One one of the last days in Myanmar, we decided to take some time off and visit one of the very few tourist attractions in this once vibrant South East Asian City, the Shwedagon Pagoda.
an alternate childhood
There is a US $5 entrance fee for foreigners, but interestingly, the local currency is not accepted. There was no guide books or brochures given, all you get is a place to place your shoes (no shoes allowed in the pagoda) and a sticker to indicate you are a paid “customer”.
the main pagoda
The main pagoda is 98 meters high, and is at least over 1,000 years old, with some believe that it was actually built before the death of Lord Buddha, some 25 centuries ago. There are multiple structures and probably hundreds of statues, some with gold plating.
gold plated Buddha statues
roof of the gallery from main road
the Singu Min Bell
The pagoda was filled with quite a lot of pilgrims and visitors alike, with many monks as well.
monks and pilgrims
It was a gloomy and rainy afternoon that makes for a very miserable condition for photography. The fact that I only had the camera for a few days didn’t help the matter either. The photos you see here do not give justice to the magnificent structure that is Shwedagon Pagoda, a place really worth visiting.
Related Posts:
- KY eats - Nasi Briyani at Myanmar
- KY travels - 2nd visit to Yangon, Myanmar
- KY eats - Poppi Seed Pancake
- KY travels - Yangon, Myanmar
- KY travels - Yetagun Off-Shore Gas Platform, Myanmar
By vad3r on Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
there is also a VERY LARGE diamond at the top of the pagoda.
By KY on Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
vad3r,
why didn’t you tell me? i could have asked the chopper pilot to give me a ride…
By Dabido (Teflon) on Jun 13, 2007 | Reply
At least they’ve given those kids some pet rocks to play with.
$5 entrance fee covers the cost of the stickers!
By EF on Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
Uno, I don’t see the diamond, vader.
Due, which camera?
Tre, how many hours did you spend there?
Quattro, will you do some Myanmar geographical lesson some day?
Cinque, $5 for entrance, translate into 35RM. That’s 3 trip to Petrosains. But it’s about the same price for entry to museums in Sweden.
By KY on Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
EF,
I used a 400d and spent about 2 hours at the pagoda. Myanmar geographical lesson is out of the question, we had a driver.
Anyway, $5 is equal to only about RM 18. I don’t know how you get to RM35. US$ is not Pounds.
By vad3r on Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
The tremendous amount of precious stones and other jewellery in the Pagoda is astonishing. The amount of pure gold alone is 9 tonnes!! The mother of all stone is the 76 carat diamond located at The Diamond Bud on top of the Pagoda
You can see the glitters of the diamond (at night of course) at certain spots, different colours some more!!
By EF on Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Another temptation for me… oh when, when, when will I ever go to Myanmar?… Not in the next 2 years…
By EF on Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Ayoyoyoy, I have made conversion for SEK instead of RM. My mind is eluding me.