The nearby morning market from my hotel is bustling, ladies doing their marketing, gossiping with one another, Avocado looks really huge, pirated dvd on sale, men wearing skirt (longyis) (I wonder how they pee), children and women painted with sandalwood powder. The capital has a quaint yet undeveloped kind of charm; it brings me back to the era when my mum might experience with her blow out big hair and bell-bottom. Public phone/communication is not available on the street, so people make local call through the provision shops or stalls setting up with just a few phones on the tables. Cineplex looks retro like the one we have in Pearl centre but much degraded and showing Burmese movie instead of porn movie.
After walking about an hour, I saw someone asking whether I would like to change Kyat so tempted by $1 USD to 950 Kyats, my greed begin to overwhelm me. After counting several times and not putting in my wallet which I should have. I realized I’ve short changed and when I went back, the man has fled to nowhere. Greed indeed is a terrible thing to have. A lesson learnt, it reminds me of the incident when I was in Indonesia, this time round is very different, we do it on the street, right in front of the public so it’s amazing how he slip off the money with his hand! Thank goodness I only changed $50 USD.
I followed the crowd and come to the bus terminal where I know, definitely, I’ll be able to get a bus to Shewedagon Paya, Bus 43, that’s the bus I need to take except if I know how to read Burmese, all the car license plate and bus number are not numerical! Of course, in times like these exaggerated hands gesture is needed and for those who knows me know I’m good at that!
Finally, I got to the Shwedagon Paya, with slightly 10 mins walk, I reached the east entrance, it’s indeed beautiful but not like something I’ve not seen. With 6000 kyats as the entrance fees, I expect a little more. The most interesting part is I met a “fin”ish and dutch couple, Barbish and Miko as I approach them to take a picture of me. We chatted and decided to have lunch together, professional habits, I decided to explain on the Buddhist art and symbols to them which they find it fascinating, especially on the animal guardians surrounding the main stupa representing the different days you were born. In Thailand, you’ll make donation, light the candles or paste the gold leaves on the symbols but in Myanmar you “shower” the Buddha instead.
After lunch, I walked straight back to the house and have an early night!
After walking about an hour, I saw someone asking whether I would like to change Kyat so tempted by $1 USD to 950 Kyats, my greed begin to overwhelm me. After counting several times and not putting in my wallet which I should have. I realized I’ve short changed and when I went back, the man has fled to nowhere. Greed indeed is a terrible thing to have. A lesson learnt, it reminds me of the incident when I was in Indonesia, this time round is very different, we do it on the street, right in front of the public so it’s amazing how he slip off the money with his hand! Thank goodness I only changed $50 USD.
I followed the crowd and come to the bus terminal where I know, definitely, I’ll be able to get a bus to Shewedagon Paya, Bus 43, that’s the bus I need to take except if I know how to read Burmese, all the car license plate and bus number are not numerical! Of course, in times like these exaggerated hands gesture is needed and for those who knows me know I’m good at that!
Finally, I got to the Shwedagon Paya, with slightly 10 mins walk, I reached the east entrance, it’s indeed beautiful but not like something I’ve not seen. With 6000 kyats as the entrance fees, I expect a little more. The most interesting part is I met a “fin”ish and dutch couple, Barbish and Miko as I approach them to take a picture of me. We chatted and decided to have lunch together, professional habits, I decided to explain on the Buddhist art and symbols to them which they find it fascinating, especially on the animal guardians surrounding the main stupa representing the different days you were born. In Thailand, you’ll make donation, light the candles or paste the gold leaves on the symbols but in Myanmar you “shower” the Buddha instead.
After lunch, I walked straight back to the house and have an early night!
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