Leaving Burma

Mandalay was our last destination. On our way back to USA we had to stop in the Yangon and fly to Thailand.
Before we visited Burma we couldn't even imagine that we will meet so many great people and visit so beautiful places.

Praying monks

Praying monks

Burmese astrologist

The same statue

Gena and statue of the ogress offering her breasts as gift to Buddha (on the top of the head face of the ogress). The Story behind the elaborate setting is that Buddha visited the hill. Legend is that the Hill was inhabited by an ogress (female ogre), and as an offering to Buddha she cut off her breasts. As a reward Buddha told her that one day she would come back reincarnated as the King of Myanmar. King Mindon, believed that he was this reincarnation, and made Mandalay the capital of Myanmar. The king proceeded to build the pagoda at the top of the hill as a gesture to Buddha and to the ogress. The decoration of the pagoda is bright and colourful and guarded by many statues of ogres.

Mandalay takes its name from this hill that rises above the city. It was here that Buddha himself predicted that a great Buddhist city would be built at its foot. And, indeed, Mandalay is the Buddhist religious center of the country.

The world�s official "Buddhist Bible", also known as the world�s largest book, resides at the bottom of Mandalay Hill. Here are 729 slabs inscribed with the entire Buddhist cannon, each housed in it own stupa. Wander through this maze of sparkling white stupas, and you will be in awe at the dedication of those that came before.

gold leaf

Gold leaf factory. Only men can work here. Gold leaf considered to be sacred because it will be applied to Buddha statue

Palm reading in the Maha Muni shrine

Healing statues in the Maha Muni shrine

Maha Muni shrine. New Year holiday

Maha Muni Buddha Mandalay

Food line

Local brought flowers donations to Monastery

Monastery rules

Me and our guide on the kitchen

Monastery. Kitchen

Gena on the local market

Mandalay

Early in the morning we are leaving Bagan. Our next destination - Mandalay. Capital of Burma in 1850. City is known as monk city. Burmese’s say if you visited Burma and never been to Mandalay you never seen Burma.
Our guide met us in the international airport. Big modern building but because of the constant fog it is impossible to land any commercial plane. The only planes that fly from the airport are old two motor planes.
The first stop is oldest and longest bridge

Place of 1000 Pagodas

old Pagoda

Pagoda

Concert. Traditional Burmese music

Sunset on the top of the pagoda

Gena and local kid. Somebody threw coil at him and he refused to wash himself

Some very old Buddha

more Bagan Pagodas

Bagan''s Pagodas some of them more then 2000 years old

Next destination Bagan

When we planned our trip I wanted to visit all Myanmar capitals. Bagan was capital of Myanmar in 849 AD and some people call it - city of four million pagodas

Mya - in the jewelry store

Traditional Myanmar food - fried crickets

Me and Gena on the Glass factory. It is not garbage. It is glass warehouse (according to owner)

Mya and her friends. One month every year all men has go to monastery. On the left some famous Myanmar writer

Me and Mya in the Pagoda

Me and Gena trying to lift bell. This Bell was taken to Thailand but Burma requested to get this bell back.

Me and Buddha

Monks in the Pagoda

pagoda

Myanmar "secret" weapon - White Elephants. For some reason Myanmar military don’t allow people to take picture of the elephants. Solders and officers patrolling are all day around. We have to sneak our camera to make this picture. Even they call them White elephants they are more pink then white.

Myo demonstrating traditional Burma's cosmetic

the same Buddha

Biggest lying Buddha

me and Meya

In the morning we visited local market. Most of the people don't have refrigerators. Every morning they go to the market to buy fresh food and flowers to decorate their houses

For luck you have to find your station in the pagoda and splash water on Buddha and your sign. Each sign is based on the month and day when you were born. Mine is guinea pig

At night we decided to explore the city - Yangon. Right next to the hotel we saw beautiful pagoda.

Flying to Burma

After spending week in Malaysia our final destination was Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). We had no visa so we had no idea what’s going to happen at the customs.
Flight from KLO was about 2 hours. Myanmar airport is very small. They don’t have any computers and all information is written by hand. Officer was very surprised when we told him that we don’t have visa. He asked us to come to his office. Across the wall there was big poster that said NO BRIBES. We thought it wasn't good idea to offer them money so after some questions he told us to wait. We mentioned that somebody is going to meet us in the airport.
After about one hour our guide came and for only $20 solved problems in Myanmar’s way.
It was national holiday - New Year water Festival. Everybody were splashing water on each other and dancing all day on the street.