Visiting Shwedagon Pagoda,Yangon.

A taxi ride from town to Shwedagon Pagoda cost 2,500 kyats.(locals don't accept USD)

Arrived at this North entrance where one has to get into  the elevator onto the 2nd floor and walk through a passageway  via an entrance arch.

The staffs manning near the elevator did not request for any entrance fees except that you are required to take off your shoes and socks and place it at the locker for a fee:-1,000 kyats.(locals pay only 500 kyats)

 Locals were exempted from entrance fees while foreign visitors have to buy an entrance ticket from one of the ticketing booth a short distance on the left from the entrance.

Visitors will normally walk straight with the local crowds as the ticketing booth is hardly to be seen.You'll be surprised  to have ticket inspectors  scrambling after you.
Pay USD5.00 and get the valid one day sticker.



There were many in house security staffs with watchful eyes.
Some will be watching out for looters stealing the donation money in the boxes.

Arrived at the Shwedagon Pagoda complex at about 4:00pm in a sunny afternoon.

A Buddhist shrine with unique rooftop architecture having a blend of Hindu culture.

The north entrance is the nearest to the main pagoda platform area which is also known as the Victory Square.







Burmese women devotees taking a rest  beside the Hall of Prosperity.

Devotees after praying will be fanning the Buddha by pulling  a long string attached to a peacock feather fan above the Buddha's statue .







Burmese university student girl,majoring in economics resting beside the Hall of Prosperity.

The Shwedagon Pagoda Historical museum building is beside the main platform area.
Although it's a small museum,there were many exhibits of some ancient relics.









A late evening overcast  above the Shwedagon Stupa surrounded by smaller pagodas. 

Standing elegantly on top of a hill,the Shwedagon Pagoda is the most unique pagoda in Yangon.(formerly Rangoon) .

Genuine gold plates covering the brick structure attached by traditional rivets maintained through the generosity of the Myanmar people donating their gold jewellery.

The most sacred platform area of the Shwedagon Pagoda with many smaller monuments beneath were dedicated to different subjects such as the planetary post for Jupiter that stands just beside the Kassapa Temple.

The planetary post for Rahu lies in the north-west corner.
Slightly to the north is a small octagonal, golden-spired pagoda, the Pagoda of the Eight Weekdays.

  The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates.

 Above the base are terraces that only monks and men can access.

 Next is the bell-shaped part of the stupa.

 Above that is the turban, then the inverted alms bowl (thabeik), inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud and then the crown.

The crown or umbrella (hti) is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. Immediately before the diamond bud is a flag-shaped vane (nga myat na). The very top, the diamond bud (sein bu) is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.

According to archeologists, the stupa was constructed some 2600 years ago to preserve the hairs strands of Buddha which was personally given by him to the two merchant brothers on their journey to India.

 A miniature reclining buddha.












Buddha Kassapa temple,the main west shrine with many pilgrims and worshippers.

The girls in uniform were security personnel  guarding golden statue and donation boxes.




 The amazing clusters of  smaller pagodas beneath the main stupa.
  "Shwe" means gold and "Dagon" is a former name of Yangon.

Pagoda festivals in Myanmar:

January- Ananda Pagoda Festival in Bagan, 

February- Mahamuni Pagoda Festival in Mandalay

March:

(1) Indawgyi Pagoda Festival in Kachin State(2)Kakku Pagoda Festival in Shan State
(3) Shwe Gu Nat Festival in Sagaing Division
(4) Ah May Ye Yin Nat Festival in Sagaing Division
 April-Thingyan Water Festival
 May- pouring the water to Bo tree
 June:
(1) Thihoshin Pagoda and Mya Sein Nyo Nat Festival  in Sagaing Division
(2)Shwe Kyun Pin Pagoda Festival in Sagaing Division.
July-Waso Chinloe ( cane ball ) festival held in Mandalay.
August:
(1) Taungpyone Nat Festival in Mandalay 
2) Yatanagu  Nat Festival in Mandalay

September:

(1) Kyaukse Elephant Dance Festival(2) Shwe Na Pe Nat Festival in Mandalay
(3) Kyauktawgyi Pagoda Festival
October:
(1) Thadingyut Festival
(2) Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda Festival In Shan State
November:

(1) Shwezigone Pagoda Festival in Bagan

(2) Thanbudde  Pagoda Festival in Monywa

(3) Phowintaung Pagoda Festival in Monywa
(4) Kaungmudaw Pagoda Festival in Sagaing

(5)Taunggyi Tazaungdine Festival in Shan State

(6) Kakku Pagoda Festival in Shan State

December- Shwemyetmhan Pagoda Festival in Pegu Division located in Shwe Taung.

View of Shwedagon Pagoda during the night.
According to some historians and archaeologists, however, the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries.

The Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand.

The Mon ethnic group  mostly live  in the Mon State of Bago Division,the Irrawaddy Delta and along the southern Thai-Burmese border.

Morning flea market around Tugu Pahlawan.

Street vendors displaying their stuffs.











The Semut Megah Plaza building ahead which was also beside the Semut Railway Stasiun.

Tugu Pahlawan.(Warriors Monument) is the main central point of the city where every buses will have to pass by.










The Australian Commonwealth Bank has its presence here Bank Mandiri IDX: BMRI is the largest bank in Indonesia in term of assets, loans and deposits.

The Indonesian government created it in 1999 to amalgamate four older government-owned banks that had failed in 1998. Those banks were Bank Bumi Daya (BBD), Bank Dagang Negara (BDN), Bank Expor Impor (Exim), and Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo).

A plastic pep bottle recycle shop neatly stacked.











Locals browsing for  cheap bargains.

Eeuropean styled architecture blending into the local landscape.











 

The minaret.












The mosque near Semut Plaza.

Monument of  Indonesia's first President Soekarno and Vice President Hatta at Tugu Square.
Both being the Proclaimer of Indonesia,the struggle for independence from the Netherlands.
Upon Japanese invasion surrender,both Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesia's independence on 17th August 1945.
 

This nice building is vacant and up for sale.

Located at the traffic light junction opposite Tugu Pahlawan,the road beside it leads to city centre which is about 3km away.

As seen from Tugu Pahlawan compound.

Surabaya tourism board office.

After disembarking from the Gubeng train station,headed on the right side and happened to walk along Jalan Governor Suryo.

 Looked like a fine example of "Dutch Tropical" architecture of the colonial period built in 1795.
This was the Grahadi's Governor Mansion.
The name Grahadi was derived from a conference hall inside the building.
Graha in Sanskrit means House, while Adi signifies distinguished.
 In 1802 the front of the house which faces north across the Kalimas river, was changed to the south as it has remained until the present.


Right across the road from this Grahadi building is the statue monument of Governor Suryo, the first East Java Governor who was killed in the (Partai Kommunis Indon)PKI rebellion in Madiun 1948.

 His maiden speech as inscribed below the monument here reads:- “Repeatedly we have told that our position is better fallen to pieces than colonized again. Also now in face ultimatum of English, we will hold firmly this position. We still refuse the ultimatum”.

Secondary school compound fully packed with motorbikes.

The traffic situation in Surabaya's city was indeed a nightmare.Heavy non stop traffic flow of vehicles and motorbikes made pedestrian crossing a risky task.
One has to brave himself and cross the road despite of the oncoming vehicles.
The only overhead pedestrian bridge available  is at the Surabaya Plaza area and in front of Tunjungan Plaza.

A Dutch colonial building with a dome shape top here housed the Surabaya Tourism Promotion Board.
It's along Jalan Pemuda,a short distance from the Grahadi mansion building.

An ornamental ceiling chandelier possibly imported from Holland.













Another hanging crystal glass chandelier.

European design hard rosewood wooden cabinets  

An old German brand piano still in tip top conditions were on display in the hall.

Porcelain wares used by the Dutch colonialist were also on display.

A wooden model of the first train locomotif in Java.

The Phinisiq ship.
The word pinisiq does refer to the rigging only -i.e. seven to eight sails, consisting of three foresails on a long bowsprit, a mainsail and a mizzen on standing gaffs, two topsails and a staysail on the mizzen-mast’s forestay- while the different types of hulls bear their own names.

The main entrance door.

Miss Tika,the manager in charge of the museum was  kind enough to explain and show me around the various items left behind by the Dutch.

She was very fluent in English and good  public relation officer.
Her sweet smile of welcoming visitors really reflects "Sparkling Surabaya".
   




Travel brochures and maps were available and distributed free of charge to tourists.

Malang-Surabaya by train.

The Stasiun Kereta Api Malang is just across the Jalan Tugu roundabout.

It's a very small stasiun.

Eksekutif train to Jakarta(Gambir Station):Depart 16:25hrs Arrive:07:18 hrs.

Eksekutif train to Yogyarkarta(Tugu Station):Depart 16:25hrs Arrive:23:28hrs.

Ekonomi train to Surabaya(Gubeng Station):Depart: 08:30hrs, 10:30hrs, 12:30hrs,14:30hrs and 16:30hrs....4,500rupiah.

There is a train schedule signboard with detailed departure and arrival.The economy class ticketing counter opens an hour before each train departure time.  
TUJUAN is an Indon word for destination.

Since the departure time for Yogyarkarta was very late,I've decided to return to Surabaya.

Unfortunately I've missed the great Buddhist event,Hari Waisak(Wesak Day) which was said to be a grand scale celebration at the Unesco heritage site of Chandi Borobodur.

Below were some of the photos extracted from the local newspaper.