Slowly Strolling through Shwedagon

Written by Kyle about Myanmar. Feelin' happy
Kyle_happy
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

We arrived at Shwedagon pagoda, in Yangon, Myanmar around 3:30 in the afternoon, maybe expecting to poke around for an hour, then relax until sunset.  Two hours later, we had barely made it half-way around.  It's not that Shwedagon is a particularly large place;  It is big, but with a brisk stroll, one could make it all the way around in probably 15 minutes or less.  It's more that there's something to the atmosphere at Shwedagon that makes you want to go slow.

Firstly, there is just the sheer beauty of the place.  The Shwedagon pagoda itself is coated with gold.  Not gold paint, either.  This is the "what your wedding ring is made of" gold.  Surrounding the pagoda are hundreds of other small, golden pagodas as well.  Then you get to the pedestrian area, a wide swath of cool, white tile, which in turn is surrounded by more pagodas and temples.  Inside those temples are large statues of Buddha  in various standing, seated, or laying positions.  It's as if everything is laid out in layers and the more layers you peel back, the more you can find.  

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

But the real reason to go slow at Shwedagon is to just observe the people.  Look to your left and there's a monk sitting perfectly still while meditating.  Look to your right and there are several people pouring water on a Buddha statue.  In front of you is a group of Buddhist nuns, with shaved heads and pink robes, chanting a tune in unison that seems like it could go on forever.  Behind you is a a 3 year-old-girl, dressed in her best clothes, trying to ring a bell that is twice as large as her.  And no matter where you go, there are curious Myanmar who want to talk with you, smile at you, or even take a picture with you.

Take, for instance, the two girls that approached us while we passed by the north entrance to the park.  They spoke zero English and our Myanmar language skills are pretty paltry, but we figured out that they wanted to take a picture with Bessie.  Bessie, of course, was more than welcome to oblige, so I mimed that I could take a picture with their camera.  Great idea, except that they didn't have one.  So, instead, I took a picture with our camera and showed it to them.  They seem thoroughly pleased with the outcome and were surprised when we asked for their email address so that we could send it to them.  Then I realized that I don't think they expected to actually get the picture; they just wanted the experience of having their picture taken with a blond-haired, blue-eyed person.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

Of course, when you look different, sometimes you get a different reaction like crying.  Such was the case with a young boy who would burst out into tears and bury his head into his mom's shoulder every time we passed into his view.  This was, of course, irresistible entertainment for his family, who would slowly move him so that he would see us, scrunch his face into sheer terror, and start crying again  All of the rest of us burst out laughing and we repeated the process about 5 or 6 times for our own amusement.

Nearly 3 hours after we walked into Shwedagon and after many short conversations with the people near us, we had finally made it all the way around.  It would have been a natural time to leave and move on to something else, but as we were inching towards sunset, the light reflecting off of the gold pagoda was changing.  In no hurry to head out into the hustle and bustle of Yangon, we sat quietly and watched as the moon got slowly higher in the sky and observed the as the shades of gold slowly changed in response to the new light.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

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