Yangon (Shwedagon Pagoda)
Asia 2016
I had to get up early to make it to breakfast at the hotel. The restaurant was on the 8th floor with a beautiful view. The food was so-so; I had cornflakes with milk, and Volchiy had scrambled eggs.
After lunch, when the heat had subsided, we set off to see Yangon’s main attraction — the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is more than 2 km from the hotel. On the way, we stopped at a café for a snack. We drank delicious milk tea (like in India) and ate fried pastries (also like in India). We also ordered Myanmar’s signature dish — salad with fermented tea! It turned out to be very tasty.
Signature salad in Myanmar made from fermented green tea
In the photo, the green thing in the center is fermented tea, and the other ingredients — tomato, peanuts, sesame, garlic — are all thoroughly mixed together, and it turns out delicious. The salad turned out to be very filling; we ate and drank our fill and then set off on our way again.
A street in Yangon
We walked through a beautiful, well-kept park, along wide deserted streets, and finally arrived.
Having fun in the park
The gallery, and behind it the Shwedagon Pagoda is visible
A beautiful gallery with a multi-tiered roof leads to the stupa. Souvenirs are sold inside; we bought a brass bell — we’ll bring it home, and it will ward off evil spirits.
Already near the ticket office, we remembered that we had no local money at all. By the ticket counters there was a broken ATM and a closed currency exchange booth… The lady at the ticket office agreed to take dollars (at a sacrilegious exchange rate). We agreed because it was already getting dark and we might miss everything. I was wearing a tank top, and the guard said that tank tops are not allowed (there was even a sign about it at the entrance: no tank tops, shorts, socks, or shoes in temples).
I’m in a shirt, relaxing
The same kind cashier lady lent me a clean, freshly ironed shirt, which she took from somewhere behind the counter. I really liked the shirt, and later I was even sad to give it back. Too bad it was still a little too big for me — I could have bought it.
Main Stupa
Shwedagon is a stupa in the center, surrounded by an entire complex of temples of various sizes with Buddhas. It is impossible to describe all this in words, and it may seem boring there — but the atmosphere is so incredible, like in a fairy tale. We were very right to come in the evening — the lighting added even more magic to everything happening there.
The Stupa from Afar
Numerous temples around the stupa
We walked around the stupa three times, and each time the lighting changed: first it was simply sunny, then the pinkish light of sunset reflected off the golden stupa and it shimmered, and then it got dark and the lights were turned on. We spent about three hours there, walking back and forth, sitting on the floor and resting — the time flew by completely unnoticed.
Myanmar people pour water over Buddha
We watched the local people. People were praying to the Buddhas while sitting on the floor, performing some rituals, washing Buddha statues, lighting candles around the stupa. Everything that was happening seemed slightly unreal, as if it were not happening to me. My whole body was filled with some kind of light, weightless happiness.
It got completely dark and the lights were turned on
Perhaps the Shwedagon Pagoda is the most unexpectedly amazing sight of all the places I have been. When I read about it in a book and even when I looked at photographs, I absolutely did not expect to like it there so much.
