PAGODAS GALORE

IMAGES ADDED THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012 UPON ARRIVAL BACK IN RANGOON

Today's major accomplishment was to add a minimum of 1054 new pagodas to our list of religious sites visited here in Burma, bringing the grand total to close to four thousand!

We took off from our hotel by longboat as usual but headed inland along a swift-moving, muddy, narrow river channel that eventually brought us to the village of Ithein at the foot of the surrounding mountains. Successfully threading our way past all the souvenir vendors, we stopped briefly at Nyaung Ohak, a collection of atmospheric pagoda ruins just off the well-trod central walkway.

The walkway turned into a covered passage leading upward towards Shwe Inn Thein temple and its surrounding forest of over a thousand Buddhist pagodas. About halfway up the hill, we left the vendor-lined covered corridor to wander on our own over the pagoda-strewn hillside.

Everywhere one looked a mass of pagoda spires crowded one's field of vision, some white, others gold, newly refurbished or crumbling from neglect,. It proved a photographer's dream scape, a truly awesome experience.

At the summit we removed our shoes yet again and walked through the main temple building, filled with prayerful Burmese pilgrims or others enjoying the ten day “End-of-Lent” holiday vacation period.

After sweeping back downstream at a record clip, carried by the rapidly moving current, we had lunch, then embarked on visits to a cheroot manufacturing workshop and a silversmith's showroom. We managed to avoid a thunder shower marching in from the west and make it back to the hotel by late afternoon.

For our Farewell Banquet this evening, we all dressed in longyi, held a special candle ceremony at the pagoda across from the hotel and were entertained by folk dance and martial arts demonstrations, most connected to local Shan state traditions, a pleasant ending to an especially enjoyable tour.