Myanmar Map

 

 

            Map of Southeast Asia

latest picture: January 9, 2017

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082  The clocktower marks the center of

Bago (formerly Pegu), the fifth biggest

(<300'000 pop.) town in Myanmar, about

50 miles [80km] from Yangon, Bago is a

wonderful treasure box of Buddhist sights

083  The pretty two-storey building in

colonial architecture near the Leikpaya

Reservoir in Bago is a schoolhouse today

084  A new coat of paint could give new

beauty to these old buildings in a side street

close to the railway station of Bago

085  The Shwemawdaw Pagoda with its

towering height of 374 ft. (114m) is over

1’000 years old. It enshrines two sacred

hairs of Buddha and is the tallest pagoda

in Myanmar. It surpasses the Shwedagon

Pagoda in Yangon by 52½ ft. [16m]

086  An altar with three Buddha's in festive

robes at the Shwemawdaw Pagoda where

devout Buddhists come to pray and bring

offerings such as flowers, money and

golden paper umbrellas

087  The many bell-shaped stupas of

the Shwemawdaw Pagoda with their delicately

gilded spires on the top are a dazzling sight

088  The Shwemawdaw Pagoda has a more

than 1’000 year’s old history. Shwemawdaw

means “Great Golden God“. In the years of

982 and 1385 a tooth of Buddha – besides

the two hairs – was added each to the shrine

089  An image with five monks decorates

the entrance of the Shwemawdaw Pagoda

090  Stunningly beautiful: A pavilion within

the Shwemawdaw Pagoda in Bago

091  Mother and daughter are making a

little break at the stairs of a huge bell at

the Shwemawdaw Pagoda …..

092  ….. the very pretty daughter is

looking like a little princess …..

093  ….. and Emil in front of another bell

with an imposing entwined golden handle

094  The beauty of Bago‘s Shwemawdaw

Pagoda is breathtaking from every corner

095  An altar at the Shwemawdaw

Pagoda where people come to pray

day and night. There is no congregational

worship in Buddhism

096  Monument of the 1917 earthquake:

When the old “Hti“ – the umbrella-like feature

(finial ornament) placed at the top of the stupa

spire of the Shwemawdaw Pagoda – collapsed

097  The “Hintha“ bird, Bago’s emblem.

Legend goes that at floodwaters only the tip

of a hill rose out of the torrent, leaving space

only for one bird. The male therefore let the

female land on its back. They were seen by

two princes who later founded the

kingdom on this spot

098  The display of impressing Buddha

statues is endless: A Buddha statue at the

park of the reclining ‘Mya Thar Lyaung’

Buddha …..

099  ….. and another Buddha statue

at the Shwemawdaw Pagoda

100  Despite being scatfolded, the recon-

struction of the golden ‘Kambazathadi Palace’

of King Bayinnaung from the 16th century

in Bago is still a feast for the eyes

101  The replica of the King’s elaborate

carriage sparks the imagination of royal

life at that time

102  The ‘Royal Audience Hall’ with its

impressive tall golden columns where confe-

rences were performed 3 times in a year

103  Picture of the splendid original of the

‘Kambazathadi Palace’ in Bago. It consisted

of 76 apartments and halls, was built in

1556, burned down in 1599, was

reconstructed 1990 and finished 1992

104  A richly ornate Buddhist column

in red and gold in the park of the

‘Mya Thar Lyaung’ reclining Buddha

105  Emil is trying to explain to the

rickshaw driver where we want to

go and negotiates the fare

106  The golden Shwethalyaung Buddha in

Bago is known as the sixth largest reclining

Buddha in Myanmar. It is 180 ft. [54.8m]

in length and 52 ft. [16m] in height and is

housed in a protecting pavilion. It was

built in 994 and restored many times

107  Amazing figures: The dimensions

of the reclining Shwethalyaung Buddha.

Btw: The world longest reclining Buddha

is the ‚Winsein Tawya Buddha’ near

Mawlamyaing/Myanmar (600 ft. [182.9m])

108  The feet of the Shwethalyaung

reclining Buddha are enormous. The

great toe alone measures 6 ft. [1.83m]

109  The sole of the Shwethalyaung

reclining Buddha, coated with precious

stones, measures 25 ft. [7.7m]

110  Father and daughter are praying at the

white elephant sculpture at the reclining

Myathalyaung Buddha, 550 yards [500m]

south of the Shwethalyaung-Buddha

111  A special feature of the reclining

Myathalyaung Buddha are the soles of its feet.

are decorated with images representing the

108 auspicious characteristics of the Buddha

112  The face of the 269 ft. [82m] long

reclining Myathalyaung Buddha radiates

kindness and peace …..

113  ….. it lies without shelter in the open

in the park besides the Shwethalyaung

Pagoda and was built only in 2002 …..

114  ….. another beautiful close-up of

the head of the Myathalyaung Buddha

115  The Mahazedi Pagoda in Bago, built

on a large pyramidal shaped base. Its

unique architecture can best be admired

by circumnavigating it …..

116  ….. it dates back to the 16th century

and was built to enshrine a Buddha

tooth relict .....

117  ….. the view from the top. Emil

climbs up the steep stairways and enjoys

especially this view (women are not allowed)

118  Two of the four 27m (90 ft.) tall

Buddha’s at the Kyaikpun Pagoda in Bago.

They are sitting back-to-back around a huge

square pillar. Each one is looking to one

of the four cardinal directions …..

119  ….. an atmospheric Buddha

poster at the shrine

(Lord Buddha Festivals Art) …..

120  ….. the other two Buddha statues

looking towards different directions. All

four are shown at the moment of their

and with one hand touching the earth

121  A souvenir vendor with her

baby watches the foreign tourists

122  Three boys with different

toys in front of their house

123  The vast golden dome of the

Shwemawdaw Pagoda is Bago’s pride

and said to be over 1‘000 years old

124

125

126

Typical and fascinating Myanmar: A green hill covered with temples and golden stupas in Bago glowing in the warm evening light

127  Early morning at the train station in

Bago: People are waiting with bag and

baggage for the approaching train to

Thazi and Mandalay …..

128  ….. the train “№ 11up” arrives

punctual to the minute. We are ready

for our first train experience

in Myanmar …..

129  ….. Liliana is sitting comfortably in the

Bago-Thazi-Mandalay train. It leaves to the

minute in Bago (and arrives even a bit earlier

at Thazi). The ticket costs US$5.40 p.p.

“Upper Class” for the 10 hours’ ride

130  On the train ride Bago-Thazi we roll

past flat land with harvested fields. Now and

then a Burmese temple with a golden pagoda

appears between modest villages

131  The network of Myanmar Railways

consists of narrow-gauge railroad lines

and makes therefore for a rather shaky

journey

132  What is cultivated here?

At a little mountain station we enjoy the still authentic busy activity. Fond memories of Bolivia pop up

133  A youngster returns from the

field and boards our train …..

134  ….. father and son are sitting

on the floor sorting out things …..

135  ….. a women is walking along the train

offering sticky rice packed into banana leaves

136  The first mountains come into view

between Phyu and Taungoo while the train

approaches more and more the chain of hills

137  The modest dwellings of the Burmese

people are often very close to the rail track.

Sometimes the backyard is only a

stone‘s throw away

138  Steam rises early morning at a small

“train station kitchen”. There is warm

food and hot coffee!

139  6.30am: Departure from Thazi to

Shwenyaung (Inle Lake) on train “№ 141up”:

The morning wind blowing through the

windowless train is still very chilly. Liliana

protects herself with jumper and headscarf

140  The nostalgic bumpy train ride on a

branch line from Thazi to Shwenyaung

(Inle Lake) brings us on another wonderful

10 hours drive up to about 4'675 ft.

[1‘425m] (US$2.30 p.p. “Upper Class“)

141  Train nostalgia pure: We both

in the dilapidated rumbling train without glass

windows, with worn out archaic fans hanging

at a precarious angle at the ceiling, but with

comfortable seats and vendors of snacks,

coffee and even beer!

142  What is the woman carrying in her

heavy bag to the train compartment?

May be charcoal for sale?

143  “Who wants to buy a drink?“

The vendors are present at

each train stop

144  A mother tries to earn some money

to feed her family by selling freshly picked

papayas from her garden

145  With blaring horns and a trail of

smoke the rattling train is inching its way

through hilly bush towards the mountains

146  The little train station “Zit Zat Reverse“

in the mountains. Instead to turn, the train

goes from here backwards up the hill to drive

a bit later again forwards (zigzag drive)

147  “What’s to buy here?“ A tempting

stall at another little train station

148  When the two daily trains passed (once

up - once down), it’s getting quiet and lonely

again for the people living in this small

settlement of Lebyin right next to the tracks

149  In the countryside there is no rush.

Life is moving at a leisurely pace

150  A villager is watching the activity at a

railway station. Probably it is his only

entertainment of the day

151  A peaceful rural countryside scene

where the yellow of the harvested fields

contrast beautifully with the green of the trees

152  Not much privacy: Village with

houses closely built together in the

valley before climbing up to Kalaw

153  Scattered farms, harvested fields

and grainfields are part of the rural

scenery passing by

154  The daily train in the opposite direction

“№ 142dn” is crossing us half way …..

155  ….. two interesting local faces

appear at one of the windows …..

156  ….. a happy father with his baby

son looks out of another window

157  The quaint little Buddhist monastery

of Sintaung built on a cliff protrudes from

a forest slope …..

158  ….. belonging to it is the golden

Buddha statue standing lost in the bush

159  Southerly view across a pretty valley with

the village of Innkhaung. The multi-day “Kalaw-

Inle Lake-Trek” runs also through this region

160  A market stall at a station platform:

Onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant

and oranges are for sale

161  The face of this girl is attractively

smeared with Thanaka paste, the

Burmese sun cream

162  Villagers with huge bags gather

around a vegetable and fruit stall at

the railroad station

163  Trees with lush green treetops

revive the otherwise dry landscape

164  View to the railway bridge we

just crossed. Due to the big gradient

the railway line does a 360° circle

165  The dazzling golden and white stupas

of the Buddha monastery of Taung-lay Lone

are soaring about 3 miles [5km] before the

road crossing Shwenyaung (railway station)

→ Nyaungshwe (village at Inle Lake)

More websites from Myanmar:

Myanmar (Burma) Part 1 – from Yangon (Rangoon) to the 'Golden Rock' of Kyaiktiyo

Myanmar (Burma) Part 3 – from Nyaungshwe at Inle Lake to Mandalay and Goteik viaduct

Myanmar (Burma) Part 4 – from Mandalay to Bagan by ship and back to Yangon (Rangoon)

The African trip 2013-16:

CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013

CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013

CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013

Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014

Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek

Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014

Angola Part 2 – October 4th to 22nd, 2014

Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa

South Africa Part 1 – from Namibia border to Capetown – January 22nd to February 23rd, 2015

3rd Major Repair of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982  (due to two broken sideshafts)

South Africa Part 2 – from Capetown to Tsitsikamma National Park – February 24th to March 13th, 2015

South Africa Part 3 – from Addo National Park to the Lesotho border – March 13th to April 7th, 2015

Lesotho – April 7th to 15th, 2015

South Africa Part 4 – from the Lesotho to the Swaziland border – April 15th to 23rd, 2015

Swaziland – April 23rd to 28th, 2015

South Africa Part 5 – from the Swaziland to the Botswana border  – April 28th to May 15th, 2015

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Armed Robbery in Malawi on July 31st/August 1st, 2015

Tanzania

Kenya

Ethiopia Part 1 – from Kenya to Djibouti – October 25th to November 18th, 2015

Djibouti – October 18th to 27th, 2015

Ethiopia Part 2 –  from Djibouti to Sudan – November 27th to December 9th, 2015

Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016