Mandalay: Mr Tun takes us to the temples

Whew!  What did you all see today?  Hired a private guide for the day to see three ancient cities which included many different sights:  Maha Myat Muni Pagoda-Mahamuni Temple, Gangayo monastery, Shwenandaw Monastery, Sagaing, Inwa, Mandalay Hill and sunset at U Bein Bridge.  Our guide Mr. Tun was a trip to say the least.  Nice man, but couldn’t pronounce his English words too well and spoke very loud.  Then as the day went on he became a little too friendly and was touching my hair asking if that was my real color.  Say what?  Then he gives us a special gift:  a book he wrote titled:  “Stilted Emails Came From Libya”.  A book about an email scam by what he thought to be an American women in the US Army.  He even has a photo of her in a bikini with the US flag on the cover.  Needless to say, the  book offered a lot of entertainment at happy hour as Paul started reading it out-load. 

At Mahamuni Temple men could place gold flakes on the sitting buddha for good luck.  WOMEN NOT ALLOWED however, so the men would have to make the offerings of gold flakes for the women for good luck.  Hmmmmm. I could however, see all areas of the large complex which was quite impressive.  We saw the monks lunch time parade at the Gangayo monastery with its over one thousand monks. Inwa was the most interesting as we took horse-drawn cart through the ancient capital of Myanmar on the Irrawaddy River.  Mandalay Hill was stunning as you could see Pagoda over Pagoda.  I was so fortunate to find a monk sitting peacefully overlooking the Pagodas.  He graciously let me take his photo, which is one of my favorites.  Finally, sunset at U bein Bridge, supposedly the longest teak bridge in the world.  It was a day absolutely full of amazing temples and Pagodas.  As if we hadn’t seen enough Pagodas and temples, we went next door to the Ein Daw Yar Pagoda where there was a live variety show to celebrate Independence Day (4 Jan).  Incredible day I will never forget.

Night market. 

Mandalay: Outdoor street markets and toxic air

Words and photos cannot accurately describe the sites, sounds and smells of Mandalay.  The first day here, we hit the local street markets.  What an experience!  The outdoor food market went on for at least a half a mile, with vendors selling everything from fresh vegetables and exotic fruits, to strange looking meats.  The people were so welcoming, and enjoyed saying hello and having their photo taken.  It was pretty filthy, dusty and noisy, but it was fun all the same.  It is a very poor country, but it looks like they eat well. Paul and I also hit the night markets which was mostly cloths, purses and shoes.  Motor bikes weaved through the middle of the market one by one, filling the air with toxic exhaust.  

Bangkok: Wat Arun and the Happy Monk

Just posting photos. Excellent temple and monks were were animated and this one, especially happy.

Steep steps

Bangkok: Which Wat is What?

2020!!!  Happy New Year.  In Bangkok and what a great way to start the new year.  Had a terrific New Year’s Eve day visiting temple after temple, observing the locals praying for fortune and peace in the new year.  At times it was like a frenzy and very chaotic as people jostled to buy and place lotus flowers, candles, gold flakes, etc. on their favorite Buddha statue.  Paul and I donated 20 baht and received a hand bracelet and prayer from a monk.  Ok, he more or less told us “Good Luck”.  I’ll settle for that.  LOL. It was like a Disneyland of temples with over-the-top ornate architecture, mini temples gleaming from the gold gild trim, Buddha statues galore and Hindi god statues like the monkey Hanuman.  We started at the Golden Mount (Wat Saket) where it was a festive event complete with mist being sprayed out for coolness and atmosphere.  After receiving our prayer from a monk, we climbed up to the “Mount”.  As we climbed the many steps to the top, we rung a series of prayer bells for good fortune in the new year.  Must have rang a hundred bells – hope it pays off.  Bells and jingles from delicate metal chimes hung from the roof tops, serenaded us as we approached the top for yet more opportunities to pray at various Buddha statues of all shapes, sizes and positions.  Each prayer was accompanied by an offering (flower, etc) bought nearby.  Then we went to the City Pillar Shrine and finally, Wat Suthat and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace.  Like Paul said, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Wat in Bangkok.  Really enjoyed the Wat Suthat as we sat in a prayer session.  A monk sings and participants sing along with a song book in hand.  People kneel and approach the monks for a blessing.  All very interesting.  I loved that the temples are open to tourists and that they didn’t mind photos.  The highlight was Wat Phra Kaew. The complex of many ornate temples was absolutely stunning in size and scope, and the tiny emerald buddha was small and perched high on a pyramid of ornate levels of statues.  We were overwhelmed to say the least.  Its just impossible to describe.  We saw the best of both worlds, the night before temples that were practically empty and then New Years Eve, full with thousands of people praying with the monks and making their New Years wishes.  

Golden Mountain: blessing from monks

Wat Prah Kaew

Golden Mountain

City Pillar Shrine

City Pillar Shrine

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Phra Kaew

Wat Suthat

Bangkok: New Years Day Temples

Happy New Year!   Another day of Wats and Buddhas.  Started with Chinatown which was interesting and crowded.  Lots of markets and food and smells for the senses.  Then a ferry to Wat Arun.   Amazing to witness all the locals praying and to be blessed by the monks.  Each wat seems to have their own complex of many buildings and mini temples.  Outside of the buildings are monks on microphones all competing to tell you their philosophy, I think.  Its actually very loud and annoying.  Then there is all the money being exchanged.  You buy an offering then place it in front of your favorite buddha statue, or they may just give money.  Saw a large money tree, all in support of the monks.  The rooms with the buddha statues are beautifully painted with intricate religious scenes.  After Wat Arun we went across the river to Wat Pho to see the reclining Buddha.  This Buddha was huge and extended the length of a long building. The complex itself was equally beautiful with the sun late on the horizon creating a dazzling glimmer to the temples ornate gold gild trim.  And to think we are just at the beginning of this journey.  Many more wats to witness.

one big Buddha 

giving alms to the monks

Wat pho