Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was a country we had relatively little knowledge of.
It has recently come to the attention of most Americans due to President Obama's visit here in November 2012. Also due to media attention of the Nobel Peace Prize winning democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. We had a preconception of a very depressed condition, boy were we surprised. [It should be kept in mind that our views of each place we visit on this trip are based on a very small sampling of each country. It would be like a foreigner coming to America for the first time, visiting Orlando, Florida for one day and thinking that is the way the whole country is.]
Myanmar has a population of about 60 million in an area a little smaller than Texas. Yangon (also known as Rangoon) has a population of over 4 million. Flying in we found this part of the country to be flat and tropical.
Airport terminal building was elaborately decorated, very new and modern.
Driving from the airport to our hotel we found Yangon drastically different from previous cities. The place was very clean. There was a lot of beautiful landscaping along the streets. The streets were wide and freshly paved with divided lane markings that drivers stayed within. Everyone drove cars...virtually no motorcycles or bicycles and no cows or other livestock seen roaming freely.
As you can see traffic continued to be a problem. They are in the process of new road construction projects including an elevated roadway into the city center. These guys look like they are working hard.
Enough of the mundane...what was really amazing was the Pagodas of Yangon. The first we visited was Shwedagon Pagoda also known as The Golden Pagoda, it is the most sacred spot in the country. According to legend a pagoda has existed on this site for more than 2,600 years. This is the south gate.
The current pagoda structure, which is 325 feet tall, was constructed following severe damage from a major earthquake in 1768. The pagoda is coated with 4 tons of real gold.
Renovation world being performed beneath the coverings.
The complex is filled with numerous shrines, many of which are very elaborate.
There were numerous statues of Buddha.
If one Buddha is good, more Buddha's must be better.
Various devotees seen about.
We next visited the Sule Pagoda, located in the center of the city.
While not as large and elaborate as Shwedagon, it was still quite impressive.
The Botataung Pagoda is also believed to have been originally constructed about 2,500 years ago, but was completely destroyed in 1943 from a direct bomb strike during WWII. It was rebuilt in 1948. The pagoda is hollow within and houses what is believed to be the sacred hair of Gautama Buddha.
The interior of the pagoda is a series of maze-like walkways all completely covered with ornate gold gilded panels. (Plexiglas panes protect the walls from damage.)
The Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda houses a massive reclining Buddha, 216 feet in length and 100 feet high. Originally constructed in 1899 and located in the open, it was reconstructed in 1973 and housed beneath a metal roofed structure.
However, not all is golden in Myanmar.
Next stop, the Philippines.
