We got up without hurry, had breakfast at the hostel, fruit, tea or coffee, toast and eggs, all very tasty. The family that runs it is very kind. We tell them that tomorrow we want to go to Bago by train and they tell us that we can go for a walk. The train station is very close to La Sule Paya, about 10 minutes walk. There is a pedestrian bridge on the main avenue from which to take a good picture of La Sule.
The station is not very crowded, many tourists only come to take the famous Circle Line, which takes you to different parts of the city. Now they are being renovated and you can only take one route that leaves every hour from platform 6. We asked for the ticket point and it turns out that it is on the other side of the tracks and you have to go all the way around the station. A man came up to us to help us and it turned out to be a commissioner from an agency, in short they are very persistent and almost convinced us that there were no train tickets available. We arrived to the counter (it's right in front of the main building of the station but on the other side of the tracks, the door is green, almost in front of the Sakura Tower) and we bought the tickets in upper class as they say for tomorrow at 7.15 am, we have to arrive half an hour before.
We decided to do the tour that Lonely Planet recommends to visit the center of Yangon walking, first stop Sule Paya. Before we make a stop at the supermarket we buy several things including umbrellas.
Sule Paya is situated in a roundabout, it consists of a golden bell or zedi with an octagonal base and several smaller zedis around it. Several buddhas representing each day of the week are accompanied by a fountain and a bell. According to one monk, Buddhists pray on the day of the week they are born, bathe the Buddha in as many glasses of water as designated for each day, and ring the bell three times. The Burmese are very devout and at any time of the day or night there are people praying. To enter the enclosure you must be barefoot and cover your shoulders and knees, it is obligatory, so do not forget to take a longi or a handkerchief. They are very strict. They also don't think that donations are enough. It's a very curious place.
Near La Sule is the Town Hall.
We go out to the Mahabandoola gardens, with a big obelisk in the middle, a monument to the Independence.
On one side of the park is the Supreme Court building. We sit down in the gardens and an Indian woman approaches us, she is very nice and we share with her some potatoes, she shows us a picture of her sitting with her bag. We meet a group of Spaniards, they are the first of many, it seems that this year we have all agreed.
We continue our tour towards the Yangon River visiting the Yangon Stock Exchange, Kempinski Hotel, the Custom House (customs), the Yango Division Court, Myanmar Port Authority, the post office... although the tour ends in the area of our hotel, we decide to continue towards the Botataung Paya.
We stop at the Port Autonomy bar and have a beer.
We eat in the restaurant Moonson, it is very well eaten, all very delicious especially the lentil soup.
It's raining hard but we still get close to Botataung Paya by the Yangon River. The temple consists of several rooms, one of them with a large gilded bronze statue of Buddha. Although the most curious thing is the golden zigzag corridor in the hollow interior of the zedi which are usually solid. It has a pond with turtles. It's worth it.
We go out and take a taxi, we go to Shwedagon Paya, the most important temple of Yangon, spectacular. It's one of the holiest places for Buddhists. The height of the zedi impacts, is decorated with gold leaf and precious stones, crowned by a hti with jewelry embedded. We access the main terrace through one of the four zaungdan or covered passages. The marble floor is slippery enough that it doesn't stop raining, so we are left without a sunset, yet the place is unquestionably worth it.
We take another taxi and go back to our neighborhood. It's late and almost all the local restaurants have closed. We enter the Golden Tea House next to our hostel, we are not too convinced by the desserts or the roti, the very strong lamb, however the chicken curry is delicious. The pity is that they ran out of samosas.
We're going to bed early tomorrow morning.
Train tickets: 1,200 MMK per pax.
Shopping at the supermarket: 16.650 MMK (1.200 MMK Myanmar beer can, 1.350 MMK Myanmar beer craft, 1.900 MMK Mr Potato potatoes, 4.000 MMK each umbrella)
Sule Paya entrance: 4.000 MMK per pax.
6.353 MMK 2 beers Myanmar of 640 in Port Autonomy.
Lunch: Moonson restaurant 27.000 MMK 3 pax.
Entrance Botataung Pagoda: 6.000 MMK
Taxi from Botataung Pagoda to Shwedagon Paya: 3.000 MMK
Shwedagon Paya entrance: 10.000 MMK per pax.
Taxi from Shwedagon Paya to Sule Paya: 3.000 MMK.
Biscuits, water and pipejo: 6.850 MMK.
Half a kilo of small apples: 2.000 MMK.
Dinner: Golden Tea House 4.600 MMK 3 pax.
Accommodation at Sule Inn Saphire Hostel: triple room with bathroom and breakfast included $25.
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