Exploring Myanmar: Bago

Bago (not to be confused with Bagan...stay patient for a future post) is a temple-packed town a few hours north of Yangon. It is a perfect stop on the way back from Golden Rock. It would be easy to spend a few days and still not see all of the pagodas; we did our best to take in its greatest hits on a Sunday in November. The main pagoda is huge, with lots of temples and statues of Buddha surrounding it. We started there...

A few of the many golden Buddhas.

There are many devotees praying, meditating and also taking pictures of the sites. Many Myanmar people also come to sit and chat inside these temple complexes - usually they don't have to pay to get in and so many come and sit and hang out like you would in a park.

Ta da! This shot of me gives an idea of scale.

More Buddhas and donation boxes. 

A hint of what we'll see later...

The elephant shots are for dad!

These mythical creatures guard many temple entrances. 

View back from the street. 

The next stop was not on our original itinerary, but inspired by my mom, who was doing research about my trip. Thanks for the recommendation!

The story goes something like this: a Burmese python whispered to its owner that he was the reincarnation of a monk and he wanted to return to this monastery. He was transported back and has lived here ever since. He is over a century old, a foot wide and 17 feet long.

View back of the way in to the monastery.

We bumped along a dirt road which passed a dump on our way to visit the snake. When we got there, we followed the crowd to a building where the snake resides. You don't just look through the bars at the snake, but step into his spacious cage. He has a pool and different platforms on which to hang around. Many devotees and curious tourists patiently wait their turn to catch a glimpse of him.

Visitors in the snake's cage.

The man on the right is his caretaker. 

Just hanging around under the alter. 

Everyone wants their picture. 

View from the snake monastery.

Many references to the snake monk on the grounds. 

Next stop: the reclining Buddha! This massive and beautiful statue attracts many visitors as well.

Buddha's foot.

Buddha's big toe. 

Dad, this one is for you! Are all your questions answered?

Here I am again!

View from one of the entrances. 

Vendors selling statues, religious art, malas, etc. 

Last stop was one more Buddha (and we did not even every one in Bago!). This complex had a nice airy feel and a statue of a seated Buddha facing in each direction.

Alter with offerings.

And that was it! The end of a very full weekend. I got home just in time to log into my online virtual classroom and got to bed early for school the next day.

(To learn about the first part of the road trip, see the Golden Rock entry.)

What I'm reading: I just finished Patti Smith's Just Kids. It is an inspiring story of her journey to follow her own path and create art.

What I'm listening to: I finally got my laptop fixed and I finished putting together a best of 2014 playlist. Here it is. Buy these songs, support these artists, go see them when they come to your town.