restday Pyay: another town, another stupa

December 20, 2016

Breakfast is served to our room right at 8. Since we opted out of the "Burmese breakfast" they made a good attempt at making us French toast, fried eggs and coffee. We like this place, the staff makes such a good effort.

The morning is spent doing not much. We look at flight options to South America and book our flight to Lima (we think). I don't think we made mention of this before, but we have decided to make our way home from Lima, the spot we left-off after our South-America trip in 2000. Flights to South America are cheapest from here via Europe, and Patrick's dad is turning 70 so we decided to first fly to Holland, take a break there and then fly on to Peru. It is not sure yet when that will get us home, since we have not decided on a route and whether or not to include Central America.

At about two we walk back to Southern Star Restaurant. There is a way down to the main road from the bridge, but it takes some help finding it. After the toll checkpoint, there is a narrow stairway up the hill to the right, then a narrow path going left, then down the stairs to the road and the restaurant.

Another excellent lunch. We walk on to the Shwesandaw Temple in the city center and on top of a hill. It is one of the biggest pilgrimage sites in Myanmar, but today must be a slow day as we see only a few people. From the top we have a panoramic view of city and Irrawaddy river. The temple and stupa are nice, but after seeing the Shwedagon in Yangon..... We are not templed-out yet, but probably will be after Bagan.

Enough with the walking, we take a motorcycle ride back to our guesthouse.

We see a lot of these vessels sitting along the roads. The pots contain drinking water for anyone to use.

The main temple in Pyay sits atop a hill. There are covered stairways leading up to it, and an ugly new-looking elevator tower with a steel sky-bridge. We suspect the "tourist entrance fee" is charged at the elevator, since our trip up and down one of the stairways is free.

The covered stairway is lined with vendor stalls all selling similar mass-produced Buddhist items. Nobody even tries to sell anything to us.

Pyay and the Irrawady seen from the Temple.

The main stupa sits amongst many smaller stupas and spires.

Stupa and what looks like pine cones to Patrick.

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