The Golden Rock, Burma

The golden rock is one of the most sacred places in all of Burma.  So sacred that if women are allowed to touch it the whole thing will tumble down and something bad will happen.  This is superstition but it means that women had to pray from an area very close to the rock while the men were able to apply gold leaf to the rock. I applied my requisite gold leaf and left.  This was an incredibly peaceful place and very religious, many people travel here as pilgrimage and when I was preparing my decent I could tell people were going to sleep in these wide spaces overnight so that they could be there for the sunrise.  The one difficult part of this travel is the ascent from the car park to the top.  This took me an hour and a half of straight up walking on the balls of my toes.  Really hard stuff in 97 degree heat, but its for the experience right?  Right.

One of the best mixed salads I had in the country, every starch on the planet combined with egg and lime!

The day after having brutalized myself riding on like 6 buses to get somewhere (travel in Burma is what you will do the most of) I just stuck it out in this small town and lived in the market for the afternoon eating food from tea shops and athokes from these nice ladies.

Sandalwood used to make the make up the ladies and children wear, such a great smell.

Help me, What is this?

What is this?

Very scary dried fish. 

One of the best dishes on the trip, a bun style noodle with a sweet tomato and chicken gravy poured over it, bean sprouts and sesame seeds

Betel nut before the chew

Notice the left shoulder, you see this on so many people, they have no idea the mean of this symbol in a larger context only as a symbol to their religion

Monks on a train

Bagan, Burma

 Bagan is the former ancient capital of Burma.  Filled with Stupas as far as the eye can see this place is as good as Angkor Wat in Cambodia or any of the great buildings in the world.  I feel very lucky to have gotten here before the large groups really do over run this place.  Enjoy the photos, not much to say but that this places really blew me away.