Day trip to Burma

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I was fortunate enough yesterday to go to Rangoon for work - quick stop at the office in the morning, followed by sightseeing - Shwedagon Pagoda and Bojok Market - then a delicious lunch with my Burmese colleagues before flying back to Bangers.

I didn't really expect Rangoon to be depressing, from reports I'd heard from friends who've been there. But it was so totally normal and quiet, which I didn't expect either. The streets were ordered, there were big green parks, nature strips next to pavements - nothing like Bangkok or Phnom Penh. What was particularly striking was the lack of motorcycles - since a General killed a motorcyclist a few years, while he was driving his big car, no motorbikes are allowed in Rangoon (except for the police and military) - clearly, it was the motorcyclist's fault that he was killed. It seemed very quiet, in an eerie way. Of course, what really made it grim was just knowing what the ruling regime of the country does to its people. It didn't feel very nice being there. It was easy enough to not see any poverty where I was - quiet, ordered streets, decent cars, some luxury cars, huge houses, parks etc. - but all I needed to do was look closely at an incredibly crowded public bus to remember the poverty of the people (in direct contrast to those driving the luxury cars and living in mansions).

Nevertheless, Shwedagon Pagoda was one of the most beautiful temples I've seen and I'm so glad that I went there. "Shwe" means gold and Dagon is a former name of Yangon. Shwedagon sits on a hill, and can be reached via long walkways from four sides (north, south, east, west). It was built about 2500 years ago, though there were a series of earthquakes in the 1700s, so the top half of the pagoda dates from that time. The pagoda is 326 feet tall and has a circumference of 1420 feet at the base.
The lower stupa is plated with 8,688 solid gold bars, an upper part with another 13,153. The tip of the stupa, far too high for the human eye to discern in any detail, is set with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies, saphires, and other gems, 1065 golden bells,and, at the very top, a single 76-carat daimond. Surrounding the pagoda are a plentitude of smaller shrines housing pre-Buddhist spirits called Nats, miracle working images, and even a wish granting stone. (From SacredSites; see also here for more history.)

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