WALKING DOWNTOWN - MONDAY

This was Monday and we headed toward downtown. There is a National Museum that we were headed to, cutting through the People’s Park next to the big pagoda. Nothing much interesting to see in the park. Until I came across a woman in the middle of a bunch of trees practicing the trombone. I asked if I could take a picture!! Turns out she is a Japanese married to a businessman working here. She asked if it was that unusual to see someone playing in a park. I said yes!!

We saw through some fences several swimming pools with kids splashing so knew there was some kind of a sports park or something. As we finally made it to the street, we passed the entrance to Happy Land, I think it was called. I took just a few pictures of the giant characters near some rides. The guy at the gate said the pools were in the back. Had to pay to go in so we kept walking. 

Anglican Church

Avocado juice

Monk riding the train

Fabrics in the market.

Squeezing our O. J. 

What thanaka is used for on women's faces

The bark is ground

Arriving at the National Museum, all we were able to see was a giant warrior statue outside; CLOSED ON MONDAY!! Our walk got us to Chinatown which just meant street markets all around and people out shopping for the day’s food. Our map wasn’t to clear on our next destination; a synagogue for a very small remaining (maybe 20!) Jewish population here. Originally this lovely synagogue was built by Sephardic refugees from Iran and the middle east. But I guess they’ve moved on and mostly it’s Jewish visitors here. Only the guard was out front. It was cool, peaceful, empty and beautiful inside. So we sat for quite awhile drinking water and eating some fruit surreptitiously. 

Ornate wood carvings on ceiling.

At the front where the Torah is kept. 

A menorah

Main part - not sure if it's called altar.

Since we were nearby the Shwe Dagon road, we hopped a cab and headed home. We walked to a Terry-recommended restaurant called Spike’s where I had a delicious Hawaiian pizza that I couldn’t finish (it disappeared as soon as I left it on Pickled Tea table!) but had room for brownie and ice cream!! Terry had left our room and finished and left me The Glass Palace about 3 generations of Burmese from 1857 on. The author had won the Man Booker prize for another book. Terry didn’t seem to like this one too much but so far I’m liking it. 

Our overnight bus leave at 8 p.m. tomorrow night but we have to leave the hostel at 5:30 in order to be there by 7:30 because of the traffic!! Turns out there is Lucas as well as Olivia, from Dedham, MA, a newly graduated nurse on a several month travel by herself! Really gutsy! So we all shared the 10,000 Kyat ($7.35 - 1360 kyats = $1) ride to the bus station, quite a ways out past the airport. Since we would be sleeping on the bus kind of early, we decided to get up and be at the Shwe Dagon temple when it opened at 5 a.m. to see it then and see the sunrise. It was much more peaceful but by 8 a.m. the crowd was picking up. Lots of people were doing private and small group prayers in side temples. Many people were buying plates of food - I thought it was for the monks but they would leave them out and I think it was to feed the millions of birds. Because of the constant haze over the city - I’m guessing because of the car pollution! - the sunrise wasn’t particularly spectacular. 

I took a rest in the AC in the afternoon and worked on uploading pictures. I’ll sure miss this wonderful hostel!