for many decades. Although she is now in Parliament, there is a current law in place which assures she will never be President. Things continue to be very turbulent in this land of many competing tribes and factions. There was a demonstration that turned violent the day before we arrived and there is much controversy about the recent activism among Buddhist monks. Some claim monks are killing Muslims in one area – which certainly doesn’t seem very ‘Buddhist’. Others claim that it is soldiers who are shaving their heads and donning robes, pretending to be monks and doing nasty things to turn the people against the monks. These and many more tidbits we learned fall into the ‘not fun’ category.

OK, back to what happened today… After the Shwedagon tour, we took lunch at ANOTHER fabulous restaurant, near where the ship was docked,
paid a quick visit to the craft shop (these things really were
handmade!) next door and hopped the bus back to the ship. We napped
away the afternoon.