Bago

It seems that surprises are immanent elements of such trips. Happy with fast Internet in the first days here, we were surprised to find our very slow Internet in the capital city. Apparently, the old wires can’t make it… Thus, such irregular entries.                                                                                                                                                        

On our way back to Yangon, driving through the Mon State, we made a stop in Bago.

Bago, a former capital of Burma, supposedly, has got more temples, stupas, and pagodas than the whole of southern Burma. We decided not to confirm it in person and visit all of the Buddhist shrines. We feel satisfied and saturated enough with the Buddhist culture so far.

We just went to one of the monasteries to watch 500 monks having lunch. We had already witnessed such a daily ritual during our former trip, but the surroundings were some different, and besides, watching a monastery life is invariably interesting.

Taking pictures of the monks and novices moving forward slowly, patiently, and with dignity in a long queue, irresistibly, one would ask themselves, what those monks think of us, the tourists.  They, in their turn, surely wonder what there is so attractive in watching them eat…

Fortunately, most of the tourists, for the show of a zoo type, leave more or less generous donations for the monastery. In return they get an appropriate certificate with the photo of the temple.