Life along the street leading away from the ferry.
A pottery factory where people live within the pottery compound and do the same work day after day.
This covered market in Twante is a typical market in rural Burma. In the major cities, the markets are open everyday – in the rural areas the market rotates among the villages – with each village having the market on a specific day of the week.
Market cats awaiting a new home.
At the end of the river was the great pagoda built over 1,000 years ago. The return boat trip to Yangon was a relaxing way to end the day.
Next stop Bagan. An early morning one hour flight from Yangon to Bagan was uneventful. While in Burma the socially sensitive tourist tries their best to support the local economy without using government run operations – where the money finds its way into the pockets of the generals running the country. We thought our flights were one of these non-government operations – unfortunately, while the airline may not be owned by the government, the top general’s son is the CEO.
On our first day in Bagan, our guide said that we could continue with the planned tour schedule, which included another pagoda or he could show us something special. We immediately opted for the “something special”. And special it was – it was the annual celebration when young boys (4 to 6 years old) are given up to become Buddhist monks. The celebration was truly amazing with each of the boys dressed up with bright clothing and crowns riding decorated horses. The following photos show a glimpse of the event.
Leading the way – a parade of flower girls.
A proud father leads his son (the novitiate) to the ceremony.
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The band tunes up for the ceremony. Huge speakers on either side of the stage roared with the volume as high as the amplifier could manage.
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