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“Nowhere do they have such a talent for laughter as in Burma”
Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace, 2000
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My first day in Myanmar
Arrival Myanmar International Airport – one hour flight from Bangkok.
After the Limousine transfer to the Savoy we sit in the “Kiplings Restaurant” of this charming boutique hotel and enjoy the view towards “The Twinkling Wonder”, the golden, emerald adorned Shwedagon Pagoda. Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling often described this Pagoda in his novels and poems.
Shwedagon Pagoda – wonder, sanctuary and landmark of the Buddhist religion.
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“There is the old Shwedagon", said my Companion. The golden Dome said "This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about."
Rudyard Kipling, Letters from the East, 1889
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The 2nd day
Yangon – a city with many parks and exotic old trees. You can see people walking around the lakes, red-robed monks carrying alms bowls; Early morning sees them doing their rounds and receiving alms.
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“The land embraces its friends
with a kind of magic
you couldn’t crack,
even if you wanted to.”
John F. Cady 1958, a history of modern Burma
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We pass the local villages with our driver U Nyi Nyi Khaing and listen to our guide’s explanations about the everyday life of the people. We see laughing, waving children, lining the street on our long journey to the Golden Rock; it is said that the Golden Rock maintains its balance only because of seven precisely placed hairs of Buddha.
After a tiring hike to the top of the mountain, rewarded with an astonishing sunset, viewed from the pagoda, we return to our hotel with its night time view of the golden rock - sleep comes easy in anticipation of another fantastic day.
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Our 3rd day
Another highlight awaits us on the way back. We visit the Shwe-tha-lyaung Buddha figure, once called the most beautiful reclining Buddha image of all by a Thai prince, and enjoy the stunning views over the delta region from different pagodas.
A visit to a convent gives us an insight into life within its cloisters.
From Bago we drive back to Yangon, where we pass 4 “modern” Buddha figures:
Gotama Buddha, Kaku Sandha, Konagamana and Kassapa.
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“For the wind in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say: ‘come you back you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay.'”
Rudyard Kipling, Letters from the East, 1889
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4th day
After an early morning flight to Mandalay, we follow our guide U Saw Tun through the artesan quarter in Mandalay. Marble, gold leaf, wood, silver, textiles – combined with tradition. With ancient skills and knowledge they produce precious art on each corner.
Now the famous Glass Palace where Myanmar’s great kings lived their lives!
The British soldiers came, then independence and the end of colonial times. We would like to know everything about former decades from our friendly tour guide. How did people live in these old palaces and gardens?
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“The palace lay at the exact centre of Mandalay, deep within the walled city, a sprawing complex of pavillions, gardens and corridors, all grouped around the nine-roofed hti of Burma’s kings”
Amitav Ghosh, the Glass Palace, 2000
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