SCHWEDAGON PAGODA, (GOLDEN PAGODA)

Shwedagon Pagoda,  Yangon

No one can really say for sure how old this magnificent Pagoda is, it has been consistently added to for over two thousand years. It is believed that the Stupa (the central golden part) was built between the 6^th and 10^th century by the Mon, they are an ethnic group from Myanmar, they live mostly in Mon State, Bago area about 90 kilometers north of Yangon, Irrawaddy delta and along the Southern Thai border.  There is some controversy about who actually built the Stupa as the Buddhist monks believe it was built before Lord Buddha died in 486 BC

It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs of  Gauytama, the historical Buddha.

Many Pagodas in Myanmar are painted with real gold, I guess this shows the significance of Buddhism in this country as there are many of these sacred sights, but this one is really the most beautiful and the most visited by tourists. It can be seen from many parts of Yangon city, especially at night. Walking around this Pagoda can take some time, you are not allowed to wear shoes, you can either carry them or leave them in a box at the entrance. To be respectful it is wise not to wear revealing clothing and for men usually trousers or shorts that are not too short are acceptable.

Allow minimum of half a day to walk around Shwedagon Pagoda, there is plenty to see. The monks are very friendly and will often strike up a conversation with you, I think for some, to practice their English. We chatted with a young monk for a very long time and he took us to a hall where he showed us a replica of the Buddha footprint, he told us that foreigners are usually not allowed into this particular hall, but not really sure if this is true.

The hall where the replica footprint of Lord Buddha resides

Below is the view of the Shwedagon Pagoda from Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, this hotel is a beautiful Myanmar traditional style building  located on Kandawgyi Lake. This building is part of Yangon’s history. In 1934, this was the location of the Rangoon Rowing Club where expatriates and high society of Yangon (Rangoon) used to hang out. From 1943 until 1945 it was used as a maternity hospital and later re-opened as the Union Club of Burma. In the 1960's it became the National Biological Museum and there is a huge dinosaur standing in the garden next to the the restaurant to attest to this. It has been extended over the years and is now a four star hotel.  Today one can enjoy the ambiance of old world charm with modern conveniences. A great place to stay when in Yangon.

The Pagoda view from our hotel room Kandawgyi Palace

 More to come.........................

  

OUR HOLIDAY IN MYANMAR

First Stop Yangon (formally Rangoon)

We only spent two nights in Yangon mainly because we spent 5 days there earlier this year; we enjoyed it so much we wanted to see more of Myanmar this time around. Whilst in Yangon we revisited Bogyoke Aung San Market , (some still call it by its former name Scott’s market named after Mr. C Scott the then Municipal Commissioner).  Our agenda for the following day was Shwedagon Pagoda, you can easily spend at least 3 or 4 hours walking around this Pagoda, it is also a great place to sit and reflect.

 My husband having a peaceful

moment with two monks, actually it turned into 1 hour moment.

 

Bogyoke Aung San Market

 It is a beautiful old colonial building built in 1926 at the end of the British rule of Burma and was named after James George Scott; he is also renowned for introducing football to Myanmar. Today it is called Bogyoke Aung San market in honor of national leader General Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kye who has been held under house arrest for the past 14 years. Her father General Aung San was instrumental in negotiating Burma’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1947 he was assassinated in that same year by his rivals.  Aung San Suu Kye

A popular place for tourist, the main central structure of Bogyoke Market has huge high ceiling, in this central part you will find small shops selling mostly jewelry, jade, precious and semi precious stones, wood carvings, marble sculptures, and semi precious stone paintings. This central part of the building is surrounded by two story colonial style buildings which are connected to the main central part, the outer buildings house numerous individual shops ranging from tailors, gem cutter, jewelry shops’, art galleries, dress makers, material shops and antique shops and clothing shops these are accessible by a series of narrow cobblestone lanes. The central part of the market is a great place to buy Myanmar’s arts and crafts from all over Myanmar. There is a huge variety of crafts all under one roof. One could easily spend a whole day exploring this market area and it’s surroundings. 

The front Entrance to Bogyoke Market

One of the cobble stoned streets adjoining the central market area - quaint

                  

For those of you who have been to Yangon you will recognize this lady, The background shows the central part of the market

More to come..........................

     

              

Myanmar Land of Surprises and Beauty

Myanmar's population is 49,563,019. The climate varies depending on the area and thetime of year. it has a largely tropical climate with three seasons: the monsoon or rainy season, from May to October; the cool season, from November to February; and the hot season, generally from March to April. During the monsoon season they can have more than 500 cm (200 inch) in upper Myanmar and over 250 cm (100 inch) in the lower regions. Central Myanmar, is the dry zone, and Mandalay, the main city in the area, receive approximately 76 cm (30 in). The mean annual temperature is 27°C (81°F); average daily temperatures in Yangon (Rangoon) range from 18° to 32°C (64–90°F) in January, during the cool season, and from 24° to 36°C (75–97°F) in April, during the hot season. The climate in upper Myanmar, particularly at altitudes ranging from about 300 to 1,220 m (1,000–4,000 ft), is the most temperate throughout the year, while lower Myanmar, especially in the delta and coastal regions, is the most humid.

Information in this post is purely my views on the present situation in Myanmar from a tourists perspective and my deep respect for the people of Myanmar. They are not intended to be discriminatory or inflammatory against any country, but simply the way I view the present day situation in Myanmar.

Brief Background

The embargo and the gem trade

 

The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which took effect on Aug. 28, 2003, banned the importation into the US of any Burmese product, including all precious stones, jewelery, mineral specimens  and pearls, are now prohibited imports. This applies only to new imports. All goods imported before the enforcement of this law may still be legally traded.

Many companies involved in colored stones have a number of Burmese gems in their inventories. Those that were imported prior to Aug. 28, 2003 can still be legally traded.

The interaction of the gem industry with Burma and its politics is not simply a black-and-white issue, but one deserving further thought.

The following excerpt from Amnesty International USA- in relation to Myanmar briefly states the political position of today's Myanmar and I have no doubt that it much of it is true, but there are two sides to every coin.

One Side of the Coin

The government of Myanmar announced today that it will be holding the country’s first elections in 20 years on Sunday, 7 November, 2010.

However, unless immediate action is taken, people’s ability to speak out and organize themselves freely will continue to be severely restricted; political prisoners will remain behind bars; and any opposition to the government on the streets could be violently suppressed.

There are more than 2,200 political prisoners in Myanmar today – double the number of political prisoners since the start of the "Saffron Revolution" of September 2007 – a huge indictment of the grim human rights situation there. The vast majority of political prisoners are being punished for merely exercising their rights to the ‘3 Freedoms’ – of expression, assembly and association.

At the same time the Myanmar government has simply not taken any steps to improve its poor human rights record – on the contrary, things have only become worse.

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The other Side of the Coin
 
There are 2,200 political prisoners in Myanmar and there are over 49,563,019 million people living in Myanmar, which means a majority of the population of 49 million people are feeling the negative effects economically because of the embargo that the United States of America have been instrumental in placing on Myanmar and of course many other countries have followed suit.  What we fail to realize is that the United States and other so called democracies have also violated human rights issues, so it appears to be perfectly acceptable for a country like the US to violate human rights and not suffer any consequences but not right for some other countries. Myanmar being one of them.

Most of us of course would prefer to live in a peaceful environment. John Lennon's song "Imagine" sums up what most people of the world wishes for, it is a beautiful song about equality, peace, loving one another no matter what race, creed or color, helping the poor and the starving etc. Unfortunately for the masses we are at the mercy of our government and the decisions they make, even in countries where it is considered to be a democratic society.

Presently many tourists are boycotting Myanmar due to the coming elections for fear of demonstrations or other kinds of trouble and one can't blame them for doing so during this present time. 


U.S. Sanctions Against Burma "A Failure on All Fronts  

Burma Becomes Public Enemy No. 1

Burma has not traditionally been a top foreign policy concern for Washington, although it does have some limited effect on U.S. economic and strategic interests as well as on counter narcotics policy. Burma was once considered the largest producers of opium. Today Afghanistan is the largest growers of poppies so after ten years of military aid to this country the opium industry is still in full bloom, so what does that tell you? Whilst in Burma today it would be hard to find a poppy field thanks to the efforts of the Burmese army and their commitment to ridding their country of this scourge.


Washington sought to isolate Burma since the State Law and Order Restoration Council came to power in 1988, and especially since it refused to transfer power in 1990 to the National League for Democracy, which had defeated the SLORC in an open election. (Burma's ruling junta officially abolished the
SLORC in November 1997, only to replace it with the equally repressive State Peace and Development Council.)


I find it an irony that the United States who still  encourages sanctions on Myanmar has the largest (NEW) Embassy in South East Asia in Yangon. The "Overseas Security Advisory Council's" advise on traveling through Myanmar state the obvious, what country is without crime, there is probably less crime there per capita than most other Western or Asian countries. Then they go on about the taxis, yes it is true, most taxis don't have windows and most are probably 20 years old and for most of their lives go unserviced. Most of these taxis are cars that have been brought into Myanmar through the Thai Border illegally, after so many years of sanctions the average person in Myanmar can only dream about a new car. But you will find this situation mainly in Yangon. Taxis in other tourist destinations like Bagan and Inle Lake are old but mostly in fair to good condition, I might also mention that most taxi drivers are very careful with their foreign cargo as they don't want any trouble.

Since 1990 the U.S. policy of isolating Burma has been rejected by America's trade partners in Asia, who happen also to be Burma's major trade partners, but it has received some symbolic backing from Washington's Western allies.

BURMA - Tribute to the Myanmar people