The Shwedagon Pagoda

Mere words defy description of this astonishing place. Reputed to be over 2,500 years old, it  towers over Yangon and is reputed to be the largest Pagoda in Asia.  Monumental in scale, It is literally quite dazzling - gold, gold and more gold.  There are over seven thousand diamonds on the orb, at the top, crowned by one of 73 carats. We went at dusk, on the advice of a friend, and it was quite magical.  Very few tourists, they go earlier in the day, just hundreds of local people who go for devotions.  The main stupa is surrounded by hundreds of different Buddhas and is quite overwhelming.  A very friendly monk approached us for a chat in his perfect English, we learnt that he became a monk at the age of three  - the same age as my grandson, Kit. What a thought.

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