But first, a stopover at Taukkyar War Cemetery:
Aung, a citizen journalist who's part of our team, says says Burmese soldiers have their ashes stored at pagoda. The reason young Burmese come here is to date, or in his case, to do fashion photo shoots. There are so few well-maintained green spaces in Yangon: where better to look glamorous and serene in designer couture? (The shoot didn't go that well: he was nervous, the model was nervous, and she had to keep on adjusting her strapless bra.)
Not too far away, there's a similarly gargantuan Buddha, the Naung Daw Gyi Mya Tha Luang:
The most intriguing thing about this bugger, however, is the poster in a pavilion nearby. It pictures the Buddha a good fifty metres closer to the water than he actually is:
(Fiona Koh insists it's just a good Photoshop job on the poster - she says the trees in the reflection of the water give it away. Me, I'm not so sure.)
On to our last stop: the Shwemawdaw Pagoda:
To tell the truth, our visit was marred by the ticket-collectors, insisting we pay US$10 per person for entry (twice the Shwedagon price!) and 300 kyat more for a camera licence.
But of course, ordinary people here are awesome:
But if we'd had a choice between seeing a guy in a papier-mâché bodysuit and Aung San Suu Kyi, which one would we have picked?
Definitely, we'd go for Aung San Suu Kyi WEARING a papier-mâché bodysuit. I'll let your mind conjure up the graphic for that one. Good night!