Mingalaba!! (Hello in Burmese)
On Wednesday we were off to a monastery 2 hours outside of Yangon to offer robes and towels to the senior monks at the monastery and to serve lunch to 780 monks and novices. Of course if it involves lunch, Sonya is in there with her hands full!
They ate in their classrooms in a very quite manner.
We were also allowed to see the young novices in their classroom and observed that they were all very studious as a group, evidently eager to learn. For many young boys, this is the best way to achieve an education, as their parents cannot afford to send them to school.
After we got back from ths trip, we were given some time in the market place. It was a bit reminiscent of the grand bazaar in Istanbul, but on a smaller scale and more easily navigated. Still, it was almost overwhelming to take in. There were so many shops, it was difficult to know where to start!
On a personal note, I was thankful that Sonya was overwhelmed such that she didn't buy anything!! (I won't celebrate too much as we still have Vietnam and Cambodia to go!)
On Thursday, we attended the consecration ceremony for the peace pagoda that was sponsored by our travel group. While we can only begin to appreciate the sanctity of the place and the occasion, it was clear to us how important this was by observing the people that attended the ceremony.
After that we were off to another favourite pagoda of Dr. Aung's. This one was in the middle of one of Yangon's three rivers! Clearly it was a special place, as there were a number of "monks on the move" coming to this pagoda.
On Friday, we visited a pagoda that was built in the time of General Aung Sung, one of the country's heros. We visited the inside of the pagoda, a place typically reserved for foreign dignitaries and royalty. It was clear that we were very lucky to be in such a place, based on the surprised looks of those surrounding us when we were there. Here is the Buddha statue that was in the inner sanctum.
After this stop, we had one last stop in the marketplace for some of our group to pick up gongs, bells and other items of interest. Sonya captured a local merchant making prayer beads for sale.
Then it was off to the monastery very dear to Dr. Aung's heart to assist with some clean up, painting and construction completion. Sorry, no pictures here as Sonya's hands were full with paint brush and paint can and mine with broom and dustpan!
Today we say farewell to Yangon and Myanmar. We leave with many fond memories which will take some reflection time to integrate into our experiences with this unique country.
We will post one last blog this afternoon with a few favourite pictures and will then be in touch soon from Vietnam.
All the best,
Sonya and Paul
