Many travelers combine Indochina destinations to have a great mixture of culture, relaxation, beauty and uniqueness altogether in one region. Traveling from Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City to Myanmar on a direct flight to Burmese capital, Yangon, this is the starting point of almost any Myanmar tours , however, the city is widely known as the city of golden pagodas, as the plane came in to land, you wll see the huge golden roof and giant tower of Shwedagon Pagoda sparkling in the clear blue sky. Visible from almost anywhere in Yangon, this is one of Buddhism;s most sacred sites.
Yangon in the late afternoon is mostly free from cars and motorbikes, with only buses and three-wheel taxis making their journey through the burning hot streets. The sidewalks bustle with souvenir shops, clothing store, bookshops and home appliance shops and vendors selling betel and tobacco to locals.
Sightseeing in Yangon and around
The first stop of is at the most famous Pagoda in town, there are a lot of tourist visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda. The grandiose Pagoda boasts a 325 ft zedi, adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf and thousands of diamonds and other precious gems. It is believed to enshrine eight hairs of the Gautama Buddha.
Legend has it that a stupa has existed on Singuttara Hill for 2600 years, ever since two merchant brothers, Tapussa and Ballika, met the Buddha, He gave them eight of his hair to take back to Myanmar, a land ruled over by king Okkalapa which enshrined the hairs in a temple of gold. This temple then was enclosed within a temple of silver, then one of tin, then copper, then lead, then marble and finally, one of Plain iron-brick. Archaeological finding suggest that the original stupa was built by the Mon people sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries.
The following day we set off early to Kyaiktiyo Golden Rock Pagoda. Located in the small town of Kyaiktiyo in the Mon state, the Pagoda lies 160km from Yangon. Standing 1100 KM above sea level, a steep road requiring a 4-wheel drive winds up to the base, most Myanmar tour packages are designed to travel the remaining4.5 km to the top by foot. For the elderly and infirm, a special service of palanquin bearers will take them up to the peak. This Pagoda is a spectacular sight. Resting on the edge of the cliff is a huge golden boulder and a small stupa five and half meters high is perched on top. The entire marvel of Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, or Golden rock, is 24.4 meters high.
From some vantage points it looks as if the rick will fall at any moment. According to legend, a single hair of the Buddha holds this great gilded boulder in place.
En-route back to Yangon, visit Bago city. Lying around 80km north of Yangon, this was the ancient capital of Mon kingdom during the 13 century, Bago, today is the capital of Bago division, for tourists wishing to have a glimpse of Myanmar’s traditional life, Bago is an ideal place to visit.
Luxury Travel Vietnam, LTD
As a luxury tour operator we are organizing Myanmar tours since 2004, plan your ideal holiday in Indochina, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand and let the rest to expert holiday makers, learn more at: http://www.luxurytravelvietnam.com/myanmar-tours-holiday-packages
