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info Maha Pasana Cave (မဟာပါသာဏလှိုင်ဂူသိမ်တော်ကြီး) is a huge man-made cave, 455ft (139m) in length, 375ft (114m) wide.
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info The Kyaikkalo Pagoda (ကျိုက္ကလို့ ဘုရား) was built using laterite bricks with Mon architectural design which can be seen by looking at the octagonal base structure of the pagoda.
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info Chanmyae Yeik Thar (ချမ်းမြေ့ရိပ်သာ) functions mainly as a meditation center but it is also a monastery with resident monks who are the teachers of meditation.
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info The ancient Kyaikkalei Pagoda (ကျိုက္ကလဲ့ စေတီ) stands on the left side of the highway running from Yangon to Bago in Mingaladon Township, Yangon.
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Photo Credit - www.yangonite.com
info The Yangon Drug Elimination Museum (မူးယစ်ဆေးဝါးပပျောက်ရေး အထိမ်းအမှတ်ပြတိုက်) is well worth visiting for its bizarre factor.
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info Kheng Hock Keong Chinese Temple (ခိန့်ဟုတ် ဗုဒ္ဓဘာသာဘုရားကျောင်း) is located on the corner of Sinn Oo Dan Street and Strand Road in Latha Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
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The story of Shin Mwaynun and Min Nandar
Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Syriam on the site of present-day Thanlyin, just across the river from Yangon. The queen of this kingdom died while she was pregnant and her baby girl was delivered just before the queen’s funeral pyre was lit at the cemetery on the bank of the river.
The baby girl grew up to be a princess who was named Shin Mwaynun by her beloved father the king. Her name meant “left at the cemetery” and many people believed she would bring bad luck to the kingdom since she was born in a place normally associated with death. The king, who loved Shin Mwaynun very much, built a palace for his daughter near the cemetery, where she was brought up with lots of servants and grew into a beautiful princess.
The news of her beauty spread to nearby territories, eventually reaching Min Nandar, the prince of Dagon Kingdom (Yangon) on the other side of the river. When he heard the news he decided he wanted to meet Shin Mwaynun, but his father – the king of Dagon – and the people of the kingdom disliked the idea of the prince marrying a woman who had been born in a cemetery. Afraid that she would bring bad luck to Dagon, everyone refused to row the prince to the other side of the river.
Instead, the prince rode across the river on the back of a crocodile named Ngamoeyeik (Rain Cloud), met the princess and fell in love with her. Then Min Nandar started frequently riding across the river on the crocodile and visiting his girlfriend. In order to keep the visits secret from his father, Min Nandar only rode across the river at dusk and returned to Dagon at dawn.
Meanwhile, Ngamoeyeik had accumulated a few enemies in his life, including a female crocodile named Ma Lat To who was seeking revenge after Ngamoeyeik had broken her hand in fight. Ma Lat To eventually spotted Ngamoeyeik swimming back and forth across the river, proudly carrying the prince on his back. As Ma Lat To had attained the age of 100 years, she had the power to transform herself into a human. So she changed into a maid and approached Shin Mwaynun, trying hard to be the best maid possible by obeying every order and being proactive in every task. She soon became the princess’ favourite maid.
Once she had gained the trust of the princess, Ma Lat To told her that she should test the prince’s love for her. But Shin Mwaynun insisted that Min Nandar loved her so much that there was no need for a test. Ma Lat To persisted, saying the prince would allow the princess to sleep on his right arm if he really loved her. Otherwise he did not love her enough. Shin Mwaynun grew angry and said she would therefore encourage her boyfriend to show his love.
However, what the princess did not remember at the time was that according to traditional Myanmar belief, if a woman should sleep with her head on the right arm of a hero or prince, ill luck will befall him.
As usual, under the starry skies, the prince visited Shin Mwaynun riding on the back of the crocodile Ngamoeyeik to happily spend another night with his beautiful girlfriend. In order to show her dignity to her maid, Shin Mwaynun insisted that she be allowed to sleep on Min Nandar’s right arm. The prince knew that this would bring bad luck but eventually gave into Shin Mwaynun’s repeated requests. So she fell asleep on his right arm.
Peering into their room and seeing how the lovers slept, the wicked Ma Lat To laid out her plan. She transformed back into a
crocodile and waited in the river for Min Nandar’s return trip to Dagon on the back of Ngamoeyeik. Before dawn the innocent
prince departed in delight from his beloved girlfriend’s palace and started on his way back to his kingdom on the crocodile’s back. As planned, Ma Lat To attacked them in the river as they passed. Due to a combination of bad luck and being unprepared for the attack, Min Nandar was severely injured in the fight.
The faithful Ngamoeyeik, realising the extent of Min Nandar’s injuries, insisted on carrying the prince in his mouth to the other side of the river for the sake of relief and safety. The prince agreed and crawled into Ngamoeyeik’s mouth but the trip to the Dagon side of the river took a long time because of repeated attacks by Ma Lat To.
By the time Ngamoeyeik reached Dagon the prince had fainted due to the lack of air in the crocodile’s mouth. The king of Dagon had been too busy to realise that the prince was missing. Ngamoeyeik went to the palace to open his mouth and lay Min Nandar at the foot of the king’s throne but by that time the prince was already dead. News of Min Nandar’s death quickly reached Shin Mwaynun’s ears. She was heartbroken and died of regret, realising that her insistence on sleeping on the prince’s right arm had brought him ill luck and had led to his demise day at sunset the funeral pyre of the prince was lit in the Kingdom of Dagon. At the same time the funeral pyre of the princess was lit on the other side of the river. People on both riverbanks could see the smoke from the funeral pyres rising into the sky. While they watched, the smoke from each fire met over the river, signifying that the two lovers would be together in their next life.
A pagoda dedicated to Shin Mwaynun still stands in Thanlyin to this day, a must-see for any visitor to the small town across the river from Yangon.
Author by Hnin (Swesone Yangon Inflight Magazine)
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info Inland Water Transport (IWT) (ပြည်တွင်းရေကြောင်းပို့ဆောင်ရေး) manages passenger cruises and cargo ships along the rivers in Myanmar.
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Thanlyin: Across the river and a world away from Yangon
If you have extra time after a few days of sightseeing in Yangon, it is worth spending a day on the other side of the Bago River exploring the scenic and historic town of Thanlyin. The town is less than a one-hour drive from Yangon across the Thanlyin Bridge but the rural atmosphere makes it seem worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Myanmar’s biggest city. Thanlyin is also home to several interesting landmarks, including pagodas and colonial buildings, and also boasts a fascinating history. In the late 1500s Thanlyin (then called Syriam) was the base of operations for the Portuguese adventurer Philipde Brito. Although he was a trade representative for the coastal Rakhine kingdom centred in Mrauk U far to the northwest, de Brito established himself as a local military commander and set about raiding other kingdoms in the area.
One of his campaigns took him north to Bago for a battle in 1599. The Myanmar army retaliated several years later by attacking Thanlyin. To prepare for battle, de Brito stole a huge bronze bell from Shwedagon Pagoda with the intention of melting it down to make cannon. But the bell fell into the river as de Brito’s men tried to sail it across from Yangon.
The Portuguese trader was captured by Myanmar soldiers in 1613 and sentenced to death by impalement – his
punishment for desecrating Shwedagon. The remains of walls and fortifications dating back to this era can still be seen in secret corners around the town if you know where to look.
Thanlyin also has a storied past as an important port town, serving as a crossroads of trade between Lower Myanmar and Portuguese, French, Dutch and British traders from the 16th to early 18th centuries. Its significance waned after the city was sacked by the Myanmar king Alaungpaya in 1756 during his campaigns against Mon armies.
Visitors who venture to Thanlyin today will see a small temple on a hilltop soon after crossing the bridge into town. This is Mwaynun Zedi, dedicated to Princess Shin Mwaynun and her ill-fated romance with Prince Min Nandar from across the river. The Myanmar army retaliated several years later by attacking Thanlyin. To prepare for battle, de Brito stole a huge bronze bell from Shwedagon Pagoda with the intention of melting it down to make cannon. But the bell fell into the river as de Brito’s men tried to sail it across from Yangon.
The Portuguese trader was captured by Myanmar soldiers in 1613 and sentenced to death by impalement – his punishment for desecrating Shwedagon. The remains of walls and fortifications dating back to this era can still be seen in secret corners around the town if you know where to look.
Thanlyin also has a storied past as an important port town, serving as a crossroads of trade between Lower Myanmar and Portuguese, French, Dutch and British traders from the 16th to early 18th centuries. Its significance waned after the city was sacked by the Myanmar king Alaungpaya in 1756 during his campaigns against Mon armies.
Visitors who venture to Thanlyintoday will see a small temple on a hilltop soon after crossing the bridge into town. This is Mwaynun Zedi, dedicated to Princess Shin Mwaynun and her ill-fated romance with Prince Min Nandar from across the river. The story is so sad that local lovers refuse to visit the pagoda together, convinced that the grief from years ago will doom their own relationship.
One of the best ways to see Thanlyin is by hiring a horse cart. Decorated in simple and traditional ways, the horse carts will give you an authentic local experience and allow you to see the sights at a leisurely pace. Through the open window of the cart you will be able to see the lush, green scenery and the locals enjoying their rural lifestyles, with adults passing leisure time at roadside teashops and children playing traditional games. If you get hungry during your tour you can stop and munch on popular fried vegetable snacks – such as gourds, onion and peas – for sale at small roadside stands under thatched roofs.
One of the major landmarks in the area, and visible even from Yangon, is the huge golden Kyaik Khauk Pagoda, which rises from a small hill on the right side of the road as you head away from the bridge. If you visit in January or February you might be lucky enough to witness the pagoda’s annual weeklong festival, famous for its marionette shows. Near the pagoda are the tombs of the famous Myanmar poets Nat Shin Naung and Padethayaza, with their poetry and brief histories posted on signboards in front of the mausoleum.
Another local religious festival is held early each year at the Darga Mosque, where locals say a Muslim saint is interred. Some believers hold small cradles made of paper or cloth against the tomb of the saint and wish for children. Also in the area are the ruins of a 100-year-old Catholic church, now roofless and overgrown with vegetation, and sporting a tomb of its
own in the centre.
About 12 kilometres down the road from Thanlyin is the town of Kyauktan, which has another interesting sight: the Ye Le Pagoda, built on an island in the middle of a muddy river. The only way to get there is by motorised boat and many local pilgrims bring lunchboxes with them to enjoy a snack at the pagoda. Ye Le Pagoda was said to have been built by King Zeyasana, the seventh king of the Pada Dynasty, in the third century BC. Initially it was only about 3.4 metres high but has
since been expanded. The pagoda offers an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures and other fine displays of Myanmar artwork and craftsmanship.
Visitors should be sure not to miss the opportunity to buy some popcorn snacks from local vendors and feed them to the schools of giant catfish that live in the river around the pagoda. The fish will swim to the surface to wait for the food and might even circle around your boat on the way to and from the island. You’ll be amazed at the size of the catfish, some growing to nearly one metre in length.
On the way back from the mid-river pagoda you can enjoy the sunset while sipping palm juice at one of the stalls along the road back to Thanlyin. There are a number of smaller pagodas along the way, awaiting visitors who are in no hurry to end their day by rushing back home.
Author by Hnin (SweSone Yangon Inflight Magazine)
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info The Independence Monument (လွတ်လပ်ရေးကျောက်တိုင်) is located in the Maha Bandula Park facing the Yangon City Hall, and surrounded by two concentric circles of lion statues.
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Touring around Yangon
I headed straight for the top level, which provides the best views of life in the river, as well as the sunset. Ii ordered some food and a drink, then settled back and enjoyed the river breeze on my face. Ah, fresh air! On one side of the river, colonial buildings, modern high-rises
and golden pagodas emerging from the lush greenery, while the opposite bank was even more green, with small docks and village houses hidden among the palm trees and other vegetation.
ONE Sunday morning not too long ago, I woke to find the early morning sunlight streaming through my bedroom window, inviting me to jump out of bed and rush outdoors. For months I had had the urge to spend a day reacquainting myself with the city in which I lived, and the warm sunlight promised the perfect weather in which to do so. About 30 minutes later, after I had taken a bath, I was at the front door of my apartment tying my walking shoes. Donning my cap and strapping on my backpack, I stepped out into the green city, ready to explore the streets and parks lined with tropical tress, palms, vines and perennial flowers, and ready to taste delicious foods and observe the lifestyles of people in the varied neighbourhoods.
I started by walking from my apartment to Sule Pagoda, a landmark religious monument that serves as the centrepoint of downtown Yangon and the hub around which the city’s hustle and bustle circulates. Since it was early on a Sunday morning, I saw almost no cars on the streets. It was quite a change seeing Sule Pagoda Road as a scene of peace and tranquillity rather than the crowded and hectic place I was used to seeing.
As I approached the octagonal pagoda, a school of pigeons burst into flight, the sound of their flapping wings sounding like an explosion in the quiet of the early hour. It is quite common to see people seeking to gain merit by treating the birds to dried corn before they pay homage inside the pagoda, which is said to enshrine a hair relic of the Buddha. Here, too, the scene was quiet, the watch-repair shops, photo studios and astrologers’ stalls around the stupa not yet open for business.
I crossed the street and passed by the huge City Hall building on the left, designed by Myanmar architect U Tin in the early 20th century during the British colonial period, and Mahabandoola Park on the right. As I continued past the Supreme Court building, which was looking quite Victorian with its British architecture and red-and-yellow paint scheme, the city was starting to come to life, with a growing number of cars on the streets and vendors claiming their spots on the sidewalk.
I turned left off the main road and walked to one of my favourite teashops, which served a variety of Myanmar breakfasts, including mohinga
and sticky rice. I opted for rice with beans, and a cup of tea. As I sat and ate, more people filtered into the teashop to meet friends and catch up on gossip. Just like in the West, teashops and coffee shops provide a great meeting place for Yangonites.
After breakfast, I decided to leave the colonial architecture of downtown behind for awhile to take a taxi to Shwedagon Pagoda. Built on top of 326-foot-high Theinguttara Hill, the golden stupa is visible for miles around. I walked up one of the long stairways to the platform, past the flower sellers, astrologers and souvenir vendors. It was still early in the day, so there were fewer people there than during my last visit in the middle of the afternoon. I walked among the local pilgrims, all of whom were dressed modestly in traditional longyis and blouse, as I admired the majestic architecture and paid visits to several of the numerous shrines on the platform.
I departed Shwedagon by way of the east entrance, walking through the market at the bottom of the long stairway on my way to Kandawgyi
(Royal) Lake, where a few people were walking and exercising in the still-cool morning air under the blue sky. I admired the sun sparkling on the water of the lake, strolled in the shade of the many trees in the park, and then returned to the main road to take a taxi back downtown.
By the time I was dropped off on Strand Road near the entrance of Nanthida Jetty, the activities of the day were in full swing. The Yangon River was busy as a beehive, with small boats and larger ferries full of people travelling back and forth across the water, most of whom at this time of day were coming to Yangon from the village of Dalah on the far bank to work or sell produce. Many of these sellers were on their
way to the nearby wet market, where all sorts of vegetables, meats and, of course, fish were for sale. Located in a three-story building, the market is active 24 hours a day with sellers looking to make a profit and buyers aiming to find bargains.
As I emerged from the market, I felt a rumble in my tummy, which could mean only one thing – it was time for lunch! I flagged down my third taxi of the day and dashed to Shwe Myo Daw Indian Restaurant on Sule Pagoda Road near Sule Pagoda. The excellent food, clean environment and attentive service were just what I needed to satisfy my cravings, and when I was finished I was inspired to walk west along Anawrahta Road to pay a visit to Little India near the intersection with Shwebontha Street. The neighbourhood is famous for its raw gem sellers, and it’s not unusual to see people crowded around a popular vendor perusing the stock of precious stones.
Not far from Little India is Yangon’s Chinatown, where the streets are filled with vendors selling everything from toys to traditional medicines.
There are also plenty of goldsmith shops, and anyone who feels even the least bit hungry should be sure not to miss the chance to eat Chinese snacks, such as rice balls or glass noodle soup with fresh vegetables.
From there I walked up to Bogyoke Aung San Road to the impressive colonial building that houses Bogyoke, or Scott, Market. It can only be described as a paradise for shoppers looking for exotic arts and crafts, clothing, musical instruments, jewellery, gemstones and nearly anything else you can imagine. There are also plenty of stalls selling traditional Myanmar food like fruity motesainpaung (a snack made of rice powder and fruit flavouring) or laphet (pickled tea leaf salad).
Feeling a bit dazed from my shopping foray into Bogyoke Market, I walked to the corner of Bogyoke Aung San and Sule Pagoda roads for a visit to Sakura Tower, where I took the elevator to the 20th floor to relax in Thiripyitsaya Sky Lounge. Sitting in a comfortable chair, coffee in hand, listening to the pleasantly soothing music, I admired one of the best views in the city. From the lounge, it’s possible to see across the river to Dalah and well beyond glittering Shwedagon to the northern outskirts on Yangon.
While sitting in the lounge, I felt the urge to do some reading, so I paid my bill, took the elevator back down to earth and walked to Pansoden Street, where a number of street vendors sell books and magazines old and new, as well as old coins and banknotes. There were so many books I wanted to buy that I could have easily emptied my pockets of money then and there, but I limited myself to just a few. I was saved from further temptation when I overheard someone ask another person for the time. The response – 5:25pm – reminded me that I had wanted to spend the evening on the Yangon River, taking a dinner cruise on the Myat Thandar ship.
Newly purchased books in hand, I leapt into a taxi to Sint-O-Tan Jetty, arriving just in time to make the boat before it pulled into the river. I headed straight for the top level, which provides the best views of life in the river, as well as the sunset. I ordered some food and a drink, then settled back and enjoyed the river breeze on my face. Ah, fresh air! On one side of the river, colonial buildings, modern high-rises and
golden pagodas emerging from the lush greenery, while the opposite bank was even more green, with small docks and village houses hidden among the palm trees and other vegetation.
By the time the boat docked 90 minutes later, night had fallen and the stars had come out. After the non-stop activity of the day, I could
hear my comfortable bed calling me to a night of well-deserved rest before I had to return to work the next day.
Author by Theingyi Myo(SweSone Yangon Inflight Magazine)
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info Hnin Si Gone Home for Aged (နှင်းဆီကုန်းဘိုးဘွားရိပ်သာကြီး) is located on Kabar Aye Pagoda Road in Bahan Township, Yangon.
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Photo Credit - www.yangonlife.com.mm
info Hlawga National Park (လှော်ကားအမျိုးသားဥယျာဉ်) is a national park located in Mingaladon Township, Yangon, Myanmar, 22 miles north of Yangon.
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info Formerly known as the Parliament for Justice, and also known as the Yangon Region Court (ရန်ကုန်တိုင်းဒေသကြီးတရားလွှတ်တော်), this building was constructed in 1905 and completed in 1911, before World War I.
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Yangon, formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the largest city of Myanmar.
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info Dhamma Joti Vipassana Meditation Centre (ဓမ္မဇောတိဝိပဿနာရိပ်သာ) was opened in October 1993 with Goenkaji and Mataji present for the first three courses.
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Photo Credit - Tanja Van De Linde
info Nagar (နဂါး) glass factory used to be the best glass factory in Yangon which was in operation starting from 1957 until it was destroyed in 2008 by the Nargis cyclone.
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info Dannyin Gone Golf Club (also known as Yangon Golf Club (ရန်ကုန်ဂေါက်ကွင်း) ) in Yangon was founded in 1909.
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Yangon City Tour video in 10 Minutes, by Travel Asia, will give you a brief presentation of Myanmar's commercial capital, Yangon.
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info The Customs House (အကောက်ခွန်ဦးစီးဌာန) is located along the Strand Road where most colonial buildings stand today as colonial heritage sites.
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Yangon is a great city, and what I love so much about it is that it’s always full of action, people are extremely friendly, there are many different types of food and street food to try, and it’s just such a vibrant, always entertaining city. Hope you can visit Yangon!