Bago, Myanmar (Part II)

cont. Thilawa to Bago, Myanmar Day 2 -- February 22, 2016

2016 HAL Volendam Asian Adventure, Day 7

Snake Guarded Pagoda

After lunch we were taken to the Snake Guarded Pagoda. This pagoda is located in a very economically deprived area of Bago. We drove through narrow streets lined with very modest homes on both sides. One can easily see pigs, dogs, and other animals around these houses. We arrived at the Snake Guarded Pagoda at the end of the road.

Decorated roof of the pagoda

I wasn't sure if I wanted to go inside because I do not like snakes but finally decided to go in for a peek.

The 120-year old Snake, looked like she had just been fed.

Statues inside the building.

Someone came for blessings and prayers. The man in charge put the money on the snake and chanted a prayer for the guy.

Dress for the snake is hung on the wall.

Exterior of the temple. The snake lives and moves inside freely. There are a couple of 'beds' where she can choose to sleep in.

We did not go up to the building next door, not sure what that's like.

Leaving the Snake Pagoda.

Hin Tha Gone Pagoda

This is a hilltop shrine guarded by mythical birds. Legend has it that in Maha Era, Lord Buddha traveled to the region to perform the missionary work. A couple of hintha birds (symbol of Bago) were flying over the sea and found a tiny piece of land to rest. But the space was not big enough for two birds, so the female bird had to perched on the back of the male one. Then Buddha made prediction that this place will become the capital of the race of Mon. Not sure if this is the complete story, but what I remembered and made notes of.

Walking around bare footed here was particularly challenging because the floor was not very well-cleaned. It was a little dusty and grainy, even had bird poops on some spots.

Walking up the stairs to the temple.

The legendary birds.

Bago Market

Sunny thought it would be interesting to take us to the wet market as he needed to help a member in our group to find the face paint that people use as sunscreen here. It's a colorful market but quite chaotic. People were very friendly and did not mind having their pictures taken. We arrived at a time when some of the vendors were starting to close shops. The sight, smell, and sound made this an interesting visit.

I thought that was quite skillful.

Shwethalyaung Pagoda

This is the second largest reclining and oldest Buddha in Myanmar. It measures 55m long and 16m high. This is supposedly to be one of the most lifelike of all reclining buddhas in Myanmar. The eyes are wide opened and the feet lie slightly splayed instead of parallel. It was discovered by an Indian contractor as they were digging for dirt to use in construction of the railway in 1880's.

Entering the hall with many vendors before going up to the statue.

The torso of the Buddha.

Kyaik Pun Pagoda (4-seated Buddha)

This was the last pagoda that we visited on our trip to Myanmar. The four 90-feet tall Buddhas seated in four position back to back facing four directions was built in the 7th Century. The Buddhas looked the same but they are actually different with different facial expressions and with different names. It is a huge statue that you can see from a far distance.

Picture I took on the bus as we were driving in.

I was tired of taking off my shoes by then so I decided to not taking the walk to the statue. MOR went and took some pictures with my camera and here is one of the pictures he took.

Having to take the long drive back to port, I figured that I should use the restrooms here. The restroom was fine except there was no light, so it was totally dark inside. Quite a challenging task.

The long ride back to the ship was tough, with rush hour traffic through many areas. Even at 7PM many of the roads were still busy with heavy traffic. Sitting on the bus for three hours through bumpy roads was definitely not fun. Was I glad when we reached the port! After saying our 'good-byes' to Sunny, we went back to our cabin, washed up and headed straight to Rotterdam for dinner. It was around 8:15 by then and we had no problem being served at our regular table.

Just realized that I did not take pictures of the menu that night so not sure what this was.

Kiwi and Passion Fruit Pavlova

Our ship docked at Thilawa port for another night and won't leave until about noon the next day. Only half a day in port is not enough time to do anything here so we planned to just stay on the ship until she sets sail.

My thoughts on our two-day visit to Myanmar:

With the country opening up to the outside world just recently, I was curious to find out more about this country. Being there in person put things into perspective even though we had only just scratched the surface. I must say that I was privileged to have this opportunity to be there, experienced parts of the culture and history in such short time. It would be nice if we can see more of the other sights besides pagodas and temples, which seemed to be overloaded by the end of the day. I understand that these are typical itineraries offered by most tour companies but I am sure there are much more that Myanmar can offer other than pagodas. I think at the end of our tour, we were all templed out. Visiting these temples and pagodas brought one Bible verse to my mind:

"Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you."

Matthew 6:33

As Myanmar seeks democracy and modernization, I pray that they will also get to know the Living God.

I will keep Myanmar in my heart and my prayers.