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Myanmar travel, Yangon, Bago,
Irrawaddy, Ayeyarwady, delta,
monsoon, monsum, Myanmar vacation,
Myanmar video, Myanmar news
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One of the most interesting and worth while
side - trip out of Yangon is a one-day
return trip to Bago,
50 miles
north east of the capital. Once a splendid
city and important seaport, it was the
capital of the Mon Kingdom from 1365 AD. and
became the capital of King Tabinshweti’s
Second Myanmar Empire in 1541, retaining her
glory and prominence till 1635 when the
capital of the Second Myanmar Empire was
moved to Innwa (Ava), near Mandalay, by King
Thalun.
Lying on the
east bank of the Bago River, the capital of
Bago Division is a road and railway junction
with routes leading to Mandalay and Pyay,
Moattama (Martaban) to Mawlamyine. It also
serves as a collecting center for paddy,
bamboo and timber logs.
Famous for its
cheroot industry, Bago makes many brands of
this typically Myanmar smokers’ product,
with salt, dried fish and a variety of
handicrafts being available also.
‘Shwe Nyaungbin’
or golden Banyan Tree
Leaving Yangon, a
few kilometers farther on, just on the left side
of the road, is a brick shrine under an old
banyan tree believed to be the abode of guardian
‘nets’ or spirits of the highway.
Cars and buses stop
here to give offerings for protection against
accidents. There is a ritual for newly purchased
cars: the vehicle is driven forward towards the
shrine and then backwards, three times each way.
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The bonnet is then sprayed
with perfume, and ‘mediums’ recite prayers,
receiving a substantial fee. The owner is given
a garland of ribbons to tie onto his car for
warding off all mishaps on the road.
The Htaukkyan
junction is 20 miles (32 km) away from Yangon.
Here, the left fork takes a north-westerly
departure en route to Pyay while the right
branch leads to Bago and hence northeast to
Taungoo.
The Great
Shwethalyaung Buddha and The Kyaikpun Buddha
The famous
Shwethalyaung Buddha Shrine
between Yangon-Myanmar and Bago
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Shwethalyaung Buddha
Head |
Shwethalyaung Buddha |
Shwethalyaung
Buddha Footprint |
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Yangon to Bago Houses of bamboo walling, wooden or bamboo post thatch
roofing with bamboo slat.
Yangon to Bago heavy roadwork for little girl |
Yangon to Bago Girls carrying petrol |
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Houses of bamboo walling, wooden or bamboo post,
thatch roofing with bamboo slat framework to press down and keep the thatch
in place during wind and rain, can be seen scattered in between villages and
towns. Pagodas - white or golden - small to medium in size, close by or at
some distance, are a constant part of the landscape.
Lush green paddy fields extending right to the horizon,
a few sparse bamboo thickets, banana
plants in small
 groves, trees and shrubs all freshly green,
with inundated land for miles around. Long-legged isolated field huts, rural
abodes in small villages and tiny settlements surrounded on all sides by
abundant water; bamboo posts nearly sub- merged and floors with the water
just a few inches underneath.
Yangon Division is contiguous with Bago Division to the North and Ayeyarwaddy Division on its West. The whole of the Delta area with its rich
alluvia soil and adequate rainfall is jointly occupied by these three
divisions, which together produce over half the paddy of the whole country.
Rainfall in Yangon, Ayeyarwaddy and the southern part of Bago Division is
over 250 cm to 350 cm (100 inches to 140 inches) annually, with over 100
days of rain during the 5-month monsoon season from mid-May to mid-October. |
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