Myanmar was actually a spontaneous trip and I didn’t plan on going until around 2 weeks before my departure. The funny thing was that I bought the plane tickets while I was on a bus traveling in Croatia. For some strange reasons, I was particularly drawn to Myanmar’s culture and history. I found the images of the Buddhist pagodas fascinating and wanted to see the beautiful architectures in real life. There was also another catch: I was going to travel alone! I have never really traveled by myself for leisure before and I thought the whole experience was super exciting. Why not try something different right? 

The one pagoda that I wanted to visit the most was the Shwedagon Pagoda. I went there first thing in the morning when I got to Yangon. (Okay, maybe in the early afternoon because I slept in a bit.) Needless to say, I was not disappointed by my visit there and it has exceeded my expectations. Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda or Golden Pagoda is a 99 meters tall stupa situated in the heart of the city of Yangon. It is considered as one of the most sacred sites of Buddhism in the world, containing relics from four Buddhas of the present kalpa. The pagoda was adorned with hundred of gold plates, around 27 metric tons of gold leaf and the top of the stupa is encrusted with 4531 diamonds, the largest being a 72 carat diamond. According to legend, the Shwedagon Pagoda was built over 2500 years ago but historians and archaeologists believe that the Mon people who were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Indochina constructed the pagoda between the 6th and 10th centuries CE. There is an entrance fees for foreigners and free of charge of the locals. 

​One thing I would do differently is that I wouldn't go there during noon. Rather, I would visit either during early morning or late afternoon. Imagine, the hot blazing summer sun transmitting its intense heat onto the world it looks down at, where one can literally fry an egg with the heat. Yup, that was when I visited the Pagoda. Also, all visitors who enter the Shwedagon Pagoda, or any Pagodas must be barefoot, therefore walking on the hot blazing tiles was definitely unavoidable. I did not regret any of it because that was part of the experience and seeing the mesmerising place was definitely worth it. Maybe because I went to the Shwedagon Pagoda during a hot afternoon, I felt the sun highlighted the intensity of the golden colour of the pagoda even more, making it quite difficult for the eyes. But I am not complaining because I have gotten quite a few good photographs of the place, so I’m happy. Scroll down for more photos, enjoy!  
 
As for now, Happy Jetsetting! ✈

Location: Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

For those who have seen my previous blog posts would probably discover that I am a big fan of sunsets. It is probably one of my favourite things to see in nature. The different vibrant hues in the sky during sunset calm me give me lots of creative inspirations. I like taking sunset pictures when I'm traveling and it was no exception when I was traveling in Myanmar. However, this trip was different to many of my previous trips because I was able to see both sunrise and sunsets. (I’m not a morning person, so waking up for sunrise is a rare thing for me.) 

​The sunsets in Myanmar are incredible, the skies are always so clear to see the sun! I was at U Bein Bridge for one of my sunsets watching and it is quite a popular place among tourists. The bridge is the longest teakwood bridge in the world of 1.2 kilometres and it was build around 1850. And it was actually built from wood reclaimed from the former royal palace in Inwa, which features around 1,086 of the palace’s pillars along the Taungthaman Lake. The bridge was used was an important passageway for the local people.

​It was super interesting to walk on a bridge that is over a hundred years old. At first I was worried about its stability but having seen so many people walking before me, my worries were brushed aside. As you can see from some of the images of the bridge, the bridge has definitely been weathered and some pillars of the bridge have become hollow.  I definitely had a good time admiring the beautiful sunset at such a historical place. There’s something about waters and sunset that just captivates me and I would love to go back again.
 
As for now, Happy Jetsetting! ✈