It was a small restaurant -it’s part of a chain -there’s one in Mandalay also. We ordered a type of cheese starter together naan bread - garlic and butter, a butter chicken, a Nasi Goreng and rice together with water and two large bottles of beer. It came to the princely sum of €17. - a burger and chips costs more in the Pan Pacific Hotel!! It was delicious and the place was
scruplessly clean. It had been highly recommended on Trip Advisor by a number of tourists. It did not disappoint
I slept well last night. After breakfast, we returned to the Railway Station
to ride the Circle Line train which encircles the city - one must purchase one’s ticket on platform 7 but our train departed from platform 4 ! We were informed that due to the upgrading of the line, the train would not complete the circle - the final stop was Mingaladon from whence the train would return by the same route. The complete route is 3 hours - we spent 2 hours on the train but it was a welcome relief from all the walking of yesterday.
There is a Tourist Information in the Station, who were very helpful.
We boarded. The train was due to leave at 12:15 It departed at 12:18. The trains aren’t frequent and it’s advisable not to travel during rush hours
A Japanese import, it was tidy inside but hadn’t been cleaned in some time.
It was fascinating to watch as we approached various stations with little stalls selling food for the short journey.
On board the train, food sellers boarded and alighted with offerings such as hens eggs, quails eggs and fruit.
All along the railway line, the poorest of the poor lived in huts composed of various materials
Side by side with the most basic of dwellings were substantial buildings
Aside the line one saw the industrious of the Asian farmer
We passed many substantial towns and at one of these stops was husband of the year appeared ...
The wife carries a full load on her head and he holds the baby!!
We arrived back to Yangon Station and returned to our hotel.
Our next stop was the Shwedagon Paya. It comprises of 114 acres and the Stupa stands 167ft above sea level. It is one of the foremost stupas in SE Asia. It is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf- here all that glitters is [not] gold - together with diamonds and other gems and thought to enshrine 8 hairs of Gautama Buddha in addition to the relics of 3 previous Buddhas. The Stupa has been rebuilt on numerous occasions in responses to earthquakes. - the last a minor one in 1970!
En route our taxi driver was stopped for 10 minutes at traffic lights opposite the Southern Gate - the main gate to the Paya , where two Chinthe guard the main gate.
Foreigners must enter by the Eastern gate and having paid K10,000, divested themselves of socks and shoes, be spirited by lift to the top.
On exiting one’s senses are assailed by the glitter of gold together with the chanting of the monks and the reverence of the Buddhists at prayer.
The Stupa is surrounded by 12 planetary posts representing the days of the week, together with numerous shrines!! On top of the Stupa is the hti
studs with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies, sapphires and other gems together with 1065 golden bells which tinkle in the breeze A 76 carat diamond sparkles atop!!
I was born on a Sunday so I found my planetary post and poured water as required over the Buddha.
We saw the Buddhists at prayer before numerous alters
The sun was setting as the Stupa sparkled and eventually turned red as the sun set
We walked around the Stupa from our entrance gate to gates: south, west and north.
We decided to exit by the stairs - lined with stalls selling Buddha and other souvenirs. I assume we were spirited up to the top to avoid this sight. . On arrival at the base a taxi driver inquired if we needed a taxi but first we need to retrieve our shoes, wherever they were ?? We found them nearby at the base of the lift. Happily shod, we returned to the hotel. It was quite an experience!
We were expecting bus tours to flood the area for sunset but much to our surprise we were one of a handful of Caucasian couples present. The area has not yet been discovered by the Europeans or Americans but I am surprised at the absence of the Aussies!
Til tomorrow ...
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