The Roaming Hat

Mid--day sun over the Shwedagon I have created three blog posts for the Shwedagon Pagoda itself. I found it utterly mesmerizing, and simply could not stop staring at it. I am probably not the only one who thinks this way. Many visitors who have been there report being dazzled by the Shwedagon. I took many photos of the place, and this post will have more photos than text! Little shrines to the Buddha everywhere you turn  This tree was grown from a cutting from the original Bodhi tree that the Buddha gained enlightenment under The Singu Min Bell There is an interesting story associated with the Singu Min Bell. This bell is more than 300 years old and weighs about 25 tons. It is said that in 1825, the British took it from the Pagoda as spoils of war during the first Anglo-Burmese War. But the bell was so heavy, that the British ship which was carrying the bell sank! Any attempts to salvage the bell by the British ended up being unsuccessful. A Burmese group ...

Location:   The Shwedagon Pagoda is located in the south of Yangon on the Singuttara Hill in Dagon Township. It is a huge complex and has four entrances. The most popular entrances are the southern and eastern entrances. All entrances except the eastern entrance have an elevator and an escalator. The Shwedagon Pagoda - As viewed from one of the many prayer pavillions The Shwedagon Pagoda is a popular tourist destination in Myanmar and also an important place of worship for Myanmar Buddhists. It forms an important part of Burmese culture, folklore, and identity. It is said to be over 2500 years old and is believed to house relics of the four Buddhas of the present aeon. It has witnessed the evolution of Myanmar over the centuries. From a historical perspective the Shwedagon Pagoda was most likely built by the Mon people around the 6th-10th centuries AD. Over the centuries, subsequent dynasties left their mark on the pagoda by rebuilding and expanding it. It receiv...

A trip to Yangon is not complete without a visit to the glittering golden Shwedagon Pagoda. It is the pride of Myanmar. Even if you don't see anything else in your trip to Myanmar and spend all day lazing at your hotel, at least do not miss the Shwedagon. The Shwedagon Pagoda is a Buddhist temple built on a hill. The Burmese say it is more than 2000 years old, and contains some of the Buddha's relics. It is an important place of worship for Burmese Buddhists and a popular tourist destination as well. It is a complex with many ornate shrines, Buddha statues, and a giant  stupa  (Buddhist shrine) in the centre covered with gold and precious stones. The pagoda rests on a hill in Dagon township, and is easily reached by public transport and taxis. We took YBS bus #12 from Sule Pagoda to Shwedagon pagoda. It cost us 200 Kyat (0.20 SGD) per person and it was a short 15 minute ride. We asked the locals which stop to get down at. The walk from the bus stop to Shwedagon took ...

Central Fire Station Downtown Yangon in the evening with Sule pagoda in the distance Most travellers to Yangon generally stay in one of the three districts- Bahan/Dagon, Airport area, or Downtown. Bahan and Dagon are more upscale areas with nicer hotels. Many embassies are found there, and the famous Shwedagon Pagoda and Inya Lake are also found in this area. Downtown Yangon is where there are more budget options. Many backpackers and budget travellers stay here. I found plenty of hostels, budget hotels, money changers, pharmacies, and street food options here. There are also many travel agents who do tour and bus/train/flight ticket bookings at a pretty low cost. Not only that, downtown Yangon is where the old British colonial-era buildings are located at. Majority of the attractions from the Yangon City Heritage List are located in this area. We stayed at East Hotel in Downtown Yangon, which was right opposite a big mall called Sule Square. We found getting into and...

Hot milk at a street stall Stalls selling Indian style meat and fish dishes are abundant Freshly made Naan in a Tandoor Piping hot Pooris Street food in Yangon is delicious and cheap. I stayed in the downtown area of Yangon. This area is cheaper and has more street food options than slightly more upscale neighbourhoods like Bahan or Dagon. A lot of hostels, money changers, and travel agents are also located in downtown Yangon. Apart from that, downtown Yangon is where you can see different ethnic groups living side by side. This area is old, dirty, and shabby but it is a fascinating place. The food in Burma is heavily influenced by Indian and Thai cuisine, and to some extent Chinese cuisine too. There is a good balance of meat dishes and also vegetarian food. I prefer to eat vegetarian as much as possible, especially while travelling. I had no trouble finding vegetarian food options in Myanmar. Anawrahta road, Latha township, and Strand Road are some popular p...

Colourful Lanterns and Buddhist flags swing from one side to another This area features good street food and cheap shopping. We saw a lot of monks going on almsround in the morning Downtown Yangon is where most of the non-Bamars congregate. The two main ethnic groups living in downtown Yangon, apart from the Bamars, are Indians and Chinese. The Chinese part of downtown Yangon is located near Latha township, which is close to the dockyards, and has a lot of interesting sights to see. Most of the open air markets and night markets are located in this area.  The Indian part of Yangon, Little India, stretches along Anawrahta Road. Here you see Indian origin people, both Hindus and Muslims living side by side. They usually operate pharmacies, book stalls, or restaurants. We met many Tamil speaking residents, and we were pleasantly surprised to see Tamil Hindu temples in the place. The temples are built by the Vishwakarma (Goldsmith) community in Dravidian (South India...

Yangon General Hospital Yangon has seen different people come and go. The British were here from the 1800s to 1948. They built this beautiful, grand building. Wherever the British went, they built majestic structures like this. Though the empire is no more, the buildings remain.  Why I went there is a long story. My wonderful mother, in all her maternal concern for me, was appalled at how ugly my acne had become. She insisted we go see a dermatologist right away. I wasn’t too keen on seeing one at Yangon. What if they make it worse? I know that was pretty arrogant of me! I was all for letting it be. It is after all, only acne. But my mother wouldn’t hear of it. Seeing a dermatologist was the first thing we did in Yangon. We asked the receptionist at our hotel if she knew any dermatologists.She probably didn’t understand fully what we were trying to say, but she did get the gist of it I suppose. She suggested a clinic called Eliza skin clinic. When we got there, ...