Shwedagon Pagoda - Has been gilded with gold for centuries,this tradition was started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu who gave her weight in gold and continues to this day.The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. The very top, the diamond bud (sein bu) is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.
We set off around 8am for the 2 hour drive to Bago to visit the pagodas.During British colonial times it was called Pegu
As it has been more than 10 years since I last visited Yangon I was curious to find out from our driver how life has been since then.
He was definitely not happy with the current situation. Prices have gone up. Everything from food to gas.
We arrived at the Four Face Buddha pagoda in no time. We had to purchase a US$10 pass that will allow us to enter the four major attractions in Bago. The Burmese version of the Four Face Buddha is quite different from that of the Thais. Here it is actually four different statues facing different directions. The one in Bangkok is one statue with four faces.
Next stop was the impressive sleeping Buddha that was claimed by the jungle but rediscovered by a British hunting in the area. There are panels in the hall where the story of the sleeping Buddha is explained. The souvenir shops here sell products made of the pleasant smelling sandalwood.
We left Bago and made our way back to Yangon to visit the massive Shwedagon Pagoda. If are travelling in Myanmar you will quickly realise that it involves visitng one pagoda after another. The pagoda is laid with tons of gold. The steeple is decorated with rubies and sapphires.
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