Yangon - the city

Yangon is the old capitol of Myanmar and is near the international airport - although a new one is being built near the new capitol, Naypyidaw.  We drove around the downtown area and stopped at several places.  There was lots of traffic and Yangon prohibits motorcycles, bicycles, and trishaws.

We did see the one synagogue and several churches. In the center of the city is the Sule Pagoda that has a huge gold stupa which according to legend is over 2,000 years old. It is on a circular site and surprising to me the lower edge is a series of shops and small offices. There were markets and various shopping districts which we visited at the beginning and the end of the trip. The Yangon river is a busy place with a variety of commerce and small ferries and many long boats bringing people across it. What I think was a wedding preparation was also going on.

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Boat traffic video

Reclining Buddha in Yangon

We visited the Chauk Htat Gyi Buddha, a 216 foot reclining Buddha whose construction started in 1899. It was a pretty popular site for local monks and for tourists and there were lots of other sculptures surrounding it.

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Here is a short video of it: