We made it through several other religious sites, including a 2 km walk across a religious complex barefoot where Ms World Traveler 73 got bitten by some red ants. The foliage was so green and leafy, from an era gone by.
Temples in and around the Bago area.
Kha Khat Wain Kyaung Monastary
We also visited the Kha Khat Wain Kyaung Monastary complex where the monks were in the process of writing their final exams. A lot like B-School back home with everyone studying except these guys had more determination than I did and my other fellow students.
Snake Monastery by the Kanbawzathandi Palace and Museum
We also stopped by the Snake Monastary where I saw the most unusual site. This temple paid worship to a 118-year-old Burmese Python. Per the Lonely Planet, this very snake eats 11 lb of chickens every ten days, is 17 feet long and 1 foot wide. All the more reason to take a nap next to it!! No, you don’t see this in the America’s . . .
Bago Market
The red ants situation was quickly forgotten when it was time to go shopping. A stop at the market was another local’s interaction. Ms World Traveler 73 was able to get a metal stackable container for her lunch materials back home that were common in Myanmar. Of course, everything is for sale and the locals were interested in us foreigners as much as we were interested in them.
The next day we boarded our return flight home: MI 511 RGN-SIN. As we were dropped off at the Yangon airport, we cleared customs again with no one in the foreigner’s line. I was surprised to see a Thai Orchid Lounge there that looked to be a room with about 6 chairs in it. Surprisingly, we didn’t run out of money, having paid cold hard cash for absolutely everything in the last 4 days.
I really enjoyed our visit there and wouldn’t hesitate to go back. The country did feel like it was Asia 75 years ago. Except that when I was 6, I wasn’t able to tell that there was an excitement amongst the air with the people as the country developed a-new. There is a renewed excitement amongst the people there. They were full of hope and wishes for a new future. Its always strange explaining to people that you just traveled 25 hrs in a plane to visit their country when many of them haven’t traveled 2 hours up the road and perhaps know no different in their lives. Yet these people seem much happier than the stressed out commuters back home. Perhaps that is what the attraction is about places like these.
Editorial Note: Since we took this trip, the military junta government that governed for 39 years has installed a civilian government. They have followed with reforms to allow for the release of political prisoners and these reforms have led to a seat on ASEAN. I would believe the country to grow like any other as it matures into a new nation.
Till our next adventure. . . Visit soon while it still has its charm.