July 7, 2012:
We had a full day of sightseeing on our first day in Yangon, Myanmar. It is monsoon season right now and the morning started out with pouring rain. We used the chance to work on some travel planning. We booked bus tickets to Mandalay and a hotel in Mandalay through our hotel reception here at May Shan Hotel.
By 11am the rain had let up and we headed out to explore Yangon. May Shan Hotel is very close to Sule Paya, so we walked over there first. Sule Paya is a 2,000 year-old golden temple oddly situated in the middle of the city’s main traffic circle. We walked part way around Sule Paya before exploring more of the downtown area.
We thought we were headed toward the river, but apparently we had walked further around the Sule Paya than we realized, since we ended up headed in the other direction. By accident we ended up at the Bogyoke Aung San Market. But that was fine, since we were planning to go to the market today, anyway. We walked through the market for a bit and checked out the wares for sale. I was surprised at how empty the market was. I had expected it to be packed with people like markets we had seen in India. It was hassle-free looking at the possible souvenirs that we may pick up at the end of our trip when we return to Yangon.
It was midday and we were getting hungry for lunch, so we headed back to find an Indian restaurant with
Briyani and Cold Drinks that George had read about in the guide book. The strawberry lassi was delicious! After lunch we rested up a bit in our room.
In the late afternoon it was time to head back out again for more sight seeing. We hired a taxi to take us
from May Shan Hotel to Chaukhtatgyi Paya and then drop us at Shwedagon Paya for 4,000 kyat.
Chaukhtatgyi Paya (Reclining Buddha)
The Chaukhtatgyi Paya was quite a sight to see, not only for its size, but also for the lavish decorations. The eyes are made of glass, the crown is encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones, and the feet are decorated with gold.
To be continued in our next post about Shwedagon Paya…