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Farangs, Day 29 — Buddha feet
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar |
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar
Itinerary: Following breakfast, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Yangon/Rangoon, Myanmar/Burma. Upon arrival, we will be met and transferred to our hotel. This afternoon, we visit the colonial city center of Rangoon. We will see the Sule Pagoda, dating back over 2,000 years; the magnificent reclining Buddha at Chauk Htat Gyi; and the Karaweik Hall – a floating barge on the Kandawgyi Lake. We explore Bogyoke (Scotts) Market with its myriad of goods including food, clothing, handicrafts, gems and much more.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit one of the world’s most spectacular monuments, the Shwedagon Pagoda. For Burmese Buddhists, Shwedagon is the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in the country, one which all Burmese hope to visit at least once in their lifetime. Overnight at the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel.
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Wake up call for 4 a.m. this morning! With everything packed and our clothes laid out last night, we were able to shower, dress, and be down to breakfast quickly. Then off to the airport for our flight to Yangon.
Myanmar previously was called Burma by the British, and Yangon was called Rangoon. Rangoon used to be the capital of the Burma until the ruling junta, which renamed the country (Myanmar) and cities, decided to make a new capital city called Naypyidaw (City of Kings) located about 30 miles from Yangon/Rangoon.
Motor bikes were outlawed in this city after an important government official’s car had an accident with one. Recently, cheap, imported Japanese cars were allowed; traffic was horrendous and nearly in gridlock.
Our first stop was to see the Reclining Buddha (Chauk Htat Gyee) which is about 65 feet long. The soles of the feet contain 108 segments in red and gold colors that
show images representing the 108 lakshanas or auspicious characteristics
of the Buddha.
After lunch we drove to our hotel, then about 4 p.m. to the Shwedadon (Gold) Pagoda. In Burma, all pagodas require visitors to remove not only their shoes, but their socks as well–bare feet only. Needless to say, we went through a lot of wet wipes of which, fortunately, there was an ample supply available on the coach.
This complex was my favorite of all on the trip.
