Finally, fall break! After two months of school, the break was warmly welcomed and we were pretty dang excited to check out a new country. We booked a full week in Myanmar, with our first stop in Yangon.
It was a full day of travel to get there with a connection in Bangkok. It was nearly 8pm when we arrived at our hotel and the kids were so excited to see that we were sleeping on a boat! They named it the Boatel.
It's a massive yacht that has been converted into a hotel and thankfully is anchored so well that there is no rocking inside.
The designers went full on into a 1920's boat theme everywhere...the fridge was in a barrel, everything was painted rustic wood grain, each room had a "fireplace"...
...and the favorite - the vintage telephone. I had to actually teach the kids how to use a rotary dial so they could call our room. And they did. Many, many times.
It was a pretty interesting place! We ate at the bar the first night and got a good night's sleep because we couldn't wait to see what was in store the next day.
I booked our trip through a tour agency, which we normally avoid because we like to do our own things, but the options and travel looked daunting to me so it was really nice to have someone else take care of the planning. Each morning, we had a guide and driver pick us up the hotel for our adventures. Things were interesting the moment we hit the road. It's not every day I see a few monks catching a ride on a double rickshaw.
Myanmar is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but all the major religions are represented in Yangon. Our first stop was the lovely St. Mary's Cathedral, built in 1896.
It was damaged during WWII but the stained glass has all been restored and it's lovely. Probably the most colorful cathedral we've seen because of all the painted bricks.
Next stop was a local market, where most people do their daily shopping for fresh food.
It was busy and fascinating! Markets are my favorite because there is so much to see.
Myanmar people eat all kinds of food, mostly influenced by Chinese, Thai, and Indian, but especially like seafood.
Most Myanmar women use thanaka on their faces. It's made from ground bark and water and applied like a sunscreen each morning.
Lots of dogs everywhere! They can't be bothered to move for people or cars most of the time.
Literacy is very important to Myanmar people and we saw many libraries, big and small.
We wandered through Maha Bandula Park, which commemorates Burmese independence from Britain in 1948.
We got a quick look at Sule Pagoda, probably over 2,000 years old.
Khegn Hock Keong, a Hokkien Chinese temple, was another interesting stop.
Chinese temples are always lovely inside.
After wandering around downtown and learning some of the history of Myanmar and its leaders, it was lunchtime! We were curious to see how we'd like the local food and were very excited to find that it was wonderful. Most menus were huge and had plenty of choices for even the pickiest eaters (like Alex). Fresh fruit smoothies were the best.
After lunch, we spent some time at Bogyoke Market, a very interesting bazaar full of handicrafts, antiques, and more jewelry than I've ever seen. So many gems are mined in Myanmar that they can make and sell anything you can imagine. Goods are still carried in a pretty traditional manner!
Ugh...I had some trouble with the local "water fountain". Everyone shares the same cup! They must have great immune systems.
The young monks walked through playing music and seeking donations.
The kids liked the handmade tops from this interesting guy. Our Yangon guide, Jojo (behind Alex), was terrific and so knowledgeable.
Karaweik Palace was pretty impressive. It's a massive model of the royal barge, which Burmese kings used to employ to travel around the kingdom. Now it's more of a reception hall and theater.
We visited Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda with its enormous reclining Buddha, over 210 feet long. It was in the process of being renovated and families could make their donations and send real gold leaf packets on a little gondola to be added to the statue.
We spent quite a bit of time here learning about Buddhist ceremonies and customs. They like to hit the gong three times after prayer or worship to share their joy with the world. The boys were more than happy to share joy every time they got the chance!
They gave every instrument a try. We also learned that your birth day of the week is very important, like an astrology sign. Most Buddhist temples we saw had some place with 8 corners (7 days, but Wednesday is split into morning and afternoon) to worship at your specific day.
Across the street, we found the "five story Buddha" at Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda. He was also under renovation, but we could still enjoy the incredible teak carvings surrounding the statue.
I thought the view out of the window was pretty great. Yangon is a very green city interspersed with lots of golden pagodas.
The highlight of the day - Shwedagon Pagoda. It was quite a sight to behold! (also receiving some renovations, as you can see from the bamboo scaffolding - it was the end of the rainy season and people like to give everything a facelift)
This pagoda was probably built in the 6th century and has continued to grow over time. The very top (99 meters high!) is decorated with priceless diamonds and jewels.
It's the oldest and most sacred pagoda in Myanmar and the grounds are full of other lovely pavilions and pagodas. It was so much more fun than our last visit to the King's Palace in Bangkok with wall-to-wall people, because we were able to walk around and enjoy everything.
The details everywhere are amazing and this country loves to use gold! Most lower things are gold paint but bigger and more special places are covered in real gold leaf.
Love the little monks!
Myanmar is so rich in beautiful resources - even the pillars are covered in jade tiles.
We considered hanging around for the sunset, but it was a very long and hot but fascinating day and we were ready to head back to the hotel and relax.
Yangon was so interesting but we had a flight to catch the next morning and couldn't wait to see what Bagan had in store for us.
