Foot and Fire

The Oldest Teakwood Monastery found at the foot of Mandalay Hill.  *** Monks line up the street while they head back to the School-Monastery ahead. There are many monastery in Mandalay as this was the capital city  when the education flourished in Myanmar. *** A huge Monastery-School just a walk from the Oldest Teakwood Monastery. *** The Biggest Book in the World is actually a collection of marble tablets  where the holy scriptures were written by scholar-monks in Pali page by page  in a huge effort by the king to preserve Buddhism.  *** I admire this huge door with engravings. Must be teakwood too. ***  Each page consisting of one marble tablet is housed in this small temple/altar. *** A photograph of a marble tablet. The scripture is written in Pali,  an ancient Myanmarese language. *** MANDALAY, MYANMAR. The world's largest book stands upright, set in stone, in the...

This is a nice side trip when one is already at the Reclining Buddha (Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda) as this is located just about 10-minute walk a little across the street. The face of the Buddha is likewise charming but lacking the effeminate impression I got upon gazing at the reclining Buddha. But samely, the lips and the nails are painted. Wikipedia entry is quite short: Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda also Nga Htat Gyi Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma, located off Shwegondine Road, A distinct five-tiered pagoda, the original 20.5 feet high Buddha image was donated by Prince Minyedeippa in 1558. A Buddha, 45.5 feet on a pedestal, 30 feet (9.1m) high and 46 feet (13.9m) wide was erected at the temple in 1900. *** http://www.renown-travel.com/ mentioned this temple in the entry for the Reclining Buddha and noted that : Just across the street from the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda is another temple, the Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda that contains another huge Buddha ...

If I have to describe this Buddha image, I have to say first that it is charming and then effeminate. Staring at the face of this Buddha, I can see a handsome Buddha but then as I go through the details on the lips, the painted nails on his fingers and feet, I can see that the image is effeminate. As in any other pagodas in Myanmar we were able to visit, the hall is populated with pilgrims. *** The Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda in Yangon is known for its enormous 65 meters long Reclining Buddha image. The highly revered image is housed in a large shed North of Kandawgyi Lake. The original image was completed in 1907. When after many decades the Chauk Htat Gyi image was in a bad state of repair, a devout Buddhist decided to restore it. During renovations in 1966 about 5 meters were added to the image. The renovation was paid for entirely with donations from Buddhists and foreign tourists. The names of the contributors are inscribed on the beams of the building.(http://www.reno...

It took me a year to prepare for my summer vacation with seven other friends at this remote culture-rich ancient country. I have nothing but search engines, and backpacker's hotel are hard to find because Yangon is surrounded by five-star hotels which maintain topnotch websites. Hmmm, is this a remote country? I suspect that it is not. As months went by, when the Mayanmarese leader forged an agreement with our president to make the travel among Filipinos in Myanmar visa-free, I was elated; I saved some dollar notes and some expense in going to the capital, Manila (This eliminated the Yangon airport exit fee of crisp ten dollars too!). One of some interesting buildings in Yangon. Upon arriving at the airport, we passed by the immigartion officer's counter and I observed that the Myanmarese greeters outside are visible. They reminded me of our close-family ties too. These greeters must have abound perhaps because of the upcoming Thinyan festival, their New y...

A vacation to Myanmar is not about food or shopping or art. It is about religion, observing Myanmarese culture and way of life, it is about walking barefoot (and eventually accepting it!) in each house of Buddha. Arriving in Yangon, one is welcomed by buildings, old and new, big and small. But being in Yangon means one can visit Mayanmar's oldest pagoda (and the world's!) called Shwedagon Pagoda.  *** English writer Rudyard Kipling who is best-known for his "Jungle Book" is said to have had set foot in this Pagoda in 1889 and exclaimed that, "Up till that sight my uninstructed eyes could not see that the land differed much in appearance from the sunderbuns, but the golden dome said: 'This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.'" (Wikipedia) No wonder about that, because the Shwedagon's crown or umbrella is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shape...