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!61 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 restaurant60 views
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walking around Scotts market - huge place with warren of shops56 views
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many many buddhas meditating56 views
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chuck liked this funky building with its stained glass like window panes56 views
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us in Scotts market55 views
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carved ceilings and walls of the stairway55 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)55 views
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monks hanging out54 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)54 views
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on the steps to the entrance of the great Shwe Dagon temple complex53 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 complex53 views
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53 views
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this guy was literally hanging in a basket from the back of the truck on the highway, incredibly bizzare53 views
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these carvings were more mischievous looking than the regular serious ones52 views
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close up of a temple pillar. you can see how much detail goes into each part of each temple52 views
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praying at one of the many temples. people spend hours just sitting, hanging out, meditating, praying - it was really nice49 views
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smiling vendors at the temple49 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.48 views
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48 views
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48 views
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an outdoor reclining buddha as we're driving by48 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 Yangon47 views
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47 views
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chuck resting in the shade of a temple with some devotees47 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)47 views
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Chuck and Khalu (my uncle)47 views
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landing at the airport in Yangon46 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 merit46 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 it46 views
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