Gilded Buddha at the Sule Pagoda – 1 April 1986

Walked from the Garden Guesthouse to the Sule Pagoda.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sule_Pagoda

The golden pagoda is surrounded by an almost carnival array of gaudy, kitsch architecture, statues, wishing wells, places where you throw coins into revolving buckets…

Sule Pagoda

Then walked to the Botataung Pagoda by the waterfront.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botataung_Pagoda

You can walk inside it amongst a glittering maze of tiny mirrored glass. A gold buddha is housed in a separate building. The British returned it in 1950 after 40 years.

Had a delicious yogurt for 4.5k and a slice of watermelon for 1/4k [US$10 exchange rate at the time = 70 kyats]. A rickshaw back into town. Teamed up with a couple headed for the Shwedagon Pagoda. We caught a jam-packed bus for 1/2 k. Prue is a Silverstream school [NZ] alumni, five years before me, now living in Wellington; Joseph, an Aussie.

At the Shwedagon we wandered around in the midday heat, barefoot on the marble.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shwedagon_Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda – renovations under the rattan weaving

It’s a fabulous structure with many smaller pagodas clustered around. All an unusual blend of architectural styles that left an impression of gaudiness rather than beauty and harmony. Had lunch there.

Shwedagon pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Met up with three others there on the way back – taxi. One is Rick who I saw at the airport last night – last saw him in Koh Samui. Walked around town. Looked through the British colonial splendiferous hotel ‘The Strand’. Met Lorna and a German & British guy – had a bottle of beer. Lorna had $80 stolen today. Headed for the train station for a 6.15 pm departure up country.