11th and 12th March

I started to write this post as we lay at anchor, having  moved off the dock at noon on the 12th.  We had to wait  for the turn of the tide and enough water to begin our passage down-river towards the open sea and eventually, Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Responsibilities caused me to stop writing and now it is the afternoon of the 13th, enroute towards Colombo, Sri Lanka.

As I mentioned in the previous post, it was my turn to go ashore and enjoy the sights of the remarkable city of Yangon.  This post is going to be mainly photos and I had to make the difficult decision as to which ones, of the 200 or so that I took, should be posted.

Having taken a small shuttle-bus from the gangway area to the main gate, it was then time to start bartering with the taxi drivers, there were 6 of us in total; myself and Karen, Colin and Paris and Randy and Linda, friends of ours who joined us in Singapore.  We were restricted in our choice of transport of course, 6 persons needed a mini-bus or 2 taxis, however we found a garishly coloured mini-bus which would, for $20 each, take all of us and stay for the day.  This seemed reasonable and considering the bartering started at $50 each, satisfactory to all parties.

I got the back seat and as a consequence had little, (no), opportunity to take photos of the passing countryside, the thatched huts, the road workers laying tar by hand, the (massive) bumps in the road and the traffic.  It took us 1½ hours to get to the city and as it’s only 30 miles you may understand how heavy it was, nose-to-tail all the way.

We decided that we would make our ‘base’ at the Shangri-La hotel, it was central, very pleasant and besides, the ladies had booked a massage there later in the afternoon, ($60 for an hour’s full massage and reflexology) and I went off on a trek for photos.

First, off to the Sule Pagoda and then a walk around  the Bogyoke Market and surrounding streets, then, after lunch, to Karaweik, a beautiful lake area with tended plants and shrubs and then finally, to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the grandest of them all.

Many Burmese used this self-concocted sun screen

Many Burmese used this self-concocted sun screen on their faces

Karen, Linda and randy, complete with wood carving

Karen, Linda and Randy, complete with wood carving

Buy your school books from a stall

Buy your school books from a stall

700 stalls populate the market.  Gold, jewels, jade, you name it, they had it.

700 stalls populate the market. Gold, jewels, jade, you name it, they had it.

Nose-to-tail traffic

Nose-to-tail traffic

Fresh fruit

Fresh fruit

Lunch

Lunch

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An electrician's nightmare

An electrician’s nightmare

A typical street

A typical street

A young girl pushing a laundry mangle along the street

A young girl pushing a laundry mangle along the street

Dilapidated buses

Dilapidated buses

And another

Attractive apartment blocks

Attractive apartment block

And another

The floating restaurant at Karaweik

The floating restaurant at Karaweik

The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar.  It is 325 feet (99m) tall and it is believed to contain the relics of 4 previous Buddhas.   Built somewhere between the 6th and 10th century, it has been added to ever since.  In a word, it is wondrous.

No shoes, no bare shoulders or knees, the gentlemen had to purchase longis to follow the dress code.

On a hill overlooking Yangon, the outer structure

On a hill overlooking Yangon, the outer structure

I lost count of the number of Buddha shrines, they were everywhere

I lost count of the number of Buddha shrines, they were everywhere

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If you knew the day you were born, you could go to a shrine and offer prayers and gifts

If you knew the day you were born, you could go to a shrine and offer prayers and gifts

Flowers and articles placed by worshippers

Flowers and articles placed by worshipers

Every Buddhist male child has to spend a week at the temple.  This ceremony was for the boys.  Tomorrow their heads would be shaved and they would wear monk's garb.

Every Buddhist male child has to spend a week at a temple. This ceremony was for the boys. Tomorrow their heads would be shaved and they would wear monk’s garb.

Family and friends in the procession.

Family and friends in the procession.

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Young initiates

Young initiates

Volunteers sweep the courtyards

Volunteers sweep the courtyards

Young boys with their mentor

Young boys with their mentor

Offerings ($) go into this 'cart' and it is sent, by a cable car, into the pagoda dome

Offerings ($) go into this ‘cart’ and it is sent, by a cable car, into the pagoda dome

Linda and Karen

Linda and Karen

Randy, smartly dressed

Randy, smartly dressed

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A lovely time for a photo, dusk.

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One had to wait for sunset to capture this beautiful sight of the dome

One had to wait for sunset to capture this beautiful sight of the dome

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Back to the ship in the early evening, I learned that I had been invited to a BBQ on the Pakistani frigate ahead of us.  I, of course, couldn’t make it, however some of my officers went and had a wonderful time.

We invited the Captain and some of his officers to view the Amsterdam and the next morning they spent almost 2 hours touring the ship, all were mightily impressed and they left, having honoured us with one of their plaques and we reciprocated with some HAL tiles and plates.

Captain Amir Mahmood, commanding officer of the Zulfiqar with his officers.

Captain Amir Mahmood, commanding officer of the Zulfiqar with his officers.

One thought on “11th and 12th March”

  1. Hi Captain Jonathan, many thanks for this blog. The photographs are magnificent. Sadly I always find that in most cases no matter how much one tries the photos do not always capture the full beauty of the scene.Your photos have certainly go a long way to show the beauty of the temples and the people. A friend of mine is very keen to visit Myanmar next year as her father was at one time resident in Yangon before World War 2. I will show her your great photos. Looking forward to your future blogs. Best regards, Ted Dixon

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