Things to see and do Myanmar - Burma

Daytime market. You will find there longyi and fabrics of Myanmar, but also all the usual objects of life made of straw: mats, baskets, hats. It is also the occasion to do your survival shopping if you embark for Mandalay.

Scenes... of fish. In the small streets behind the Strand Road, women dry and empty the fish on the road at the end of the day.

Night market. Between 7pm and 9pm, life comes to life on the main street for a few hours, rather the occasion to taste delicious skewers or soups. Very pleasant.

Between 19:00 and 21:00, the life comes alive in the main street for a few hours, quite an opportunity to taste delicious brochettes or soups. Very pleasant.

Located in the heart of the village, the Mingun bell is the largest working bell in the world. The one in Moscow is even bigger, but cracked... Just for that alone, it's worth a little detour around here. It was melted down in 1808 and floated away. It fell in the earthquake, but was rebuilt by the British. All Burmese will tell you about the bell if you show interest in Mingun. And for good reason, it is the main attraction of the city. You can't miss it.

They are an entertainment centre and local scenes interesting for the traveller.

Just south-east of Old Bagan, set back from the road, this temple, which is still not much visited, is probably our favourite. Never restored, its monumental mass makes it one of the largest and, if fully restored, probably the highest of all the temples in Bagan. But these places are cursed. Legend has it that King Narathu ordered its construction in the 12th century as a penance for the assassination of his father and brother. During the construction, he was particularly sensitive to the fact that the joints between the bricks were extremely fine. Go ahead, check it out, it's amazing! And the workers who did not do a sufficiently satisfactory job had their hands cut off as they left the temple. You can see at the entrance of the temple the holes in which they had to place their arm and wait for their sentence ... Narathu was murdered, and the center of the temple compiled of stones and bricks and closed forever.

Today, as you walk down the alleys of the huge galleries, you will hear the sound of bats, the only inhabitants of the place, and a strange atmosphere takes over this temple at dusk. A word of advice, go at sunset. There is absolutely no one around, and the last rays of sunlight enter the west gate, revealing beautiful rural paintings. A magical place, full of emotions without any doubt, which we hope will remain as it is. And fortunately, now that Bagan is officially listed as a World Heritage Site, people believe in it.

Built on stilts like all the other monasteries in the region, this small monastery, still in operation, is famous for its teak thein, the consecrated room, and its oval openings, unique in their kind, which sometimes let you see the heads of the bonzillons studying. It is undoubtedly a very beautiful image to photograph or simply to keep as a souvenir, which shows all the charm of Burma. Near the monastery, you can visit a small pagoda, interesting for the interior decorations of its ambulatory.

Its name means "the Great Fulfilment of the Great World", in pale. It stands to the east of the Kyauktawgyi pagoda. Dating from the origins of the city, it was built by King Mindon on the model of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. It is famous for housing the Buddhist scriptures. On 729 stone tablets are engraved all the tripitaka approved by the ^Fifth Synod invited by King Mindon. A unique collection in the Buddhist world.

Once off the boat In Dein reserves one of the most beautiful surprises of the lake. You have to take the long and wide covered stairs for almost a kilometre, bordered by a small market of local stalls. It crosses the swampy countryside to reach King Alaungsithu's zedi. At the end, the Shwe Inn Tain pagoda is enthroned. Very pretty, but it is not the one we come to see here. At the back, we must find the exit to stay stuck in front of the landscape. A forest of stupas that rushes by hundreds of all colors in the heart of the bamboo grove.

This magnificent pyramid-temple belongs to the same category as Sulamani. It is one of the few buildings in Bagan to be illuminated at night. It is then called: The jewel of Bagan. In Old Bagan, let yourself be inspired by the most monumental and frequented pagodas or venture among the small ruined temples, the forests of stupas, or the pagodas under restoration, they were numerous after the earthquake, scattered on the dunes. The must-see: Ananda, of course, Thatbyinnyu, Bupaya, Mahabodhi and Shwe-gu-gyi.

About 2 500 stûpas stand on a hill above the Hopong valley. Over four hundred years old, no text explains who is the founder of this site. Legend says King Narapatisithu of Bagan built these Pagodas. Every year, a wonderful full moon festival takes place in March. The inhabitants of all the pa villages in the surrounding area then put their finest traditional costumes, candles illuminate pagodas, theatrical performances and musical performances take place.

The Botataung Pagoda was built more than 2,000 years ago by a minister who was given relics of Buddha by King Suvannabhumi. Bo Tataung meaning "a thousand soldiers", this small army escorted the sacred box to Burma. Entirely destroyed by bombs during the Second World War, the great generosity of the people made it possible to rebuild it identically. In this pagoda, it is possible to enter inside and see relics and a crowd of Buddha statues. A fascinating place.

A lot of handicraft workshops populate the lake. During a pirogue excursion, your pilot will stop you wherever he wants. So don't hesitate to choose your itinerary according to your points of interest first with the hotel so that the message is transmitted to him because he doesn't necessarily speak English. Blacksmiths, goldsmiths, weavers, cheeroots factories, these cigars rolled by hand, the choice is vast. The most interesting according to us: the floating gardens, the cigarette factory, and the lotus factory. And if you like Burmese cats, the Inle Heritage!

The hill and the 1,700 steps to climb are well worth a visit, with crowds of tourists arriving for the sunset. The view over the Mandalay Valley and the palace is breathtaking. The renovation of the terrace was completed in 1995, leaving a platform at the top of the sacred hill tiled with a surprising patchwork of yellow earthenware, flowers and mirrors. Our advice, come down just after sunset, when the tourists are still on the terrace, to enjoy the temples built along the steps.

The Mahamuni pagoda, or Phayargyi, is a real must in Mandalay and the most famous place of pilgrimage in Upper Burma for the bronze image of Buddha it houses. Its history goes back twenty-five centuries. The image is revered by all. Especially on the Sabbath, full moon and religious festivals. One can hear the murmur of prayers recited in mid-voice. According to the chronicles, Buddha visited the kingdom of Dinnayawadi some 2,500 years ago. Some twenty years after Gautama's Enlightenment, King Sanda Thuriya of Dinnayawadi felt the desire to meet Buddha and receive his teaching. His desire coincided with a visit by Buddha to the State of Arakan with 500 monks on the full moon of Kason (May), in 123 AD. The king, his wife and the little prince set out on a journey to Buddha's camp. His Majesty prostrated himself so well before Buddha that the latter did him the favour of a visit to his palace. There he preached the Dhamma for seven days. Afterwards, the king begged him to present to the multitude of the faithful traces of his incarnate being, so that they could venerate and worship him in his absence. It was then that a huge statue was cast in bronze. It was consecrated by Buddha himself, who infused it with the warmth and breath of his own breast. Since then, the image has been regarded as a true replica of Gautama, which justifies the miracles attributed to him. The image first stayed in the state of Arakan. During the reign of King Thibaw, a fire ravaged Mandalay, miraculously sparing the Mahamuni image. The only alteration was that the pure gold crown and the melting gold treasure were mixed together. It is reported that the whole thing weighed 5,450 ticals, 1 tical being equivalent to 14 grams. The restoration, in which French architects participated, lasted until May 1884. In one of the halls, paintings represent the history of the temple and the different stages of its construction inscribed in the history of Burma. The early risers will not miss the ceremony of the washing of the face of Buddha which takes place every morning at dawn, from 4:30 am.

Triangular gong room. The Burmese believe that if a man and a woman repeat the same word three times and at the same time when the gong rings, then they will get married. Next to the triangular gong room, another room houses six statues of men and animals. They are said to have the power to heal the sick who lay their hands on the part of the statue corresponding to their own suffering limb.

At first glance, Mingun is a small Burmese village, with its oxcarts and dusty dirt tracks. A dispensary overlooking the river, where old Burmese women dry garlic, floating bamboos waiting for their transit, and the biggest pile of bricks in the world: King Bodawpaya's unfinished project of the world's largest pagoda. Greedy for power, he only had time to build the pagoda's promontory where two lions, damaged by the 1838 earthquakes, stand at the entrance of the site. Since his death in 1819, the project has remained like this.

Bago has one of the longest reclining Buddhas in Burma: 16 m high and 55 m long. Represented with open eyes and fanned toes: resting position. Behind its scrap metal construction, the image, protected only since 1906, has been particularly damaged in the course of history. Erected in 996, first renovated by Dhammazedi and then abandoned again, it was not until 1880 that the Buddha was rediscovered and cleared of wild grasses.

The Shwesandaw Pagoda was built in 1057 by King Anawrahta. Slightly damaged by the earthquake, its cylindrical bell topped by rings has undergone some repairs. Below the height of the five terraces, two additional octagonal bases serve as a reliquary for Buddha's hair, obtained from Bago. However, due to Baganese wealth, some constructions are an exception to the models of classical Baganese architecture. Once the ideal place to watch the sunset, it is now forbidden to climb the temples!

Dating from 1878, the pagoda is located at the foot of Mandalay Hill. It houses an image of Buddha carved from a single block of marble from the Sagyin quarries north of Mandalay, measuring nearly 10m. Its transport from the canal would have required the work of more than 10,000 men for two weeks. It is clearly for the impressive statue of Buddha that this pagoda is visited. As for the rest, we will surely have seen it elsewhere. At nightfall, the place is a little more animated and frequented by followers.

All around Lake Kandawgyi, one can take the time for a pleasant walk in parks. Within a few meters you are literally cut off from the urban traffic, like inside a green lung in the heart of Yangon. We cross pretty bridges to get to the islands, where you can find restaurants half on stilts, nurseries trying to sell their small seeds, and lovers out for a stroll... The place is ideal for cooling off on hot afternoons. One can lose hours there by forgetting the time that passes.

Not far from the superb Shwedagon pagoda, this park is one of the places where you can take a step back from its architecture, golden and pointed towards the sky. This park is essentially made up of vast expanses of grass where one comes to frolic with family or friends. The place is very popular with Burmese lovers. But above all, particularly pleasant during the hottest periods, but also at weekends, when you will come across more locals, who also come to walk here.

Nan Paya is a temple built of brick and covered with sandstone, contemporary of the Nagayon temple. Erected by King Manuha, damned king of Thaton, in the second half of the 11th century. Some claim that it was the place of detention of King Manuha, who was captured by Anawratha at the same time as he seized the Buddhist scriptures. The small temple is surrounded by Mon-style windows, then at the base of the tower, three windows gently illuminate the interior of the Nanpaya temple, a name literally meaning "temple, palace".

Going up the road after passing the Buddhist academy (on Taung yoe Lan), you will find the Soon U Ponya Shin pagoda. The monument dates back to the 14th century and housed, by the way, two relics of Buddha's teeth. The Buddha that it shelters is very beautiful, its floor tiles are colorful and shine with a thousand lights. But the interest of the site lies mainly in its location: the highest hill of Sagaing. From here, one has above all a superb panoramic view of the city and the other surrounding pagodas.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Burmese Service - The BBC website.

Admire the most beautiful stone Burma, the largest sapphire in the world that comes from Mogok and buy real jewels at fair prices.

Sule Pagoda stands in the middle of a busy roundabout. Considered as the centre of Yangon, the meaning of Sule is more than ever verified: the one that is constantly being circumvented. Although it has been redesigned many times, this pagoda dates back more than 2,000 years. Legend has it that two Buddhist missionaries, Sona and Uttaro, brought back Buddha's hair from India and offered it to a minister in Dagon. Dagon's minister had a pagoda built to house the relics. Kyaik Athok in Mon, means "which shelters a sacred hair".

Situated in the north of the city, Lake Inya and its park is appreciated for its calm and softness, especially on the hottest days. It is a good place to rest between two visits. Be careful however, the entrance is sometimes blocked by the authorities when receptions are held in the luxurious residences on the shores of the lake. It is also on the south shore of the lake that Aung San Suu Kyi's home is located, where she was under house arrest for several years, near the U.S. embassy. Hence the nickname: the Lady of the Lake.

Southwest of Monywa, you have to leave the city to find this piece of nature and spirituality. It is actually a hill covered with banyans which have the particularity of having an image of Buddha on each of their feet. One comes here to walk between the Buddha statues, as if through a sacred forest. And know that you can also see the second highest Buddha statue in the world. Decidedly, what grandiose monuments!

It is possible to make excursions to the national park, which is about 100 km away. Take a minimum of one day starting from very good time but the best is to stay on the spot for at least one night. To get there, cross the river (2 000 K) and take a bus from Yin Mar Ben until Kapai. From Kapai, negotiate with a taxi to get there. In February, there is a great pilgrimage in the national park. Count US $ 8 for a person in a bungalow, US $ 15 for 2 people.

From the port of Myeik, there is a clear view of this small hilly island, where swimming is prohibited. You can get there on one of the small boats on the pier at Pyi Taw Thar Street. If the place is interesting, it keeps the third longest reclining Buddha in Burma, sixty-six meters long. Lying on the water's edge, like on the beach, in the usual serenity of Buddha. And the little extra is that one can enter inside the statue, covered with illustrations from his previous life. A pleasant visit!

When you arrive at the top, you will have to register and report to the police if you spend or not the night at the top. Indeed, foreigners are forbidden to sleep in monasteries or «camps» open to Burmese people who settle above restaurants. But many tourists bypass this regulation and, if you need to be checked, there is a lot to bet that the forces of the order would prove to be binding on you (for monks, we are less secure).

It is a site very frequented by the Burmese, the subject of pilgrimages from Mawlamyine (buses depart from the central market at 6 a. m. and 7 p. m.).

You can reach Yele by a jetty, between two monasteries of wood on piles, one for monks and another for nuns, or by descent on the beach, by a passage to the water level. Mon states that the pagoda would have failed on the rocks a long time ago. On the island, the sanctuary is clearly divided into two halls, one of which is forbidden to women. It is still said that a woman has approached, a storm would have devastated the region immediately. Since then, railway station. In the room reserved for men, Buddha sitting on a naga, contemplates the representations of his predecessors, among the men.

Here is one of the two allied cemeteries to see in low Burma, the other being on the road to Bago. The graves of the prisoners of war killed during the Japanese construction of the «railway of death», connecting Burma with Thailand, are perfectly aligned.

Built a few years before the fall of the kingdom of Bagan. At the end of the 13th century, in 1284. Among the later monuments built in the kingdom of Pagan, the Mingalazedi pagoda marks the culmination of Burmese architecture. Note the varnished jataka on its terraces, the small pagodas at the four corners and the shape of the kalasa pot. At the top of the third terrace, four large conical stupas can be seen, giving a slender shape to the whole, which is completed by a pinnacle above the zedi. Of great beauty.

Better known as the Temple of Htilominlo, this majestic architectural work was built by Nadaungnya in the early 13th century, making it one of the last major works in Bagan. A large bell rests on four square terraces at each corner of which hollow temples are erected, each housing a brick and stucco Buddha. Its ochre colour then comes to find all its beauty in the soft lights of dawn or the glowing red lights of the falling evening and the sun setting over the ruins.

Built in 1059, once again during the reign of King Anawrahta, the Lawkananda Pagoda consists of a tall cylindrical bell similar in shape to the stūpas pyu. Lawkananda literally means "joy of the world": what a positive message to visit this beautiful temple. A real and beautiful drop of gold is deposited there. The golden dome then rests on three octagonal terraces, the two lowest of which are accessible by four wide staircases. In May 2003, a new crown adorned with jewels was hoisted to its summit.

It is said that King Anawratha, again, erected it with the intention of redeeming himself from the assassination, in battle, of his predecessor and half-brother Sokkade. Characteristic for its low terraces and its almost cylindrical bell-shaped dome, the Myin Ka Ba pagoda has this particular interest. Its village of the same name is above all the stronghold of the region's craftsmen: from sand paintings to lacquerware. Crockery and other bamboo boxes are then meticulously covered with 14 layers of lacquer.

In the south of lake Kandawgyi the zoo is representing a place to avoid for sensitive souls because the animals are enclosed in very young and mall in point.

On the other hand, it is interesting to visit the natural history museum where various reptiles in jars are arranged (not necessarily fragmented better than the animals), fossils, and you have a first approach to the tropical vegetation. Finally, the last attraction of the park is the national Aquarium. The zoo is especially a picnic for Burmeses.

It is possible to discover the Yangon River on small boats that organise excursions around the capital.

A little gem for lovers, a boat that is lost in the delta around Yangon, for a few hours of romance and sensations. The boat is full of charm and you have nothing to do if you leave it to the water, admire the landscapes and enjoy the life of the villages of the delta. A choice of French, Burmese or French cuisine will be served by one of the best chefs in Yangon, with all the best Burmese wines. A beautiful getaway for couples.

One of the most visited images by the locals.

The Myinnahti cave is located near the village of the same name, on the Loikaw road, about ten kilometres from Kalaw. If you decide to go there on foot, please ask the hotel for directions and allow an hour and a half of hiking through lush nature. Once there, you will discover this deep natural cave. A long winding corridor of a few hundred meters filled with buddhas. The place was used as a hideout by the Japanese during the Second World War to protect themselves from British bombing. Its limestone formations are worth seeing.

A former tourist guide, he also became a teacher of English. He is no longer a guide, but is pleased to meet visitors.

Take a pedicab (three-wheeled vehicle with human or mechanical propulsion) to get there. Magnificent pond bursting with water lilies.

As its name suggests, there are 3 trees on the island of the 3 trees. These surround a tiny pagoda. You can walk around the island in 10 minutes. The main activity is probably snorkeling, mask and tuba. Many rocks and some corals surround the island. Nothing transcendental but a nice entertainment where you can reach in 20 minutes on board a boat.

Fishing trip. Contact his hotel if you wish to go with the local fishermen.

Very deep lake formed by volcanic eruption. To our knowledge, nobody is bathing there.

International Federations of Human Rights Leagues - FIDH is committed not only to the protection of human rights but also to the supervision of multinationals and international financial institutions. FIDH closely follows the condemnation of TOTAL.

COSEFEB, Myanmar Women's and Children's support committee - Association supporting the million refugees locked in closed camps, waiting for an uncertain future.

Information on France's economic presence and relations in Burma. The French government's website is aimed primarily at French investors wishing to attack the Burmese market.

The Embassy of France is available to travellers for information about the country and its security. She usually advises travellers to register to register their presence in the country in case of concern. You will also find information about Franco-Burmese relations.

The Burma Project - Established in 1994 by the Open Society Institute, the Burma Project is committed to increasing international awareness of conditions in Burma and trying to help the country make a peaceful transition from a closed society to an open society.