December 16, 2016
Yangon, Rest day One: Paya tourist day
"What are you reading in English?" Rachel asks the young monk sitting next to us while resting at the Shwedagon Paya. It's a book on Burmese History, the monk speaks very good English. We have found many people in this country speak English very well.
"Do you like your new President?" he asks. We are wondering if we are on dangerous grounds for a conversation when he continues, "I like him because he is against Muslims." We continue talking for awhile as we wait for the sunset, he then shows us a picture of President Obama in front of the pagoda on his tablet.
After breakfast at our hotel, we took a taxi to Sula Paya, the 2000 year old golden temple at the city center round about. Yangon by taxi is a good way of getting around, 2000-3000 kyat (2-3 USD). We pay the 4000 kyat to enter the pagoda. The same as elsewhere when visiting temples, there is a strict dress code, no short skirts, tank or low neckline tops for women and no shorts for men. No shoes or socks for everyone. As we walk around and watch as people do a kora (clockwise) we see the Karaweik (royal barge designed in shape of mythical bird). While passing we see the man load a prayer card and winch it up to a shrine up on the stupa.
We wander the streets looking at the different architecture and street scenes, have a cold drink in a local tea house, then taxi back to the hotel for lunch. After a rest until later afternoon, we go to the Shwedagon paya, one of the most sacred sites in Burma. Paya a Burmese term meaning "holy one" applied to buddha figures, zedi (stupa or pagoda) and religious monuments (LP reference).
There has been a stupa sitting on Singuttara Hill for 2600 years covering 46 hectares. The Shwedagon zedi is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf. There are four entrances or covered walkways (zaungdan), we enter the Southern entrance, leaving our shoes at the bottom of the long series of steps, then enter the main terrace with a dazzlingly view of the complex. Around the stupa base are 12 planetary posts representing the days of the week with locals praying at the station of the day of their birth and leaving flowers.
We stay until dark, then take a taxi back to our hotel. Tomorrow we'll check out the markets.
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