anika & chuck - because i was wearing a knee-legth skirt, i had to borrow a sarong from the ticket counter to enter the Shwe Dagon. i liked my sarong!52 views
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a perfect spot to relax. the big golden peacock structure in the back on the other side of the lake is another floating restaurant49 views
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walking around Scotts market - huge place with warren of shops46 views
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on the steps to the entrance of the great Shwe Dagon temple complex44 views
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carved ceilings and walls of the stairway44 views
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these carvings were more mischievous looking than the regular serious ones44 views
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chuck liked this funky building with its stained glass like window panes44 views
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us in Scotts market43 views
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the Shwe Dagon is the main conical gold stupa in the back, although all the hundreds of temples set in a circle around make up the entire Shwe Dagon complex43 views
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43 views
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monks hanging out43 views
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praying at one of the many temples. people spend hours just sitting, hanging out, meditating, praying - it was really nice42 views
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Jeffrey (my uncle's driver) with Chuck. His mother's Scottish - she left when he was 15 around the time when Burma was closed off to the world and he never heard from her again. super nice guy (used to be in the army, hard to believe)42 views
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many many buddhas meditating42 views
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close up of a temple pillar. you can see how much detail goes into each part of each temple42 views
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Chuck and I with Lubna Aunty (Khalu's wife) at the Commonwealth cemetary for the soldiers who died in World War II (very similar to the Mainamati commonwealth war cemetary in Bangladesh - i have pics of that in the Comilla section)42 views
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this guy was literally hanging in a basket from the back of the truck on the highway, incredibly bizzare42 views
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you have to walk in a clockwise direction around the Shwe Dagon. there are areas for each day of the week - you light candles and give offerings for the day of the week you were born.41 views
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smiling vendors at the temple40 views
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Chuck and Jeffry (my uncle's driver) looking at an one of the hundreds of old colonial buildings all over Yangon39 views
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chuck resting in the shade of a temple with some devotees39 views
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39 views
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this woman is fanning the Buddha for merit (see the long string she's pulling that moves the fan over the buddha's head)39 views
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39 views
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Chuck and Khalu (my uncle)39 views
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landing at the airport in Yangon38 views
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38 views
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pushing a buddha statue on a cart. apparently, hundreds of Monday born people sweep the Shwe Dagon on Mondays (and Tuesday born do so on Tuesdays and so on for the other days of the week) to earn merit38 views
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this bell was stolen by the british (they loved looting artifacts). but it sank in the river & they were unable to pull it up. finally they told the burmese they could have their bell back; the burmese put logs under & floated it38 views
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chilling out with Myanmar beer, a long leisurely lunch by the lakeside. Yangon has many lakes, and wide tree-lined boulevards - such a green old-world city38 views
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