After lunch at a nice tourist restaurant in downtown Yangon (Monsoon), we headed uptown to the ritzy part of town to visit our first pagoda, Botataung. Locals believe that two hairs from the Buddha’s head are enshrined there, but, according to Myo, “Not true.” It’s worth a visit as it’s a rare pagoda/paya/stupa that you can actually walk inside of. The walls and celings feature ornate carvings and are painted shiny gold.

I can see how spending time in there can feel medatative; it’s easy to lose track of which corner you’re in, but as long as you keep walking in the same direction you’ll eventually end up back where you began.

Next stop: Chauk Htut Gyi, home of the world’s second largest Reclining Buddha. 

The scale of this is truly a sight to behold. It was here that we looked up the day of the week on which we were born; it is customary to go to your day corner and make an offering or pour water to clean the Buddha image there. Josh is Monday (Tiger), I’m Tuesday (Lion).

Here we also saw the first of what promises to be a standard pagoda and monastery feature: cats! This little guy was the cutest of this bunch.

After departing the Reclining Buddha, we drove by the outside of Aung San Suu Kyi’s home, which is not much to look at from the outside (big foreboding solid gray gate and some NLD – her political party – banners). I’m not sure I’d want a bunch of tourists taking photos of the outside of my house, so although it’s permitted and busloads of toursts were doing it, we passed. 

The Lady’s (as she is called here) house sits on the shore of Inya Lake, so we took the opportunity to stop and take a stroll on a pedestrian walkway there. It quickly became clear what the pimary purpose of this public space is when we noticed each bench facing the lake occupied by a young couple, using an umbrella for a little canoodling privacy. Ahh…. young love. We celebrated our stroll with some tea and fried goodies at a lake-side cafe afterwards.

The final stop of what turned out to be a jam-packed sightseeing day was the pagoda to end all pagodas: Shewdagon. You know you’re in for something special when you are required to take an elevator from the parking lot to one of the 4 main entrances (at each cardinal position). Like the Reclining Buddha, the scale is somewhat challenging to capure in a photo.

In addition to the mind-boggling gold leaf and prorported precious gems embedded in the top, what surprised me the most where all the OTHER stupas, Buddhas, and monuments around the main pagoda. You could easly spend hours exploring each nook and cranny.

If you like sparkle and glitz, this is the place for you. What these people can do with bits of mirror is astounnding. All of these statues and prayer rooms have been donated over the years by people hoping to receive “merit” for good deeds, thus improving their karma and odds of reincarnation as a superior being.

We lingered here untl just after sundown to take full advantage of the late afternoon light glistening off all of the gold and mirrors. Then, a short drive and we were deposited, sans Myo, at a colonial home-turned restaurant called Le Planteur. The tables are all set in the garden in the back and lit by candlelight; the park-like setting provided a welcome respite from the heat and husle and bustle of Yangon.

Next up: Inle Lake.