Steve and Bronwen take to the streets and wander through the backstreets to find the Ngar Htat Gyi Pagoda and Buddha image. Bronwen not overly enthusiastic about the adventure but after stumbling across some street markets and then finding the Buddha changes her mind. The Buddha is amazingly impressive - so big that pictures can't do it justice.
We wend our way through the Buddhist monastery that houses this particular Buddha and then cross the road to see the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda and its huge image of a Reclining Buddha. Again, an amazing sight, again pictures can't do it justice.
We jump in a cab and head to Yuzana Plaza to buy some fabric -we have been inspired by the beautiful fabrics and a quilt is begging to be made - how and the kind of quilt is still a mystery, but one must be made.
Now it is back to the hotel to meet out tour group for the first time. We find a group of slightly elderly looking people all seated together and our hearts sink just a fraction. But a few conversations later and we decide that they are not a bad bunch and travelling together will be OK (Rosie excepted).
Eventually we are mustered on to the tour coach for our first little excursion - down to the area near the Yangon docks where we have a 'traditional Myanmar lunch'. Very nice, but given what we have seen over the last couple of days, more of a 'traditional tourist lunch' in a very pleasant colonial style restaurant. we finish lunch and then back to the hotel so the tour group can get in to their rooms. Then back on the bus to visit the Buddha that we had seen earlier that day - the itinerary had us going to the markets but because of the hotel issues, it is off to the Buddha instead.
Final stop before going back to the hotel for dinner is the Shwedagon Pagoda. This is the largest and most famous landmark in all Myanmar. It really is covered in gold - not just paint - real gold. It is really a remarkable and beautiful thing. Surrounded by temples and more and more statues and prayer nooks, it is a major and complete Buddhist destination. The stalls selling tourist rubbish reminds us a lot of Lourdes however, and we quickly start (probably unfairly) referring to it as the Buddhist Lourdes.
Dinner at the hotel is very nice - hotel food - and then it is off to bed for a very early 5am start the next day.
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