Myanmar Photo Diary: Sagaing Hills in Mandalay

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Across this river are portions of the white-temple-dotted hills we conquered.

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We started the day with a van-trek to the hills of SAGAING, where a temple filled with sitting statues of Buddha and one standing Buddha, which represent his enlightenment, is located. It was a sight, not of gold temple grandeur this time, but of the numbers of serene-looking Buddhas, each represented a stage in the life of Buddha. It was sure hot but the temple housed us and our bare feet away from the sun. We saw interesting way of life such as a family eating their lunch in circle at the temple floor and a painter doing his watercolor paints using blades, and later, a lady in the restaurant where we lunched giving spoonful of rice to the nuns who gather them.


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This is the facade of the U Min Thonze Cave that houses many Buddhas in sitting positions
with the last one as the enlightened one, the Standing Buddha. 

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The Public Drinking Fountain.

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Donors from around the world made possible the building of the temples.

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A family I chanced upon having a family portrait 
before the Sone Oo Pone Nya Shin Pagoda 
on top of the Sagaing Hill. We joined them later.

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A painter who used blades in his watercolor painting.

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The Buddha with the Serpent/dragon sheltering him.

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A circle of friends and family enjoying a meal at the temple.

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The monks guarding the Buddha.

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Location: Mandalay Hill, Mandalay, Republic of the Union of Myanmar

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