THE NIGHT MARKET AT SHWEDAGON PAGODA

small birds for sale

13th DECEMBER 2019 ~ When we saw there was a night market near one of the entrances/exits of Shwedagon Pagoda, we decided to check it out on our way back to the hotel.

fresh flowers to bring to the pagoda

It was another night market selling all sorts of things, mainly for the locals.

There were also game stalls like those you could find at fun fair. I could also see young monks taking parts in the games at one of the stalls.

The most interesting thing I found was this swaying pirate ship that was operated manually. One person stood at each end of the ship and made the carriage sway up and down only using their body weight. It looked dangerous as I don't think there was any safety SOP. But then, that would make the ride more thrilling.

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SHWEDAGON PAGODA AND EVERYTHING GOLD

13th DECEMBER 2019 ~ When the day grew dark, we made our way to another prominent landmark of Yangon: Shwendagon Pagoda. It was not near the downtown area so we had to take a Grab Taxi to get there. For one thing, the traffic condition of the city in the evening was real bad.

Visitors would have to take off theirs shoes and socks before entering but the distance from the entrance to the pagoda was a long one. I read somewhere it would be at times difficult to visit these holy places during the day as people had to walk barefooted on the hot ground. The pagoda was built on top of a hill so there was a lot of climbing needed to be done - one reason why you should start traveling when you are still young.

shops selling souvenirs and praying items

There was entrance fee for foreigners visiting, and this happened in most of the temples and pagodas we went into in Myanmar.

As we were walking through the gate entrance, we were welcomed by this huge gold building in a very huge compound. The reflection of the lights on the gold structure was a sight to behold.

The huge stupa was in the middle but around it were hundreds of smaller temples with thousands of Buddha statues and other holy items related.

people walking and chanting

There were a lot of people around the pagoda which I would classify as: first, the visitors/tourists; second, the worshipers; and third, the instagrammers.

lovebirds spotted

Here are some interesting facts abour Shwedagon Pagoda found on its website:

• It is one of the most famous pagodas in the world.
• it is 99 metres high and could be seen from many parts of Yangon as the golden roof reflects the light and illuminates the city.
• The pagoda is claimed to be 2600 years old and the oldest in the world.
• The stupa on top of the golden dome contains 7000 diamonds, rubies, topaz and sapphires.
• Buddhists make a pilgrimage to the pagoda at least once in a lifetime as it is considered as the most revered shrine.

Actually there were just too many things to see and finding the way out (from the entrance where you first came in) could be a challenge as there were many entrances/exits that looked almost similar.

Definitely a must-visit spot in Yangon and I would say it would be best to go there at night so you could enjoy the view of everything gold against the dark sky.

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